Irish Coffee Murder

by Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis, Barbara Ross

Overview

You don’t need to be Irish to enjoy St. Patrick’s Day in Maine, where the chilly March weather offers the perfect excuse to curl up with an Irish coffee…But in these St. Patty’s-themed novellas by fan-favorite cozy mystery authors Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis, and Barbara Ross, someone may have spiked this year’s brew with murder!

IRISH COFFEE MURDER by LESLIE MEIER
Part-time reporter Lucy Stone is writing a piece for the Courier about four Irish step dancing students from Tinker’s Cove on the cusp of making it big. But the story becomes headline news for all the wrong reasons when one girl’s mother is found dead in her bathtub . . .

DEATH OF AN IRISH COFFEE DRINKER by LEE HOLLIS
As owner of Bar Harbor’s hottest new restaurant, Hayley Powell offers to cater the after-party for popular comedian Jefferson O’Keefe, but it’s no laughing matter when Jefferson keels over after gulping down his post-show Irish coffee . . .

PERKED UP by BARBARA ROSS
It’s a snowy St. Patrick’s Day in Busman’s Harbor. But when the power goes out, what better way for Julia Snowden to spend the evening than sharing local ghost stories—and Irish coffees—with friends and family? By the time the lights come back, they might even have solved the coldest case in town . . .

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781496740311
Publisher:	Kensington
Publication date:	01/24/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	87,250
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Leslie Meier is the New York Times bestselling author of over twenty-five Lucy Stone mysteries and has also written for Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. She is currently at work on the next Lucy Stone mystery. Readers can visit her website at www.LeslieMeier.com.
 
Lee Hollis is the pen name for a brother and sister writing team. Rick Copp is a veteran film and television writer/producer and also the author of two other mystery novel series. He lives in Palm Springs, California. Holly Simason is an award-winning food and cocktails columnist living in North Carolina. You may visit their website at www.LeeHollisMysteries.com or find them on Facebook by typing in: Lee Hollis.
 
Barbara Ross is the author of the Maine Clambake Mystery novels. Books in the series have been nominated for multiple Agatha Awards for Best Contemporary Novel and have won the Maine Literary Award for Crime Fiction. Barbara’s novellas featuring the Maine Clambake characters are included along with stories by Leslie Meier and Lee Hollis in the holiday anthologies Eggnog Murder, Yule Log Murder, and Haunted House Murder. Her second series, the Jane Darrowfield Mysteries, began with Jane Darrowfield, Professional Busybody. Barbara and her husband live in Portland, Maine. Readers can visit her website at www.maineclambakemysteries.com.
 
LESLIE MEIER is the acclaimed author of thirty Lucy Stone mysteries and has also written for Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. She is currently at work on the next Lucy Stone mystery. Readers can visit her website at www.LeslieMeier.com.

LEE HOLLIS is the pen name for Rick Copp, a veteran Hollywood screenwriter who has written for numerous television series, including The Golden Girls, Wings,Scooby-Doo, Teen Titans, and Barbershop. He is the co-writer of The Brady Bunch Movie and has written a number of novels under his own name. He also produces, writes, and stars in the hit web series Where the Bears Are. With his sister Holly Simason, he co-authors the Hayley Powell Food & Cocktail Mysteries book series using the Lee Hollis name. He lives in Palm Springs, California.
Barbara Ross is the author of the Maine Clambake Mysteries and the Jane Darrowfield Mysteries. Her books have been nominated for multiple Agatha Awards for Best Contemporary Novel and have won the Maine Literary Award for Crime Fiction. Barbara’s Maine Clambake novellas are included along with stories by Leslie Meier and Lee Hollis in holiday anthologies from Kensington Publishing. Barbara and her husband live in Portland, Maine. Readers can visit her website at www.maineclambakemysteries.com.
 

Editorial Reviews

Praise for the Cozy Mystery Anthologies by Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis, and Barbara Ross

“Haunted houses, a holiday staple, are an especially good fit for the authors’ folksy Down East setting…All three tales offer a dash of detection, but their strong suit is hometown charm.” —Kirkus Reviews on Halloween Party Murder
 
“This anthology boasts three tales of yuletide murder in coastal Maine…sparkly writing and emotional depth link this trio of holiday cozies.” —Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW on Eggnog Murder

“This fun whodunit kept me entertained!” —First for Women on Halloween Party Murder

“These Maine stories are lots of fun and unlikely to deter anyone from renting a place on the coast for a quiet getaway.” —Seacoast Online on Halloween Party Murder

“There is plenty of cozy mystery fun in this Halloween-themed set of stories that will be a good introduction to new readers of the authors.” —Parkersburg News & Sentinel on Halloween Party Murder

“Just in time for Halloween, Haunted House Murder is a three-novella collection of creepy but fun Halloween stories complete with ghosts, oddball characters, mayhem, and murder.” —Kennebec Journal on Halloween Party Murder

“Kick back with something sweet and indulge in three bite-sized Yuletide tales too good to resist!” —Suspense Magazine on Yule Log Murder
 
“A hearty collection that should satisfy readers who crave a little something sweet with a pinch of sinister.” —Criminal Element on Yule Log Murder
 
“Eggnog Murder offers three, delightfully fun, murder-mystery novellas sure to spice up a cozy winter night’s reading.” —Maine Morning Sentinel on Eggnog Murder

“This collection of short cozy mysteries set in Maine and featuring delicious recipes serves as a great introduction to these authors’ series for new readers or a bite-sized delicacy to tide established fans over until the next book.” —Library Journal on Eggnog Murder

From the Publisher

2022-12-14
A trio of coffee-themed murders celebrates the wearing of the green.

Meier’s novella celebrates one of Ireland’s less-talked-about cultural treasures: step dancing. As reporter Lucy Stone interviews a teacher and four of her most talented students, readers are treated to a wealth of detail about the customs and costumes of Irish dance. It isn’t until someone swigs a fatal cup of whiskey-spiked brew that the focus shifts from choreography to coffee. Hollis, on the other hand, starts with coffee, as Randy, owner of Drinks Like A Fish, works on a java-based concoction he hopes will be his March special all the way to St. Patrick’s Day. It isn’t till Randy’s sister Hayley’s best friend, Liddy Crawford, snags Irish comic Jefferson O’Keefe for a March 17 gig at the Criterion that someone turns out to have a motive for murder. Like Hollis, Ross starts out with the good stuff. Best friends Julia Snowden and Zoey Butterfield plan to make a night of it with a fifth of Jameson and two quarts of whipping cream to supplement their favorite brew. When they find Julia’s mom and Capt. George McQuaig enjoying a cozy evening of their own in the house Julia lives in with her mom, Julia and Zoey are willing to share, and Capt. George pitches in with a ghost story. Soon the lights go out and neighbors start to arrive, each group seeking company during what looks like an extended power outage. They bring treats and opinions about who really killed Hugh O’Hara, the hero of Capt. George’s story. As the captain’s tale gets longer and shaggier, the Irish coffee flows and a good time is had by all, except maybe Hugh, who was murdered back in 1867.

Three good-natured tales are sure to make readers as mellow as their namesake drink.

Kirkus Reviews