Book Review: Valentine Murder (A Lucy Stone Mystery, #5) by Leslie Meier

Valentine Murder (A Lucy Stone Mystery, #5) by Leslie Meier is the fifth book in the Lucy Stone Mystery book series.  In this cozy mystery, Lucy Stone attends her first board meeting for the newly renovated library in Tinker's Cove, Maine. The evening takes a shocking turn when she discovers fellow board member Bitsy Howell in the library basement, dead from a gunshot wound. 

Not knowing what to expect since this was my first time reading a novel by Leslie Meier, I was pleasantly surprised by this cozy mystery. It has everything I look for in this genre ... good writing, an interesting storyline, characters that are both likable and unlikable, and a plot that feels believable. It doesn't hurt that the murder takes place in a library. As a book lover, I always enjoy mysteries that revolve around books and libraries. 

One of the most believable aspects of the novel was the dynamic among the library board members. their cliques, personalities, and interactions felt incredibly realistic, and I've definitely seen similar behavior in the workplace. Another convincing element was the way Hayden and his partner Ralph are treated by some of the townspeople. Lucy's frustration with her children also rang true. Parenting isn't always easy, and those moments added authenticity to her character.

There were a few inconsistencies in the storyline that distracted me. The first involved Lucy's ten year old daughter, who is in the third grade. Since I haven't read the first four books in the series, I'm not sure if there was an explanation in an earlier installment, but it stood out because children typically begin third grade at eight years old.

Another inconsistency was that Lucy made a phone call from a pay phone early in the story, only to learn a few chapters later that she carries a cell phone for emergencies. That made the earlier scene feel unnecessary. Later in the novel, the town loses electricity and the family relies on candles, yet the front porch light remains on. Lastly, the book was published in 1999, but the characters act like personal computers and the internet are brand new things. (My family had two computers and internet in 1986, so that detail didn't feel accurate to me.)

Because of the inconsistencies, I had to give Valentine Murder (A Lucy Stone Mystery, #5) by Leslie Meier four out of five stars. If you enjoyed this book, I'd recommend Death of a Kitchen Diva (Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails Mystery, #1) by Lee Hollis.

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