Halloween Night Murder , byLeslie Meier, Lee Hollis, Liz Ireland

 

Publication August 26, 2025

Somehow, my rainy, cool weather seemed to indicate this would be the perfect time to curl up with three  favorite authors and check out their Halloween tricks-and-treats. I won't go into great detail as I've noted others already have, but will note that while I wasn't quite in the mood for the "Yikes! Oh, no, look behind you!" flavor of Lee Hollis'"Death of a Halloween Night Stalker", it was probably the most Halloween-y of them all. Don't get me wrong, it is an excellent tale, perfect for those in the mood for serious chills and thrills and the feeling of being trapped with spooky, scary killers on the lam. I just wasn't there yet. An accident on the way home from a concert leaves Hayley, Liddy, and Mona stranded with no internet or way of contacting outside help during a spooky rainstorm in a house that sounds straight out of a gothic horror movie. The residents are, well, not someone you'd want to spend time with, especially the zombie son. Nope, not sharing any more. I'll be going back to this one, I assure you, when I'm more in the mood for having chills run up my spine. Yes, Hollis can do spooky and do it well. 

The first story, Leslie Meier's "Halloween Night Murder", seems to only briefly touch on Halloween. A young, ragged looking teenager shows up at Hayley's door as the night of trick-or-treat is winding down and she spontaneously gives him all the candy she had left. The next morning she's horrified to hear that he was killed by a hit-and-run driver. That's where the story veers away from the Halloween spirit, though there are some scary things to be learned as she dives into investigating not just the social services available to the children and their seemingly abused mother, but into politics, shady dealings, and the corruption of some in positions of power over others. What she finds isn't comforting and, in fact, should probably spook us more than made-up ghosts and goblins. 

The third story is the most fun of the bunch, taking us back to Christmastown. If you'd not familiar with Liz Ireland's series with April Claus' (yes, married to that certain Claus we all assume wears a red suit and is a jolly, fat ol' guy) life with talking snowman and reindeer, snow monsters, elves, flying sleighs, and some of the most fun, quirky residents you can imagine. Be prepared to suspend disbelief and simply go with the flow. Not only is Santa, aka Nick, not old, he's quite a hunk but takes his temporary status as Santa seriously while holding the position until his nephew, Christopher, reaches maturity. In this installment, we have a snowman in a coma, thought to be the victim of a just released from elf prison, caramel maker extraordinary Flake. All this in the midst of a reindeer stampede, er, race, and hotly competitive caramel baking contest that even has the elder Mrs. Claus caught up in the spirit of the competition. April's too busy snooping, er, investigating to bake although not to enjoy samples of the entries. Somehow her best friend and her boyfriend, Jake, a relative of Jack Frost, wind up going to the frozen reaches of the furthest north to convince a cranky witch to return to Christmastown with them to help remove any spell of the poor, dormant snowman but they wind up newt-sitting. Don't ask. Just suspend belief and enjoy. Who knew Santa's life was so complicated. Thanks #KensingtonPublishing for allowing me this sneak peek at these well-down stories based around the Halloween theme. Bet you never thought about Santa's elves celebrating Halloween, did you? Grin. 

Easter Basket Murder, story collection by Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis, Barbara Ross

 

Publication Jan. 23, 2024

A fun read of three of my favorite authors showcasing characters their fans will recognize. The first, the one the book title is taken from, features Lucy Stone, initially following up a story on a theft and ending with a murder. The second, by Lee Hollis, may have a murder to solve but deals up lots of laughs (and recipes) in the telling. I found the third, by Barbara Ross, more serious than the others and as her Julia Snowden is one of my all-time favorites, I particularly enjoyed it. My quick take on the individual stories follows.

EASTER BASKET MURDER, by Leslie Meier

This series is one of the few where the characters seem to age. As such, Lucy and husband Bill are now in the empty-nest part of parenthood with their children grown and living their own lives. Bill is rather cranky in this offering but, well, you'll probably sympathize with him as you read. I know I did. As a reporter, Lucy is covering the town's latest effort to raise needed funds. They involve, I bet you can guess, an Easter basket. A well-known but eccentric artist's work has been donated but, whoa, it's stolen. Even worse, right out of the bank where it's being displayed, leading to much chatter about how things have changed in Tinker's Cove. Lucy seems only mildly focused on covering the theft, more focused on other concerns and not feeling the urge to compete for a scoop. Then, whoa, a murder takes place. That certainly piques Lucy's interest but, to be honest, she winds up more or less solving this crime by happenstance. Still, it's a good story and you'll enjoy hanging out with Lucy and the rest. Well, maybe not Ted. See if you agree when you read. 

