Even with her reservations, Lucy finds herself in Boston, looking forward to the workshops she has signed up for and rubbing shoulders with newspaper moguls such as Luther Read of Pioneer Press, his son Junior and daughter Catherine, with whom Lucy strikes up a casual friendship. All too soon, Lucy finds herself in the middle of a homicide investigation when Luther Read collapses and dies during the awards banquet.

At first the police do not suspect foul play, but some casual comments from people including Lucy about tensions between father and son over the impending sale of the newspaper to a national conglomeration lead police to begin investigating the case as a murder. To complicate things for Lucy, back home her daughter Elizabeth is babysitting for Junior’s three-year-old son in Tinker’s Cove.

While trying to hone her reporting skills, write a feature length obituary for Luther Read and enjoy the sights and sounds of Boston, it’s all Lucy can do to try and forget about her husband and four children, but troubles from home cause Lucy to lose focus on the tasks at hand.

Father’s Day Murder is another delightful entry into this long running series featuring Maine housewife and reporter Lucy Stone, her husband Bill and their four children. Throughout the series, Lucy has grown into a confidant reporter, a confidence that has carried over into raising her family. This is the first chance to see Lucy in a setting other than her comfort zone, Tinker’s Cove, and she fares very well when she remembers to enjoy herself and remind herself that her world at home is not falling apart without her.

Though there are a few disasters while she’s gone, everyone muddles through them and all seems settled once again when she returns home.There are several possible suspects to the murder and several believable motives, though there are enough clues planted along the way allowing the reader to reach the solution before Lucy and the police. Even though Lucy is in the big city, the charm of Tinker’s Cover remains, and even causes Lucy some endearing moments of self-doubt, such as is her floral silk dress, perfect for the dressiest occasions in Tinker’s Cove, suitable for an awards banquet. While some of the other characters don’t always come to life, Lucy mingles with a different sort of people than she is used to and soon realizes that while other people may seem to have things better, she is very happy with her comfortable life and very lucky to have it.

Father’s Day Murder is another solid entry in a very dependable series that will please cozy fans and keep them looking for more.

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry