Love Lucy's sleuthing. The bad guy was kind of obvious. Having read the other novellas makes me want to read the novels especially to find out what happened to Chris.

This is a top notch collection of cozies. My favourite of the three was
DEATH OF A HALLOWEEN PARTY MONSTER by LEE HOLLIS.
Great characters and a whodunit that kept me guessing.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

This book is such a fun piece of mystery writing! First, I loved that this is a collection of three stories; none are too long and each has a fun twist that is perfect for the Halloween season. This is such a great seasonal read, I highly recommend it!!!

Love cozy Halloween mysteries! Three fast read novellas. I have in the past enjoyed these three authors and once again didn’t disappoint! Halloween Party Murder and Death by a Halloween Party Monster did have predictable outcomes, but still a good read. My favorite was Scared Off…..no way to figure out who done it. Was wonderful reading about the same characters from previous books and the couple of Halloween recipes are a nice touch.
I am voluntarily posting an honest review after reading an Advance Reader Copy of this story.

This is a delightful book with three Halloween stories by three bestselling cozy mystery authors. They are exciting but lighthearted. The twists and turns are remarkably clever. The characters are quite realistic. If you are a fan of Halloween then you definitely need to read this collection. It is amazing.

Three great Halloween stores by three great authors. I love when these ladies get together and combine stories in one book. These are shorter stories than I normally read, but combined they make a great book. Each story was great and the characters are wonderful together. I think you will enjoy all of them. I can’t wait for the next book to come out. I received this book from NetGalley, but my opinion is my own.

Small town traditions are celebrated throughout Maine during the holiday season. But when it comes to Halloween, some people are more than willing to reap a harvest of murder …

Sounds like fun. In this one, we get not one, but three short stories in one book. The first one is Halloween Party Murder by Leslie Meier.

Back in Tinker’s Cove, journalist Lucy is suspicious of the newest residents. Ty and Heather Moon bought the Victorian and are planning to bring it back to life. But first, wouldn’t it be great for a haunted house for Halloween? When Heather dies of a drug overdose, Ty becomes a suspect. While Lucy is digging for information about the couple she finds disturbing secrets that may affect the town.

But just when you think you know, you do not. Always a pleasure to read Ms. Meier.

DEATH OF A HALLOWEEN PARTY MONSTER by LEE HOLLIS

Hayley’s Halloween party is in full swing. With everyone wearing their favorite movie monster. What better place than at a costume party to commit murder?

When Boris Candy is found dead, Hayley is going to find out who did this dastardly deed and why.

I do indeed love a costume-themed party and throw in a murder and everyone is looking sketchy. Hayley is such a fun character and I loved catching up with her.


SCARED OFF by BARBARA ROSS

It’s Halloween and three teenage girls are having a sleepover. Things are good until a group of older kids decides to hold a party at the house.

When the lady on the third floor is found dead in the yard wearing a sheet, her niece is horrified and scared.

Now Julia needs to find out what happened and how poor Mrs. Zelisko end up in the yard dressed as a ghost!

Always a good time with Ms. Ross!

Altogether they are a sweet treat for Halloween!

NetGalley/August 31st, 2021 by Kensington Publishing Corporation

Halloween Party Murder is the latest in-between novella from a trio of authors. I've read one book each by Leslie Meier and by Lee Hollis, but I have finished the entire series from Barbara Ross... so I could only read her entry, Scared Off, in this three-novella collection. When I catch up in the other two series, I will come back to edit this review to include my thoughts on the other two books, too.

I remember when Julia's niece was still so young, and her mother was having a new baby. Years later, she's now 13 and having a party at a friend's house for Halloween. It's only supposed to be two more friends for a sleepover, but something goes amiss, and at the end of the night, the pseudo-babysitter ends up dead. Which guest killed her? Was it one of the teenage girls, shocker!?! I really enjoyed the story in this novella because it brought in a few favorite characters and completely changed the direction with Julia's personal life. I learned a new fact, and now I can't wait to get to the next book when it releases.

All in all, now that I'm caught up on this series, it's been an amazing ride. I can't wait for more to come, and I need to think about reading another Maine-based series (like the other two novellas in this book) and Ross's other series. I'll be back with more details on the rest in the coming months. But for fans of Barbara Ross, this definitely gives you the mid-year boost while you're waiting for the full-length release. Great job!

