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Lucy Stone #25.7 - Haunted House Murder
Haunted House Murder
Newcomers to Tinker's Cove, Ty and Heather Moon have moved into a dilapidated house reputed to be a haven for ghosts. Now strange noises and flickering lights erupt from the house at all hours and neighborly relations are on edge. And when a local boy goes missing near the house, it's up to Lucy Stone to unravel the mystery of the eccentric couple and their increasingly frightful behavior.
NOTE: This novella was originally released as the title story in an anthology. It has now been also released as a stand alone story.
NOTE: This novella was originally released as the title story in an anthology. It has now been also released as a stand alone story.
99 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 27, 2019
339 people are currently reading
4301 people want to read
About the author
Leslie Meier
70 books2,071 followersLeslie 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 304 reviews
October 4, 2023
A fun collection of three Halloween stories perfect to get you in a spooky mood! In “Haunted House Murder” Lucy Stone is trying to figure out what’s going on when a spooky house in town is bought by a strange reclusive couple. Also, her grandson comes to stay for a few months. 5 bats in the Halloween Spooktacular department and this one had “Death by Haunted House” had some delicious recipes, yum for that cheesy casserole! And all three stories featured wonderful Halloween tales of Down East Maine. A delightful short story collection perfect for getting in a fall mood!
November 5, 2021
The book is a collection of three novellas, written by three different authors. I've read one book each by two of them, and eventually, I will read their entire series. Today's review will be solely focused on Hallowed Out by Barbara Ross, an in-between book in her Maine Clambake series. I have read most of the other books she's written, and I needed to get fully caught up before the latest release, so I borrowed this from the library. Eventually I will get a copy and read the others when I hit that point in their series.
Julia's hijacked to help with putting on a tour of haunted houses. She agrees to it, only to protect her mother from having to participate. But when the fake scene turns real, and the lead actor is actually shot, she needs to figure out which audience member shot him. As we learn about his past, the autumn scenery draws readers in to the beauty of Maine. This is a great way to experience the author's style without committing more than an hour. Very fast-paced for a cozy too.
It was a fun one. It has just enough meat with a bit of fluff, and in the end, it's the kind of tale that leaves you happy. Definitely read them in order because different character relationships are covered. It's the end of clambake season, so you might get confused if you were just reading about a different time in the last book! LOL
Will add more to this review after I catch up with the other 2 series and can summarize my thoughts on these novellas too.
Julia's hijacked to help with putting on a tour of haunted houses. She agrees to it, only to protect her mother from having to participate. But when the fake scene turns real, and the lead actor is actually shot, she needs to figure out which audience member shot him. As we learn about his past, the autumn scenery draws readers in to the beauty of Maine. This is a great way to experience the author's style without committing more than an hour. Very fast-paced for a cozy too.
It was a fun one. It has just enough meat with a bit of fluff, and in the end, it's the kind of tale that leaves you happy. Definitely read them in order because different character relationships are covered. It's the end of clambake season, so you might get confused if you were just reading about a different time in the last book! LOL
Will add more to this review after I catch up with the other 2 series and can summarize my thoughts on these novellas too.
September 16, 2019
I love the Christmas theme cozy mystery novellas that come out every holiday season. This year, I spied this one -- Halloween theme! Oh yeah -- gotta read it! :) It was not a difficult decision. Pretty much instantaneous.
Haunted House Murder gathers 3 cozy short mysteries: Haunted House Murder featuring Lucy Stone; Death by Haunted House, featuring characters from the Food & Cocktails series; and, Hallowed Out, an addition to the Main Clambake Mystery series. While I have read some of the Lucy Stone books, the Food & Cocktail and Maine Clambake series were both new to me. After reading these novellas, I'm going to check out both of those series. I liked the characters, the plot/writing style, and the mysteries were entertaining. My favorite of the was Hallowed Out. At first I thought a seafood themed cozy might be a bit weird....but the characters are quirky and fun and I enjoyed the story. :)
All in all, a fun Halloween theme cozy story collection. A quick read that I thoroughly enjoyed! I will be checking out more from all 3 authors!
**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Kensington via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**
Haunted House Murder gathers 3 cozy short mysteries: Haunted House Murder featuring Lucy Stone; Death by Haunted House, featuring characters from the Food & Cocktails series; and, Hallowed Out, an addition to the Main Clambake Mystery series. While I have read some of the Lucy Stone books, the Food & Cocktail and Maine Clambake series were both new to me. After reading these novellas, I'm going to check out both of those series. I liked the characters, the plot/writing style, and the mysteries were entertaining. My favorite of the was Hallowed Out. At first I thought a seafood themed cozy might be a bit weird....but the characters are quirky and fun and I enjoyed the story. :)
All in all, a fun Halloween theme cozy story collection. A quick read that I thoroughly enjoyed! I will be checking out more from all 3 authors!
**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Kensington via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**
October 2, 2023
I swear I am not a cozy mystery fan. At least, I didn’t think I was until I started reading these books put out by Kensington Books. Each book has three novellas by popular cozy authors, all dealing with similar holiday-themed murders.
In “Haunted House Murder” by Leslie Meier, a new young couple has moved into the notoriously haunted house in the small town of Tinker’s Cove, Maine. (All these stories, by the way, are set in Maine.) Busy-body and nosy neighbor Lucy Stone wants to know who these people are, but they are extremely reclusive and seemingly unfriendly to everyone they have met in town. Lucy’s grandson comes to visit for an extended stay, and young Patrick may prove to be as annoyingly nosy as Lucy.
Lee Hollis’s “Death By Haunted House” also involves the arrival of a new family to the old house neighboring Hayley Powell’s. Their arrival eerily coincides with the discovery of a murdered body of a local woman in the woods behind the Powells. Between taking care of the kids, cooking, cleaning, and having to endure one of the stupidest and most worthless husbands ever in literature, Powell also decides to play detective.
