Light pink, robin’s egg blue, daffodil yellow, mint green—Easter eggs hiding sweet treats come in every pastel color. But in a few small towns this year, cracking them could be more fatal than fun…
EASTER EGG MURDER by LESLIE MEIER
In Provence to visit her daughter, part-time reporter Lucy Stone is soaking up the atmosphere, even if it includes one Carole Capobianco, the empty-nester she encountered on the flight over. Not exactly two peas in a pod, they’re both amused by the tale of a neighbor’s chickens refusing to lay eggs. The decoy eggs he’s set out to encourage the egg-centric hens are not only gorgeously Faberge-style, they’re being stolen! That’s confusing enough, but what’s happened to the cook is deadly serious.
DEATH BY ANOTHER EASTER EGG by LEE HOLLIS
When an ambitious young reporter dies mid-meal at Hayley Powell’s Bar Harbor restaurant, Hayley is horrified. Determined to save her eatery’s reputation, Hayley scrambles to crack the case wide open like an egg, discovering that the victim was about to break a juicy story—one that a number of people (er, suspects) did not order off the menu. Which makes finding the killer more than devilishly hard . . .
AN EGGY WAY TO DIE by PEGGY EHRHART
Cleaning up after the Easter egg hunt in the Arborville park, friends Pamela and Bettina are startled to find something else hidden—the dead body of a local cookbook author, surrounded by broken shells and slippery yolks. The pair are far from hard-boiled detectives, but as they search for clues, they find that the whole case smells distinctly like rotten eggs . . .
Leslie Meier lives in Braintree and Harwich (Cape Cod), Massachusetts. She is the creator of 'Lucy Stone', a reporter and amateur sleuth in the fictional seaside village of Tinker's Cove, Maine.
Three cozy mysteries focused on Easter. I read 2 of the 3, and I only skipped the last one because I haven't started that series yet, so I didn't want to read ahead. I'm a fan of Lee Hollis and Leslie Meier, so I devoured those stories. Can't believe how much Lucy's kids have grown, and the trip to France was perfect, not to mention the crossover with the new Capobianco family from the author's latest debut in a new series. Add in the chocolate maker with a darker past, and the Lee Hollis series continues to shine.
I was able to read an advanced copy of this thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Kensington Publishing, Kensington Cozies, but the opinions expressed are my own. These stories work well together, and I thoroughly enjoyed all three slightly shorter visits to much loved characters.
Leslie Meier takes Lucy and her husband off to Paris for a visit with their daughter, which enables Lucy to meet the author's newest main protagonist, Carol Capobianco, and her stress inducing family! They are just brilliant together. Both women become caught up in a murder investigation where their different styles of information gathering in a different language make for an enjoyable read, and I hope they will work together again in the future.
Lee Hollis plunges her main protagonist, Hayley Powell, into a murder mystery, which starts with a fatality in her restaurant before moving through Bar Harbor, risking residents' lives, reputations, and businesses with impunity. There are also recipes for cocktails and Easter treats.
Finally Peggy Ehrhart has Pamela and Bettina discovering the body of an egg influencer (who knew, but this is an Easter book!) The mystery was entertaining and as fun as always but, for me, the mystery was secondary to the everyday lives of the main protagonists as there is plenty happening which will influence all new books in this excellent series. A knitting pattern and recipe are both included at the conclusion of this story.
All three stories are worthy of 5 stars, and this is a brilliant addition to Kensington Publishing's multi author series of books. Highly recommended.
Easter Egg Murder by Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis, and Peggy Ehrhart is a great trio of holiday themed cozy mystery novellas that I really enjoyed.
This book contains three Easter-themed novellas:
EASTER EGG MURDER by LESLIE MEIER
is part of the long-standing Lucy Stonr Mystery series. I have read every book and novella in this series over the decades and I still love it. (31 books and 11 other novellas) This time Lucy and Bill are in France visiting Elizabeth and are unfortunately wrapped up into a murder mystery. This one is joined with the new family and cast of characters that Ms Meier introduces us to in her new series: A Carol and Poopsie Mystery. So Lucy and Carol join forces to get the murder of the Mathilde, new housekeeper to Carol’s mother, Poppy, solved so everyone can make it back home. I liked the alternating chapters with the voices of Lucy and Carol…however no one can top my Lucy Stone.
Looking forward to more Lucy Stone books.
5/5
DEATH BY ANOTHER EASTER EGG by LEE HOLLIS is the 18th book and 8th novella in my other favorite cozy mystery series: A Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails Mystery series. This time Hayley is searching for the killer of a fellow reporter that just happened to die while eating at her restaurant. She knows it wasn’t her food that poisoned the young woman…but now she just has to prove it.
5/5 stars
AN EGGY WAY TO DIE by PEGGY EHRHART is part of the Knit and Nibble mystery series. This one was new to me and since I have not read any other books in this series, I had a fairly challenging time following along. Still a solid read.