Three great cozy novellas which are sure to get you in the Halloween spirit. All are well written with clever plots.
Many thanks to Kensington Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Three quick type of short stories by the three different authors. Nothing to dark or anything. Good for wanting a somewhat laid back type of read.

This collection of three novels includes Leslie Meier's latest Halloween story. Lucy Stone gets her eyes opened to drugs in her community and to domestic violence when a charity do is disrupted by a suspicious death.

Lee Hollis shares a Halloween party that starts off as a low-key business do, until a real Halloween monster shows up. Hayley finds herself in terrible danger.

Barbara Ross tells the story of a teen party that gets out of hand. A mysterious woman becomes even more mysterious when the partygoers see her fly downstairs like a ghost. As the police inquiry continues, the mystery of her life overshadows the scandal of the party.

All three short novels are well-written cozies from appealing series. The book is a great way to get to know these authors.

A fun read....I’ve only previously read a few of Barbara Ross’ series so I enjoyed that one the most. It’s probably best if you’ve read some of each series to truly get the most out of this book. But you can still follow enough of what’s going on. Definitely a fun Halloween read ☺️

3 stories in 1 book - all excellent! This book was fun, the stories were quick and easy. I enjoyed each story more and more. I felt that the authors kept the storylines true to each particular book and each mini story fit perfectly in the series. The stories were concise and ended neatly. I appreciated the care and attention to detail that the authors gave to story so that they would fit in each series. Each story had a Halloween background which lended a spooky vibe to each story. I enjoyed this book and cannot wait to read more by these authors.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I just loved Halloween Party Murder, with its three stories centered around my favorite holiday of the year. The first story, Halloween Party Murder, by Leslie Meier, takes us to Tinker's Cove, and another Halloween celebration with Lucy Stone. A haunted house fundraiser has a tragic turn of events, and Lucy investigate the murder of one of the owners of the house. The tone was somewhat dark for a cozy mystery story, especially as everything statrs to unfold. Yet, it is a reflection of real social issues, and it's only normal that they find their way into works of fiction. I think this story is best enjoyed if you have previously read Haunted House Murder, in my humble opinion.

The next story is Death of a Halloween Party Monster, by Lee Hollis. The story is somewhat of a stepping stone for the new direction the series will most likely take. Hayley Powell is having a costume party at her brand new restaurant, and one of the guests turns up dead, obviously murdered. With a very limited number of suspects to choose from, things get a little nasty, at least verbally. With a nice dose of humor and a few recipes, this story is sure to please readers of the series. However, reading Death of an Italian Chef before this short story could help better understanding everything that takes place.

Finally, Scared Off, by Barbara Ross, rounds up the book. Julia Snowden investigates a suspicious death that occurred at a sleepover that turned into an out of control party that her niece was attending. There is a very interesting twist that occurs in the storyline, which made everything more complex than it first appeared. Also, there is a little something at the end that will probably evolve in the next book. Once again, I felt that I enjoyed this story more since I had read Shucked Apart previously.

In all, a great Halloween collection. However, even if you have not read the books mentioned above, you will still have a great time reading Halloween Party Murder.

Another very entertaining trio of short holiday-themed stories from my favorite authors of Maine cozies! Each is a quick read (I read one per day over a long weekend), and it was fun to delve back into the worlds of some of my fictional faves - Hayley Powell (Lee Hollis), Julia Snowden (Barbara Ross), and Lucy Stone (Leslie Meier). They're all very well-written, and work as standalones (although it's much nicer when you know the backstories!). I highly recommend this Halloween anthology to one and all! A+++

This book is actually three different cozy mystery novellas centered around Halloween. They were all complete mysteries even though they were short. I liked all of them to the point that I didn't want them to end. The plots were twisty and I couldn't figure out whodunnit until the very end. The settings were full of Halloween descriptions and made me think of the cool weather of autumn. I recommend this to anyone who loves good cozy mysteries. I received an advanced reader's copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Halloween Party Murder was fine, I accidentally requested this not knowing it was a series of shorts. I wouldn't have if I had been paying more attention as I'm not normally a fan, But I still appreciated it nonetheless, cozy mysteries aren't normally my thing, but each one here was enjoyable. Although they did leave me wanting more, and I had the same problem I do with short stories is that I get too invested and then am left feeling like it was unfinished. All in all, I'd recommend, for those who like short stories and enjoy cozy mysteries. A good Halloween read.

3.5 stars

I've read books by two of these authors in the past, so I was looking forward to this one. Colorful characters and well-done mysteries made this an enjoyable collection.

