This is a collection of 3 novellas with an Easter theme. I usually don't read novellas, but I like these three authors, so I gave it a try

EASTER BASKET MURDER by LESLIE MEIER
Tinker’s Cove businesses are celebrating Easter in a big way promote tourism. The local bank is unveiling the grand prize, a huge easter basket which includes a valuable piece of art made by a local artist. Unfortunately, the bank thinks it is safe to set the basket out on display and this piece of art goes missing. Lucy Stone, local reporter and part-time sleuth is covering the event. She ends up recovering the art and solving a murder.

DEATH BY EASTER EGG by LEE HOLLIS
Hayley Powell is spending this Easter with her son, son's girlfriend and her very active new grandson. The family takes her grandson to Bar Harbor’s annual egg hunt and somehow he ends up with the Easter Bunny's basket. Someone has switched baskets and the Easter bunny now has a basket filled with peanut butter candies. The person that switched the baskets must have known that he had a sweet tooth and a peanut allergy. Hayley now has a murder to solve.

HOPPED ALONG by BARBARA ROSS
Julia Snowden’s family mansion on a remote Maine island has had a face-lift and it's time to celebrate, so family and friends gather on the island for Easter Sunday. Julia is watching her nephew search for eggs when he screams that he has found the Easter bunny, dead in the garden. Julia investigates and finds an older gentleman dressed similar to the Easter bunny, and he does seem to be dead. When she returns with others they find that he's vanished. The mystery continues with a few interesting twists and turns. This was more complex than most novellas, and I really enjoyed it.

I only read two of these stories since I only read the series by two of these authors.

Easter Basket Murder by Leslie Meier, is another great edition in the Lucy Stone mystery series. As spring is trying to make an appearance in Tinkers Cove, Maine, the local Chamber of Commerce has come up with a promotion to spur more sales for local businesses. They put together a wonderful Easter basket full of goodies, including a golden egg made by local sculptor, Karl Klaus. All the townspeople are eager to have their chance to win this terrific prize after seeing the basket when the promotion is announced at the bank. But things, of course, don't go exactly as planned and before you know it, there's a mystery to solve ... and then another ... and another. For such a sleepy little New England town, there certainly is a lot of intrigue in Tinkers Cove. Lucy, of course, is doing her best to get the scoop on the happenings and tries to solve the mysteries. A really great read!

The second story is Death by Easter Egg by Lee Hollis and it was also a very good short cozy mystery. The story follows Hayley Powell, local food columnist and restaurateur, as she prepares for Easter with her family. Her son, Dustin, his girlfriend, Mackenzie, and their very rambunctious 2-year-old son, Eli, are staying with Hayley and her husband, Bruce, for the week leading up to Easter. While Hayley is somewhat frustrated by her grandson's energy level, the path of destruction he generally leaves in his wake, and his parent's hands-off approach to discipline, she is enjoying the visit as much as possible and is looking forward to the annual Easter egg hunt with Eli at the local school. She runs into the Easter Bunny himself just days before the egg hunt and things aren't looking good for the man who plays the bunny when there is a theft at the local bank where he works security. Things go from bad to worse at the egg hunt and, before you know it, Hayley is investigating a murder where there seems to be a large number of possible suspects. Can Hayley prepare for the holiday, keep her grandson from destroying her home and terrorizing her dog, prepare the holiday feast at her restaurant, figure out whodunnit, and stay safe and sane? Read this intriguing little tale to find out!

I really enjoy the collaboration between the mystery writers Meier, Hollis and Ross.
I was motivated to pick up books by each of the authors after meeting their sleuths in the short stories found in this book.
I hope they do this again for another holiday!

3.5 Stars: My plan had been to read this back in March before Easter, but best laid plans. I enjoy these anthologies made up of 3 cozy mystery novellas by authors I enjoy. EASTER BASKET MURDER by LESLIE MEIER deals with the theft of a mysterious golden egg crafted by a reclusive Maine artist that was being used as a grand prize in a local businesses contest. DEATH BY EASTER EGG by LEE HOLLIS has Haley Powell trying to figure out who was responsible for the death of a townsperson who dressed up as the Easter Bunny for local festivities. Someone put peanut butter eggs in his basket knowing he had an allergy. HOPPED ALONG by BARBARA ROSS has Julia Snowden searching for a body that was found in the garden at Windsholme. All three of these novellas are part of long running series, but you don't need to have read them to enjoy these stories. All three are set in Maine, but with very different settings. The mysteries are not very long, but still well plotted for the shorter length. If you are interested in learning about these 3 wonderful female sleuths, these anthologies might be for you. Each of these stories contains a murder, but another mystery as well. I enjoyed all three of these stories and liked how they all ended.