4/5 stars
Overall: 4.5/5 stars
Thank you NG and Kensington Books for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 2/24/26.
In short, all three short stories were too short for the mystery aspects to be flushed out well.
Leslie Meyer's story was nice that it bridged her new series with her long running series. That's about it. Bill was extra grumpy man stuck in an old way of thinking and Lucy doing her usual men are men reactions to him. Carole is a bit extra judgmental but doesn't get enough POV time either. The mystery was solved and a heightened catch scene was rushed through. The cause in this one was the public workers strike in Paris.
Lee Hollis had a potentially good story. It just was rushed. The culprit was obvious by how much focus Hayley had on them. There were plenty of other suspects that if there had been just the final (only related to the story because it was Easter themed) food article that Hayley rights, it could have flushed out the red herrings better. Honestly, I hate when a book inserts barely related articles/blogs the character writes because they disrupt the flow of the main story. They're also just filler trying to make you forget you're not getting a book the length other authors give you. Finally, because it was rushed, it really felt like Hayley got into too-stupid-to-live territory a few times. I am for sure done with this series.
Peggy Ehrhart's story I didn't even finish. I got one-third into it and it was so overly descriptive, especially of food, that I knew that I couldn't do a short story of this series. This series is typically overly descriptive of everything. Especially food and tableware, it's drinking game levels of overly descriptive. However, in a full book it's barely below tolerable and this short story was starting off with the same amount as a regular length story, not a proportional amount. So, I noped out.
#EasterEggMurder #NetGalley is a fun, fast paced cozy mystery featuring three of my favorite authors. We begin with Lucy Stone, wife, mother, and reporter from Tinkers Cove, Maine. Lucy and her husband Bill are traveling to Paris to see their daughter Elizabeth. While traveling Lucy meets up with Carole, a colorful character who made this story so much fun. Next we meet up with Hayley Powell, and amazing chef and wife. When a customer dies while eating a meal in her restaurant, Hayley is horrified and will do anything to get the real answers. Last, but not least, we end with Pamela and Bettina, friends and neighbors who seem to always find themselves involved in a murder investigation. I enjoyed this story very much, and the ending had me smiling from ear to ear. I cannot wait to read more about this colorful, quirky duo.
I always enjoy this compilations by various authors, in this case three of my regular reads. The stories are novella style, with characters long-time readers will be familiar with. In this case, Meier uses "Easter Egg Murder" to introduce us to another set of series characters of hers that I was not familiar with, A Carole and Poopsie Mystery. I quickly fell into the story, however, helped along by the presence of long time favorite character Lucy Stone and thoroughly enjoying my introduction to Carole Capobianco. It was interesting to see the way the two quite different families meshed and I'll definitely be checking out the new series. As it is, we get a free trip to France this go round which, murder aside, was fun. Who knew falling into conversation with strangers on a flight would lead them to solve the murder of a cook, not to mention an old robbery?
"Death By Another Easter Egg" by Lee Hollis sees another favorite character scrambling to save her restaurant's reputation after a young reporter died while eating a meal Hayley Powell had prepared herself. Definitely not good for business. And, yikes, Hayley's husband is even a suspect. As she delves into the reporter's past things get dangerous. Nothing new for Hayley but definitely not the way one hopes to spend Easter.
Peggy Ehrhart's "An Eggy Way to Die" introduced me to the concept of an "egg influencer". Is there really such a thing? In any case, the victim is not only well known for her egg expertise but the body is found surrounded by broken eggs. As usual, it's great fun to watch Pamela get carried along by the power of Bettina's personality and quest for the truth. In the process, however, we get to have lots of great food, much courtesy of Bettina's husband, and learn a bit about fiber arts via Pamela's job of proofing and editing possible stories for a fiber arts magazine. I always find these stories, many based in historical research, fascinating. In the meantime, there's a murderer on the loose and they are determined not to let Pamela reveal their crime. Can Pamela and Bettina zero in on the culprit before they are dispose of like rotten eggs?
Bottom line, I enjoyed all three mysteries and was smiling as I finished "An Eggy Way to Die". What an epilogue. Thanks #KensingtonPublishing for this early peek at these twisty tales. It's way early but I am looking forward to checking out some decorated Easter Eggs when publication time draws nearer.
