I so much enjoy these trios of coastal Maine mysteries. On this occasion, Eastertime brings extra retail opportunities, egg hunts, and more than one EASTER BASKET MURDER. Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis, and Barbara Ross team up to entertain their readers.
Tinker’s Cove is the setting for EASTER BASKET MURDER. I love these stories by Leslie Meier, featuring seasoned reporter Lucy Stone. The businesses are offering stickers to customers, and anyone with a full card of stickers can enter a draw for a basket of goodies, including chocolates and a golden egg sculpture. This valuable item is made by a nearby artist, who has a name for being reclusive but may need help. Lucy does her best, which many people might not if they found a hobo dumpster diving for food. This distracts her from the crime committed by an person unknown who snatches up the egg prize. Chasing local stories, Lucy enquires as to the egg’s whereabouts. The murder in this tale comes later.
Bar Harbor presents DEATH BY EASTER EGG which again features a theft and only later a murder. This novella by Lee Hollis features restauranteur Hayley Powell, who is minding her grandson, Eli – at two, he has no manners and shouts a lot. I can sympathise but I think grannies and aunts are given the job of putting manners on small kids, and she shouldn’t let him get away with everything. Otherwise, the school fair seems fine until the local man who plays the Easter bunny in costume has a mishap. Could someone have arranged to swap the chocolates in the Easter basket goodies for peanut treats – knowing he was allergic? Eli may be the only witness.
A Maine island is the location for HOPPED ALONG. Barbara Ross tells of Julia Snowden entertaining family at a fine house she caretakes while the owner’s away, called Windsholme. The owner is a young coder millionaire who looks nothing like the senior, formally dressed gentleman Julia and the kids find lying in a field. Julia goes for help, but she gets back to find the man has vanished. This is an island, so she and the police try to find out where he came from or went. And whether he’s dead, or a figment of imagination.
With a good variety of characters and locations, there’s something for every cosy crime fan. And some recipes, though I object to adding them during a story as it slows down the action and removes all tension. EASTER BASKET MURDER lets you dip in for mystery treats and save some for another day.
Put on your springtime best and grab a basket, because Easter egg hunting is to dye for in this delightful new collection of Easter-themed capers set in coastal Maine and featuring fan-favorite sleuths from the long-running, bestselling cozy mystery series by Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis, and Barbara Ross!
EASTER BASKET MURDER by LESLIE MEIER Tinker’s Cove businesses are clashing over a new Easter Basket–themed promotion to boost in-store sales, with tensions boiling over the grand prize—a mysterious golden egg crafted by a reclusive Maine artist. When the one-of-a-kind art piece is stolen, it’s up to part-time reporter Lucy Stone to investigate three struggling entrepreneurs who stick out in the local scene. But a huge town scandal comes into focus when a harmless shopping spree turns deadly, leaving Lucy to stop a murderer from springing back into action . . .
DEATH BY EASTER EGG by LEE HOLLIS As Bar Harbor’s annual egg hunt approaches, Island Food & Spirits columnist and restauranteur Hayley Powell is thrilled to introduce her grandson, Eli, to local springtime traditions. Turns out, keeping up with a rambunctious toddler isn’t always sunshine and rainbows—especially when a decadent peanut butter treat kills the Easter bunny himself during the festivities! Now, with a clear-as-cellophane case of murder on her hands, it’s up to Hayley to crack the clues and scramble deadly plans before it’s too late . . .
HOPPED ALONG by BARBARA ROSS Julia Snowden’s Easter Sunday at Windsholme, a sprawling mansion tucked away on a remote Maine island, looks like it’s been borrowed from the pages of a lifestyle magazine. But when a dead body is discovered in the garden—then vanishes soon after without any explanation—an innocent hunt for eggs becomes a dangerous hunt for answers. With no clues beyond a copy of The Adventures of Peter Rabbit, Julia must find out if April Fool’s Day came early or if she’s caught in a killer’s twisted game . . .
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