"Easter Basket Murder" 3 different authors writing about the same holiday Easter. very different perspectives on the holiday. very enjoyable reading different concepts by these authors well done. i must say it was very entertaining. Thank You!!!

Easter Basket Murder by Leslie Meier

This story was so good!! I read it in one sitting, because I had to know who did it! Don’t hesitate to read any of Lucy Stone mysteries. I have read every one that she’s written, and I thoroughly enjoy catching up with what everyone is up to, and then reading how Lucy solves the murder.

Death by Easter Egg by Lee Hollis

This mystery was so fun! I had no clue who did it until the end! I have read a few books about Hayley Powell and her friends and family. It was great to read the newest book and see what everyone is up to. Her recipes look so good, too!

Hopped Along by Barbara Ross

I really enjoyed this one! I have read a couple of the books in this series, and they did not disappoint. This mystery had an unexpected ending. The island and the scenery sound beautiful and I love the coziness of the small town. I would definitely recommend this book!

Three short stories, Easter Basket Murder, A Lucy Stone #29.5. Death by Easter Egg by Lee Hollis, and Hopped Along by Barbara Ross. All three are Easter related but not connected with each other. They are the perfect length for a quick read. Of course they all deal with a cozy mystery they need to solve. If you're not familiar with any of the three authors these are perfect intro's to their series. Enjoy.

Do you like to read holiday themed books? I read this delightful collection of Easter mysteries in the week leading up to Easter. I’m trying to catch up on my reviews and am just now posting my review on the third Sunday of Easter. At least I’m still in the Easter season?

This book had three easter mystery themed novellas in it. I loved their short length. It kept the action moving without getting bored. I enjoyed all three stories, and they were a perfect read in the week before Easter. The stories were as follows:

Easter Basket Murder by Leslie Meier
Tinker Cove’s chamber of commerce has put together an Easter themed promotion to help local businesses. If you get stamps from all of the businesses on a card, you have a chance to win a fabulous Easter basket which contains a one-of-a-kind Easter egg by a famous and reclusive artist. When the egg is stolen, and a murder occurs, will reporter Lucy Stone be able to crack the case?

Death by Easter Egg by Leslie Hollis
After the Easter bunny is found dead after eating a peanut butter egg that he is allergic to from her grandson’s easter basket, Hayley Powell is determined to clear her young grandson’s name. Will she discover who really murdered the Easter bunny and why?

Hopped Along by Barbara Ross
On a remote island in Maine, Julie Snowden has been rehabbing a mansion that will soon open as a resort. She is startled to find a dead body in the garden, that soon disappears. Is this an April Fool’s Day joke or is something else afoot?

I enjoyed all three stories equally, which is rare to find in a collection. They were all amusing mysteries that caused me to laugh out loud at times. They also made me feel old when I realized that Hayley Powell, the grandmother detective in Death by Easter Egg is my age. My oldest is just graduating from high school and I hadn’t thought of myself in a grandmotherly way yet. The mystery plot in all three novellas was interesting and had great conclusions. I loved the three main heroines. I have not read any of these authors before, but I think I need to investigate more cozy mysteries by all three as I enjoyed these so much.

Overall, Easter Basket Murder is a great collection of Easter themed cozy mystery novellas that I highly recommend if you are looking for a holiday read and intriguing cozy mysteries.

Book Source: Review copy from NetGalley. Thank-you! Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A cozy collection of Easter mysteries set against the backdrop of coastal maine. Each mystery id filled with holiday charm and romance. Each story is cleverly crafted with the holiday theme, and present a treat to the reader.
Many thanks to Kensington and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Here comes the Easter Bunny. Three separate tales of murder in Maine.
Easter Basket Murder by Leslie Meier
The small town of Tinker’s Cove comes up with a way to drive business to their local stores, but is everyone on board? Part of the prize is stolen and reporter Lucy Stone investigates.
Death by Easter Egg by Lee Hollis
The Easter Bunny comes to Bar Harbor, Maine, but meets an untimely end. Who would want to kill the Easter Bunny? Island Food & Spirits columnist and restauranteur Hayley Powell follows the clues and cracks the case.

