Halloween Night Murder by Leslie Meier; Lee Hollis; Liz Ireland is a great trio of cozy mystery novellas that really bring the Halloween spirit.

This group of novellas bring together three cozy mystery series into one book. I am a total pull-in when it comes to cozy mysteries and themes…especially holidays. Also, my two favorite series ever are in this group: A Lucy Stone Mystery and A Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails Mystery. So for me, it was a win-win. The first two novellas are associated with the above mentioned series:
HALLOWEEN NIGHT MURDER by LESLIE MEIER
DEATH OF A HALLOWEEN NIGHT STALKER by LEE HOLLIS

I thoroughly enjoyed both, but especially the Lee Hollis installment. It had the perfect balance of humor, sass, seriousness, outlandishness, and an all around interesting plot.

The third novella is from another series that I have not read. It was ok, but I think I was not able to jump on board only because I have not read any of the books in this series so far.

MRS. CLAUS AND THE WILY WITCH by LIZ IRELAND

4.5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Kensington Books for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 8/26/25.

HALLOWEEN NIGHT MURDER by LESLIE MEIER
Lucy Stone's Halloween has been just as she planned it. The party, the kids, and finally, the time at home with husband, Bill, after everything was over. She'd only had to deal with one trick or treater at the house before she switched off her spooky vibes for another year. The following morning Lucy hears about a hit and run which killed a young reveller close to her house and is determined to follow the case in her guise of reporter for the Chronicle, her local online and physical newspaper. There appears to be very little to actually investigate, and any available information is brief and unhelpful. Determined to dig a little deeper, Lucy is soon shocked at what she discovers, but can she present her findings to someone she can trust, or has it all been in vain?
DEATH OF A HALLOWEEN NIGHT STALKER by LEE HOLLIS
A country music concert and a road trip with your besties sounded wonderful to Hayley Powell until the weather turned, the traffic snarled up, and they crashed into a tree! That was when it started to get dangerous!  The only house, seemingly for miles, looked like a rain drenched haven, but something was a bit off with the folks who lived there! Unable to contact the outside world, Hayley, Libby, and Mona find themselves more and more desperate to leave, but with no transport and no phone signal, will this be their last ever road trip?
MRS. CLAUS AND THE WILY WITCH by LIZ IRELAND
With Halloween just around the corner, and after spending five years in exile, Flake, an expert caramel maker with poor judgement, is back in Christmastown. He is home just in time for a blue ribbon cooking competition which he should easily win but, unfortunately, before that can happen, Pumblechook the snowman and one of Flake's closest elf friends are hit with Halloween misfortune and murder! Mrs Claus is almost sure Flake has been framed but must follow the clues to find out who is responsible, even if it means the little elf can no longer make the best caramels in all of Santaland as well as having to invite a witch into Santa’s home to help remedy what has happened.

I love this series of books consisting of three short stories set around special holidays and occasions. I have discovered some great cosy titles through reading them and found more authors to follow. This trio is a little different to normal, though, but no less engaging. The first two stories are more serious than usual, covering poverty, domestic abuse, seriously creepy home owners, stalking and, of course, murder! I would consider both to be crime fiction rather than cosy crime fiction. Liz Ireland's tale, however, is definitely a cosy, the eponymous witch steals every scene she's in, and Halloween in Santaland? What's not to love?

I was able to read an advanced copy of this thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Kensington Publishing, Kensington Cosies, but the opinions expressed are my own. Although not what I envisioned originally, the stories are engaging, and I enjoyed all three.

I always love the Lucy Stone series from Leslie Meier. It is just the quintessential cozy mystery for me. The author is always consistent in her character development and seeing the mystery through in a way that is engaging but not overwhelming. Best of all it is an early taste of Halloween! I did not read the other novellas in the novel, so I don't have a review for those.

In the Lee Hollis story, Death of a Night Stalker, Hayley is with her BFFs Liddy and Mona when they take an unplanned detour during a torrential downpour and end up crashed in a ditch. Their car undriveable, they manage to get themselves free of the wreckage and make their way to a nearby home. Inside they find Bella and her son Gregory... not exactly a welcoming committee.

This story is more of a Halloween Slasher than a cozy mystery but I was hooked from page 1. I love Hayley and when she's with Liddy and Mona wild things always happen. They each play off of each other so well, and this had the added catch of taking place in the middle of a storm with no cell service, land line, internet, or eventually electricity. It was a great story with a super exciting ending.

I started to read the Leslie Meier story but I couldn't finish it. Leslie Meier's books are more just essays on the tragedy of poverty from the lens of a very privileged person (poverty being driving a used car and buying generic brands). So when I got to the part about a farmhouse down the road "the derelict place was no long fit for chickens, much less a family," I couldn't continue. I didn't want to read about there being a tear in the wallpaper somewhere and maybe a cracked pane of glass in a window and how it's not fair that everyone can't be rich and the author is going to drive that idea home by killing off a child in her story. I did really enjoy the first dozen or so books in the Lucy Stone series when Lucy herself was poor but perfectly happy and didn't seem to feel the need to measure the rest of the world by her own expectations and prejudices.

I also didn't read the Liz Ireland story. I haven't started that series yet and didn't want to risk any spoilers. I'll definitely come back to this when I read that series.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 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.

Kindle Copy for Review from NetGalley and Kensington Publishing.

I received a free, advance copy of this book and this is my unbiased and voluntary review.

It’s Halloween Night and there is murder in the air. In this selection of stories we get Halloween Night Murder by Leslie Meir, Death od a Halloween Night Stalker by Lee Hollis and MMrs. Claus and the Wily by Liz Ireland. There will be more than just bump in the night n these scary stories. It’s a lght fun collection of shoert stories that will keep you on your seat.

Three great Halloween short stories by three great authors! Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis and Liz Ireland have added these short stories to their ongoing series and it was a good, quick cozy read.

#HalloweenNightMurder #NetGalley
I always enjoy these short stories who connect me to some of my favorite characters.
All three authors deliver spooky Halloween stories that will have you looking forward to the holiday!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.