Irish Coffee Murder contains a trio of short mysteries by Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis, and Barbara Ross.  This trio of authors have teamed up numerous times to provide their readers with thematic short stories that add in to each of their ongoing series.  The title of this compilation is self-explanatory in that each of these stories is set around St. Patrick’s Day and exposes the listener to a variety of Irish traditions and activities that make up the environment and backstory for the mysteries within.

These authors have teamed up in the past to create collections of holiday themed novellas and once again did not disappoint.   In the novellas by Leslie Meier and Lee Hollis take the listener through a current murder that centers around the town events leading up to St. Patrick’s Day.  In both cases, the protagonist investigates through a number of twists and turns to uncover surprising motives and culprits.  In Barbara Ross’ contribution, the mystery surrounds a 100 year old unsolved murder in town that has many different versions as to motives and culprits with one common victim.  After hearing several different versions during an evening with friends spending a power outage together, protagonist, Julia Snowden, decides to check out a few of the details which leads her to take her friends, Zoey Butterfield and Jamie Dawes, on a road trip to see if they can solve the mystery.

Each of these authors have strong female protagonists in long running cozy mystery series.  With the number of installments in each series, it could quickly become difficult to bring forth new stories to keep their readers interested and involved.  I was impressed with how each of these stories brought new methods and motives while still utilizing the core characters that comprise the basic cast of characters throughout the series.

The narration on this audiobook was exceptional with a variety of voices in each of the stories and satisfactory pacing with appropriate changes to reflect the various moods contained.

I received an ARC of this audiobook from NetGalley and Tantor Audio and am

Leslie Meier is one of my favorite authors and this book did not disappoint. Lucy Stone does her usual detective work while enjoying some fine Irish dancing.

Pleasantly enjoyed this listen. Listened during a long car journey and it was perfect, keeping me engaged and pondering the ending throughout. Great narration and catchy plot, enjoyed the range of characters and found myself sitting in the car to finish and find out what happened lol. 5 stars from me

Fun Novellas from great authors and series. I love Cozy anthologies. I love this narrator as she does many series that I already listen to.

Fun audiobook three novellas with Irish Coffee front and center to murders in each. I loved reading how each was incorporated Irish coffee into the stories. Yes I would definitely recommend this book just in time for St Patrick’s day. Thanks to the following for allowing me to review early.


#NetGalley
#Leslie Meier,LeeHollis, BarbaraRoss
PublicationDate: January 24,2023

What a wonderful book! This audiobook combines three cozy Irish Coffee themed mysteries! I ate them up! I loved seeing how each author incorporated this theme into their book! The murders were so different and each story felt fresh! Perfect for St. Patrick’s Day or anytime of year!!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC of Irish Coffee Murder in exchange for an honest review.

Irish Coffee Murder is a charming set of three cozy mystery novellas featuring St. Patrick's Day festivities but steeped in murder.

The title story, Irish Coffee Murder by Leslie Meier I would rate with 3 stars. After an altercation at an Irish Dance Competition a confrontation between mothers turn ugly and soon one of them winds up dead. Journalist Lucy Stone takes it upon herself to solve the case.
I found this first story to be very charming. It had all of the qualities that I love in a cozy mystery: A small town, close knit community and centering around that communities traditions. With this being my first Lucy Stone mystery I was glad that I did not feel lost in some of the details such as any continuing plotlines from the other 28 stories in the series. It was very easy to pick up on character dynamics and relationships that are important to the story. I enjoyed Lucy as a character and her compassion and determination to get justice for this murder. Although somewhat predictable I still enjoyed the story. When I pick up cozy mysteries I'm not necessarily looking for the most intelligent, plot twist filled mystery. I just want to relax with a good book and take in all of the cozy vibes. I would give the same accolades to the second story in this anthology, Death of an Irish Coffee fee Drinker by Lee Hollis.

As for the three story, Perked Up by Barbara Ross, I would rate this one 2 stars. Unfortunately I did not feel as invested in this story as the other two. Perked Up, followed our protagonists as they investigated and speculated about a murder that had taken place many years ago in a local mansion. Had I been familiar with the town featured in the story and the many characters that appeared I may have liked this story better. However, jumping into an unfamiliar setting in this case caused me to not care about what had happened many many years ago that did not affect any of the protagonists directly. I just wasn't reaching for this story like I had been with the others.

Overall I would give this collection a 3 star rating. I did listen to this book via audio and the narrator was outstanding!

Interesting book with a fun twist to it! Found the novelty of the Irish wearing thin after a while - something that really surprised me!

This was a fun little listen just in time for St Patrick’s day. The first story by Leslie Meier was the one that interested me the most. If fact I wanted more story from her.

The other stories were ok, I wasn’t as invested but the first but they were bite sized little mysteries and they held my attention.

