Mistletoe Murder
About Mistletoe Murder
Celebrate the holidays with the very first mystery in the ever-popular series featuring sleuth Lucy Stone as she unravels unsolved murders in picturesque Maine. “Meier continues to exploit the charm factor in her small-town setting, while keeping the murder plots as realistic as possible in such a cozy world.” —Booklist As if baking holiday cookies, knitting a sweater for her husband’s gift, and making her daughter’s angel costume for the church pageant weren’t enough things for Lucy Stone’s busy Christmas schedule, she’s also working nights at the famous mail-order company Country Cousins.
But when she discovers Sam Miller, its very wealthy founder, dead in his car from an apparent suicide, the sleuth in her knows something just doesn’t smell right. Taking time out from her hectic holiday life to find out what really happened, her investigation leads to a backlog of secrets as long as Santa’s Christmas Eve route. Lucy is convinced that someone murdered Sam Miller.
But who and why? With each harrowing twist she uncovers in this bizarre case, another shocking revelation is exposed. Now, as Christmas draws near and Lucy gets dangerously closer to the truth, she’s about to receive a present from Santa she didn’t ask for—a killer who won’t be satisfied until everyone on his shopping list is dead, including Lucy herself .
What readers say
A busy mom working the holiday rush at a Maine mail-order company finds her boss dead, and readers enjoy the cozy Christmas atmosphere, the small-town setting and a practical, determined heroine. The most common complaints are scenes involving harm to pets that many found upsetting, a lot of domestic detail before the mystery takes off, dated attitudes and an abrupt ending. Recent reviews are more mixed to positive than older ones, and several readers say the series gets better.
Best for: Readers who want a holiday-season small-town mystery and can overlook a dated first book.
Summary of public reader reviews, updated October 2026.
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