Hopped Along by Barbara Ross
Celebrating Easter with family and friends on a remote Maine Island, Julie Snowden’s nephew hunting for Easter eggs finds the Easter Bunny dead in the abandoned garden, but when Julie goes to looking the Easter Bunny has disappeared. Julie now has a mystery to solve.

Princess Fuzzypants here: I do enjoy these anthologies with three novellas from popular cozy authors. All the stories are set in Maine, which, as a Maine Coon cat works for me. We have three very different stories that all revolve around an Easter Basket. In one, reporter Lucy becomes embroiled in a missing egg sculpture and the unkempt and quirky artist who made it. In the second, restauranteur Hayley’s peaceful existence is thrown upside down by the arrival of her grandson whose behaviour could give the terrible twos a bad name. And finally, Julia and her family open up the island that will host their clambakes only to discover one body that disappears and then another one that doesn’t because the person is deceased. Each story has a murder that our heroines must solve.

All three are quick and entertaining reads that further along the story lines set up in the primary novels. It is a good way to build reader loyalty to the characters. I can say that these trilogies never fail to please. Four purrs and two paws up.

I am a sucker for these author trio books. I enjoyed all three Easter themed mysteries. I highly recommend this one!

Kensington Books brings us another delightful seasonal trio of novellas perfect for the upcoming Easter holiday, this time featuring three of my favorite cozy mystery authors!

Leslie Meier opens the collection with the title story. Intrepid reporter Lucy Stone is covering the latest initiative by the Tinker’s Cove Chamber of Commerce to drum up foot traffic for local retailers. Participating stores will be handing out Easter egg stickers for every in-person purchase of at least ten dollars. These stickers can be affixed to cards, with complete cards of ten stickers eligible to enter a raffle for an Easter basket prize. The basket contains the usual chocolates and gift certificates but also features a contribution from famous and eccentric local sculptor Karl Klaus: a gilded egg potentially worth thousands of dollars.

When the egg unexpectedly goes missing from where it’s being displayed, Lucy gets on the case. There are several retailers whose fondness for this latest initiative has been decidedly lackluster: could one of them have stolen the egg in an effort to humiliate the organizers? As scandal rears its ugly head in Tinker’s Cove, Lucy must race to stop a thief from perpetrating the ultimate crime.

The second novella, Lee Hollis’ Death By Easter Egg, has chaos descending on Hayley Powell’s already busy life when she hosts her son Dustin, his girlfriend MacKenzie and their two year-old Eli for Easter. Eli is a terror, but Hayley hopes to channel some of his energies into an Easter Egg hunt at the local school. When she finds that he’s absconded with an Easter Basket full of candy that doesn’t belong to him, she isn’t too worried initially… until she finds an Epipen in the bottom. Knowing that this basket likely belongs to Raymond Dobbs, the town’s long-standing Easter Bunny with a well known fatal allergy to peanuts, she hurries to return it to him. Alas, she’s too late. Ray has fallen victim to anaphylactic shock from unknowingly eating peanut butter-filled chocolates from the wrong basket. Someone has clearly gone to a lot of trouble to switch out his basket for a fatal one, and Hayley is going to find out who, if only to assuage Dustin and MacKenzie’s conscience at not better disciplining their tearaway child.

The final story here is Hopped Along by Barbara Ross. Julia Snowden is thrilled at the progress being made on restoring her family’s Windsholme Island, just off the coast of Maine and a short boat ride away from their mainland home in Busman’s Harbor. Her family is eager to celebrate the island’s imminent inhabitability with a small Easter celebration for their nearest and dearest. When Julia finds a dead body in the garden, however, the festivities come to a screeching halt. Things only get weirder when the body disappears after she runs for help. Is a killer playing a twisted game with the Snowden family, or is something far stranger afoot?

All of these novellas felt like seamless continuations of the series they come from, and I thoroughly enjoyed each of them as a brief visit to fictional settings I already know and love. If you’re not yet familiar with these authors and their excellent series, however, I strongly urge you to pick up this volume to get a small sampling of their highly entertaining works.

