Book Review: The Writer by James Patterson and J.D. Barker

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The Writer by James Patterson and J.D. Barker  was published on March 17, 2025. It opens with Detective Declan Shaw at a closed subway station trying to work up the nerve to commit suicide when he receives a call from his partner about a break in and homicide at the home of a true crime author. Shaw makes his way to the crime scene to work the case, and in a turn of events, Declan comes under scrutiny in another case loosely connected to this new case. I received an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of The Writer  from NetGalley and Little , Brown, and Company for free in exchange for my honest review. I'm appreciative that my request for this book was approved. With this story opening with the main character trying to commit suicide, I almost didn't go any further with the book. However, I am glad I stuck with it as it took me on a fantastic ride and had my emotions all over the place. There were so many twists and turns that just when I thought I had it all figured out, there was ...
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Book Review: Irish Coffee Murder by Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis, and Barbara Ross

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book review irish coffee murder leslie meier lee hollis barbara ross

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 my suspicions of who actually was the killer, and I was correct in who I thought it was.  The only complaint I had is that wigs aren't a requirement at a feis . . . at least, not the ones I competed in.  Five out of five stars.

Death of an Irish Coffee Drinker (Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails, #15.5) by Lee Hollis opens with Hayley Powell agreeing to cater an after party for comedian Jefferson O'Keefe.  When Jefferson collapses after drinking an Irish coffee, Hayley knows she must find out who poisoned him.  I enjoyed this novella because I had no idea who the murderer was and was led astray by all the red herrings.  I also really liked the characters in this story. Five out of five stars.

Perked Up (Maine Clambake, #10.5) by Barbara Ross opens with Julia Snowden and her friend Zoey settling in for the night to watch a movie and drink some Irish Coffees when the power goes out due a snowstorm.  Neighbors and family decide to gather at the Snowden home and tell ghost stories to pass the time.  Everyone gets into a disagreement about the story told about a founding family and who murdered the husband.  Julia decides to investigate this ghost story that is really based on a cold case from 150 years ago and finds out who the killer was and what happened to the rest of the family.  There are so many reasons why I loved this novella, but the biggest reason is I love that the characters were telling ghost stories and delved into a cold case.  All the characters had good reason to believe a particular person was the killer, so I had no idea what to believe and loved the conclusion that brought closure to the case and revealed who the killer was.  Now, I can't wait to go read the other books in the series.  Five out of five stars.

I gave each and every novella in this collection, Irish Coffee Murder by Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis, and Barbara Ross, five out of five stars and highly recommend it to people who love cozy mysteries.  These authors are the best of the best.

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