Irish Coffee Murder is Kensington Books 2024 St. Patrick Day holiday anthology featuring in-between novellas of their series by Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis, and Barbara Ross.

Leslie Meier’s Irish Coffee is set after The Easter Bonnet Murder-Lucy Stone #28. Lucy Stone is writing a story for the Courier on an Irish step group. One of the dancers mothers is found dead in her bathtub. now Lucy Stone is investigating a murder. She finds each of the mothers in the group had motive to kill.


Lee Hollis’ Death of Irish Coffee Drinker is set after Death of an Ice Cream Scooper-Haley Powell Food and Cocktails Mystery #15. A popular comedian dies after drinking his after show Irish coffee. Haley is surprised that someone murdered this seemingly nice man and tries to find his killer


Barbara Ross’ Perked Up is set after Muddled Through – Maine Clambake Mystery #10. The power goes out on a snowy day so Julia Snowden, her family, and friends spend the night sharing ghost stories. By the end of the night, they solve one of the oldest murders in the town.

I think each of the three authors does a wonderful job of setting up and solving a murder and half the pages they normally work with. If you haven't read any books by these three authors, I recommend you read this book so you can get a taste of what each series is about.

These three authors really do an anthology of cozy mysteries right! I adore all the books by these authors, and this compilation is no different! This book includes three novellas that continue existing storylines in these authors popular series. The series are Lucy Stone #28.5, Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails Mystery # 15.5 and Maine Clambake Mysteries #10.5.

These are fun holiday-themed novellas which all include Irish coffee is some fashion, and even though these are novellas supporting an existing series, a reader can easily jump right into this book without reading prior novels, as they are all self-contained mysteries. i just really enjoy these books, and St. Patrick's Day is a fun holiday that I enjoy celebrating.

I highly recommend this book to fans of holiday themed cozy mysteries, but also to anyone who enjoys any of the three series. It was a fun read!

This book contained three cozy mysteries set on St. Patrick's Day in Maine. All of them were very well written, and the characters were a joy to read about. But there was one flaw: I wanted more from each story. I didn't want them to end. Several recipes were included. I recommend these authors to anyone interested in cozies. Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the honor of reading this ARC.

Irish Coffee Murder is a celebration of St Patrick's day, and the delightful beverage associated with it. It's actually three short stories by well known authors in the cozy mystery genre. I quite enjoyed the title story by Leslie Meier, and Perked Up by Barbara Ross, but Death of an Irish Coffee Drinker by Lee Hollis left me a little flat. It just wasn't my cup of tea, or in this case coffee. Overall I enjoy these collabs that seem to come out around different holidays, as they introduce me to new authors, and increase my TBR pile.

Entertainment times 3! As a resident of Maine, I read the Leslie Meier series, but also enjoyed the other 2 stories.

Three different stories that take place around St. Patrick’s Day. All three stories are set in Maine and it’s interesting to read about the winter and weather conditions in Maine in March. A great book if you’re looking for some light reading,

I read this book because I really like Lesie Meier as a writer. The other two writers were good as well. I recommend readers of cozy mysteries to try these three authors..

3 fun mysteries. Each one a winner. I cannot recommend this book enough. I was kept guessing about all the murderers and enjoyed the endings. The stories were full and varied. I loved the stories how interesting they were. They were all tied uniquely to ‘Irish Coffee’, which I found found amusing and cute. The stories were are a good time and hard to guess. A very enjoyable read.

This is a captivating set of cozy mystery novellas from three long-running, beloved series. All three are set in Maine, on St. Patrick’s Day, and prominently feature Irish Coffee. Each is unique, and I very much enjoyed the similarities and differences.

Primary characters are engaging and defined sufficiently through conversations and actions with minimal narrative except for essential backstories. Each town was described perfectly for purposes of each story.

Each novella grabbed my attention at the beginning and held it throughout, as they were written with excellence and flair. The settings included diverse economic circumstances and populations. Each kept me actively guessing throughout; clearly the authors are very talented

Irish Coffee Murder By Leslie Meier
Lucy Stone is anxious to get out of the newspaper office. The furnace has broken down, and it’s as cold inside as it is outside, or at least it feels that way. When Eileen stops by to talk about Irish dancers, Lucy volunteers to cover the regional contest. As always, the competing dancers all seem friendly, but there are rivalries.

There’s a food drive going on, too, and the rivalries there are more cutthroat than the dancers see. At stake is naming the new homeless shelter. Although the newspaper has been a collection point for the drive, a local realtor puts the paper’s contribution to shame.