DEATH BY EASTER EGG, by Lee Hollis

Death of the Easter Bunny, whoa. Hayley is just trying to keep her rambunctious, wild-child of a grandson out of mischief. She finds a dead body, instead. Small town Bar Harbor's annual Easter egg hunt sounds like a hoot, both from inattentive parents and children practically running wild. That said, while it made me chuckle, I'm glad I wasn't in charge. In any case, who'd kill the Easter Bunny, aka Raymond, the bank's security guy? Why? How hard is it to rob a security deposit box anyway? How does Eli's dumping his Baby Shark toy in the toilet create problems? So much going on. Just keeping up with Eli's mischief will keep you reading, albeit probably rolling your eyes in disbelief, so it's a fun read as Hayley snoops. Love her columns and, oh, my, lovely recipes, including for cocktails!

HOPPED ALONG, by Barbara Ross

I've always liked this series and came away liking it even more, if that is possible. Not only is Julia Snowden a very relatable character, one we'd like to have as a friend, her depth of caring even in the midst of a murder investigation is impressive.  Her relationship with Tom, a detective with the State Police, seems solid and they work together well both as a couple and when gathering information. I wound up liking everyone in this story, even the ultimate killer, go figure. That shows Ross's talent as a writer when she can make us empathize with a killer. The story of how they got to be a killer is a unique one, too, and it's only Julia's unique observation powers that help unravel the truth. And, hey, romance is in the air! I'm already looking forward to where that goes in the next book, which is already in my "to be reviewed" stash. Make sure you read the author's "Dear Reader" notes at the end, too, as it'll give you insight into how she came to this story idea and some of those who helped along the way. It's a strong plot, bringing in several favorite characters and sharing some past background memories, too, as do all three stories in this book, so I'm betting you'll enjoy the read. 

Bottom line, while I usually wind up wishing for more from these story collections, it's a satisfying, fun read. Ross's was my favorite, offering a more serious, thoughtful take on the prompt of "Easter basket" that she was probably asked to write to, but all were fun and character driven. Thanks #NetGalley and #KensingtonBooks - #KensingtonCozies for letting me take this virtual trip to Maine and hang out with these intriguing characters and those that surround their lives.

Irish Milkshake Murder Carlene O'Connor , Petty Ehrhart, Liz Ireland

 Publication Dec. 5, 2023

This is a collection of three stories with different vibes all centered around St. Patrick's Day. The blurb does an excellent job introducing the stories, all by authors I'm familiar with. O'Conner's story was probably the darker toned of the three. That's odd because the characters are coming together to celebrate an upcoming wedding. Bride-to-be Tara isn't enthusiastic about the idea of a hen party, but agrees to go along with the idea. Good thing as everything has already been set up, including the tour boat to take them to a more isolated area. There's a storm coming, too. See where this one's going? Needless to say, things go wrong. A man, a twin Irish dancer, dies after drinking a special holiday milkshake. The guest are already rather, uh, tipsy. The boat captain goes missing, and they spend a great deal of time trudging through mud while getting drenched and blown about. I didn't have a clue who did it, to be honest, and found myself rather lost in the festivities, I guess, as this entry didn't quite grab my interest. That said, I did grin at the reference to television's "Dancing With the Stars".

The second story felt like I was back on solid, familiar turf, however. Peggy Ehrhart's knitting mysteries were one of my introductions to cozy mysteries, so I'm always glad to spend time hanging out with Pamela and her far more flashy reporter friend Bettina. In this case, they've stopped for something to eat when they experience, one, a sheep parade down the street past the restaurant, and, two, seeing a man at a nearby table die after drinking a green milkshake. Bettina takes the lead in their follow-up investigation but we get the cozy size of the mystery, too, as they knit, chat, and visit friends. And, regular readers, you'll be happy to see Pamela's romance is moving along nicely and it's always fun to imagine the fiber related articles she's okaying and editing. In any case, their lives are endangered, that's the nature of cozy mystery amateur sleuths, but, hey, there's a knitting pattern and recipes included with this one. This is the more leisurely of the trio of stories, so relax, have a snack (or shake) handy, and enjoy as they try to sort out who the murderer is and make all the seemingly unconnected clues some together.