Barbara Ross’s “Hallowed Out” features a young woman named Julia Snowden and her boyfriend who work at a local hangout. The pub becomes the site of a murder during a re-enactment of a Prohibition-era murder. For shits and giggles, Julia decides to play detective.
As silly as I find these stories, I’m kind of enjoying them. They are harmless and inoffensive and totally G-rated, which I normally find annoying. (I personally prefer an unhealthy dose of extremely graphic sex and violence myself.) I may not be the target demographic here (bored housewives and mothers over the age of 60, I’m guessing), but it’s nice to see how the other half live. And commit murder.
In “Haunted House Murder” by Leslie Meier, a new young couple has moved into the notoriously haunted house in the small town of Tinker’s Cove, Maine. (All these stories, by the way, are set in Maine.) Busy-body and nosy neighbor Lucy Stone wants to know who these people are, but they are extremely reclusive and seemingly unfriendly to everyone they have met in town. Lucy’s grandson comes to visit for an extended stay, and young Patrick may prove to be as annoyingly nosy as Lucy.
Lee Hollis’s “Death By Haunted House” also involves the arrival of a new family to the old house neighboring Hayley Powell’s. Their arrival eerily coincides with the discovery of a murdered body of a local woman in the woods behind the Powells. Between taking care of the kids, cooking, cleaning, and having to endure one of the stupidest and most worthless husbands ever in literature, Powell also decides to play detective.
Barbara Ross’s “Hallowed Out” features a young woman named Julia Snowden and her boyfriend who work at a local hangout. The pub becomes the site of a murder during a re-enactment of a Prohibition-era murder. For shits and giggles, Julia decides to play detective.
As silly as I find these stories, I’m kind of enjoying them. They are harmless and inoffensive and totally G-rated, which I normally find annoying. (I personally prefer an unhealthy dose of extremely graphic sex and violence myself.) I may not be the target demographic here (bored housewives and mothers over the age of 60, I’m guessing), but it’s nice to see how the other half live. And commit murder.
August 8, 2019
So begins the 𝓹𝓪𝓻𝓪𝓭𝓮 of 🅷🅰🅻🅻🅾🆆🅴🅴🅽 cozy mystery releases. 🎃👻 I seriously 🅛🅞🅥🅔 holiday themed cozy mysteries, so to say I was 𝕖𝕩𝕔𝕚𝕥𝕖𝕕 to dive into this one would be an υη∂εяsтαтεмεηт! 🙌
ℍ𝔸𝕌ℕ𝕋𝔼𝔻 ℍ𝕆𝕌𝕊𝔼 𝕄𝕌ℝ𝔻𝔼ℝ by 𝓛𝓮𝓼𝓵𝓲𝓮 𝓜𝓮𝓲𝓮𝓻 👻
🌟🌟 - I think I only read one other 🅜🅨🅢🅣🅔🅡🅨 by this author and I had the sᴀᴍᴇ ɪssᴜᴇ with that one as I did with this one. 👎 🅻🆄🅲🆈 😈 She is a seriously Ʉ₦Ⱡł₭₳฿ⱠɆ character. 😠 Nosey. Judgmental. B!tchy. In fact, this 𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖎𝖗𝖊 𝖙𝖔𝖜𝖓 is the reason I will never live in a small town again. 🔪 The other issue I had with this one is that it had NOTHING to do with a haunted house OR a murder!!! 👀 Considering the 🅣🅘🅣🅛🅔 🅞🅕 🅣🅗🅘🅢 🅢🅣🅞🅡🅨, it left me scratching my head...😳
𝔻𝔼𝔸𝕋ℍ 𝔹𝕐 ℍ𝔸𝕌ℕ𝕋𝔼𝔻 ℍ𝕆𝕌𝕊𝔼 by 𝓛𝓮𝓮 𝓗𝓸𝓵𝓵𝓲𝓼 👻
🌟🌟🌟 - I 🅔🅝🅙🅞🅨🅔🅓 this story more than the previous. 🙌 Although, again, we got a rather Ʉ₦Ⱡł₭₳฿ⱠɆ main female character. 😠 🅷🅰🆈🅻🅴🆈 was a complete harpy and b҉u҉z҉z҉k҉i҉l҉l҉ (IMO). 🔪 However, I LOVED 🅳🅰🅽🅽🆈. 😂 He didn't walk around with a 𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓬𝓴 𝓾𝓹 𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓪$$ like 🅷🅰🆈🅻🅴🆈. 🌂 The story itself was also єиנσуαвℓє. 👍 It reminded me a little of that 1̲9̲8̲0̲s̲ move ŤĤĔ βÚŔβŚ. 👀 Also, as a bonus we get ⓣⓗⓡⓔⓔ yummy sounding recipes. 🍴
ℍ𝔸𝕃𝕃𝕆𝕎𝔼𝔻 𝕆𝕌𝕋 by 𝓑𝓪𝓻𝓫𝓪𝓻𝓪 𝓡𝓸𝓼𝓼 🎃
🌟🌟🌟🌟 - This was my 🅵🅰🆅🅾🆁🅸🆃🅴 story out of the three. 🙌 A haunted ₲ⱧØ₴₮ tour setting. 👻 A good "𝖜𝖍𝖔 𝖉𝖔𝖓𝖊 𝖎𝖙" mystery. 😲 A 𝓵𝓲𝓴𝓪𝓫𝓵𝓮 cast of characters. 👤👤👤 Plus a bonus recipe for 🅟🅤🅜🅟🅚🅘🅝 🅑🅡🅔🅐🅓 (yum). 🎃 What more can you ask for? 👍👍
October 6, 2019
It was irritating that the men in the first two were such useless idiots. Why are these women with them?
