Countdown to Christmas Murder by Leslie Meier returns readers to Tinker’s Cove for another Christmas in small-town Maine. But this year, instead of a glittery snow globe that comes alive when shaken, you get gossip, a dead body, and whispers spreading through town like frost creeping across a windowpane.
The countdown to Christmas is on in Tinker’s Cove, Maine, and Lucy Stone is facing her first year as an empty-nester. While she’s busy writing stories for the Courier and trying to convince her two children who still live close enough to home to come for the holidays, the town is gearing up for its Merrie Olde Holiday festivities, a tribute to Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. But when someone starts doxing local townsfolk, social media posts run rampant, and everyone turns to Lucy to fix it, including her boss, Ted, she does what any good reporter does: she starts asking questions.
Then bank manager Bert turns up dead. The local police quickly declare the case closed, ruling his death a suicide. But no one in town believes that is the truth, so Lucy starts digging. And she isn’t the only one. The stakes run deeper than the plum pudding contest Bert was supposed to judge.
Meier is nothing if not consistent when it comes to character creation. Lucy remains the center of the story while somehow still feeling like everyone’s neighbor. She is dealing with her own form of grief, adult children, holiday stress, and, of course, a nose for trouble. Her story is grounded in genuine concern for her family, friends, and community as she attempts to navigate this new chapter of her life.
Bert’s death adds gravity to the story, while the way the townsfolk circle around one another feels entirely authentic for a community where people have known each other for most of their lives. Meier’s characters are lived-in and likable, and even the background characters come into focus, reminding readers that in Tinker’s Cove, everyone has a place in the story.
Meier works her holiday magic when it comes to atmosphere: the festival preparations, the Dickens staging, the seaside chill. Its warmth wraps around you like a quilt fresh out of the dryer. The pacing is more slow-simmer than rapid-fire, allowing relationships, side events, and personal drama to develop before returning to the mystery at hand. But that time pays off. Readers become invested in the characters, their lives, and their town.
Anyone looking for a quick-paced whodunnit may not find it here. But perhaps they should spend some time in Tinker’s Cove anyway. Sometimes slowing down is exactly what we need, and this story reminds us that the true meaning of Christmas can be found in community, connection, and the people who show up when it matters.
Cozy-mystery lovers will find themselves happily indulging in Lucy Stone and her adventures once again. Countdown to Christmas Murder is full of puns, small-town charm, genuine heart, holiday spirit, and just enough sneaky sleuthing to keep the mystery simmering beneath the tinsel.
Releasing September 29, 2026, Countdown to Christmas Murder will be available on Amazon Kindle, Audible, and Hardcover.
I would like to thank Kensington Publishing, NetGalley, and author Leslie Meier for the opportunity to preview Countdown to Christmas Murder. As always, all opinions and reviews are my own and given of my own volition, Karen Brooks, aka The Tx Lit Chic. I have not been promised any compensation, current or future, by the author or publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review of Countdown to Christmas Murder.
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