Audiobook Review: Halloween Cupcake Murder

Author: Carlene O'Connor, Carol J. Perry, & Liz Ireland

Narrator: Daniela Acitelli
Title: Halloween Cupcake Murder

Series: Irish Village Mystery #9.5 - Halloween Cupcake Murder

Genre: Anthology, Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Holiday, fantasy
Published: August 22, 2023

Where I Got It: Borrowed from library

Summary: 

A trio of sweet-toothed Halloween cozy mystery tales by nationally bestselling authors.

HALLOWEEN CUPCAKE MURDER by CARLENE O'CONNOR

With Galway’s Halloween Mystery Tour only a few days away, Tara Meehan is scouring the town’s curiosity shops for spooky decorations to draw tourists into her architectural salvage store. But when a stranger appears in her shop bearing a cryptic cupcake and an ominous message, Tara suddenly finds herself tangled in a mystery with ancient Gaelic roots, but very modern—and very deadly—consequences . . .

 

MRS. CLAUS AND THE CANDY CORN CAPER by LIZ IRELAND

Christmastown is pulling out all the stops for their Halloween celebration, planning a huge carnival with rides, games, and a candy corn-themed bake-off! But the sweet theme stokes the bitterest of rivalries amongst the elves, until tragedy strikes at Santaland’s newest bakery. The only clue is a cupcake, leaving Mrs. Claus to sort through tricks and treats as she races to unmask a Halloween fiend . . .

 

A TRIPLE LAYER HALLOWEEN MURDER by CAROL J. PERRY

Every October, Salem plunges into a month-long celebration of Halloween and WICH-TV’s Lee Barrett can’t wait to cover the festivities. But rumors swirl after a wealthy bakery owner goes missing—and his beloved cat, Cupcake, is found—under mysterious circumstances. Now, amid Salem’s wicked revelry, Lee must conjure clues to reveal the missing millionaire . . . or the truth about his disappearance . . .

Review:

This is perrrrrect for the Halloween season! Yayy for anthologies!

Halloween Cupcake Murder by Carlene O'Connor

Story 1! 

Galway's Halloween Mystery Tour is only a few days away and Tara is scouring the town's curiosity shops for some decorations. She will find herself entangled in a murder mystery all thanks to a cupcake.

This is book a million in the series, but it worked well as a standalone. I wouldn't have know this was a series until near the end. I missed a lot of backstory between our Tara and some others. Still didn't ruin the story for me. Just the ending didn't mean as much to me as it would've. Still adorbs tho. 

But yessss this was a fun mystery. Nice and cozy and spooky. Perfect for Halloween! 

The narrator.....was okay. Maybe I'll warm up to her in the next....

4 stars. 

MRS. CLAUS AND THE CANDY CORN CAPER by LIZ IRELAND

Christmas town is going hard for Halloween! Between a huge carnival, games, and a candy corn-themed bake-off...this is going to be a Halloween to remember! However, tragedy strikes at the new bakery. The only clue is a cupcake. It will be up to Mrs.Claus to find the killer.

This was simply adorable. OKAY, not the murder, but the whole premise. I love this village and I love Mrs. Claus and the whole crew. I will def want to backtrack and read more. So much fun. 

The mystery was good. Lots of twists and suspects. Every suspect had a motive. I was right in my guess....but I was not 100% sure.

Same narrator as the last one. Still slightly monotone in parts. Slightly better here though...or was I just getting used to it? Mmmmm.

I'll give this a 5 even with the monotone. The story, mystery, and characters were just that sweet to override the bitter. ;) 

A TRIPLE LAYER HALLOWEEN MURDER by CAROL J. PERRY

Halloween strikes Salem! The town of Salem loves Halloween and so does Lee Barrett. She can't wait to cover the festivities. However, rumors are taking the town by storm with the disappearance of a wealthy bakery owner and his cat. When Cupcake the cat is found under mysterious circumstances, Lee will conjure clues to figure out where the baker is and find out the truth.

This started out strong. I love the cat. I love the sprinkle of magic. The mystery was mysterious..........however......I was slightly meh by the end. I was intrigued enough to stay, but I wasn't blown away or really cared about the baker. Yes, yes, all human life is important and all, but that baker was super sus. I found myself zoning out in parts and would have to back up the player. 

This one was just okay by the end. And it was the same narrator so it was monotone in parts. 

I'll give this 2 stars. 

OVERALL

This was a very nice collection of Halloween cozy mysteries! Def worth the read. The narrator was pretty monotone for me, so I think I would've enjoyed this much more as a read instead. But that could just be me. Maybe you'll like her voice more. I loved listening to this while decorating for my Halloween party! 

After doing complicated and spooky math, it would be a 3.6....so I rounded up to a 4. :)

 

Challenge(s):

- #42 for Audiobook challenge