Halloween Night Murder

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

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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.

https://www.amazon.com/Halloween-Night-Murder-Leslie-Meier-ebook/dp/B0DR9SRYSQ/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7476183414

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/

Irish Soda Bread Murder

Authors:    Carlene O'Connor/Peggy Ehrhart/Liz Ireland

Genre:       Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781496751089

Kensington Cozies

352 Pages

$27.00; $13.77 Amazon

December 24, 2024

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

It's almost time for the delicious warmth of Irish soda bread, but be careful where you bite -- some of these recipes call for murder in this delicious collection of cozy mystery novellas featuring the popular St. Paddy's Day treat.

IRISH SODA BREAD MURDER by CARLENE O'CONNOR

There's very little time left before her wedding, but nonetheless Tara Meehan is helping out at her Uncle Johnny's salvage mill for the day.  Aunt Rose set up a convention for local psychics, including a bake sale to raise money for charity, but now she's sick and available only via an iPad Johnny is carrying.  The event promises to deliver a real pot of gold until Rose's biggest rival shows up.  Before Tara can utter a simple "top o' the morning" to the man, he drops dead -- with Johnny's soda bread in his hands.  It's up to Tara to identify the deadly baker before another victim ends up chasing the rainbow straight into a grave...

AN IRISH RECIPE FOR MURDER by PEGGY EHRHART

To celebrate St. Patrick's Day this year, the Arborville, New Jersey, Advocate is sponsoring a soda bread-baking competition.  Bettina Fraser is excited -- her bake-off idea was the one to get the green light!  But when a town councilman acting as a judge keels over after sampling an entry, the party atmosphere dies just as quickly.  Now it's up to Bettina and her Knit and Nibble knitting club bestie, Pamela Paterson, to find the killer responsible for the murderous morsel. 

MRS. CLAUS AND THE SINISTER SODA BREAD MAN by LIZ IRELAND

When April Claus arrives in Cloudberry Bay, Oregon, to check on her flooded inn, her biggest worry is to keep everyone from realizing her three companions -- Jingles, Juniper, and Butterbean -- are elves.  But soon enough she has more serious worries -- it looks like her hapless caretaker Ernie has been storing stolen goods at the inn!  The none of Ernie's shady pals is found dead, and the murder weapon turns up in a decorative loaf of soda bread at April's craft fair booth.  It's up to April to uncover the killer before she spends St. Patrick's Day in the county jail!

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This is an anthology of short novellas by three authors who are fairly well-known in the cozy world.  (And if you don't, you should pick up on of their other books!)  Of course, we all have our favorites, but I do love anthologies as you can finish them very quickly and they are interesting.  That is, if they are done well, which these three certainly are.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Irish Soda Bread Murder:  When Tara Meehan moved from the states to Ireland to scatter her mother's ashes, she discovered her Uncle Johnny, who owns a salvage mill and welcomed her into his life.  Since then, she's been running a successful business and has acquired a fiancé as well.  On this day, though, there is going to be a psychic fair that will benefit charity.  There is also a bake sale, and since her Aunt Rose is ill, it was up to Johnny to bake the soda bread.  But all is not well when the first person to try the bread -- another psychic, Ronan Stone, eats it and is found dead.  Now everyone present is a suspect, and it's up to Tara to find the killer, as the police are stumped.  

This is a very good mystery.  With all the psychics as suspect, and all seem to have motives, including Rose, Tara needs to find out who hated Ronan enough to kill him.  She listens in to the police interviews to gather clues, and then has a chance to figure it out later in the night, with everyone present.  The murderer was well hidden, and I didn't figure it out until Tara did.  A worthy read.

⭐⭐⭐⭐An Irish Recipe For Murder:  When Bettina and Pamela are at a soda bread bake-off, it doesn't last long.  The man tasting the bread falls over ill from the first bread offered.  He later dies, and the woman who baked it is riddled with guilt.  But is she a killer?  Neither Bettina nor Pamela think so, and they must put their heads together to figure it out.

A good mystery.  I have read all the books in the original series, and enjoyed them.  This addition is enjoyable as well.  I have my own issues with Pamela, but it did not color my enjoyment of this.  The clues are hidden well, and the murderer was a complete surprise.  This was the best part, as figuring it out wasn't easy, and the reason for the murder was rather sad.  Recommended.

⭐⭐⭐⭐Mrs. Claus and the Sinister Soda Bread Man:  When April Claus is called away early from the North Pole to her inn in Oregon, it's due to a broken pipe that has leaked everywhere.  When she arrives with three of her elves, not only is there water everywhere, but a foul smell no one can figure out.  Also, her caretaker Ernie seems to be missing.  Since her main goal is to keep the elves from being recognized, she's surprised when people liken them to leprechauns and want them to appear in their St. Paddy's day parade.  With that solved, there's a new riddle: who sent her a text, and why is there a dead body inside her front door?