August 29, 2019
This collection of three novellas focuses on Halloween. The book opens with the title story featuring Leslie Meier’s protagonist Lucy Stone. A couple has moved into the old abandoned house in town, but they are rebuffing efforts from Lucy and others to welcome them to town. Then strange things start happening and rumors start flying. What is happening? Up next is “Death by Haunted House” by Lee Hollis which takes up back to 2009 and shows us what life was like for Hayley Powell while she was married. When the house next door, which is rumored to be haunted, gets a new family, Hayley’s husband Danny is certain that they are up to something. The discovery of a dead body in the nearby woods just confirms his theory – at least to himself. Is he right? Finally comes “Hallowed Out” from Barbara Ross. The local Haunted House tour is gearing up for Halloween, trying to bring some more people to town in the fall. However, when a reenactment of a crime leaves an actor dead, Julia Snowden must figure out what happened.
As you might expect in a collection of stories by various authors, some are stronger than others. Personally, I found the opening story to be the weakest – I think it might have worked as a short story, but even as a novella is was too long. The middle story was better, with some fun scenes and a good twist to the mystery. I adore Barbara Ross’s Maine Clambake mysteries, so it was the reason I picked up the book. It also means I found the third story to be the best, with some good twists and a very fun sub-plot. While each story has plenty of fall atmosphere, these stories aren’t that spooky – they are by cozy mystery authors after all. Still, fans of these authors will enjoy picking up the book.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
As you might expect in a collection of stories by various authors, some are stronger than others. Personally, I found the opening story to be the weakest – I think it might have worked as a short story, but even as a novella is was too long. The middle story was better, with some fun scenes and a good twist to the mystery. I adore Barbara Ross’s Maine Clambake mysteries, so it was the reason I picked up the book. It also means I found the third story to be the best, with some good twists and a very fun sub-plot. While each story has plenty of fall atmosphere, these stories aren’t that spooky – they are by cozy mystery authors after all. Still, fans of these authors will enjoy picking up the book.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
October 6, 2019
2.5 stars. It's difficult to rate a book that is actually 3 novellas, when I have different opinions on each.
The first 2 stories had a lot of similarities. Both were about a family moving into a house that the local people regarded as haunted. And in both, the new people were extremely unfriendly. The main characters are not very likeable, either. Lucy, in Haunted House Murder, was pushy, especially when she tried to welcome the new people. She continued to pester them, even when it was clear that they didn't want her around. Lucy's family was horrible; her children were rude, and her husband selfish and unhelpful. This was the only story of the three that had the word "murder" in the title, and the only one that didn't have a murder.
Hayley, in story 2, was also pushy, but nothing compared to her husband, Danny. I had trouble accepting him as an adult; to me, he talked and acted like he should have been Hayley's teenaged brother, or even her son.
Hallowed Out, the 3rd story, was good, a regular mystery with a murder and lots of suspects. Julia, the main character, does get too involved in trying to solve things, but she is smart enough to notify the police when she learns something. I may look for more books in this series.
It's the last story that gave the extra half star to my rating.
The first 2 stories had a lot of similarities. Both were about a family moving into a house that the local people regarded as haunted. And in both, the new people were extremely unfriendly. The main characters are not very likeable, either. Lucy, in Haunted House Murder, was pushy, especially when she tried to welcome the new people. She continued to pester them, even when it was clear that they didn't want her around. Lucy's family was horrible; her children were rude, and her husband selfish and unhelpful. This was the only story of the three that had the word "murder" in the title, and the only one that didn't have a murder.
Hayley, in story 2, was also pushy, but nothing compared to her husband, Danny. I had trouble accepting him as an adult; to me, he talked and acted like he should have been Hayley's teenaged brother, or even her son.
Hallowed Out, the 3rd story, was good, a regular mystery with a murder and lots of suspects. Julia, the main character, does get too involved in trying to solve things, but she is smart enough to notify the police when she learns something. I may look for more books in this series.
It's the last story that gave the extra half star to my rating.
July 19, 2019
I so enjoyed this book! I like cozy mysteries. I like holiday and seasonally-themed books. I like novellas. Haunted House Murder is all three wrapped into one wonderful anthology! The pacing is spot-on and the writing by all three authors is superb.
Haunted House Murder starts out strong with a delightful Lucy Stone mystery by remarkable author Leslie Meier. Someone has moved into the old dilapidated Victorian by the elementary school. The new homeowners' behaviors are mysterious and downright frightening at times. Leave it to Lucy to unravel the haunting mystery.
Death by Haunted House by talented author Lee Hollis carries on the Halloween theme. An old house has sat abandoned for years after the previous owner met a mysterious death. A new family has moved in and the real estate agent that helped broker the deal has vanished inexplicably. Hayley Powell takes it upon herself to solve the mysteries surrounding this seemingly malevolent home.
Hallowed Out is an enjoyable Halloween novella by entertaining author Barbara Ross. There has been rumblings for years that Busman's Harbor is haunted. What better way to capitalize on these rumors than a haunted house tour and ghastly re-eneactments in October? It's all fun and games until somebody gets hurt....or murdered, I should say. The twists and turns kept me turning the pages.
Haunted House Murder starts out strong with a delightful Lucy Stone mystery by remarkable author Leslie Meier. Someone has moved into the old dilapidated Victorian by the elementary school. The new homeowners' behaviors are mysterious and downright frightening at times. Leave it to Lucy to unravel the haunting mystery.
Death by Haunted House by talented author Lee Hollis carries on the Halloween theme. An old house has sat abandoned for years after the previous owner met a mysterious death. A new family has moved in and the real estate agent that helped broker the deal has vanished inexplicably. Hayley Powell takes it upon herself to solve the mysteries surrounding this seemingly malevolent home.
Hallowed Out is an enjoyable Halloween novella by entertaining author Barbara Ross. There has been rumblings for years that Busman's Harbor is haunted. What better way to capitalize on these rumors than a haunted house tour and ghastly re-eneactments in October? It's all fun and games until somebody gets hurt....or murdered, I should say. The twists and turns kept me turning the pages.
October 10, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ -Audiobook
Three short cozy murder mysteries with a Halloween theme.