Quite frankly, as a fan of Liz Ireland's Mrs. Claus series, I honestly think I asked to review this book  solely because I wanted to read Ireland's "Mrs. Claus and the Luckless Leprechaun". It's a fun, whimsical story that somehow manages to make talking reindeer, competitive elves, iceball season, building ice houses for living snowmen, ballooning, Santa Claus, and more seem to make perfect sense. It's spring, so the elves have more downtime and that seems to bring out the competitive, nasty side in some. An iceball (the elf version of hockey?) superstar is sidelined by an injury and winds up being conked in the head by an iceball. April Claus, Santa's wife, is determined that justice be done, all while dealing with an overly officious flying reindeer who also suffers panic attacks, playing in the Santaland band, and trying to find a way to help a quite unlikable elf be successful. Somehow I never quite envisioned Santa's homeland being so complicated but it's a heap of fun to drop in every time to see what's going on there. 

Thanks #NetGalley and #KensingtonBooks - #KensingtonCozies for allowing me to spend some time getting my Irish on in three very different locations. I mean, I never quite expected to be virtually eating green ice cream in Santaland. Grin.

The Wonderful World of James Herriot: A Charming Collection of Classic Stories, by James Herriot, Rosie Page

 

Publication October 24, 2023

It all started with a dog.

As a child, James Herriot, real name James Alfred "Alf" Wight, fell in love with an Irish Setter puppy and without knowing it, his future was set. As he matured, he had dreams of becoming a small animal vet, working in a nice, neat office with small animal patients. It didn't quite turn out that way. This is his story, and a delight it is, with added "the rest of the story".

If you're a long-time Herriot fan you're going to love this book after one look at the cover. If you're new to Herriot, you're in for a treat after giving in to the enticement of that quaint, dreamy cover. Trust me, you'll enjoy riding along those bumpy, muddy, occasionally flooded back country roads with James Herriot, the pen name he chose to write under, as you get to not only meet the characters of the original books but learn about the real people behind them. Whoever told him he'd never get rich as a country vet but have a life full of endless variety and interest was right. Even better, he eventually chose to share that life with us.

Interspersed with Herriot's original words, we get the background to these stories. With an introduction by his daughter and son, we meet the real people behind the pages and it was a delight to do so, even the cranky ones. There's a decency to them that is hard to miss. While not in sequential order, it's easy to follow Herriot's path from puppy-loving boy to the man, vet, and father he eventually became. I loved the stories where his children joined him on his visits, feeling his panic when, say, an angry, hurting animal nearly injured one of them. His love and respect for the animals he tended seemed to have passed to them as his son joined him as a vet and his daughter became a human doctor. Quite a lovely legacy of caring.

Oh, so many stories I'd love to share but I don't want to ruin one moment of your own enjoyment as you read this book. It truly was a "charming" story and discovering more about James Herriot the man and those he lived among was intriguing. I mean, the man visited Russia as part of a British Ministry of Agriculture at a time the Cold War was getting colder and, oh, yeah, there was his stint in the RAF. Heck, he even met his wife through a vet call. Seriously, this book was like time traveling back to a time and place where local pubs and a roaring fire were considered good entertainment. A time when you had to get yourself unstuck from a muddy/flooded road because there were no cell phones. No AAA even if there had been. A time when his daughter took greater delight in being able to identify birds and wildflowers than staying at home. Herriot's affection for both man and beast shines through throughout and I thank #NetGalley and #StMartin'sPress for allowing me this sneak peek into his life. Something tells me there will be a few well-loved Herriot books coming home with me from my next library trip.

Heywood Herbalist Cozy Mysteries Books 4-6, by Carly Winter

 

 

I immediately fell into the easy flow and sense of community of this Heywood collection of stories. Even though I've never read this particular series, I did read the next, go figure, but would have had no problem sliding right into who was who and what was what, not to mention the relationships. In other words, it stands alone nicely. Of course, just my luck, having just discovered this series it seems to be ending but, hey, there's always the new series with Gina as the main character, right? 

Since others will have detailed the plots already, I'll skip to my reactions, so to speak. First, I definitely liked the characters. They weren't one dimensional and felt comfortable, like people I might know. That's the magic of a good writer, to not only create characters but pull you right in and make you feel at home. I wanted only the best for Sam, especially in her complicated relationship police officer Jordan. Both seem to have a mixed bag of experiences, making them all the more realistic, so there was none of the occasional "too good to be true" relationship vibe from them. 

