The dog gets a reprieve, but the relationship between Lucy and Pru Pratt is strained, especially when Lucy’s two daughters are caught spying on the Pratts. Following in their mother’s investigative footprints, the girls are hoping to find evidence that Pru abuses her chickens. To make matters worse, Lucy’s son Toby is arrested for assaulting Pru’s son Wesley after an argument over lobster poaching begins on the docks.

Now Pru is dead, apparently run over by a car, and Toby is a prime suspect. At the same time, Lucy and the townspeople are dealing with their local watering hole becoming the favorite spot for naturalists who prefer to do their swimming and sunbathing in the nude. Imagine Lucy’s surprise when she arrives to do a newspaper article on it and finds her young adult daughter among the ranks. Between making thousands of tissue paper flowers for the camp float and keeping her kids out of trouble and her dog out of the pound, September is looking very far away to Lucy right now.

A normally quiet and peaceful family, the Stones and the tiny town of Tinker’s Cove, Maine are having their share of growing pains this time around. The town parade and fireworks have been cancelled, Kudo is literally in the doghouse and the town council is concerned about nude sunbathers and lobster poachers. Lucy allows her emotions to get to her at work and walks out on Ted and Phyllis.

While the background nicely describes life in a small town, it takes a while for the murder to occur (even the victim is not introduced until further along in the book) and there are not a lot of suspects set forth. When Lucy tumbles upon the killer, the final encounter is rather peaceful and pat, almost as if Meier wants to apologize for putting Lucy and her family through the wringer this time.

Animal lovers may be disturbed by the possibilities of Kudo being put down and his ultimate fate. Exuberant friend Sue does not play as large a role here as in the past and is missed. A usually appealing heroine and series has a darker side to it this time that may put off readers new to the series and longtime fans will miss the usual coziness of Tinker’s Cove.

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry