The Running Bibliophile

Halloween Night Murder  by Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis, and Liz Ireland  is a collection of three novellas centered around Halloween. I received an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of this book from NetGalley for free in exchange of my honest review, and I have to say that I wasn't disappointed in the least as I gave it a resounding five out of five stars. The first novella is Halloween Night Murder  by Leslie Meier and Lucy Stone receives a late night trick - or - treater at her home in Tinker's Cove, Maine. The next morning, she learns that the teenager died shortly after coming to her house in a hit - and - run. Desperate to learn what happened, Lucy discovers some long held secrets in her small town. I wasn't expecting the outcome of who all was involved in the wrong doings in this story, but one of the characters that was unlikable ended up redeeming themselves some what by the end. I wasn't ready for the story to end and wanted more! I always feel like I'm visiting wi...

Mother of the Bride Murder (A Lucy Stone Mystery, #29) by Leslie Meier opens with Lucy Stone, Phyllis, and a customer at the newspaper discussing children getting married.  Shortly thereafter, Lucy receives news from her eldest daughter, Elizabeth, that she is engaged and getting married in France.  Things go awry at the wedding and Lucy sticks her nose into the investigation making things much worse. Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for approving my request to read an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of Mother of the Bride Murder by Leslie Meier.  I was thrilled when I learned I was approved as this has become one of my favorite book series.  I received this book for free in exchange for my honest review. This latest installment in the series started off a bit slow for me, but eventually, the pacing picked up, and I ended up enjoying how the story ended.  I enjoyed the tidbits of French conversation as I took some French in high school and college, and I...

Masquerade Party Murder (Juniper Holiday, #4) opens with Juniper Holiday setting up for her New Years Eve party, but the party goes horribly awry during the fireworks when the mayor is found dead . . . killed by a gunshot.  Juniper must find out who the murderer is and clear her dear friend's name. I have absolutely fallen in love with the Juniper Holiday book series by Leighann Dobbs.  The books in this series are the perfect beach read and super fun.  And, if I get in a funk while reading, these books definitely pull me out of that funk.  Masquerade Party Murder definitely pulled me out of a reading funk. What's great about this series is that you don't have to read them in order, although it definitely helps, and Masquerade Party Murder can be read as a stand alone book like the rest in the series.  Even though this is a cozy mystery, there are some fantasy elements in the story lines . . . witches and werewolves play a part, and of course, ghosts do as w...

Irish Coffee Murder by Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis, and Barbara Ross is a collection of three novellas featuring the Lucy Stone series, Haley Powell Food and Cocktails Mystery series, and Maine Clambake Mystery series.  Each story takes place in Maine and has a theme of St. Patrick's Day. I'd like to thank NetGalley and Kensington Books for the Advanced Readers Copy of Irish Coffee Murder .  I'm a huge fan of Leslie Meier and Lee Hollis, so I was thrilled to be approved to receive it for free in exchange for my honest review.  I am now a fan of Barbara Ross. Irish Coffee Murder (Lucy Stone, #28.5) by Leslie Meier opens with Lucy being tasked to cover an Irish Step Dancing School and their upcoming regional competition called a feis.  When one of the dance moms is found dead, rumors start to spread about the ex-husband being the murderer.  I loved this novella particularly because I used to be an Irish Step Dancer and competed in a couple of feis.  I had ...

Never Say Pie (Lexy Baker, 14) by Leighann Dobbs opens with Lexy Baker catering a dinner and pie eating contest at her grandmother's retirement community.  When one of the residents is found face down in one of Lexy's pies for the pie eating contest, Lexy, Nans, and the rest of the gang take matters into their own hands to solve the case. This edition in the Lexy Baker book series is written better than some of the books in the series.  Although I figured out who the killer was right off the bat, I couldn't figure out what the motive was, even though there were clues right in front of my face.  Leighann Dobbs did a great job with adding red herrings to the storyline because at one point I did second guess myself. Since I was in a bit of a rut when it came to reading, Never Say Pie was the perfect book to help me start reading again because it was a fun, entertaining read.  Although, having a writer, who writes books about a baker that solves murders, was a little k...