The narrator did a fantastic job and I really enjoyed listening to her read.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

Enjoyable collection of stories! Good pacing for them all, and despite being shorter stories still had good details and characters. The narrator was good as well.

All three books were easy and fun. Really enjoyable especially if you are looking for shorts reads/listen to over a couple of days

Irish Coffee Murder is a collection of three novellas, each written by a different author and each novella is a part of an ongoing, popular cozy mystery series penned respectively by the said authors. I have, till date, not read anything by the authors in question, Leslie Meier, Barbara Ross and Lee Hollis and suffice to say I now have three more cozy mystery series to add to my already lengthy list! The list of books already published in each series is pretty long so it will take a while for me to get through all of them.

All the stories take place around St. Patrick's Day  so it's no surprise that Irish coffee is the drink of choice in all of them. There are also recipes included which food lovers will enjoy!

All the stories were well written and I had a great time listening to all of them but my favourite was the third story 'Perked Up' in which a 100 years old cold case is finally solved amidst rounds of Irish coffees and ghost stories.

The narrator Callie Beaulieu did a great job of narrating all these stories. She was engaging and I enjoyed listening to her.

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Tantor Audio and the authors for the audio Arc of the book.

I got to listen to the three short stories included in Irish Coffee Murder. The Leslie Meier was my favorite, but all three stories are quick cozy mysteries that include Irish Coffee and other tasty treats. Even recipes are included! Because the format of each is a short story, there is not time for much character development, and I admit I was left wanting a little bit more when I got the end of each story; but for those who appreciate a quick read (or listen), this is the trio for you.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook.

I received a copy of this audiobook from netgalley for an honest review.

I enjoyed this 3 story collection. The 3rd being my favorite. Each mystery was unique and a fresh idea. The 3rd being a solving of a 100+year old murder. I will look for more books in these series and I loved the recipe's.. I will be getting the book form so I can use the recipes for Saint Patty's day.

Irish Coffee Murder, three novellas by Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis, and Barbara Ross. All are featuring their signature sleuth as well as Irish Coffee. Lucy Stone is one of my favorites, a newspaper reporter in a small town in New England, she is almost more of a neighborhood celebrity than a reporter. She knows everyone and shows up everywhere. She is middle aged with four grown children, who have now all left home. She is everywoman and an excellent character. The murders in Meiers’ books are small town, jealousy or money, never anything weird. It is always one of her neighbors. The plots are good and she follows them well. Always a good read. I had never read one of Lee Ellis’ books before but I found her heroine, Hayley, much as Lucy. Happy living in her town and running her restaurant. The mystery was good, again, a small town murder, not a weird serial killer or anything. Barbara Ross’ sleuth, Julie, in this case, was following the murder of a town legend, who had died 150 years earlier. She learned of it on a spooky night in her mother’s living room when a group of neighbors came together to spend the evening after the electricity went out. Each person told the story differently and she was intrigued. I liked this one the best, today, because of the genealogy involved. Julie got many of her answers from tombstones and old wills, just as a genealogist would. I loved it.

This is not exactly an introduction to the three series included, although I guess it could be. Lucy’s story doesn’t really have much of a backstory, Hayley’s probably not much more, I don’t know for sure. There is definitely backstory in Julie’s books that would be fun to read, although it wouldn’t stop a reader from moving forward. I like to read in order, but not everyone does. These were three terrific novellas, all with mysterious deaths, all with amateur sleuths. What more does a cozy mystery reader need to know?

Callie Beaulieu read the books. At first I was not please, but once she got her pace she was quite good and fit the characters very well. She was a joy to listen to.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of Irish Coffee Murder by Kensington, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #Kensington #LeeHollis #LeslieMeier #BarbaraRoss

A nice collection of 3 mysteries! Apparently Irish Coffee is popular in Maine since that was the reoccurring setting.

I liked the variety that each story brought, from Irish dancing moms to a party for a famous comedian and a cold case. Even though each story was written by a different author, they had a cohesive feel. All three did a good job at throwing me off on figuring out whodunit.

The Irish themes were present, but I felt like I wanted more Irish flair. Other than that, this was an enjoyable collection.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this Audiobook for my honest review.

3.5 stars

This book contains three cozy mystery novellas written by three authors: Leslie Meier of the Lucy Stone Mysteries; Lee Hollis of the Hayley Powell Food & Cocktail Mysteries; and Barbara Ross of the Maine Clambake Mysteries. Each story takes place in Maine around St. Patrick's Day, and features Irish Coffee (coffee laced with Irish whiskey and served with cream on top).

*****

Irish Coffee Murder by Leslie Meier

Journalist/amateur sleuth Lucy Stone of Tinker's Cove, Maine - who works for the Courier newspaper - is covering an Irish step dance competition. Four of the teenage participants attend the same step dancing school and their rivalrous mothers get into a hot argument before the contest.....after imbibing several Irish Coffees each. A mishap during the competition raises tempers even more, and reporter Lucy takes note of the rancorous exchanges.

