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Easter may be over, but the leftovers remain. And not just that giant chocolate Easter egg or wedge of ham pie in the fridge. Also Leslie Meier's latest Easter installment, Easter Bonnet Murder. Despite what the title suggests, the victim wasn't strangled with the ribbons from an elaborate millinery creation. Nevertheless, the actual murder was even more bizarre and disturbing.
When reporter Lucy Stone is assigned to cover the annual Easter bonnet decorating contest at Tinker Cove's retirement home, Heritage House, she doesn't anticipate drama. But infighting among the residents, possible Medicaid fraud, and the disappearance of a loner bird watcher have her holding on to her proverbial hat. Heritage House is supposed to be a refuge for the old and infirm, and Lucy wants to keep it that way. But someone lurking behind Bingo nights and pudding breaks has other plans. And it's up to Lucy to stop him or her before it's her head on the chopping block.
As always, it wasn't the book's whodunit, but the everyday observations that really interested me. I was particularly taken with the idea of decking out Easter bonnets (no surprise there), although I wasn't keen on the competition. The mean (old) girls at Heritage House are the same as those found in any school or workplace, as Lucy herself muses while making dinner:
"What was it with women, she wondered, taking a package of ground chicken out of the fridge and dumping it into a bowl. Why can't they just lead their own happy lives, why do they have to scheme and plot against each other she asked herself, dumping in the breadcrumbs." (101)
You said it, Lucy! And that's why, for me, solitary artistic activities are where it's at.
Or, to put it more bluntly, stay sexy keep crafting and don't get murdered.
