Lucy Stone is a part-time journalist in Tinker's Cove, Maine. Nearing St. Patrick's Day, a town parade is being organised as usual, but Lucy discovers that who can participate is tightly controlled. The title IRISH PARADE MURDER is slightly misleading as the action is set before the parade, but the organisation of the Irish-themed day is a major factor.
Speaking of which, I feel highly insulted that Lucy takes two people’s words for it that no parades are held in Ireland, and the reporter never once asks Google for corroboration. We’ve held parades in cities and towns every year I remember, except during the Covid lockdowns. Performing bands trade places with performers in cities like Chicago and New York annually. How hard would Lucy have had to look for evidence?
To be fair, Lucy has a lot going on during this story, which is weightier than usual. She attends her father-in-law's funeral and tries to involve Grandma Edna more with her growing family. But a stranger appears claiming to be Lucy’s husband Bill’s half-sister, following the results of a DNA test, and Bill doesn’t like to think badly of his father, who only had one marriage. They don’t know if this woman is genuine.
The Pennysaver, for which Lucy writes, is owned by Ted Stillings, and thanks to a grant he has bought the sister newspaper in the nearby town of Gillead. This will double coverage and advertising spread, but not pay. However, the alternative would be the paper folding. A dynamic city reporter, Rob Callahan, is installed keen to seek corruption. What if there isn’t any? Well, he thinks there is some. He’s bad at editing copy, it turns out, but Lucy gets the blame. She also gets five nails stuck in a car tyre. Is someone warning journalists off - or maybe it was accidental?
The story later includes the death of a prison guard, but we’ve already had hints that someone went missing the previous year, so the regular reader will be sniffing for clues. The topics continue to grow heavier with corruption, intimidation and unpleasant local politics. Said politics include who can dance in the friendly St. Patrick’s Day parade, and whether a side festival can be organised. Yes, Lucy has a lot on her plate. That still doesn’t excuse her for not doing her due diligence research, in my book.
IRISH PARADE MURDER by Leslie Meier is a busy and generous look at crime in a small town and the reasons why people celebrate Irishness on this day. I enjoyed the topical read.
Lucy Stone’s late-winter blues usually vanish by the time Tinker’s Cove goes green for its annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration. There’s just one wee problem that not even the luck of the Irish can fix—murder!
After returning from her father-in-law’s funeral in Florida, Lucy can almost hear the death knell of her part-time reporter job the instant she meets new hire Rob Callahan. He’s young, ambitious, and positioning himself to become the Pennysaver’s next star reporter. Adding insult to injury, Lucy only gets assigned the local St. Patrick’s Day parade once Rob passes on the story. But before beer flows and bagpipes sound, Rob becomes suspected of destroying more than other people’s careers . . .
It’s a shock when Rob is suddenly charged with sending a corrections officer from town to a fiery death. Contrary to the evidence, Lucy seriously doubts her office rival committed murder, and she’s willing to follow that nagging hunch into the darkest corners of the community if it means shedding light on the truth . . .
As an unnerving mystery unfolds, a strange woman reveals news that could change everything for Lucy and her family. Troubles in her personal and professional life are colliding, and Lucy comes to realize that she’ll sooner discover a four-leaf clover than confront a killer with the gift of the gab and live to tell about it . . .
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