Author: Carlene O'Connor, Liz Ireland, Carol J. Perry
Genre: Mystery
Hardcover; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9781496740267
Kensington Cozies
320 Pages
$27.00; $13.77 Amazon
August 22, 2023
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HALLOWEEN CUPCAKE MURDER by Carlene O'Connor
With Galway's Halloween Mystery Tour only a few days away, Tara Meehan is scouring the town's curiosity shops for spooky decorations to draw tourists into her architectural salvage store. But when a stranger appears in her shop bearing a cryptic cupcake and an ominous message, Tara suddenly finds herself tangled in a mystery with ancient Gaelic roots, but very modern -- and very deadly -- consequences...
MRS. CLAUS AND THE CANDY CORN CAPER by Liz Ireland
Christmastown is pulling out all the stops for their Halloween celebration, planning a huge carnival with rides, games, and a candy corn-themed bake-off! But the sweet theme stokes the bitterest of rivalries amongst the elves, until tragedy strikes at Santaland's newest bakery. The only clue is a cupcake, leaving Mrs. Claus to sort through tricks and treats as she races to unmask a Halloween fiend...
A TRIPLE LAYER HALLOWEEN MURDER by CAROL J. PERRY
Every October, Salem plunges into a month-long celebration of Halloween and WICH-TV's Lee Barrett can't wait to cover the festivities. But rumors swirl after a wealthy bakery owner goes missing -- and his beloved cat, Cupcake, is found -- under mysterious circumstances. Now, amid Salem's wicked revelry, Lee must conjure clues to reveal the missing millionaire...or the truth about his disappearance...
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This is an anthology of three short stories by well-known cozy writers. In the first, Halloween Cupcake Murder by Carlene O'Connor, we join her in Galway, where the American has made a good life for herself. As the owner of an architectural salvage shop, the ex-interior designer knows what to look for when browsing, and one day comes across a shop with an old man who owns it. He sells her a few items to decorate for Halloween, and also an unusual painting that has a legend attached to it.
Later that day, she sees someone in a cloak and Halloween mask enter his store, and when she returns, the man is dead. While she becomes the main suspect, she knows she needs help to solve the murder. But it doesn't help when she receives a cupcake with a key in it -- from the same bakery that the elderly man had mentioned to her. Now she's involved in a secret group, and doesn't want to be. With Halloween coming up fast, she needs to solve the mystery before her only costume will be a jail jumpsuit...
This is the story that I loved the best. I do love Ms. O'Connor's writing, and I love this series, so perhaps I am biased, but oh, well. The tale is written beautifully, and you are almost pulled into the Irish isle yourself. It is a delightful tale for Halloween, with a bit of suspense thrown in, and a very good ending indeed.
The second story, Mrs. Claus and the Candy Corn Caper by Lis Ireland, has a new bakery opening up directly across from the one everyone goes to. It is run by the owner's former chef, and he has high hopes for it. That is, until his employee is found dead with a candy corn cupcake near him. Mrs. Claus wonders who wanted to kill the elf, since he seemed well-liked by everyone. But someone didn't want him around, and she's determined to figure out who, before the Halloween Festival is ruined.
I have not read anything by this author before, and I will say that she is very talented, also. But I am not really interested all that much in fantasy, to be honest. However, I did enjoy the tale quite a bit. I would have really liked to have seen more interaction between April (Mrs. Claus) and her husband, Nick. It seemed to me that they led two separate lives, as he never asked her what she was doing or even seemed involved. Other than that, the story was cute and would definitely interest those who love this author. The ending was cute as well.
In the third story, A Triple Layer Halloween Murder by Carol J. Perry, one of the town's most respected citizens disappears, along with his cat, leaving his bakery in chaos and his wife heartbroken. Lee Barrett, who works for WICH-TV, finds the cat in her front yard, but no one is with him. Lee has a special talent -- when she looks in a reflective image maker, she can see things that are pertinent to what she needs -- and now she sees a cabin. But what does it have to do with the missing man?
Informing her detective boyfriend, he knows whatever she tells him will matter, but he deals in facts, and can't act on her impressions. With Halloween approaching, will she be able to help find the man before it's too late? Or will something more sinister approach leaving her out in the cold?
I have read Ms. Perry's books upon occasion and enjoyed them. I enjoyed this one as well; so much so that I think I need to re-read her Witch City series. It grows on you, and this short story just adds to that. As a final story, it holds up well, and plays to Halloween nicely. When the ending comes, it is a very good epilogue, and leaves us wanting more.
All in all, the three stories are highly enjoyable and I would definitely recommend this anthology to those who love reading about Halloween, and even those who don't.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but in no way did it influence my review.
More on Carlene O'Connor's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/o/carlene-oconnor/
More on Liz Ireland's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/i/liz-ireland/
More on Carol J. Perry's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/p/carol-j-perry/
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