There were seven food and drinks recipes included here, and since there’s rarely a time I’m not craving potatoes, I decided to try out this one, from Death By Easter Egg:

QUOTE
French Onion Potato Casserole

3 pounds potatoes
1 cup sour cream
1 cup half and half
1 whole package Lipton French Onion Soup mix
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or cheese of your choice)

Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Slice your potatoes into ¼-inch slices (I use a food processor). You want them all to be pretty much the same size.

In a large bowl, whisk the sour cream, half and half, and soup mix. Add the sliced potato and one cup of the cheddar cheese and mix until well combined.

Pour into a three quart casserole dish or 13x9 pan and spread to fit pan.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 50 to 55 minutes.

Remove from oven and check to see if potatoes are soft. If not, cover and place back in oven until soft.

When done, remove from oven and add the rest of the shredded cheese and place back in the oven for 10 to 15 more minutes until cheese is melted and just beginning to brown.

Remove from oven, then let sit for 15 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!
END QUOTE

This is such a delicious variation on scalloped potatoes, especially if you love the taste of sour cream and onions, as my family does. And while you can eat this on its own, it makes an excellent side dish with just about any protein and vegetable. As with any casserole, the hardest part is the preparation: I just slice my potatoes thinly and consider most of the effort done. The finished dish also keeps quite well in the refrigerator for leftovers.

Next week, we head to the midwest to bake up another scrumptious treat while trying to figure out who would want to frame our heroine for murder. Do join me!

Three great mysteries by three great authors. While I am familiar with Barbara Ross' series, I will have to check out Meier's and Hollis' series.

What a fun read this was for Easter/Spring! All three cozy mysteries were interesting and atmospheric. It was my first time reading anything from Lee Hollis and Barbara Ross. Lee Hollis’ story confused me at first since the story was interjected with her articles she writes as a columnist, but it didn’t take away from the main story. I absolutely loved Barbara Ross’ story and I will be adding her series to my TBR. <i>Like I need more books on my TBR or another series to read!</i>

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.

I selected this book because of the Leslie Meier and realized that I loved all three of the mysteries in this book. As I expected Leslie Meire's story drew me in quickly and I stayed because I love her writing style. If one wants try a shorter version of any of the these author's books, I highly recommend this one!

Another great book of novellas! My favorite story was the Hayley Powell by Lee Hollis. It had more of an Easter theme and family feel. The most intriguing story was by Barbara Ross. I’ve read a few of the Maine Clambake series and this one was an excellent addition to the series. The Lucy Stone was also good and was centered around the holiday. A cozy reader can’t go wrong with these stories! Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington for the ARC.

Once again, another outstanding trio of holiday-themed cozy novellas from some superb cozy mystery authors, all set in Maine.

Leslie Meier, one of my favorite cozy authors, contributed Easter Basket Murder, a clever story featuring a missing golden egg, a prize in an Easter basket raffle. It's always fun to encounter the characters in this long-running cozy series.

Death by Easter Egg, by Lee Hollis, offers a fun look at the town's annual Easter egg hunt and the lead character's energetic two year old grandson, but, of course, there's a murder.

Hopped Along, by Barbara Ross, presents a delightful, clever novella where, early on, the sleuth's six-year old nephew announces to her that the Easter Bunny was dead in the vegetable patch.

It's always interesting to see how these authors write for the holiday theme and, once again, they hit a home run with their stories.

Highly recommended to cozy fans!!

This set of 3 novellas focuses on stories with an Easter link. In Leslie Meier's Easter Basket Murder, the main prize in the Easter Basket raffle goes missing. Then the stolen golden egg is found & the alleged culprit commits suicide. Reporter Lucy is not convinced about the motives and continues to investigate.

In Lee Hollis' Death by Easter Egg, Hayley takes her hyper 2-year old grandson to the annual Bar Harbor Easter Egg hunt. The tyke goes missing & Hayley finds him with an easter basket with candy & an Epipen that belongs to the man playing the Easter bunny who is found dead from an allergic reaction.

Barbara Ross' Hopped Along has Julia's nephew finding a body in the Windsholme garden. But when the officials arrive, the body has vanished. This was a clever story about 2 men playing the same role.

I received a digital ARC from Netgalley and Kensington Books. All opinions are my own.

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