Author: Leslie Meier/Lee Hollis/Liz Ireland
Genre: Mystery/Holidays
Hardcover; Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book (Audiobook Available)
ISBN #: 9781496749420 (TBA)
Kensington Cozies
320 Pages
$27.00 Amazon (Others TBA)
August 26, 2025
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There's usually a chill in the air when Halloween arrives -- but in these three novellas by beloved cozy mystery authors Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis, and Liz Ireland, the crimes are even colder than the haunted climate...
HALLOWEEN NIGHT MURDER by LESLIE MEIER
After a tiring but satisfying day of organizing Halloween festivities, Lucy Stone is surprised by a lone late-night trick or treater at her home in Tinker's Cove, Main. The next morning, she's heartbroken to learn that the teenager died in a hit-and-run just minutes after she gave him the last of her candy supply. Haunted, she starts digging into his story -- and discovers some dark secrets...
DEATH OF A HALLOWEEN NIGHT STALKER by LEE HOLLIS
Bad weather has stranded restaurateur Hayley Powell and her friends in rural Maine -- and the only shelter available is a spooky spot where they're welcomes warmly by the lady of the house -- but coldly by her suspicious, gun-toting son. They're even more nervous after he scares them with his Halloween zombie costume -- but the real fright is yet to come...
MRS. CLAUS AND THE WILY WITCH by LIZ IRELAND
Disgraced elf Flake has returned from exile just in time for Halloween, but not everyone in Christmastown thinks he's truly reformed. When Pumblechook the snowman suffers a mysterious fate, and a fellow elf is felled by Flake's caramels, Mrs. Claus must determine whether the sticky-fingered Flake has become a hardened criminal -- or if sorcery has invaded Santaland...
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⭐⭐⭐⭐ In our first tale, Halloween Night Murder by Leslie Meier, Lucy Stone feels sorry for a young teenager who comes to her door. Thinking she'll probably not have any other trick-or-treaters, and noting how thin the boy is, she gives him the remainder of her candy. But the next morning she's told that the boy has died in a hit-and-run accident. Finding out he has siblings, she's more than happy to open her home for the night to the young trio, since their mother has been arrested.
The next day she discovers something odd at the old home where they've been staying, and reports it; all the while not wanting the children to go with the social worker. When she attends the boy's funeral, she finds out other things as well. This is all it takes for Lucy to go on a hunt to discover the truth.
But the truth isn't nice, nor will it be easy to prove. With the help of her editor Ted, she's determined to help the children and anyone connected with them. But will she be able to without proof? Or will she have to find help from a very unlikely source...
A very good novella from Ms. Meier. I really enjoyed this one, and it was centered on the mystery itself, which I always enjoy. The writing was very good, the story line interesting, and the finale worth reading it for. Recommended.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ In the second tale, Death of a Halloween Night Stalker by Lee Hollis, Hayley Powell and her friends Liddy and Mona are returning from a concert by their favorite country-western singer when they hit a snag. Not only is it raining, but there's been an accident on the freeway, so they take another exit to get home, which will take longer, but it's better than sitting in traffic. Or so they think. When a deer is in the middle of the road, Liddy swerves to avoid it and ends up running into a tree. With Mona injured, they need to find somewhere to get help. Unfortunately, the only place is a spooky home, but Hayley insists they go.
The elderly woman who answers the door is more than willing to help, but her hulking son only speaks in grunts and looks at them suspiciously. Convinced to stay the night, Hayley soon becomes suspicious herself of what is going on downstairs and wants to investigate.
But is this the right thing to do? Fearing they may be in danger, she feels she has no choice. It's more than a Halloween night Hayley gets, it's a journey into Halloween horror -- and will she be able to save herself and her friends, or will this be the end of them? With nowhere to go, no internet, no one to help them, Hayley may just have signed all their death warrants...
This novella, in my humble opinion, is the best of the three. Ms. Hollis is a wonderful storyteller, and this one is perfect for reading on Halloween. It might just put you off driving in the country by yourself at night, too. The story is suspenseful, intriguing, and a bit of a nail-biter, if I'm telling the truth. The ending is is done well, as is the rest of the tale. Highly recommended.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ In our third tale, Mrs. Claus and the Wily Witch by Liz Ireland, Christmastown is having their annual reindeer festival, but it's upended when one of the snowmen, Pumblechook, is suddenly paralyzed. Unable to move at all, it's believed he's been hexed by Flake, an elf who recently returned from being exiled for something, and it doesn't help when someone dies and Flake is suspected of murdering them. April Claus (Santa's wife) must do what she can to help the poor elf -- even if it means bringing witch Imelda to Santatown.
Following is what you'd expect: a flurry of activities, a herd of reindeer bouncing around, and a plethora of elves trying to get into the Halloween spirit while trying to figure out who is also a killer. This book is centered more around April and the witch instead of the crazy elves, but is a lot of fun to read anyway. Recommended.
All in all, this was an enjoyable conglomeration of stories that I would re-read again without hesitation, and would definitely recommend to others.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.
More on Leslie Meier's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/m/leslie-meier/
More on Lee Hollis's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/lee-hollis/
More on Liz Ireland's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/i/liz-ireland/
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