Candy Corn Murder

Candy Corn Murder by Leslie Meier is the twenty-second book in the Lucy Stone series. Lucy is watching her four year old grandson, Patrick while his parents are in Haiti. Lucy’s son, Toby is going to school for a business degree. He was offered a four month fellowship to study fish farming (I have no idea what a business degree has to do with fish farming). Molly, Toby’s wife, went with him to Haiti. Lucy has enrolled Patrick in Little Prodigies Day Care (with Lucy and her husband, Bill paying the fees). Little Prodigies has a unique philosophy (I personally would have found a new day care center). Tinker Cove, Maine is getting ready for their first ever Giant Pumpkin Fest. There will be a giant pumpkin contest, pumpkin regatta, displays of pumpkin people on Main Street, and a pumpkin catapult contest. Bill has decided to enter the pumpkin catapult contest with the encouragement of his friend, Evan Wickes (goes by Ev). Lucy is not fond of Ev. He is constantly hanging around the house drinking beer. He does not have good bathing habits and Lucy has to make sure to stand downwind. Bill is spending a fortune on wood for the catapult (which is messing with Lucy’s budget). The day of the contest Ev fails to show up. Bill is the first to compete in the catapult competition. They are aiming their pumpkins at a car that was recently in an accident. Bill does great. Lucy goes to get close-up shots of the car and notices fabric similar to Ev’s shirt in the trunk. Upon investigation they find Ev dead in the trunk of the car. Unfortunately, the normal police detective is on vacation. The two detectives assigned to the case believe Bill is responsible (since he does not have a rock solid alibi). Lucy sets out to prove her husband’s innocence. When the police search Ev’s home, they discover a pot growing operation (a big one) in the basement and $17,000 in his mattress. There was more to Ev than met the eye! The local police have their hands busy when someone is sabotaging Pumpkin Fest. Someone is taking an axe to people’s giant pumpkins. Then the Main Street pumpkin people display is attacked (the women characters were viciously destroyed). Buck Miller has returned to town and is working as Vice President of Marketing at Country Cousins. He left town over twenty years ago when his father was murdered (he was five at the time). Buck seems a little too eager and is making many changes to Country Cousins. Can Lucy solve Ev’s murder before her husband is convicted of the crime? Who is trying to ruin Pumpkin Fest and why? You will have to read Candy Corn Murder to find out! I enjoyed reading Candy Corn Murder. I have read every book in this series and loved every one of them. I give Candy Corn Murder 4 out of 5 stars. The murder was very easy to solve. I wish it had been a little more complicated. Candy Corn Murder can be read without having read any of the other books in the series. It does, though, help to have read the first book (of course, then you will be hooked) Mistletoe Murder since it directly relates to this book. I received a complimentary copy of Candy Corn Murder from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The review and opinions expressed are my own.