What a great trio of cozy mysteries! I always love getting to read another Lucy Stone mystery and one of my favorite things is getting to see what is happening with Lucy’s kids. After a recent book, I was very interested to see where daughter Elizabeth’s storyline would pick up next, and this book did not disappoint!! Lucy and Bill are on their way to Paris to meet with Elizabeth to celebrate some major new happenings in her life, and of course, Lucy is excited to be going to Europe once again. (Bill is always happy as long as he gets a beer and a Red Sox game somewhere along the way.) This had all my favorite things about a good Lucy Stone mystery, with grumbly Bill and Lucy delighted to be in France. The setting was a delight, with charming descriptions of the food, and the apartments and the different cities. Lucy runs into the characters from Meier’s newest series, Carole and Frank, while at the airport, and they wind up seeing France together. Of course, someone winds up dead along the way, and if Lucy ever wants to get those passports back, she’s going to have to figure out who the killer is…
I also really enjoyed the Hayley Powell addition to this collection. When someone dies while eating in Hayley’s restaurant, an investigation is opened, but it quickly becomes apparent there is more going on. I found this one to be lots of fun, liked all the different food in it, and found Hayley to be such a hoot. I was cackling at a scene near the end regarding a certain easter basket and a mad car ride, and that is all I will say, but this author writing team is comedic gold. I really enjoyed the final mystery by Peggy Erhart as well! This had a great mystery, wonderful food descriptions and adorable cats. What more can a cozy lover ask for? 5/5 stars.
I received a complimentary ARC copy of this book from Kensington and NetGalley for review purposes.
DEATH BY ANOTHER EASTER EGG BY LEE HOLLIS It's Easter in Bar Harbor! The local chocolate shop is swamped with customers but Hayley manages to finagle a chocolate bunny for Bruce. Meanwhile Emma, a customer at Hayley's restaurant, dies right at the table on a busy night when there were dozens of diners there to observe her final moments. Was Hayley's food the culprit? Or did one of the stories Emma was investigating lead her hopping down the wrong path?
I love Lee Hollis's books and Hayley's series is my favorite. Unfortunately we are about to see the end of Hayley. And Liddy and Mona. And Randy and Sergio. And don't forget Bruce and Leroy! This story was particularly poignant knowing that it may be the last.
I did not read Leslie Meier's story. I'm not sure how she still gets top billing on these compilations when her stories are so half-hearted, not really even mysteries anymore but worn out essays on the evils of everyone not being rich. I tried to read her short story in the last compilation and couldn't get through it so I didn't try this one.
I also didn't read the Peggy Ehrhart story because I haven't started the series yet and don't want spoilers. This series is definitely on my list though and I look forward to reading it.
Thank you to the authors, the publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.
This is a compilation of 3 cozy mystery short stories.
The first one, The Easter Egg Murder, is by Leslie Meier featuring her beloved character Lucy Stone of Tinker's Cove, Maine. In October of 2025, Ms Meier began a new series featuring Carole Capobianco and her dog Poopsie of Providence Rhode Island. Lucy and Carole and families meet each other in this 20 chapter novella. Everyone is in Paris France, and the interactions start at the Boston airport - and continue throughout their stay in France.
Death by Another Easter Egg by Lee Hollis is the second book. It features Hayley Powell of Hayley's Kitchen Restaurant in Bar Harbor, Michigan. What happened to Mrs. Bittersweet's husband Dewey? Food and drink recipes along with a note from Hayley Powell round out this cozy mystery.
An Eggy Way to Die by Peggy Erhart is a short story that includes a pattern to knit an Easter Bunny hand puppet, and a recipe for nibble.
This is a new series to me and I found the characters quite enjoyable.
Easter Egg Murder is such a fun little holiday escape! It’s got all the cozy small town vibes I love with a sprinkle of mystery too. Lucy Stone is trying to enjoy a simple visit with her daughter, only to get pulled into the strangest situation involving missing Fabergé style decoy eggs and a suspiciously dead cook. I loved how Lucy’s curiosity kept pushing her deeper into the mystery, even when she wasn’t exactly looking for trouble. Between the chickens, the glittering eggs, and the small town drama, this story felt festive and clever without ever being too heavy of a mystery. If you’re in the mood for something charming and seasonal, this Easter themed mystery totally delivers!
I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley. I read only the Leslie Meier novella. As a long-time fan of the Lucy Stone series, I was excited to return to Tinker’s Cove, but I did not enjoy the crossover with Meier’s newer character, Carole Capobianco. I found Carole to be brash, unlikable, and more annoying than engaging, which detracted from my overall enjoyment of the story. While the mystery itself was somewhat fun and had its moments, the plot stretched the realm of believability. Unfortunately, this installment did not live up to what I typically expect from a Lucy Stone mystery.
These three cozy murders by different authors were fun to read and try to guess who is doing the killing. All of the main characters find themselves involved in finding murderers and the strange happenings going on. They are all well written and leave you amazed at the endings. If you’re a cozy mystery fan these stories will be enjoyable.I received a copy of this book and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Easter Egg Murder is a fun, cozy mystery that delivers small-town charm with a touch of suspense. All three stories are set at Easter time. Follow along as each mystery is solved by likable characters at a satisfying pace! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy for an honest review.
Thanks to Kensington Books for sending me an ARC of EASTER EGG MURDER. I enjoyed this batch of holiday stories, especially Leslie Meier's "Easter Egg Murder" and Lee Hollis's "Death By Another Easter Egg" contributions. My full review is forthcoming.