Three short cozy murder mysteries with a Halloween theme.
August 13, 2022
Halloween is coming, but everyone in Tinker’s Cove is talking about the old, abandoned house in town. While it looks run down from the outside, someone has bought it and moved in during the middle of the night. However, they aren’t very friendly, rebuffing Lucy’s and other’s attempts to welcome them to town. Then the rumors start flying and strange events start happening. What is really going on in this house?
I know that the Lucy Stone series is extremely popular, but I struggle to get through the stories I have read. Part of it is Lucy’s family. I haven’t spent enough time with them to look past their faults and love them, I guess. And, let’s face it, that is often what we have to do with people in real life. In this case, I found the story to be better suited to a short story than even a novella. It’s not bad, but it felt drawn out and a little forced.
NOTE: This story is a novella, roughly 100 pages, and was originally part of the novella collection Haunted House Murder. If you have that book, there is no need to buy this ebook. If you haven’t read the story, now is the time consider this Halloween trip to Maine.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
I know that the Lucy Stone series is extremely popular, but I struggle to get through the stories I have read. Part of it is Lucy’s family. I haven’t spent enough time with them to look past their faults and love them, I guess. And, let’s face it, that is often what we have to do with people in real life. In this case, I found the story to be better suited to a short story than even a novella. It’s not bad, but it felt drawn out and a little forced.
NOTE: This story is a novella, roughly 100 pages, and was originally part of the novella collection Haunted House Murder. If you have that book, there is no need to buy this ebook. If you haven’t read the story, now is the time consider this Halloween trip to Maine.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
December 31, 2020
All these take place in Maine and usually would be a homerun with me. Unfortunately, the first two stories didn't appeal to me that much because I didn't like the behavior of the husbands and sometimes the female MC. I did enjoy Barbara Ross' contribution. The characters acted as they did in the other books in the series and it was suitably complicated. I didn't feel like I got cheated on the mystery just because it was a little shorter than a normal story.
October 26, 2019
This was a fun Halloween book to read. I enjoyed all 3 stories and one of these days I will start the Hayley Powell series.
August 27, 2019
In the first tale we are taken to Tinker's Cove where a new family has moved into what everyone looks at as a Haunted House. Lucy tries to meet the newcomers but soon learns that not only are they standoffish but also a tad weird. She soon becomes concerned that the husband is an abuser and tries her best to let his wife know that she is not alone. Things get crazier when strange noises can be heard coming from the house at all hours. Follow along as Lucy investigates and learns that looks can be deceiving.
In the second tale Hayley is excited to see that the abandoned house next door has a new family moving in. The house has many stories that have been told about it and the main one is that it is haunted. When the realtor that sold the house disappears, the strangeness of the family leads Hayley to believe that her new neighbors had something to do with her disappearance. Follow along as she soon realizes all isn't what it seems and the most unlikely of people can be killers too.
In the third tale Busman's Harbor is gearing up for some Halloween festivities. Julia has agreed to be a part of a ghostly reenactment but things turn sour when one of her fellow actors is really shot. Julia can't just stand by and do nothing so she dives right into investigating. She soon finds herself in deeper than she expected, will she identify the killer before something bad happens to her? Follow along and find out!! These were three wonderful tales in one book and they were all worth the read!!!
I received an ARC of this book, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
In the second tale Hayley is excited to see that the abandoned house next door has a new family moving in. The house has many stories that have been told about it and the main one is that it is haunted. When the realtor that sold the house disappears, the strangeness of the family leads Hayley to believe that her new neighbors had something to do with her disappearance. Follow along as she soon realizes all isn't what it seems and the most unlikely of people can be killers too.
In the third tale Busman's Harbor is gearing up for some Halloween festivities. Julia has agreed to be a part of a ghostly reenactment but things turn sour when one of her fellow actors is really shot. Julia can't just stand by and do nothing so she dives right into investigating. She soon finds herself in deeper than she expected, will she identify the killer before something bad happens to her? Follow along and find out!! These were three wonderful tales in one book and they were all worth the read!!!
I received an ARC of this book, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
September 9, 2021
La première nouvelle était assez catastrophiquement mauvaise: il ne se passe pas grand chose pendant les 80 premières pages (sur 100), on fait juste suivre une femme faire son épicerie et son magasinage, et ça aurait pu être cool, voir comment elle articule travail et famille, mais c'était tellement pas la place dans une nouvelle de 100 pages. Après, la fin est juste... tellement poche. Un pétard mouillé. Déjà qu'on était supposé.e.s avoir un meurtre et une maison hantée, et qu'on a rien eu de tout ça...
La deuxième nouvelle était un peu meilleure, mais encore là, c'était pas le gros char. Je lui donne 2 étoiles et demi. On passe vraiment trop de temps avec les petites chicanes de familles de la protagoniste, qui nous est présenté comme une sceptique qui ne veut pas se mêler de la vie de ses voisins et du délire de son mari, pour finalement juste... shifter et devenir full intrusive dans le mystère? Ça passe pas super bien, mais au moins il y a un meurtre et la solution est cool (bien qu'un peu far-fetched). Les entrées "journalistiques" personnelles de cuisine de Hattie, suivies de recettes d'automne, ça je m'en serais passée en maudit par contre. J'm'en foutais ben de ses anecdotes inintéressantes de jeunesse et de sa recette de croustade.
La troisième nouvelle était de loin la meilleure (elle sauve le recueil d'un échec total): c'était la plus classique, la plus modeste, et ce faisant la plus l'fun. Je lui donne 3 étoiles et un quart (lol). Je suis pas sûre que la solution soit celle qui fasse le plus de sens, mais dans tous les cas, c'était assez ludique et agréable à lire pour que j'aie envie de lire d'autres des livres de Barbara Ross.
La deuxième nouvelle était un peu meilleure, mais encore là, c'était pas le gros char. Je lui donne 2 étoiles et demi. On passe vraiment trop de temps avec les petites chicanes de familles de la protagoniste, qui nous est présenté comme une sceptique qui ne veut pas se mêler de la vie de ses voisins et du délire de son mari, pour finalement juste... shifter et devenir full intrusive dans le mystère? Ça passe pas super bien, mais au moins il y a un meurtre et la solution est cool (bien qu'un peu far-fetched). Les entrées "journalistiques" personnelles de cuisine de Hattie, suivies de recettes d'automne, ça je m'en serais passée en maudit par contre. J'm'en foutais ben de ses anecdotes inintéressantes de jeunesse et de sa recette de croustade.
La troisième nouvelle était de loin la meilleure (elle sauve le recueil d'un échec total): c'était la plus classique, la plus modeste, et ce faisant la plus l'fun. Je lui donne 3 étoiles et un quart (lol). Je suis pas sûre que la solution soit celle qui fasse le plus de sens, mais dans tous les cas, c'était assez ludique et agréable à lire pour que j'aie envie de lire d'autres des livres de Barbara Ross.
December 6, 2019
Another enjoyable story about Lucy Stone. Her 8 year old grandson has come to stay with her for a few months. So she is really busy trying to keep up with his schedule. The spooky house next door is bought by a couple who are totally unfriendly. Lucy is afraid the husband is abusing the wife because of her poor health. When her grandson disappears and Lucy is told he went into the spooky house and the police are called.
October 6, 2020
1 star for Leslie Meier's crap story
3 stars for Lee Hollis' story
2 stars for Barbara Ross' story
2 stars overall
3 stars for Lee Hollis' story
2 stars for Barbara Ross' story
2 stars overall
July 22, 2019
This is a fun collection of Halloween mini-mysteries that are part of 3 series I read. They are easily written to be read as stand-alone stories for anyone not familiar with the series, and make excellent companion novellas for fans of these authors. Each story has the perfect feel to get you in the Halloween spirit. Haunted House Murder and Death by Haunted House both involve mysterious and eccentric newcomers to town. Hallowed Out is centered around a haunted house tour offered for Halloween week.
I found many of the characters in Haunted House Murder to be a bit judgemental and rude, but the story is an easy read with an intriguing mystery.
Death by Haunted House takes place before the rest of the series begins, so it's interesting to go back to how life was for Hayley before I got to know her in Death of a Kitchen Diva. It's a great, multi-dimensional story with a mystery that really surprised me at the end.
Hallowed Out takes place in Busman's Harbor and involves the restaurant where protagonist Julia and her boyfriend Chris serve dinner during the off-season. This is a well-written story with a head-scratching mystery that kept me turning the pages.
All in all, I highly recommend this book, especially if you enjoy reading holiday themed cozies. I received an advance copy of this book. This review contains my honest thoughts and opinions.
I found many of the characters in Haunted House Murder to be a bit judgemental and rude, but the story is an easy read with an intriguing mystery.
Death by Haunted House takes place before the rest of the series begins, so it's interesting to go back to how life was for Hayley before I got to know her in Death of a Kitchen Diva. It's a great, multi-dimensional story with a mystery that really surprised me at the end.
Hallowed Out takes place in Busman's Harbor and involves the restaurant where protagonist Julia and her boyfriend Chris serve dinner during the off-season. This is a well-written story with a head-scratching mystery that kept me turning the pages.
All in all, I highly recommend this book, especially if you enjoy reading holiday themed cozies. I received an advance copy of this book. This review contains my honest thoughts and opinions.
July 16, 2020
REVIEW AND RATING FOR DEATH BY HAUNTED HOUSE BY LEE HOLLIS ONLY
I love a good Halloween story. It was weird reading a book with Hayley and Danny still together. I'm glad it was a short one because I'm not sure if I could handle a whole novel of their awkward marriage!
I love a good Halloween story. It was weird reading a book with Hayley and Danny still together. I'm glad it was a short one because I'm not sure if I could handle a whole novel of their awkward marriage!
August 22, 2019
This book is a collection of three Halloween-themed cozy mystery novellas, all set in Maine.
Haunted House Murder by Leslie Meier continues the story of Lucy Stone and her family in Tinker's Cove. A new couple has moved into a home in need of repairs and their behavior raises suspicion from Lucy and the townspeople. When one of her family may be in danger, Lucy flies into overdrive into finding out what's really going on behind their closed doors. Her attitude and behaviors have tried my patience over the years, though some of the storylines have been very good. It was a pleasant, though somewhat predictable read. 3.5 stars.
Death by Haunted House by Lee Hollis--This is a new series for me. I was a bit surprised that the plot was very similar to the prior story. I really didn't connect with the characters and the pace dragged. 3 stars.
Hallowed Out by Barbara Ross-- I love the Clambake series and was happy to return to Busman's Harbor. Julia and her boyfriend Chris agree to participate in a Ghost Tour where a play re-enacts the Prohibition-era town ghost story. But things go awry when a real murder occurs in their restaurant and Julia is determined to solve the crime. This novella was the gem of the book. Well-written with a great plot twist. 5 stars.
Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington for a digital ARC of this book. My review is voluntary.
Haunted House Murder by Leslie Meier continues the story of Lucy Stone and her family in Tinker's Cove. A new couple has moved into a home in need of repairs and their behavior raises suspicion from Lucy and the townspeople. When one of her family may be in danger, Lucy flies into overdrive into finding out what's really going on behind their closed doors. Her attitude and behaviors have tried my patience over the years, though some of the storylines have been very good. It was a pleasant, though somewhat predictable read. 3.5 stars.
Death by Haunted House by Lee Hollis--This is a new series for me. I was a bit surprised that the plot was very similar to the prior story. I really didn't connect with the characters and the pace dragged. 3 stars.
Hallowed Out by Barbara Ross-- I love the Clambake series and was happy to return to Busman's Harbor. Julia and her boyfriend Chris agree to participate in a Ghost Tour where a play re-enacts the Prohibition-era town ghost story. But things go awry when a real murder occurs in their restaurant and Julia is determined to solve the crime. This novella was the gem of the book. Well-written with a great plot twist. 5 stars.
Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington for a digital ARC of this book. My review is voluntary.
November 8, 2020
This was a fun anthology made up of three novellas from series that I enjoy. You can read this book as a standalone without reading the series and still enjoy them. All three of these stories deal with some kind of a Haunted House or Haunted Building. All of the mysteries are interesting and solved quickly without a lot of danger as we often have in full-length stories. I enjoy all three of these series, with their quirky characters, well-plotted stories and just enough twists to keep me guessing. I enjoyed Barbara Ross' story, Hallowed Out the best. In that story there is a Haunted Ghost Tour that has a stop at the restaurant run by Julia Snowden and her boyfriend Chris. When one of the actors in the reenactment is killed, Julia snoops around until she unearths the culprit. All in all, a fun Halloween theme cozy story collection. A quick read that I thoroughly enjoyed!
August 17, 2019
Spookily satisfying! Loved this exceptional trio of scary good stories. Sure to have readers on the edge of their seats and screaming with excitement. 5/5 stars
September 5, 2019
I always read the anthologies by these three authors. I also read their novels. I love all three series !
The Hollis novella was set in the past when Haley was still married. I never cared for her ex, and I could see, in this novella, why she eventually divorced him. The murder mystery was clever, and I didn't guess the ending. The Meier story made me tired. Lucy always has so much to do for her family and job and rarely gets help. I suppose it's realistic, but I always feel it's unfair to her. This story was my least favorite of the three. I always enjoy a trip to Busman's Harbor, no matter the season. Julia's involvement with a ghost tour is believable, and I laughed at the dress rehearsal. I didn't guess the murderer until right before Julia did, so I consider that a good plot. I'm eagerly awaiting new novels by each of these good authors.
The Hollis novella was set in the past when Haley was still married. I never cared for her ex, and I could see, in this novella, why she eventually divorced him. The murder mystery was clever, and I didn't guess the ending. The Meier story made me tired. Lucy always has so much to do for her family and job and rarely gets help. I suppose it's realistic, but I always feel it's unfair to her. This story was my least favorite of the three. I always enjoy a trip to Busman's Harbor, no matter the season. Julia's involvement with a ghost tour is believable, and I laughed at the dress rehearsal. I didn't guess the murderer until right before Julia did, so I consider that a good plot. I'm eagerly awaiting new novels by each of these good authors.
October 28, 2019
I came across this and figured it would be a good thing to listen to near Halloween. It generally is, totally has the Halloween vibe in the stories, which is the big thing I was looking for. And they were good - but I guess personally, I'm just not the cozy mystery type. I like stories with mysteries in them just fine, and I'm not the type that necessarily likes a whole lot of gore or graphic crimes or details, but I guess I just kept saying to myself that cops wouldn't let a civilian do this or that, and wanted to slap some sense into other characters. It's clear that I was way too logical in thinking when listening to this and couldn't let it go, but hey, perhaps I'm not the target audience for these. ;)
October 20, 2021
In the first two stories I was so distracted by what horrible men the female sleuths were married to I couldn’t focus on much else. One is a jerk who can’t help and the second is basically another child.
The first is a mystery with no death/Murder, which is uncommon. The story was overly predictable and I’m terrible at predicting what happens. The second was a bit more interesting if you sidestep the terrible assumptions made and the use of all the horror movie names in one family.
Barbara Ross’s story I found to be the most enjoyable.
The first is a mystery with no death/Murder, which is uncommon. The story was overly predictable and I’m terrible at predicting what happens. The second was a bit more interesting if you sidestep the terrible assumptions made and the use of all the horror movie names in one family.
Barbara Ross’s story I found to be the most enjoyable.
October 31, 2019
Loved the 3 haunted house stories based in Maine by 3 of my favorite cozy writers.
September 23, 2019
I was excited to find this fall seasonal group of mystery stories all set in Maine. All are new to me authors so I'm eager to give these a try. Each novella-length story was from an existing series, but they were all easily read as standalones or out of order by a newcomer like me.
A Haunted House Murder by Leslie Meier #25.7 Lucy Stone
Lucy Stone learns of the sale of an old decrepit Victorian mansion just before Halloween and it coincides with the arrival of her grandson to stay for a bit while his mom recovers from a surgery and his dad gets a research job. Lucy works for the local paper and an article on domestic abuse has her side-eying the weird couple who moved into the creepy house. In truth, the whole town is whispering as little incidents and reclusive or rude behavior from the couple start to add up.
So, this one... was moderately engaging. I felt like I was waiting for something to happen. it didn't help that I didn't like most of the surrounding characters in Lucy's family who ditched her and let her do everything around the house and with the visiting grandson when she had a job and all the errands and housekeeping. I don't think it helped that there wasn't a murder so ignore the title. I had already guessed what was going on with the Moons and their creepy house so maybe that was part of it, too. I might try a full length book in the series to see if those are more engaging.
Death by Haunted House by Lee Hollis, a Hailey Powell mystery
From what I could tell, this one took place in Hailey's past before the time of the first book in the mystery series since she is married with young children and in the series she is divorced.
The story itself was humorous and reminded me so much of that old 80's movie, The Burbs, because new creepy neighbors move into the supposed haunted house next door and then a murder happens. Hailey's husband is convinced the neighbors are in it up to their necks and gets her suspicions up.
I liked it and enjoyed the humor mixed with the mystery though the authors did a foreshadowing of the troubles that probably led to the divorce. Hailey was working at the paper and doing almost everything else in the family including handling a husband who acted like a big kid much of the time. There were recipes tucked in with explanations which I liked, but wish they would have been placed at the end of chapters instead of the middle. The authors did manage a good chilling atmosphere when it came to the woods and that house next door. I'll have to start this series from the get-go
Hallowed Out by Barbara Ross #7.5 A Maine Clambake Mystery
Julia is approached to host a stop on the ghost tour and for her and her friends at their restaurant to reenact a scene from the bootleg ghost's death moment when gangsters shot him up. The actor portraying the ghost is shot for real and Julia has a murder to solve.
