Haunted House Murder is a compilation of three Halloween-themed short novellas by bestselling authors Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis, and Barbara Ross. Each includes the characters from their bestselling series.
Haunted House Murder by Leslie Meier finds Tinker’s Cove with new neighbors, Ty and Heather Moon, who have moved into a decrepit home that is purported to be haunted. Lucy Stone, unofficial amateur sleuth, gets involved when a local boy goes missing. Ty and Heather become suspects, since there are strange noises, strange lights, and other strange happenings going on at their house.

In this Halloween novella, Death by Haunted House by Lee Hollis, Hayley Powell gets new neighbors in the house next door after two years of sitting empty; the previous owner died under suspicious circumstances. The Salingers, who keep to themselves and are very secretive and strange, move in and Hayley overhears a loud and upsetting argument between Damien Salinger and his realtor. The realtor disappears, and of course Hayley suspects foul play, since she is always interested in putting her nose into murders and trying to solve them. This time, it may be the end for Hayley, because the Salingers are determined to keep themselves out of the picture and insist they are innocent when the body of the realtor is found. Hayley takes it too far and puts herself in danger.

Hallowed Out by Barbara Ross includes her fun and likeable character, Julia Snowden, in the small town of Busman’s Harbor, where a restaurant owner wants to re-enact an old gangster murder to celebrate Halloween. An actor from New Jersey comes up to be the star, but when the reenactment takes place, he ends up being shot dead from the gun that is supposed to contain blanks. Julia investigates and puts herself in grave danger.

These three novellas are fun, fast reads, and will make the Halloween season even more fun for those who enjoy cozies. As fans of the series’ already know, the books are well-written, the characters are likeable and familiar, and the plots are viable. Death by Haunted House and Hallowed Out both include recipes suitable for the Halloween season as a bonus. Highly recommended for cozy lovers who like these series.