Three of my favorite cozy writers serve up a St. Patrick’s Day themed trio of mysteries set in coastal Maine and the result is a dark but slightly sweet brew with a kick, just like Irish Coffee. Though I find holiday themed trilogies vary in quality this one delivered suspense, entertainment and solid plots without being farfetched or tired.
The Leslie Meier mystery opens with Lucy Stone doing a special feature article on local teenagers who are competing in a regional Celtic Irish step dancing contest and Lucy travels to Portland to attend. What starts out as a fun and spirited event is ruined by an embarrassing accident to the most talented dancer and accusations fly exposing the ambitions and loyalties of the dancers and their protective mothers. Later on one of the parents is found mysteriously dead and the ex-husband becomes the primary suspect. The rivalries spill over into other town initiatives to award locals who raise the most for the food drive and contentious town meetings about affordable housing in an abandoned warehouse which business owners want to convert to luxury condos. The class divisions, struggles and family problems are the backdrop to the mystery and lead to the solution, this use of social themes is characteristic of Leslie Meier who always brings in the tough realities of small-town Maine and it adds to dimension to this cozy which does not disappoint.
The Lee Hollis story is less complex and features a local who has made a name on the comedy circuit and is back in town for St. Patrick’s Day and the usual hilarity ensues with Hayley’s friends, her brother and brother-in-law and newspaper staff as Hayley deftly multi-tasks between her new restaurant, catering the after party and chasing after leads to solve the mystery of the famed comedian’s sudden death. The plot is full of red herrings but the timing and the motivation fall into place and the unlikely culprit is revealed in a satisfying plot twist. I love Hayley’s food column with the clever recipes and cocktails, as the combo is as fun and warm hearted showcasing the loving, humorous spirit of the series characters. Another entertaining if slightly predictable read by Lee Hollis.
The last mystery by Barbara Ross is part of her Busman’s Harbor series and is totally different because the mystery is from another century. It begins in the present with Julia’s family and friends spending St. Patrick’s Day sitting by the fire sipping Irish Coffee during a snowstorm and when the electricity goes out the cozy evening inspires the telling of a famous local ghost story who is a spirit in an old mansion that is now an Inn and once was the home of a wealthy Irish immigrant who was murdered there in the 1860’s. Everyone at the get together familiar with the story has their own theory of who committed the long-ago murder and the motivations behind it and who the ghost really is. Julia Snowden takes an interest and explores the cold case very cleverly and it ends with a verifiable solution that finally lays to rest the infamous case.
With this trilogy, Irish Coffee Murder, each novella is enjoyable as a stand alone but taken together in one volume with the common theme, Irish coffee and St. Patrick’s Day, each mystery is an entertaining contrast of viewpoints and creativity.
I rate this holiday trilogy 4 Irish Coffee’s using elements from the book!
- Plot: ****
- Characters: ****
- Setting: ****
- Romance: **
- Humor: ***
- Social themes: ***