I was most impressed with this story based on setting, characters, background, and story development. This is a series I most wish to read more. It definitely felt like a little slice of coastal Maine and Halloween with the ghost tour. I had no idea who did the killing and enjoyed falling along as Julia and the police solved it.
All in all, it was a mixed bag, but one I enjoyed delving into because it was fun to encounter new to me authors and series which have given me more backlist books to look up. They definitely gave off a good Halloween vibe and that was what I was after. Cozy mystery fans are definitely the target audience.
I received this book via Net Galley to read in exchange for an honest review.
A Haunted House Murder by Leslie Meier #25.7 Lucy Stone
Lucy Stone learns of the sale of an old decrepit Victorian mansion just before Halloween and it coincides with the arrival of her grandson to stay for a bit while his mom recovers from a surgery and his dad gets a research job. Lucy works for the local paper and an article on domestic abuse has her side-eying the weird couple who moved into the creepy house. In truth, the whole town is whispering as little incidents and reclusive or rude behavior from the couple start to add up.
So, this one... was moderately engaging. I felt like I was waiting for something to happen. it didn't help that I didn't like most of the surrounding characters in Lucy's family who ditched her and let her do everything around the house and with the visiting grandson when she had a job and all the errands and housekeeping. I don't think it helped that there wasn't a murder so ignore the title. I had already guessed what was going on with the Moons and their creepy house so maybe that was part of it, too. I might try a full length book in the series to see if those are more engaging.
Death by Haunted House by Lee Hollis, a Hailey Powell mystery
From what I could tell, this one took place in Hailey's past before the time of the first book in the mystery series since she is married with young children and in the series she is divorced.
The story itself was humorous and reminded me so much of that old 80's movie, The Burbs, because new creepy neighbors move into the supposed haunted house next door and then a murder happens. Hailey's husband is convinced the neighbors are in it up to their necks and gets her suspicions up.
I liked it and enjoyed the humor mixed with the mystery though the authors did a foreshadowing of the troubles that probably led to the divorce. Hailey was working at the paper and doing almost everything else in the family including handling a husband who acted like a big kid much of the time. There were recipes tucked in with explanations which I liked, but wish they would have been placed at the end of chapters instead of the middle. The authors did manage a good chilling atmosphere when it came to the woods and that house next door. I'll have to start this series from the get-go
Hallowed Out by Barbara Ross #7.5 A Maine Clambake Mystery
Julia is approached to host a stop on the ghost tour and for her and her friends at their restaurant to reenact a scene from the bootleg ghost's death moment when gangsters shot him up. The actor portraying the ghost is shot for real and Julia has a murder to solve.
I was most impressed with this story based on setting, characters, background, and story development. This is a series I most wish to read more. It definitely felt like a little slice of coastal Maine and Halloween with the ghost tour. I had no idea who did the killing and enjoyed falling along as Julia and the police solved it.
All in all, it was a mixed bag, but one I enjoyed delving into because it was fun to encounter new to me authors and series which have given me more backlist books to look up. They definitely gave off a good Halloween vibe and that was what I was after. Cozy mystery fans are definitely the target audience.
I received this book via Net Galley to read in exchange for an honest review.
July 17, 2019
This book is actually a collection of three Halloween-themed novellas. All three are set in small towns in Maine and the characters are preparing for Halloween in a variety of ways. Overall, I would rate the book 4 stars, which is an average of my rating of each individual story. Each story was entertaining and it's a great collection to get in the mood for Halloween.
The first story is "Haunted House Murder" by Leslie Meier which I would rate 4 stars. I have read a few full-length novels featuring Lucy Stone who is a part-time reporter for Tinker Cove's weekly newspaper, the "Pennysaver". I always have mixed emotions about Lucy. I like that she's not perfect, but she sometimes go overboard with her attitude. I understand she is overwhelmed with her work responsibilities and the unexpected responsibility of caring for her grandson. However, I was surprised when she found it "boring" and "ridiculous" that her eight-year-old wasn't catching onto fractions quickly enough. In spite of that, the story of her neighbors Ty and Heather Moon moving into a run-down house that was rumored to be haunted was entertaining. Although Lucy already has her hands full, she takes it upon herself to get to the bottom of that mystery. I guessed part of how things were going to turn out, but I still enjoyed the ending.
The second story in this book is "Death by Haunted House" by Lee Hollis. I would give this story 3.5 stars. Similar to the first story, a family has moved into a house that has remained vacant and is thought to be haunted. Hayley Powell's new neighbors are strange and unfriendly, but she soon begins to worry they may be dangerous. I like Hayley and her children, but her husband acts like a child himself and often makes difficult situations even worse. This story is set in the year 2009. I was unfamiliar with this series so out of curiosity, I looked up some of the full-length novels featuring Hayley and in the first one, it says she is a divorced, single mom so it looks like Hayley may have also got tired of Danny's immaturity! The murder mystery itself drags on a little too long, even in a shorter story, but the solution was unexpected and interesting.
The third story, "Hallowed Out" by Barbara Ross is my favorite of the three and I give it 4.5 stars. Busman's Harbor has a reputation for being haunted which provides local resident, Harley Prendergast, the perfect opportunity to promote a Halloween Haunted House tour. Julia Snowden, her boyfriend, and other family members get talked into helping Harley act out scenes from some of the town's famous ghost stories. This seems like a fairly harmless way to celebrate Halloween until something goes horribly wrong and the town is dealing with an all-too-real death that looks like murder. This story starts out a little slow, but picks up once Julia begins investigating the murder. I never could have guessed the motive behind the murder and the identity of the killer, and I enjoyed seeing Julia get to the solution in this fun cozy.
