Summary

This book is a collection of three short mysteries. Each story is set in a small town in Maine at Easter time, which is before the tourists arrive. Each story has a strong female amateur sleuth. Each story also involves an Easter Basket. 

I very much appreciated the small town atmosphere in all the stories. They captured fairly accurately what life is like in a small town with a tourist-based economy, from the struggles of businesses in the low-season to the speed with which gossip spreads. 

Easter Basket Murder by Leslie Meier

In an attempt to bring local shoppers to Tinker’s Cove to spend money, the chamber of commerce plans an Easter event. Shoppers who collect enough Easter egg stickers from making purchases in local stores, win the chance to receive a large Easter basket filled with chocolates, gourmet goodies, and a golden egg by the reclusive artist Karl Klaus. When the egg is stolen and a man winds up dead, Lucy Stone, a reporter from the local paper, begins an investigation of her own.

Short mystery stories rarely work for me. It can be hard to craft an intricate mystery in such a limited space. In this case, the mystery was good. There were adequate clues to figure out what had happened. However, I felt like the sub-plot with the artist slowed the pacing a bit too much. Ultimately, Lucy didn’t really solve the crime, though she did catch the culprit.

Death by Easter Egg by Lee Hollis

Hayley’s grandson is visiting for Easter, and Hayley is excited about taking the 2-year-old to the Easter egg hunt at the school. Several days before the hunt, there is a robbery at the local bank. At the Easter egg hunt, Hayley sees the bank president arguing with the Easter bunny. When the Easter bunny is murdered, Hayley is determined to find answers.

This story had a nicely developed mystery, entertaining characters, and a nice dose of humor. Hayley was a clever sleuth and a patient grandmother. 

In between some chapters there were segments called “Island food and spirits” that appear to be Hayley’s blog with reminiscences of Easter’s past, thoughts on family, and recipes. Not being familiar with Hayley from other books, these inter-chapter segments were confusing at first, though the stories were funny and I appreciated the recipes. 

Hopped Along by Barbara Ross

Julie and her family are on their island off the coast of Maine for Easter. Julie is supervising her nephew’s Easter egg hunt, when the boy run out of the garden yelling that the Easter bunny is there, and he’s dead. There are no non-human mammals on island, so Julie rushes to see what has upset her nephew, and she finds a man in a top hat and morning suit unconscious in the vegetable patch. When she returns with help, the man is gone. A search of the island reveals nothing other than an Easter Basket. 

This was my favorite of the three stories because I felt it had the most detailed characters and the best atmosphere. The mystery was definitely perplexing though there weren’t a lot of clues and red herrings because of the short length. 

I’ve already added one of Barbara Ross’ Maine Clambake Mysteries to my TBR.

I received a free eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

My Rating 4/5