Halloween Night Murder

By: Liz Ireland, Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis

Narrated by: Traci Odom

There’s usually a chill in the air when Halloween arrives—but in these three novellas by beloved cozy mystery authors Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis, and Liz Ireland, the crimes are even colder than the haunted climate....

HALLOWEEN NIGHT MURDER by LESLIE MEIER
After a tiring but satisfying day of organizing Halloween festivities, Lucy Stone is surprised by a lone late-night trick-or-treater at her home in Tinker’s Cove, Maine. The next morning, she’s heartbroken to learn that the teenager died in a hit-and-run just minutes after she gave him the last of her candy supply. Haunted, she starts digging into his story—and discovers some dark secrets.

DEATH OF A HALLOWEEN NIGHT STALKER by LEE HOLLIS
Bad weather has stranded restaurateur Hayley Powell and her friends in rural Maine—and the only shelter available is a spooky spot where they’re welcomed warmly by the lady of the house—but coldly by her suspicious, gun-toting son. They’re even more nervous after he scares them with his Halloween zombie costume—but the real fright is yet to come.

MRS. CLAUS AND THE WILY WITCH by LIZ IRELAND
Disgraced elf Flake has returned from exile just in time for Halloween, but not everyone in Christmastown thinks he’s truly reformed. When Pumblechook the snowman suffers a mysterious fate, and a fellow elf is felled by Flake’s caramels, Mrs. Claus must determine whether the sticky-fingered Flake has become a hardened criminal—or if sorcery has invaded Santaland....

©2025 Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis, Liz Ireland (P)2025 Tantor Media

2 out of 3 stories were good!

I loved the stories by Leslie Meier and Lee Hollis (who are consistnenly good!) but didn't enjoy the story by Liz Ireland. I am not really a fantasy reader, and I feel like the short story form didn't work for this trilogy. Even if I hadn't read Meier and Hollis before, I would have enjoyed the stories and been able to follow along, but it was impossible to follow along with the fantasy world of Elves and Mrs. Claus and witches with no backstory. I also couldn't identify with any of the characters, since they were snowmen or lizards or magical beings. It made no sense, and I was very glad when I finished it.

Great Halloween Read

The stories were very entertaining and engaging. I enjoyed the fact that this was a collection of short stories. It helped get me in the mood for Halloween!