Halloween Party Murder by Leslie Meier - 3 stars
This was the first story I’ve read from Leslie Meier. I was expecting the story described in the blurb but that was just part of the story. At times, it even felt like the secondary story to the campaigning and election storyline. It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t what I was expecting or wanting to read.

Death of a Halloween Party Monster by Lee Hollis - 5 stars
This is the first story I’ve read by Lee Hollis and I really enjoyed it. There was a good Halloween theme throughout the whole story and the recipes looked yummy. The main characters were likable and it was an interesting mystery. I laughed out loud at Sergio’s reaction to Pennywise. I would have had the same reaction.

Scared Off by Barbara Ross - 5 stars
Three girls were having a Halloween sleepover when things get out of hand. One of the girls is Julia Snowden’s niece. Julia gets involved trying to find out about the victim.

I’ve read other books in this series so I am familiar with the characters and I really enjoyed this novella. It was interesting how they made sense of the eyewitness accounts. I liked the twists in this story.

Thank you to the authors, Kensington, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Halloween party murder is a compilation of 3 short Halloween themed stories headlined by Leslie Meier. I've always enjoyed a good cozy mystery and, Leslie Meier's Lucy Stone series has been a favorite. Hers is the 1st story in this book and I enjoyed it. The 2nd story is by Lee Hollis, short and a bit predictable for me, this one felt rushed. The final story is by Barbara Ross. A story of teenage girls having a Halloween sleep over when word gets out and they're crashed by high school hordes.. Naturally everything goes wrong and the party (& story) goes down hill from there. A fun compilation of stories is a story's but I feel each one would have been better served by being a longer standalone book. Still, bring on fall, pumpkin and spice, Halloween horror's, and all that good stuff… get in the mood with this book 🎃🧙‍♀️🧹

Each of the three authors in this book are some of my favorites. As we get closer to Halloween reading this set of novellas was just right for easing me into the holiday spirit without taking a chunk of reading time from other, full length, books.
Leslie Meier contributes the title novella, Halloween Party Murder. A Halloween party is being planned but, of course, a murder is added to the event when a neighbors wife turns up dead. The police focus on the most likely suspect - her husband - but Lucy does her own investigating to unmask the killer.
Lee Hollis contributes the second novella, Death of a Halloween Party Monster. It's party time when Haley throws a Halloween party but she wasn't planning to include a locked room murder mystery to the festivities. Nobody will be leaving this shindig until the killer is in handcuffs.
Barbara Ross contributes the final novella to the list, Scared Off. Julia's 13 year old niece, Page, calls for a ride home from a slumber party that has gotten out of hand when some older kids show up with booze and it isn't a safe place for Page. What should have been just three 13 year old girls and a chaperone, Mrs. Zelisko, in the house turned into a wild melee. So why hadn't Mrs. Zelisko put a stop to it? The police who answered the disturbance call soon find her dead. Julia will find the answers, as usual.
Each mystery works as a stand alone if you are new to any one of these three cozies. You really don't need to have read any of the books in any of the series to get an entertaining read.
My thanks to the publisher, Kensington and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

HALLOWEEN PARTY MURDER: A perfectly good murder mystery, but I just wasn't looking for something so realistic as opposed to a nice escape from reality. Suppose that comes from dealing with spousal abuse professionally.
DEATH OF A HALLOWEEN PARTY MONSTER: This one was a pretty good whodunit, but the best part was the wacky characters and (sometimes slapstick) humor!
SCARED OFF: A teen Halloween party ends up being crashed by boys with beer and the chaperone winds up dead and the shed. Good story!
RECIPES!

HALLOWEEN PARTY MURDER by LESLIE MEIER Lucy Stone returns in a new Halloween mystery. Her kids are grown and her job and volunteer work fill up her time. Lucy and her gang work with a new couple to make a haunted Halloween house a large fundraiser. Unfortunately, Lucy find the wife dying in a bath tub. Great to see some of my favorite characters again.

