Irish Coffee Murder by Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis, and Barbara Ross

Available: January 24, 2023

Rating: 4 stars

I love Maine. It's gorgeous, rugged, and in many ways untouched by time in a way few places are today. The weather can be harsh and unforgiving and the people who call Maine home have had to learn to cope with the extremes. Central to these stories is how the characters deal with the frigid cold even when the calendar tells them it's spring, a main coping mechanism being hot beverages that sometimes include a bit of a kick.

IRISH COFFEE MURDER by Leslie Meier

When I started the Lucy Stone series I loved it. She worked for a catalog company and had a few small children and she wasn't afraid to jump into the fray to solve a mystery. The old fixer-upper she and her husband had escaped to, far from the hustle and bustle of the big city, was a dream and Lucy was just your average every day mom. As the series progressed, things changed. Lucy's husband (what is his name, he makes only the rarest of appearances) became more demanding and willing to do less and less around the house, the behavior of her children devolved until they were out of control hooligans, and her concern switched from gathering clues to expounding upon the tragedies of poverty. Not real poverty mind you, but an ultra-privileged view of what poverty is, not being able to afford a brand new vehicle, not having the money to fly your kids all over the world, considering buying store brand breakfast cereal (having never tried it before). There was one redeeming point in the story though where Lucy meets a few teenagers and remarks on how polite they are. She acknowledges that her own kids could never have behaved politely and that she didn't do a very good job of raising them. That gave me hope for Lucy.

DEATH OF AN IRISH COFFEE DRINKER by Lee Hollis

Lee Hollis is one of my very favorite cozy authors and this series is one of my top 3 favorites. This story was great. An old classmate of Hayley's, Jefferson, who has achieved some fame as a stand-up comedian has returned to town to do a show at the Criterion Theater. Hayley agrees to cater the after-party at Drinks Like a Fish. There are some strange things going on and Jefferson's assistant is making life miserable for everyone. When Jefferson drops dead at the after-party Hayley is on the case. Could it have been her signature Irish Coffee that did him in? How about the beefy bodyguard? The nasty assistant? Or the would-be caterer who is clearly hiding something? Hayley is on the case! There were also three columns included in the story, which I loved. This is a great addition to an awesome series.

PERKED UP by Barbara Ross

Now this one was special. You expect ghost stories in a Halloween themed book, but you don't expect them in a St. Patrick's day book! A snowstorm has hit Busman's Harbor and half the town has gathered at the Snowden house to warm up by the fire and sip Irish Coffees. There's not a lot to talk about in the middle of winter in Maine so they start telling the story of an old unsolved murder and the ghost left behind. But this is not just any local legend, this is a legend that has many sides and every guest has their own opinion on whodunnit. As you might suspect, Julia decides to hunt down the truth... as soon as the power comes back on and the roads clear up. I loved the historical angle and the research she does to dig up clues in old documents. The author mentions at the end that being the third story in the book she feels like she needs to do something unique and all I can say is mission accomplished!