Novella Review: Candy Canes of Christmas Past by Leslie Meier

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Strong characters in prequel story

Cons: The mystery was a little weak

The Bottom Line:

A trip back to time

To see some characters meet

Christmas novella

Murder in Lucy’s Past

I’ve read several stories now featuring Leslie Meier’s Lucy Stone.  I’ve even read one of the books.  But for me, it all started with the novella Candy Canes of Christmas Past.

This story takes us back in time to the first Christmas that Lucy spent in Tinker’s Cove, Maine. Lucy is trying to deal with her husband's project, fixing up their home. So when town librarian, Miss Tilly, is nice to Lucy, Lucy looks for some way to repay her new friend. And that's how she begins trying to uncover the circumstances surrounding Miss Tilly's mother's death almost 50 years before. Was Mrs. Tilly murdered? If so, how can Lucy find out what happened after all these years.

This story is as much about Lucy's struggles to fit into a new town and live in an old house as it is about the mystery. Lucy and her husband are really struggling, which gives most of this story a darker tone for a cozy. It is also a weak mystery. The solution was very coincidental and almost an after thought compared to the resolution to the other story line. But I liked the characters. They are vivid and seem like people I would love to get to know better. While it didn’t turn out that way, this story lets me see the appeal for those who do like them.

I read this story when it was originally released as part of the Candy Cane Murder novella anthology.  If you’ve read that book, you don’t need to get this story.  But if you like Lucy and haven’t read this one yet, you’ll be glad you picked it up.

And this is a good introduction since it is really a prequel to the main Lucy Stone series.  Whether new fan or old, you’ll be interested in picking up Candy Canes of Christmas Past.