DEATH OF A HALLOWEEN PARTY MONSTER by LEE HOLLIS Hayley is hosting her first Halloween party in her new restaurant. It’s mostly a good time except for missing trays of food. And then the missing teen-age girls. I loved this story. It’s good to see Hayley with the restaurant running. Of course, I love the characters. But the story is really great.

SCARED OFF by BARBARA ROSS Julia is spending the off-season with time on her hands. Her teen-age niece is attending a sleepover with 2 other girls. When Julia receives the emergency help me call, she goes running. She finds the girls at the house that has been trashed by a large party. When the police are called, they find a body in the shed. Who would have killed the 3rd floor renter? I loved this book. Great mystery and great characters.

Such a wonderful read! This book features three short stories, novellas, penned by three unique authors - Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis, and Barbara Ross.

The first novella, Halloween Party Murder by Leslie Meier, is set in the small town of Tinkers Cove, Maine. This intertwined tale involves a haunted Halloween house party for charity, drug use, and a political campaign. Those familiar with the work of Meier knows that she always adds real life, sometimes controversial, elements to her series featuring journalist Lucy Stone. I love this, however others may take issue with it. In my opinion, anything with Lucy Stone is a hit! I enjoy visiting Tinkers Cove!

The second novella, Death of A Halloween Party Monster by Lee Hollis, is set in Bay Harbor, Maine. This story involves a murder at a holiday party hosted by columnist Hayley Powell. Readers are taken on ride as Hayley works to solve the mystery. There are lots of characters in this tale, so do your best to keep them all straight. This was my first read from Lee Hollis. I could be interested in more, but I am not particularly fond of flashbacks in books. Hollis does with Hayley and it can confuse the timeline for me, with all the other details of the story.

The third novella, Scared Off by Barbara Ross, is set in small town Maine, as well. This story involves a teenage Halloween sleepover, an unplanned party, and a shocking murder that shakes up Busman’s Harbor. The main character, Julia Snowden, embarks on a quest to find out whodunit, uncovering surprise twists and turns along the way. This was my first read from Barbara Ross and I look forward to reading more. The detail in this story creates a wonderful picture of the setting in the minds of readers. I enjoy this so much. I like to feel like I am there, in the story, seeing what the characters are seeing.

The stars are mainly for the second two stories in this collection. I usually like Lucy Stone stories, at least I did before they started having nothing but a bunch of politics and stuff like that. The Halloween portion of the story was great with the haunted house and fundraiser for Lucy's favorite Hat and Mitten Fund. But it all lost my interest when the political stuff leaked into it and I honestly didn't even care by then who the killer was or why.

Now I absolutely loved the Hayley Powell Halloween. Halloween with this bunch is always a hoot! And be sure to read those in-between the chapters columns of Hayley's because they tell about some hilarious past Halloween events with (always) Mona at her funniest. Ha, she was dressed like a shark at the present day party, kinda fitting, no? ;) Gotta love that crazy Mona and her growing-up kids!

I loved the quick trip to Busman's Harbor and Julia having a mystery that involved her niece and the girl's friends. It was an interesting case, and I liked how the state detectives figured they might as well just let Julia in on it from the get-go since she always helped anyway. I never would've guessed the outcome in either the Hayley or the Clambake murders, and they sure made for some fun Halloween reading!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

Halloween Party Murder is a collection of three novellas. The first is part of Leslie Meier's Lucy Stone series; the second features Lee Hollis's food and cocktail columnist Hayley Powell and the third one is a short Maine Clambake mystery by Barbara Ross called Scared Off. Prior to reading this I have read three of Leslie Meier's books set in Tinker's Cove, also three of Lee Hollis's set in Bar Harbor and one Maine Clambake mystery featuring Julia Snowden.

