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A review by kimdavishb
Halloween Cupcake Murder by Carol J. Perry, Carlene O'Connor, Liz Ireland
5.0
HALLOWEEN CUPCAKE MURDER is a scary-licious trio of novellas by Carlene O’Connor, Liz Ireland, and Carol J. Perry. The thing that I love about these themed novella books is the opportunity to find new-to-me authors, or catch up with characters that I already know and love. I’m always impressed that each author manages to fit in a full mystery, with enough intrigue, in such short stories!
While I’m quite familiar with author Carlene O’Connor, somehow her Home to Ireland Mystery series escaped my attention. I was delighted to be introduced to her protagonist, Tara Meehan, an American transplant now living in Galway, Ireland. Despite the short length of Halloween Cupcake Murder, there were enough details to make me feel like I was right there and enough clues to keep me guessing. The author deftly provides the setup for the murder and then quickly gets to the action. I enjoyed getting to know Tara and now have to add her full-length books to my TBR pile!
A fan of the Mrs. Claus Mystery series by Liz Ireland from the very beginning, I couldn’t wait to dive into Mrs. Clause and the Candy Corn Caper. The author’s North Pole world-building is delightful and her use of fun puns adds great humor. Mrs. Claus, a gal from Oregon who just happened to have fallen in love with Nick Claus while he was on vacation, has introduced Halloween to the elves. With a candy corn dessert bake-off, a theft of candy corn resulting in a shortage, a new competing bakery in town, and a disgruntled employee leads to disaster for the festivities. With a strong descriptive voice, Ms. Ireland brings the North Pole and its various characters to life. Mrs. Claus is a tenacious amateur sleuth who states, “I might not have been born Mrs. Claus, but I was born nosy”. She still exhibits the caring, tender qualities you’d imagine Santa’s wife to have, even while investigating. If you’re a fan of this series, this is a great way to get your “fix” before the next book releases. If you haven’t read any in the series before, this is a fun way to explore the North Pole and whet your appetite!
A Triple Layer Halloween Murder by Carol J. Perry is a new-to-me author and series. I found it easy enough to get to know the characters and become acquainted with the setting without feeling lost. I’m so impressed with the amount of information the authors can include in the novellas without detracting from the pace of the plot. Protagonist Lee Barrett works as a program director for WICH-TV. There’s a touch of paranormal—Lee can see visions, although the meaning is never very clear—along with her cat, O’Ryan, pointing her toward clues. Lee’s detective boyfriend isn’t all that keen about her “abilities” but still respects her enough to listen to what she finds out. I enjoyed their interaction and the core characters and I’ll be seeking out the books in this series to get to know them better!
I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
While I’m quite familiar with author Carlene O’Connor, somehow her Home to Ireland Mystery series escaped my attention. I was delighted to be introduced to her protagonist, Tara Meehan, an American transplant now living in Galway, Ireland. Despite the short length of Halloween Cupcake Murder, there were enough details to make me feel like I was right there and enough clues to keep me guessing. The author deftly provides the setup for the murder and then quickly gets to the action. I enjoyed getting to know Tara and now have to add her full-length books to my TBR pile!
A fan of the Mrs. Claus Mystery series by Liz Ireland from the very beginning, I couldn’t wait to dive into Mrs. Clause and the Candy Corn Caper. The author’s North Pole world-building is delightful and her use of fun puns adds great humor. Mrs. Claus, a gal from Oregon who just happened to have fallen in love with Nick Claus while he was on vacation, has introduced Halloween to the elves. With a candy corn dessert bake-off, a theft of candy corn resulting in a shortage, a new competing bakery in town, and a disgruntled employee leads to disaster for the festivities. With a strong descriptive voice, Ms. Ireland brings the North Pole and its various characters to life. Mrs. Claus is a tenacious amateur sleuth who states, “I might not have been born Mrs. Claus, but I was born nosy”. She still exhibits the caring, tender qualities you’d imagine Santa’s wife to have, even while investigating. If you’re a fan of this series, this is a great way to get your “fix” before the next book releases. If you haven’t read any in the series before, this is a fun way to explore the North Pole and whet your appetite!
A Triple Layer Halloween Murder by Carol J. Perry is a new-to-me author and series. I found it easy enough to get to know the characters and become acquainted with the setting without feeling lost. I’m so impressed with the amount of information the authors can include in the novellas without detracting from the pace of the plot. Protagonist Lee Barrett works as a program director for WICH-TV. There’s a touch of paranormal—Lee can see visions, although the meaning is never very clear—along with her cat, O’Ryan, pointing her toward clues. Lee’s detective boyfriend isn’t all that keen about her “abilities” but still respects her enough to listen to what she finds out. I enjoyed their interaction and the core characters and I’ll be seeking out the books in this series to get to know them better!
I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.