I'll skip Gina since she now has her own series but will note that I took to her immediately given her love of dogs and that she rescues dogs. That's always a plus for me. She's definitely a dog whisperer. Annabelle is, well, a hoot. She's one part stereotypical "stuck in the 80's gal, another part calm, cool, and able to handle a gun without the qualms that would overwhelm Sam. She's one of the hold-over characters in the new series, btw. Gina and Annabelle accept Sam's big reveal from her past without question or even ado, albeit Jordan is a bit more rattled by the revelation. But, hey, he'll get over it. Right? As for the murders, read the blurb. The three stories of the collection are nicely described there. Interesting to see how Sam's mind worked to help solve them, not to mention keep from getting killed herself.

Heywood sounds like a place I'd love to visit. One of the things that stuck with me was that the shops mentioned seem diverse, not simply the frequent bookstore or bakery of so many cozy mysteries. Now, true, those are some of my favorites but variety is the spice of life and helps add to the atmosphere and story. Thanks #BookSirens for introducing me to Heywood. I'm definitely looking forward to my next visit. Here's hoping Sam pops up occasionally in Gina's story.

Christmas Mittens Murder, by Lee Hollis , Lynn Cahoon , Maddie Day

 

Publication Sept. 26, 2023

Who knew mittens could be so murderous? In this three story collection from three of my "go-to" authors, the common thread is mittens. Innocent ones, cursed ones, and murder weapon ones. I won't detail the stories as the blub does an excellent job but will say they were quick, easy reads and made you think. I was most taken by Maddie Day's "Murderous Mittens" which is the introduction of a new character/series for Day starring Cece as the new sleuth in town. This novella gives us her background and explains how she got to where she is in the series, which was great. As it happens I have the first of that series, "Murder Uncorked", in my "to be reviewed" pile. Looking forward to it all the more now.

Lee Hollis' "Death of a Christmas Mitten Knitter" was quite quick paced and features a favorite character of mine, Hayley Powell. I couldn't help but chuckle aloud as she lamented in one of her regular columns how she almost failed home ec in high school. Not being very domestic oriented, I definitely could related to that one. She's great at solving crimes, however. 

"Two Christmas Mittens" by Lynn Cahoon, quite frankly, made me heave a sigh of relief when I realized I definitely don't own a pair of red gloves. Set in the magical Magic Springs, Idaho, it involves witches and food, not to mention family dynamics and Mia's struggles to keep her business alive. She's also a bit of a "witch-in-training" for lack of a better term although, quite frankly, she'd prefer to be cooking. Her best friend has been cursed by those seemingly innocuous red mittens, however, and the rush is on to both break the curse and find a murderer.

Thanks #NetGalley and #KensingtonBooks - #KensingtonCozies for allowing me to sate my appetite for Christmas spirits in such a fun way.

Irish Coffee Murder, by Leslie Meier; Lee Hollis; Barbara Ross AUDIO

  AUDIOBOOK     10 h, 15 m

Publication Jan. 24, 2023

EDITED TO ADD AUDIO REVIEW: I'll keep this short. Although I'd read an ebook of this, it'd been long enough that I'd forgotten some pertinent details, so I looked forward to listening to the audio version. It's also always fun to see if the narrator's voice, in this case, Callie Beaulieu, matches your mental idea of what the characters might sound like in real life. This book tossed in the added challenge of having three different stories and sets of characters for her to work with. She did a good job and although I wasn't quite as taken with her interpretation of Lucy Stone in "Irish Coffee Murder", it actually worked for me. It gave me another angle to approach Lucy's personality, one that I'll take into consideration the next time I spend some time in Tinker's Cove with Lucy and her friends and family.

Given that that was the first of the three mysteries included in this book, it was interesting to hear the differences in tone and confidence in the next two stories. Given that the audio version lasted 10 h, 15 m, and had multiple characters, Beaulieu did an excellent job. Heck, she even managed to set the mood for the ghost stories of"Perked Up", by Barbara Ross. Bottom line, this audio version by #TantorAudio was a fun visit with three favorite authors and held my attention even though I'd read the ebook version some time ago. Thanks #TantorAudio and #RBMedia for letting me sit in on some favorite characters' chat as they put their minds to solving some murders, even one of the coldest cases in town.

ORIGINAL EBOOK REVIEW

The luck of the Irish was definitely with me. Not only a collection of mysteries built around the theme of Irish Coffee, but by three of my favorite authors and sets of characters. I definitely felt like I'd found the reader's pot of gold.