All three are absorbing tales with a Halloween theme, and if pressed for a favourite I would choose Death of a Halloween Party Monster by Lee Hollis for the wit and banter as I had such a laugh! In Scared Off I loved the writing style of Barbara Ross which was a good fit for me. Halloween Party Murder by Leslie Meier was engrossing with the discerning and intrepid Lucy Stone. These novellas are a great way to discover new-to-you cozy mystery authors and love the holiday or seasonal approaches they often have. Very highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Kensington Books via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Thank you NetGalley, Leslie Meier; Lee Hollis; Barbara Ross and Kensington Books for the ARC Halloween Party Murder.
This is three short stories in one book. I enjoyed all three of them but my favorite one was by Leslie Meier. I have been a fan of her books and read every one of them
The other two stories were enjoyable, and I will be reading more books by them both.
Each story had a Halloween theme and were all quick reads.
This book is scheduled to be release on August 31, 2021.

Three engaging novellas. Some may consider it a nice introduction to the three authors. I thought is was a fun way to reconnect with familiar series characters.

Halloween Party Murder by Leslie Meier

I love all Lucy Stone books and this one was no exception! The mystery was good and it got me into the Fall/Halloween mood. Don't hesitate to read any of Leslie Meier's books!!

Death of a Halloween Party Monster by Lee Hollis

I really enjoyed this book! The mystery was hard to figure out, and it was funny, too! I am definitely going to read some more of the Hayley Powell books.

Scared Off by Barbara Ross

I loved this book! I couldn't put it down! I loved the characters as much as I enjoyed the murder mystery. I'm definitely going to be reading more of these books!!

This book is actually a collection of three novellas: Halloween Party Murder by Leslie Meier, Death of a Halloween Party Monster by Lee Hollis and Scared Off by Barbara Ross. The three stories go well together. All three are set in a small town in Maine and involve a Halloween party. All can be considered cozy stories with the crimes solved by a female, amateur sleuth. I enjoyed all three stories and overall, this is an excellent collection of short mysteries that I would rate 4.5 stars.

I’m most familiar with Leslie Meier’s Lucy Stone series and really liked Halloween Party Murder. Lucy is a part-time reporter for a local newspaper and her husband is in construction. Their neighbors own a large old house they want to have renovated, but offer their home for a charity Halloween party before the upgrades are made since it looks like a haunted house. There is a lot of fake blood and gore for the party in several rooms as part of the haunted house displays to add to the party atmosphere. Then Lucy comes across a real-life scene that is anything but fun and learns you can’t really judge situations by appearances. There are a lot of serious subject packed into the novella, including drug dealing, drug addiction, abuse of women, and local politics, but at the heart it is a murder mystery with enough clues to help the reader solve the case right along with Lucy.

I have read a few novellas by Lee Hollis, but am not that familiar with the characters in Death of a Halloween Party Monster. Hayley Powell is hosting a Halloween party at the restaurant she recently opened. It’s a costume party with guests dressing like fictional movie monsters. As the party is wrapping up, one of Hailey’s best friends discovers a dead body. The solution was satisfying but not very surprising. Hayley also writes humorous columns about her life and includes recipes. The articles for her column tend to be somewhat rambling and don’t add much to the main plot. However, they are entertaining and the recipes sound good enough that I want to try a couple of them.

My favorite story of the three is Scared Off. Julia Snowden gets a call on Halloween night from her niece Page. Page goes to what she thought would be a quiet sleepover with a couple friends, but it turns into a rowdy party. The girls claim to have seen the ghost of an upstairs tenant, shortly before the woman’s body is found. Unlike in some cozies, Julia works well with the officers who are officially assigned to the case. This story is very engaging with an intricate and interesting plot, especially considering this is a novella and not a full-length book. I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen next and I was kept guessing as to the identity of the murderer. After reading this story, I am definitely interested in reading more by Barbara Ross.

I received this ebook from NetGalley through the courtesy of Kensington Books. An advance copy was provided to me at no cost, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

Halloween Party Murder consists of 3 short stories from 3 different authors. I really enjoyed all 3 stories as they were all quick and easy cozy mystery reads.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for my ARC.

This set of three novellas was a wonderful read. Each were well-written. I have read many books from all three authors and knew I would not be disappointed. As the title implies, each story centers on an aspect of Halloween. I enjoyed them all and am looking forward to trying the pumpkin cookie recipe at the end of the book.
Each story had twists, turns, and secrets to discover. I had a blast savoring each one.