Although I'm not big on fantasy, I really enjoyed this story.  The elves bring a little laughter to the tale, and April is up to her ears in both getting her inn ready for summer and trying to figure out who killed the man.  It doesn't help that her local nemesis is making her life miserable as well.  But when the ending comes, it's all that one would desire, with a nice resolution to everything, and another story well worth reading.  Recommended.

In the end, I enjoyed all three tales and these are perfect for St. Patrick's Day stories.  I would definitely recommend them to others.  

I received an advance copy from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Irish-Bread-Murder-Carlene-OConnor-ebook/dp/B0CZGHNYY7/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6813348226

More on Carlene O'Connor's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/o/carlene-oconnor/

More on Peggy Ehrhart's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/e/peggy-ehrhart/

More on Liz Ireland's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/i/liz-ireland/

Irish Milkshake Murder (Anthology)

Authors:    Carlene O'Connor; Peggy Ehrhart; Liz Ireland

Genre:       Mystery/Fantasy

Hardcover; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781496745033

Kensington Cozies

352 Pages

$27.00; $22.95

December 26, 2023

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

An Irish anthology of cozy mysteries featuring a trio of today's top cozy mystery authors that will make other cozy anthologies green with envy.

IRISH MILKSHAKE MURDER by CARLENE O'CONNOR

In advance of their St. Patrick's Day wedding, Tara Meehan and Danny O'Donnel are off to the Aran Islands with their bridesmaids and groomsmen for a joint hen and stag party.  The weekend kicks off with the ferry trip to Inishmore, as the passengers enjoy boozy milkshakes on booard and entertainment from a pair of famous Irish-dancing twin brothers.  But faster than Tara can say, "Oh, Danny Boy," a murder shamrocks the boat as someone's spied shake turns out to be their final round.  Stuck in a rural island cottage, while a storm rages outside, Tara must find the Celtic killer before her luck runs out...

MURDER MOST IRISH by PEGGY EHRHART

St. Patrick's Day is drawing near in Arborville, New Jersey and the folks at Hyler's Luncheonette are getting into the holiday spirit with a new, limited-time Irish-themed menu item -- a festive green milkshake appropriately named, "The Leprechaun."  It's a hit, until a patron is felled by one of the frothy concoctions during a sheep parade through the town.  Now, it's up to Pamela Paterson and her Knit & Nibble knitting club pal, Bettina Fraser, to catch a murderer and put a stop to the shear madness...

MRS. CLAUS AND THE LUCKLESS LEPRECHAUN by LIZ IRELAND

Spring in Santaland means two things: the elves have more leisure time and iceball season is in full swing!  To celebrate, April Claus's friend, Claire, whips up some minty milkshakes for her bustling ice cream shop, Santaland Scoop.  But when the St. Paddy's promotion makes one elf the target of a decidedly unlucky strike, Mrs. Claus and her friends must figure out if the attack was a failed hit job, a crime of passion, or an extremely unfortunate accident...

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This is an anthology of short stories by three well-known cozy mystery writers.  They all take place around St. Patrick's Day, and have that particular theme; although they are very different in content.  For the most part, I enjoyed each of them.

In the first by Carlene O'Connor, Tara Meehan is looking forward to her St. Patrick's Day wedding to Danny O'Donnell, an Irish charmer.  But she's not thrilled that her best friend Breanna has planned a 'hen party' for her, as she's not much for that kind of festivities.  But she goes along with it, even when she discovers that Breanna has invited one of her "frenemies" from the states, Rachel, to join in.  When they are boarding the boat to take them to Inishmore, one of the three Aran Islands, a pair of twin Irish dancers beg to be let aboard since they missed their own boat.

What follows is nearly chaos.  Breanna is serving up 'boozy milkshakes to everyone (doesn't sound appetizing to me, but then again, I don't drink), and during the ride it begins to rain and the boat sways, and...someone is killed.  Murdered, in fact.  When they arrive on the island, now closed up because of the storm, Tara vows to solve the murder.  The police don't seem to believe them at first, but then things get really strange.  Tara and the remaining members of her group must stick together to solve the crime.  The ending was indeed surprising, and Ms. O'Coonor brings us another tasty mystery.  Five Stars.

Peggy Ehrhart's mystery is different in that it begins at a well-loved local diner, and of course, someone dies.  But why?  Pamela Paterson and her partner-in-crime, Bettina Fraser work together to come up with a plausible reason for the murder, and, of course, a suitable suspect.  But no one that they speak to seems to have a motive to have wanted the person dead.  The more they look, the less likely their main suspects seem to be.  In this one, I figured out the person and the reason before Pamela and Bettina, but it didn't stop my enjoyment of the mystery.  It was well written and worth the read.

My only complaints are that the author spends too much time telling us that Pamela uses her wedding China (we know) and Bettina uses her sage green pottery (we know).  Unfortunately for me, Pamela seems like a dull character with little personality and 'oomph' in her life.  I do wish she'd change, but we can't have everything, can we?  However, Wilfred's (Bettina's husband) makes some delicious meals and I'd love to eat there!  Four Stars.

