With planning the town’s annual Halloween Party, the drought wreaking havoc on her garden, and her brood of four children, Lucy Stone’s got her hands full this fall…
As the air turns crisp and the trees blaze red and gold in the tiny town of Tinker’s Cove, Maine, a newcomer arrives who seems to suit the Halloween season. Diana Ravenscroft has just opened Solstice, a charming little shop featuring candles, crystals, jewelry, and psychic readings. But after an unnervingly accurate reading by Diana, Lucy starts to get more than a little spooked…
Then there’s the dead body Lucy finds, way up on one of the old logging roads behind her house. The deceased is identified as Malcolm Malebranche, a seemingly harmless magician who worked at children’s birthday parties.
When it turns out that Diana knew the murder victim, Ike Stoughton, a prominent local businessman, starts a campaign against Diana, blaming “the witch” for everything from the unseasonal dry spell to his wife’s illness and his pumpkins’ lack of plumpness. But Lucy’s not so sure that Ike himself is innocent. Still, as the town Halloween party approaches, Lucy’s more concerned about the costume competition, pin-the-nose-on-the-pumpkin, and baking three dozen orange cupcakes and Beastly Bug cookies. But as the October moon rises, a killer plans a lethal celebration of his own—and Lucy’s the guest of honor…
4 Responses
I just finished Wicked Witch Murder. As smart as Lucy Stone is supposed to be, I’m a little surprised that she didn’t know belladonna was poisonous. Seems a little out of character for her. I agree with many of Becky’s comments, and I’m not a Wiccan. But I did enjoy the book, even if there was a huge gap (read missing part) between the last chapter and the one before it!
leslie, i was looking forward to reading the “wicked witch murder”. then, when there was so much info on the wiccan culture i became very engrossed. moving further in2 the story it appeared that a moral clash was imminecnt between the wiccan culture & a strict fundamentalist family. however, i felt stunned by the conclusion.
I love, love, love your books. Why hasn’t someone created made for tV movies based off your books. They would be wonderful! It could be like the “Murder She Wrote” of Cabot Cove only now Lucy Stone of “Tinkers Cover”. You should see if you can sell that idea, I know would watch them all.
I enjoyed the premise of this book, and most of the characters (I have loved Lucy Stone for a long time), but as a Wiccan, I was a bit upset with the results of Ms. Meier’s research. While she kept paying lip service to the fact that Wicca is just a religion, like Catholicism, she then went the route of supernatural hokum! I didn’t mind the “weird” coven antics; there are plenty of Wiccans who practice sex magic and do other seemingly odd things. I was even enjoying the parallels of Diana and Ike both rejecting conventional medicines, but Rebecca’s “magical” poison ivy cure was really annoying. I have used plenty of herbal remedies over the years, and none has been an overnight miracle! Perhaps Ms. Meiers could have included a comment on the fact that magical healing spells are no different than the healing power of prayer (which has been documented). Instead, the guardian bear, supernatural owl, and other mystical elements made it seem as if, like in many other stories, Wiccans are not simply people just like everyone else. How disappointing!