I was given an Advanced Reader’s Copy by Netgalley and am not required to leave a positive review.

HALLOWEEN PARTY MURDER by LESLIE MEIER centers on the death of Heather Moon on the evening of the charity at the Moon’s haunted house. Her husband Ty is the prime suspect. We learn the Moons had many secrets. Another sub-plot is the state representative upcoming election.

DEATH OF A HALLOWEEN PARTY MONSTER by LEE HOLLIS centers on the death of music teacher Boris Candy at the Halloween party at Hayley Powell's restaurant that is closed for this private event. I enjoyed not liking the stuck up Mrs. Reddy. The story was well-conceived and had a twist I was not expecting. Lee Hollis has a great sense of humor.

SCARED OFF by BARBARA ROSS centers on three teenage girls having a sleepover on Halloween night get spooked when high schoolers crash the house for a party. Julia Snowden is called by her niece Paige to pick up herself and her BFF Vanessa. When Julia arrives, the police are there and only the three young girls remain. The police check the residence and find the adult, Mrs. Zelisko, dead in the back yard shed. As Julia finds out information, she passes it onto the detectives.

I always enjoy these festive Maine novellas. Halloween Party Murder (Leslie Meier) was okay, but Scared Off (Barbara Ross) was my favorite. I'm a huge fan of Ross' Maine Clambake cozy mystery series, and I love how I've come to know the characters so well.

I thought Death of a Halloween Party Monster (Lee Hollis) was silly.

Thank you, Netgalley, for my arc.

Book 1. Halloween Party Murder by Leslie Meier

The story is set in the tiny town of Tinkers Cove, Maine. The characters are well-described and interesting. The mystery set at a haunted halloween house party is slightly predictable and logical but still thought-provoking and fun to read A side plot that revolves around a state representative campaign is extremely interesting and works together nicely with the main plot of the story. Leslie Meier does a great job, vividly describing the area of Tinkers Cove which is always central to her mystery stories. The familiarity of Lucy and her Tinkers’ Cove friends makes this a pleasant seasonal read.

Book 2. Death of a Party Monster by Lee Hollis

A murder takes place at a Halloween party at Hayley’s Kitchen in Bar Harbor, Maine. The story has a vast array of characters who were at times difficult to follow and keep track of in my mind. Who was wearing what costume and who was related to who? The plot though was easy to follow and unfolds in a step by step process once I mapped out the costumes of the characters. The costumes are key to the mystery! The author interestingly added flashbacks from our main character, Hayley’s life that included tasty looking recipes from appetizers to desserts. All in all a good Halloween tale!

Book 3. Scared Off by Barbara Ross

This mystery was so interesting that it was hard to stop reading. A murder occurs at a teenagers Halloween sleepover. How is Mrs. Zelisko, the babysitter, and quiet citizen of Busman’s Harbor murdered without anyone initially noticing??? And why?? The plot is laid out in an intriguing fashion that surprises the reader in every way. I liked this authors use of vivid details as she describes the Church, shops and all around area of Busman’s Harbor. Having never read any books by Barbara Ross, I would certainly like to read many more. Great Book!!!

I loved this book! It is a novella as part of the Maine Clambake series which I have never read but have added to my reading list. It has a similar feel to Joanne Fluke’s Hannah Swenson series. If you enjoy cozy mysteries as much as I do, this will be a must read! And bonus, if you’ve never read anything by these authors, you’ll have a few more to add to your list to read!

Three fun Halloween party themed novellas by three great authors. All three continue in their respective series and all take place in Maine. If you are new to these authors you can jump right in with these novellas and be introduced to some fun female sleuths. I highly recommend reading this.

Three spooktacular stories in one. I had read a little of Leslie Meier‘s work before but hadn’t come across the other two authors.

This book gives you a great sense of whether you’d like to read full length works by these authors and the theme of small town Halloween traditions is charming and fun.

How fun to have three offerings from three cozy writers in one volume! You might have read one or two of the authors but not all three- or you might have read them all (I have) but I'm sure you'll find something to enjoy here.. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.