The last story is by Liz Ireland, who writes about life in Santaland.  Her protagonist is April Claus, Santa Claus's wife, who is a young bride who's made friends with many of the elves.  She and her friend Juniper attend a local iceball game, a noted elf event.  But after the game, there is an elf found unconscious on the ice, and April doesn't think it was an accident.  She and her friends need to find out who attacked the famous iceball player and why, and they need to do so before St. Patrick's Day hits and the elf's fair is fully in swing.

I have to confess that I am not a fan of fantasy, so this one didn't really draw me in as much as the other two.  I also would have liked to have seen more interaction between April and Nick.  Ah, well.  The mystery is very good, though, and there's enough action to keep you interested.  When the ending comes, I was a tad disappointed, but that's just me.  Others will probably like this story as well.  Four Stars.

I received an advanced copy of this book through the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Irish-Milkshake-Murder-Carlene-OConnor-ebook/dp/B0C15WZR8D/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5659610695

More on Carlene O'Connor's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/o/carlene-oconnor/

More on Peggy Ehrhart's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/e/peggy-ehrhart/

More on Liz Ireland's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/i/liz-ireland/

Christmas Scarf Murder

Authors:  Carlene O'Connor; Maddie Day; Peggy Ehrhart

Genre:     Mystery/Christmas

Hardcover; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781496737229

Kensington Cozies

384 Pages

$21.49. $9.06 Amazon

September 27, 2022

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

CHRISTMAS SCARF MURDER by CARLENE O'CONNOR: When grinchy thefts steal the good cheer at a local nursing home, Siobhan O'Sullivan manages to to identify one missing item before Kilbane, Ireland's Christmas tractor parade -- a hideous shamrock scarf wrapped around a very dead body.  Now, with her holiday farmhouse bash approaching, Siobhan must dash to stop a deadly Secret Santa from gifting another unwanted surprise.

SCARFED DOWN by MADDIE DAY:  It's beginning to taste a lot like Christmas at Pans 'N Pancakes, as twelve days of menu specials dazzle hungry locals.  But the festivities go cold the instant a diner dies while knitting a brilliant green scarf.  With Aunt Adele tied into a murder investigation, it's all on Robbie Jordan to find out who's really been naughty or nice in South Lick, Indiana.

DEATH BY CHRISTMAS SCARF by PEGGY EHRHART:  Suspects pile up faster than New Jersey snow when frosty-tempered Carys Walnutt is found strangled by a handmade scarf auctioned at Arborville's tree-lighint ceremony.  Between a winning bidder hiding behind the alias "S. Claws" and a victim who deserved coal in her stocking, can Pamela Paterson and the crafty Knit and Nibble ladies freeze a killer's merry murder plot?

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The blurb pretty much tells you all about the plot in each of these short novellas, so I am not going to expand too much on that, because adding much more would spoil the entire book, but I will try to do my best.

I love Christmas, and I love reading about Christmas.  I also love mysteries, so this book was perfect in more ways than one.  I could put it down after reading one story and not feel guilty that I had decorating to do, and then pick it up and go on to the next.  It also gave me a chance to digest the previous story and gather my thoughts.  Since I love all these authors, that didn't hurt, either.

The first story by Ms. O'Connor was definitely my favorite.  I don't know if it's the idea of family at Christmas, or just the Irish setting, or even her protagonist's way of thinking; but I loved the way Siobhan came to her conclusion as to whom committed the murder, and why.  The entire novella was fun, mostly centering on solving the thefts and the murder, but we did get a glimpse of Siobhan doing was everyone else is doing at Christmas, and that made it more enjoyable for me.  The ending wasn't as big a surprise to me, but as I've said on and on, I read a lot of mysteries and am pretty good at figuring out the killer.  Still and all, a quite enjoyable read.

The second story also came in second place.  Ms. Day's protagonist is a smart woman, and she always shares her information with the police, which I like.  None of this 'I'll figure it out before them even if it puts me in danger.'  Or, as we also call it, TSTL.  When the victim is murdered, it involves her beloved Aunt Adele, and Robbie has no choice but to get involved herself.  The information she gleans from locals actually helps, but it isn't until the climax that we get to find out who the real killer is, and the reason for the murder.  Of course, a Merry Christmas at the end as we expect.

The third by Ms. Ehrhart is also very good, but I felt that there was so much more extraneous information that wasn't needed, such as what dishes were being used and why (is it really important to the story?) and every food item Pamela bought was organic or special.  I would have liked to have a little more of the investigation to go on.  However, I do love Bettina's energy and the fact that she and Pamela are the best of friends.  They also make the best of sleuths together, too, which is where this story shines.  A nice ending to the book.

In the end, this is a very good read for the holiday season and I would definitely recommend it to others.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://smile.amazon.com/Christmas-Scarf-Murder-Carlene-OConnor-ebook/dp/B09PJ228LB/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5151869218