When one of the dance moms dies, found in the bathtub, it’s a shock to all. Rumors fly that it was an accident, she fell asleep in the tub and drowned. Others say it was a suicide. The police say it was murder.

Lucy finds a tiny clue that leads her to the killer and a public confrontation.

To think, it all started with too many Irish coffees.

Death of an Irish Coffee Drinker By Lee Hollis
Liddy has booked a comedian for the local theater. Usually closed until the weather clears, she feels the town could use a night full of laughter. What could be better than a hometown boy made good?

Jefferson is a hit although his manager is a pain. Haley, Liddy’s friend, is on the spot to cater the after party, complete with Irish coffees with a secret ingredient. The evening is deemed a success—until Jefferson collapses and his death is declared a homicide.

There are a few suspects: Michelle, a server who is acting weird, Jefferson’s manager whose job may have been in jeopardy, or someone from the past. Haley wants the truth to come out — it wasn’t her brother’s new Irish coffee recipe that killed the comedian.

Recipes are included for Irish Stout Onion Soup, Irish Mudslide for two (includes Jameson Irish Whiskey, Bailey’s, and Kahlua, among other tasty ingredients), Whiskey Ginger, Irish Stew, Randy’s Irish Coffee, and Kelton’s Corned Beef and Cabbage.

Perked Up by Barbara Ross
Julia and her friend Zoey are making Irish coffees with plans to watch a movie and to stay out of the stormy weather. They’re surprised to see Captain George and Julia’s mom already in the living room. When the power goes out, ghost stories are in order. All the better because the story is part of the island history and based on a local family. The Captain barely gets his story underway when there’s a knock on the door — Fee and Vee, sisters from across the road, bearing Irish soda bread.

They know the old story, too, but have a different spin on it than the Captain does. Just as the conversation is heating up, there’s another knock — Gus and Mrs. Gus from the restaurant — and with another opinion on the story altogether. Everyone has a theory. Everyone is sure their theory is the right one.

Next to arrive are Livvie, Julia’s sister, with her two children. Then Livvie’s husband, Scotty, who’s been plowing driveways and parking lots. The last to arrive is Jamie, friend and local cop. He’s able to add details from the police blotter of long ago.

By the time everyone heads home, Julia has in mind a way to find out more about the long ago murder and the identity of the ghost. Don’t miss Vee’s recipe for Irish Soda Bread.

With three murders to solve, recipes to try, and Irish coffees to drink, this book will put you in the St. Paddy’s Day mood for sure. Just hope it doesn’t storm …

A delightful collection of novella length stories by mystery writer authors Leslie Meier; Lee Hollis; Barbara Ross. I will admit to having only heard of author Leslie Meier and before reading this had never read anything by any of them.
I thought this was a charming mystery book filled with St. Patty’s-themed stories. Perfect for Irish coffee lovers and it'll have your appetite roaring with plenty of talk of Irish soda bread, coffee cake and some Irish food recipes that sound easy to make.
All the stories are quick reads and entertaining and have I said coffee? They'll have you craving it while you're reading so settle in for an entertaining afternoon read with these quick-witted stories.

Pub Date 24 Jan 2023
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

This book has 3 St.Patrick's Day short stories. Leslie Meier has story 1 and is # 28.5 in the Lucy Stone series,Irish Coffee Murder. Story 2 is Death of an Irish coffee drinker by Lee Holis and story 3 is Perked up by Barbara Ross. All 3 stories are easy to read and quite good cozys. All fully embrace the holiday. All three have familiar characters but all stand alone.

3 stars

I requested this book mainly for the Lucy Stone mystery by Leslie Meier because I have read the entire series thus far with my grandma, and I was not disappointed to have read such a small installment in this series.

The Lucy Stone one has Irish Dancers and one of their moms ends up deceased, the other mothers and their daughters have motives and the rest is about figuring out who did it and learning about the seedy underbelly of Irish Dancing,

The other two were just ok for me, I read then but there was a part of me that was like I probably should have read some of the other series first.

This is an interesting mix of short mysteries based around Irish coffees. A couple were enjoyable. But I don’t think I would read them all back to back, normally.

Irish Coffee Murder is a wonderful addition to this holiday short story collection. Not only does it involve many aspects of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations and traditions, but it also has coffee, lots of Irish coffee! Each story has cozy mystery fans’ favorite characters and locations. The victims are a step-dancer’s mother, a hometown boy comedian, and a cold case that will leave you scratching your head in amazement.