Lucy Stone is juggling the needs of four children, her husband, and their dog, as well as her full-time job as a reporter for the local newspaper. She can't handle one more thing this summer, but when friend Sue Finch asks for help planning her daughter's wedding to an internet millionaire, Lucy can't say no. When the fiance is found floating by his yacht, Lucy knows this wasn't accidental. As she investigates the murder, Lucy just might find herself in trouble in Wedding Day Murder (A Lucy Stone Mystery, #8) by Leslie Meier. This edition of the Lucy Stone Mystery Series wasn't my favorite for various reasons. I knew from the start of the book that the husband to be would end up murdered for some reason. At least, I didn't have a clue as to the motive or who was behind the murder. And, I was completely wrong in my guess of who the murderer was, so that was a plus that I didn't figure it out. One thing that threw me off was the first chapter in Wedding Day M...

The small town of Tinker's Cove has a plethora of holiday traditions during the Thanksgiving holiday, including visits to the Brown Farm to see Tom Tom the turkey, attending the annual parade, and watching the annual high school football game. However, the celebrations go awry when Curt Nolan, a Native American activist, is found murdered in Turkey Day Murder (A Lucy Stone Mystery, #7) by Leslie Meier. As usual, I thoroughly enjoyed this edition in the Lucy Stone book series by Leslie Meier. Although I read this particular book in February, it's the perfect book to read in November to get into the holiday spirit. I'm not sure if there really is a Metinnicut Tribe or not, but it definitely makes me want to learn more about the Native American history in the United States because most of what I learned about this was during elementary school. I found that many of the situations were very believable, including how late Toby and his friends arrived and didn't bother calli...

It's the Christmas season in Tinker's Cove, Maine, and Lucy Stone is looking forward to hosting the annual cookie exchange that Sue normally hosts. When  Tucker, one of the guests, is found murdered the next day, the entire town is in shock, and the local dentist is arrested for it. Lucy decides to investigate on her own in Christmas Cookie Murder (A Lucy Stone Mystery, #6) by Leslie Meier. This is the perfect book to put me in the mood for Christmas, and it's in one of my favorite genres . . . a mystery. Who would ever think a murder mystery would put a person in a holiday mood? But, with the cookie exchange, the holiday shopping, and Santa Claus visiting the elementary school during the Christmas play, it's easy to get excited about the holidays. As far as the suspects go, the obvious one is the dentist because he's the boyfriend of Tucker, but I dismissed him right away. I did consider Lee, the wife of the dentist for most of the book because I thought she had m...

Back to School Murder (A Lucy Stone Mystery, #4) by Leslie Meier opens with Lucy Stone temping at the local newspaper office when she hears that a bomb threat has been called into the elementary school. When a teacher realizes one of the students is unaccounted for, the vice principal rushes back into the school to save him. However, she's found murdered a few days later. Who would want her dead? What I loved about this particular edition in the Lucy Stone Mystery series is that there were a lot of red herrings. I felt sure that a specific character was the murdered for most of the story, but as Back to School Murder progressed, I changed my mind and ended up being completely wrong on everyone I suspected. Leslie Meier did a fabulous job with all the suspects and keeping me guessing. One of the situations I found believable was that Lucy was feeling unappreciated and unattractive, and when she received a bit of attention from another man, she feel for it and felt bad about it aft...

Trick or Treat Murder (A Lucy Stone Mystery, #3) by Leslie Meier is set in Tinker's Cove, Maine, and the entire town is preparing a party in a dilapidated mansion to celebrate Halloween. However, everyone is on edge because there has been a rash of fires thought to be the work of an arsonist. The latest one killing a summer resident. Who will be the latest victim? Is anyone else a fan of Halloween like I am? This was the perfect book to put me in the mood for the holiday, and this is a must read if you do like Halloween. It brought back so many memories of my childhood of trick or treating and the Halloween parties that my parents and the rest of the parents in the neighborhood put on for us kids that were similar to the one in Trick or Treat Murder . Having an arsonist setting fires in the book only made it creepier, but not scary. There were quite a few red herrings in the book. With that being said, there were clues to who it really was, and I dismissed those clues much to my c...