I received this book from NetGalley through the courtesy of Kensington Books. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
The first story is "Haunted House Murder" by Leslie Meier which I would rate 4 stars. I have read a few full-length novels featuring Lucy Stone who is a part-time reporter for Tinker Cove's weekly newspaper, the "Pennysaver". I always have mixed emotions about Lucy. I like that she's not perfect, but she sometimes go overboard with her attitude. I understand she is overwhelmed with her work responsibilities and the unexpected responsibility of caring for her grandson. However, I was surprised when she found it "boring" and "ridiculous" that her eight-year-old wasn't catching onto fractions quickly enough. In spite of that, the story of her neighbors Ty and Heather Moon moving into a run-down house that was rumored to be haunted was entertaining. Although Lucy already has her hands full, she takes it upon herself to get to the bottom of that mystery. I guessed part of how things were going to turn out, but I still enjoyed the ending.
The second story in this book is "Death by Haunted House" by Lee Hollis. I would give this story 3.5 stars. Similar to the first story, a family has moved into a house that has remained vacant and is thought to be haunted. Hayley Powell's new neighbors are strange and unfriendly, but she soon begins to worry they may be dangerous. I like Hayley and her children, but her husband acts like a child himself and often makes difficult situations even worse. This story is set in the year 2009. I was unfamiliar with this series so out of curiosity, I looked up some of the full-length novels featuring Hayley and in the first one, it says she is a divorced, single mom so it looks like Hayley may have also got tired of Danny's immaturity! The murder mystery itself drags on a little too long, even in a shorter story, but the solution was unexpected and interesting.
The third story, "Hallowed Out" by Barbara Ross is my favorite of the three and I give it 4.5 stars. Busman's Harbor has a reputation for being haunted which provides local resident, Harley Prendergast, the perfect opportunity to promote a Halloween Haunted House tour. Julia Snowden, her boyfriend, and other family members get talked into helping Harley act out scenes from some of the town's famous ghost stories. This seems like a fairly harmless way to celebrate Halloween until something goes horribly wrong and the town is dealing with an all-too-real death that looks like murder. This story starts out a little slow, but picks up once Julia begins investigating the murder. I never could have guessed the motive behind the murder and the identity of the killer, and I enjoyed seeing Julia get to the solution in this fun cozy.
I received this book from NetGalley through the courtesy of Kensington Books. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
August 31, 2019
Another great holiday cozy mystery collection of Maine cozy mysteries from authors Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis, and Barbara Ross.
The first in the book is Leslie Meier's Haunted House Murder, featuring Tinker Cove's intrepid part-time reporter and full-time mom/grandmother, Lucy Stone. A scary house across from the school has new, and not very friendly, owners, and when strange noises and sounds start emanating from the home Lucy's on the case to discover what's going on behind closed doors!
The second story in the book is Lee Hollis's Death by Haunted House. This was a very interesting read because it takes place prior to the beginning of the series, when Hayley and Danny are still married. When the house next door to the Powell's in Bar Harbor gets new creepy residents - appropriately named Damian, Rosemary, Casper, and Carrie - Danny is convinced there's something sinister going on, especially when their real estate agent is found buried in the woods behind their home!
The third story is Barbara Ross's Hallowed Out, which takes place in Busman's Harbor. Julia Snowden, along with boyfriend Chris, brother-in-law Sonny, and restaurant owner Gus, are helping with Harley Prendergast's Haunted House Tours. When a participating actor is shot dead in front of the entire group, Julia investigates to discover who killed the man and why. One of the tour guests? One of their own? A member of his family???
Haunted House Murder is a very nice collection, and a perfect Halloween read!
The first in the book is Leslie Meier's Haunted House Murder, featuring Tinker Cove's intrepid part-time reporter and full-time mom/grandmother, Lucy Stone. A scary house across from the school has new, and not very friendly, owners, and when strange noises and sounds start emanating from the home Lucy's on the case to discover what's going on behind closed doors!
The second story in the book is Lee Hollis's Death by Haunted House. This was a very interesting read because it takes place prior to the beginning of the series, when Hayley and Danny are still married. When the house next door to the Powell's in Bar Harbor gets new creepy residents - appropriately named Damian, Rosemary, Casper, and Carrie - Danny is convinced there's something sinister going on, especially when their real estate agent is found buried in the woods behind their home!
The third story is Barbara Ross's Hallowed Out, which takes place in Busman's Harbor. Julia Snowden, along with boyfriend Chris, brother-in-law Sonny, and restaurant owner Gus, are helping with Harley Prendergast's Haunted House Tours. When a participating actor is shot dead in front of the entire group, Julia investigates to discover who killed the man and why. One of the tour guests? One of their own? A member of his family???
Haunted House Murder is a very nice collection, and a perfect Halloween read!
October 11, 2019
Haunted House Murder contains three entertaining Halloween themed cozy mysteries that are all set in Maine. They are well-written and engaging with developed characters. You can read one or all three. They can be read as standalone for those unfamiliar with the series. Death by Haunted House takes readers back to October 29, 2009 with Hayley Powell and her family. I do not know how Hayley put up with her husband, Danny. He is more of a child than her kids, but Danny was certainly entertaining. Lucy Stone is busy with work plus taking care of her house, hubby and daughter who is still at home. Then she agrees to watch Patrick. Lucy finds it challenging to keep up with a child under ten who goes to soccer and has homework. I could relate when she was trying to teach Patrick fractions (my father sat with me for hours trying to teach me). Julia gets roped into helping with a reenactment and finds herself in the middle of a real gunfire. When not looking for the killer, she is curious about the unusual problem at her mother’s house. She refuses to believe a ghost has suddenly appeared. I enjoyed all three cozy mysteries with the haunted house theme. They put me in the mood for Halloween which is such a fun time of year with the decorations and costumes. There are recipes included as well. Be prepared for a hauntingly good time with our three female sleuths in Haunted House Murder.
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