All three stories give readers a quick, entertaining read that will have them craving Irish coffee. They also make St Patrick’s Day a wee bit more exciting. These stories are delivered by veteran authors who have honed their craft to perfection. The suspects in each case give the lead characters the runaround and keep them and the reader on their toes. Each story is unique; I couldn’t pick one as my favorite. The killers are all tracked down, and the motives revealed, but not all of them will be brought to justice. I needed a cup of Irish coffee myself while reading these fun stories, and now I crave one every time I read a new book. Irish Coffee Murder is a fun book and fits in perfectly with the others in this holiday collection.

I really enjoy these holiday anthologies from Kensington Publishing. Three of the cozy mysteries I enjoy make an appearance and it was nice to catch up with some of my favorite characters. In these anthologies the author is given a theme and they write a story using it. Each story in this book deals with a mystery set around or caused by Irish Coffee. As well, all of these novellas is set in Maine, although different towns along the coast. I usually have a hands down favorite when I read these anthologies, but I enjoyed all the stories and it is hard to pick just one to highlight. If you enjoy cozy mysteries, or would like a taste of a few different series, I recommend you pick this one up along with an Irish Coffee and enjoy.

First up was Leslie Meier's Lucy Stone in the story referred to in the title, Irish Coffee Murder. Part-time reporter Lucy is covering a group of Irish Step Dancing students on their way to international competitions. She meets with the mothers and can easily see that they are extremely competitive on their daughter's behalf. When one of them is found dead, it becomes the question as to whether it was suicide or another mother did her in. This is the longest story in the book and I enjoyed it. As in any competition sport, there is an ugly side and Lucy finds out all about it. There were several suspects and motives that kept me guessing.

Death of an Irish Coffee Drinker by Lee Hollis is a short story from the Food & Cocktails Mysteries. A local comedian is set to perform in Bar Harbor and Liddy asks Hayley to cater. Hayley's brother, who owns the local bar, Drinks Like a Fish, will throw in the drinks for an after party, Irish Coffee being the highlight. At the last minute Hayley scrambles to find another server when her brother's employee calls in sick. When a drink of Irish Whisky finds the guest of honor dying, Hayley scrambles to find the killer and take the pressure off her brother and herself. This was a fun mystery and another that kept me guessing. I thought the actual murder, once solved was very interesting and not one I had seen often. If you follow this series, you will know that there are little vignettes within the story from Hayley's column.

The final story, Perked Up by Barbara Ross is from one of my top three cozy mysteries. We catch up with Julia Snowdon in Bar Harbor, Maine after she has moved back home with her mother following her breakup with her longtime boyfriend, Chris. This story is set on St. Patrick's evening during a storm. The power goes out in town and many of the locals meet at Julia's mother's house, drink some Irish Coffee and discuss a mystery from the past. As more people arrive, there are different perspectives of the same story, with different suspects. Who really killed old Hugh O'Hara? Did someone get away with murder all those years ago? Who is the ghost that wanders the old mansion? I liked this cold case mystery and the fact that with wonderful investigative skills, memories from other people and great friends to accompany her, Julia figures out the mystery.

Irish Coffee Murder- Lucy Stone is writing a piece for the courier about four Irish step dancing students from Tinker’s Cove about to make it big. Until one of the girls mother is found dead in her bathtub. Did a stage mom take rivalry to far or is there another motive for the murder?

Death of an Irish Coffee Drinker- Haley Powell is the owner of the hottest new rest and offers to cater the after-party for popular comedian Jefferson O’Keefe who’s playing his hometown for St Patrick’s Day. It when Jefferson keels over after his post show Irish coffee leaving Haley to figure out who decided this joker went too far can she find the person who really did it?

Perked up
It’s a snowy St Patrick’s Day in Busman’s Harbor.when the power goes out what better way way for Julia Snowden to spend the evening than sharing local ghost stories and Irish coffees with friends and family? When the lights come back they might have solved the coldest case in town. These were all enjoyable short stories by amazing authors.

Again these authors don’t disappoint. The stories behind the holiday are funny, quirky and exciting. The way they go about solving the crimes is definitely off-the-wall, but the charm and ideas that they implement and how they go about finding the killer makes.

Another entertaining collection of holiday themed novellas from Meier, Hollis, and Ross. While the first two stories are fun, the gem of this collection is Ross’ historical mystery told through a clever framing device.

A collection of novellas with an Irish coffee theme. This is a prefect book to read when you are looking for a a quick fun cozy mystery to read. Each author pens entertaining story with likable protagonists. The mysteries even though short are well plotted with plenty of twists.

All thoughts and opinions are my own, and I have not been by anyone.