I won't detail the plot except to note that each author shines with their own voice and style. Even better, you don't have to be a former reader of that author to thoroughly enjoy the story, all of which include tidbits from past adventures but don't rely on them for the solution. Mysteries include the death of a single mother of a talented young Irish dancer, poisoning of an up-and-coming stand-up comedian, and a very cold case, as in over a century old unsolved crime. The collection provides a great introduction to the various series and characters, including seeming to introduce some newcomers. In other words, a winning combination for both authors and readers. ENJOY! I know I did.

Thanks #NetGalley and #KensingtonBooks - #KensingtonCozies for inviting me over for some Irish Coffee.

Irish Coffee Murderl, story collection by Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis, Barbara Ross

 

Publication Jan. 24, 2023

The luck of the Irish was definitely with me. Not only a collection of mysteries built around the theme of Irish Coffee, but by three of my favorite authors and sets of characters. I definitely felt like I'd found the reader's pot of gold.

I won't detail the plot except to note that each author shines with their own voice and style. Even better, you don't have to be a former reader of that author to thoroughly enjoy the story, all of which include tidbits from past adventures but don't rely on them for the solution. Mysteries include the death of a single mother of a talented young Irish dancer, the poisoning of an up-and-coming stand-up comedian, and a very cold case, as in over a century old unsolved crime. The collection provides a great introduction to the various series and characters, including seeming to introduce some newcomers. In other words, a winning combination for both authors and readers. ENJOY! I know I did.

Thanks #NetGalley and #KensingtonBooks - #KensingtonCozies for inviting me over for some Irish Coffee.

FOR BLOG READERS, the publisher's book blurb:

" You don't need to be Irish to enjoy St. Patrick's Day in Maine, where the chilly March weather offers the perfect excuse to curl up with an Irish coffee. But someone may have spiked this year's brew with
murder . . .

IRISH COFFEE MURDER by LESLIE MEIER
Part-time reporter Lucy Stone is writing a piece for the Courier about four Irish step dancing students from Tinker's Cove on the cusp of making it big. But the story becomes headline news for all the wrong reasons when one girl's mother is found dead in her bathtub. Did a stage mom take rivalry too far, or is some other motive at play?

DEATH OF AN IRISH COFFEE DRINKER by LEE HOLLIS
As owner of Bar Harbor's hottest new restaurant, Hayley Powell offers to cater the after-party for popular comedian Jefferson O'Keefe, who's playing his old hometown for St. Patrick's Day. But it's no laughing matter when Jefferson keels over after gulping down his post-show Irish coffee, leaving Hayley to figure out who decided this joker had gone too far . . .

PERKED UP by BARBARA ROSS
It's a snowy St. Patrick's Day in Busman's Harbor. But when the power goes out, what better way for Julia Snowden to spend the evening than sharing local ghost stories--and Irish coffees--with friends and family? By the time the lights come back, they might even have solved the coldest case in town .

Christmas Scarf Murder, by collective authors Carlene O'Connor, Maddie Day, and Peggy Ehrhart

Publication Sept. 27, 2022

This felt as comfortable as, well, a soft, fuzzy Christmas scarf. The three novellas were by not just three authors I am familiar with but with characters that, as I read, were remembered and came back to life in my mind. This is a perfect read for lovers of cozy mysteries who might be short on time but want to partake of some virtual sleuthing as the holiday season arrives. 

True, as novellas are wont to do, they seemed to be short and a bit contrived at the end but, well, but the endings were satisfactory and all made sense. I liked that Maddie Day, in particular, made a point to support other authors by mentioning Becky Clark's book featuring a crossword puzzle designer solving crimes. As it turned out, I am also familiar with that series, giving it more of the feeling of having come home. 

But, never fear. Even if you've never read or heard of any of these authors, you'll enjoy the stories and characters. I won't detail them all except to note that in the blurb the Day story is called "The Unfinished Scarf" whereas in the actual digital version I received it was titled ""Scarfed Down". You'll love the down home country sayings in it, no matter what the title. Then there's the tractor parade in "Christmas Scarf" and heroic cats in "Death By Christmas Scarf", so lots to take in. So, grab this one when it's available, sit down in your favorite, comfy chair, and enjoy some virtual sleuthing with twinkling Christmas lights and carols playing. And, oh, if you knit, be sure to check out the instructions for what sounds like an adorable teddy bear at the end of "Death By Christmas Scarf" in addition to the recipes included with all. Enjoy!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #KensingtonBooks for helping get me in the Christmas mood. Now, if I just knew how to knit.....