Meanwhile the charitable food pantry in Tinker's Cove - which is planning to move to a larger facility - is holding a contest: the company that donates the most food gets to name the new facility. Lucy's boss at the newspaper hopes to win so he can choose the name "Courier Food Pantry", but there's stiff competition from a realty company.

As all this is going on, the body of one of the dance moms is found by her daughter. This turns out to be murder, and Lucy feels compelled to investigate. The 'random stranger' scenario is considered, but it seems more likely the perpetrator is a member of the Tinker's Cove community.....and Lucy searches until she finds vital clues.

Part of the charm of this story is the description of Irish step dancing and the costumes associated with the activity.

*****

Death of an Irish Coffee Drinker by Lee Hollis

Hayley Powell of Bar Harbor, Maine owns an upscale eatery called Hayley's Kitchen and Julia's brother Randy runs a bar called Drinks Like a Fish.

As the story opens Hayley's friend Liddy Crawford is planning a fundraising event at the Criterion Theater, and Liddy has engaged stand-up comic Jefferson O’Keefe - who grew up in Bar Harbor - to perform. Randy will provide after-show drinks at his bar and Hayley will prepare food for the event. Jefferson asks the hosts to serve his favorite beverage, Irish Coffee, and they make plans to do so.

Though Jefferson is a popular entertainer, not everyone likes him. One of the employees from Drinks Like a Fish is seen having a contentious talk with Jefferson, and a rival comedian shows up at Jefferson's show to heckle him. Things come to a climax at the after-party, when Jefferson sips his Irish Coffee and falls down dead. This turns out to be a homicide and Hayley makes it her business to track down the killer.

There are plenty of possible suspects, including Jefferson's manager; Jefferson's bodyguard; Jefferson's lady friends; Jefferson's enemies; etc. But Hayley is able to sort through the chaff and find the murderer.

The story's characters are interesting and the plot is engaging.

*****

Perked Up by Barbara Ross

Julia Snowden, who works for the Snowden family clambake business, lives with her widowed mother Jacqueline in Busman's Harbor, Maine. One evening Julia and her friend Zoey arrive at the Snowden residence during a snowstorm and find that Jacqueline has a guest - longtime family friend Captain George.

Julia makes Irish Coffee for everyone, and when the electricity goes out in Busman's Harbor, Julia, Zoey, Jacqueline, Captain George, and the family cat gather around the fireplace to keep warm. Captain George, a well-known storyteller, proceeds to relate a tale about Hugh O'Hara, a wealthy Irish Catholic farmer who was murdered in 1867. As Captain George's story goes, a thief caught robbing Hugh O'Hara's home shot the farmer and injured his wife Catherine. A young man named Daniel - who was employed by Hugh - confessed to the crime, but escaped before justice could be served. To top it off, a ghost now haunts the old O'Hara house.

As the evening proceeds, various friends, neighbors, and relatives arrive at the Snowden home to weather the storm, and Julia make more and more Irish Coffee to serve everyone. It turns out the visitors have different opinions about who REALLY killed Hugh O'Hara - which range from Hugh's wife, to Hugh's daughter, to Hugh's son-in-law, etc. - and it appears the cold case will never be resolved.

The uncertainty bothers Julia and she decides to investigate the O'Hara homicide by poring through old records. Julia finally discovers who killed Hugh and she identifies the ghost who haunts Hugh's old house.

This story has interesting tidbits about the Irish Catholic immigrants who emigrated to Maine in the 1800s.

*****

Recipes are sprinkled throughout the narrative. In the Hollis novella, these include Irish Mudslide Cocktail; Irish Stout Onion Soup; Irish Stew; and Corned Beef and Cabbage. And the Ross novella has a recipe for Irish Soda Bread.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Callie Beaulieu, who does a fine job.

Thanks to Netgalley, the authors, and Tantor Audio for a copy of the book.

I usually like fun cosy mysteries, so I decided to give this book a try. I listened to the audio.

There were three delightful stories, all about Irish coffee and murder, and they were all entertaining and fun. I think the third story was my favourite, as I appreciated the ghostly theme.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

I enjoyed these novellas. I already enjoyed the authors previous work, and this was like catching up with an old friend. I liked the narrator and found that the novellas were the perfect listen on my commute. I can't wait for the next one!

This was an enjoyable collection of stories that all featured Irish coffee as a core element of them.

I did find it a little confusing to have recipes inserted in the middle of stories, especially when I was listening to the audiobook version.

But overall, the stories were well-done.

Thank you to Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis, Barbara Ross, Kensington Books and NetGalley for an advance review copy.