I know it's way too early for Halloween, but since I enjoy these authors, I thought I'd start early. I was disappointed in one, but very pleased by the other two. For the individual ratings:

⭐Halloween Party Murder by Leslie Meier: Lucy's husband Bill is finally changing her mind about how she feels regarding the newcomers to Tinker's Cove, Ty and Heather Moon. And to show she's willing to give them a chance, she's happy to help with the haunted house they're planning for the community, especially when much of the proceeds will benefit the needy in her town. But the night of the party, Lucy finds Heather near death in the tub, and later learns she died. Now with Ty accused of murder, and her friend, who's running for the state assembly, defending him, there are more problems than she ever expected, especially since there's a murderer running around loose...

I really wanted to like this, but unfortunately Ms. Meier has turned this into a political rant. I'm not going to get into it here, but let's just say that I read for entertainment, not to be preached to politically, nor to be told that my way of thinking is just wrong if it doesn't jibe with yours. So no, I did not enjoy this story at all, but others might.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Death of a Halloween Party Monster by Lee Hollis: Hayley is throwing a Halloween party at her new restaurant, Hayley's Kitchen, for a select group of friends. But after the party is breaking up, Lydia comes across the dead body of Boris Candy, who was once dressed as Pennywise the clown, but is no longer -- not that it matters, anyway. Now police chief and brother-in-law to Hayley, Sergio, is questioning the remaining guests to see which one of them committed the deed. But with tempers flaring and accusations flying, it's not an easy task. Now Hayley's trying to put the pieces together but can't believe one of her friends is the guilty party...

This was a terrific short story perfect for Halloween. I found this one the most hilarious of the three, mainly because I love the banter between Hayley and her two besties, Lydia and Mona. They make quite a trio. We get to see a different side of Sergio, and some unexpected situations that lead to a discovery of sorts. It's fun, intriguing, and a quick read that will have you laughing throughout.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Scared Off by Barbara Ross: When Julia's niece Paige calls her from a friend's house, sounding panicked, Julia heads over there only to find police already arrived. When she locates Paige and her friend Vanessa, she's allowed to take them home. It seems that a tenant in the upstairs of the Victorian home, Mrs. Zelisko, is dead, and the girls are insisting they saw her flying like a ghost. But can Julia find out the truth? Everyone has different stories, but the woman isn't a ghost, so why did they see her, and who could have murdered her?

With Julia still reeling from her personal life, she's thrown into a murder investigation she didn't want, but is part of nonetheless. Now she's sifting through the questions and responses to try and find out the truth. What she does discover throws a lot of people in town, and suddenly there's more to the story than anyone expected...

This is a very interesting short story, and they aren't always easy to write. While it doesn't have the humor of Ms. Hollis (both authors); it does have a lot going for it. Julia is once again using her wits to figure out the problem, with her state police friends Binder and Flynn letting her in on the investigation, since she's been helpful in the past. The answers come slowly but strangely, and no one expects that when it does become clear that this could ever have happened. We also learn something a bit delightful toward the end, giving us a peek into what the future might hold. A delightful, refreshing story.

In the end, I gave the entire thing five stars because I liked the last two stories immensely. It's only because I don't want to read about politics of any kind (unless I'm reading political science, etc.) in my escapism. Other than that, I would definitely recommend this to others.

I am a huge sucker for Cozy-Mysteries. I’ve read a few books from Leslie Meier and since then I enjoyed her writing. I was excited to see this trio of novellas.
The first novella was by Leslie Meier.
Lucy and her friends are helping a neighbor plan a Halloween Party. At the party the wife of the neighbor is found murdered and the husband becomes the prime suspect. I loved the whole atmosphere lol.
The second novella was by Lee Hollis. Haley throws a Halloween Party at her restaurant, now this novella definitely has some great humor.Now at this Halloween Party there is a murder and since everyone is still there no one can leave until they find out who the killer is and what happened.
The third novella is by Barbara Ross. Now I am not familiar with this series but I was still able to follow along with the story and it was really great! Julia receives a phone call from her niece Page on Halloween night for a ride home. A slumber party turns into a big party when it ends in the death of a local bookkeeper. While no one is really too interested in helping solve the murder Julia starts to gather the clues and put the pieces together to find the killer.
This is definitely a cute set of cozy-mysteries and I loved it! I would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys cozy-mysteries!
Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read it!!