Hazelnuts and Halloween

Pelican Cove Short Story Series #2

by Leena Clover

Halloween Celebrations End With a Washed Up Corpse

Pelican Cove is celebrating Halloween in style. The annual Halloween party at the Boardwalk Cafe brings out the witches and superheroes in full strength. Old timers share Pelican Cove's legends of haunted houses and ghost ships. The unidentified body washed up on the beach, however, dampens the mood the very next morning. 

The town hires Jenny to solve the murder. With a town full of people dressed in costumes, Jenny finds it hard to narrow down a suspect. 

If you like clean cozy mysteries and books in the Pelican Cove Cozy Mystery Series, you will love this cozy short story that celebrates the spirit of Halloween. 

If you are new to Pelican Cove, Hazelnuts and Halloween is a great  introduction to the series. If you already love the Pelican Cove cozy mystery series, this is a bite sized installment you can enjoy.

Books in the Pelican Cove Cozy Mystery Series -

Strawberries and Strangers
Cupcakes and Celebrities
Berries and Birthdays
Sprinkles and Skeletons
Waffles and Weekends
Muffins and Mobsters

Genres: Cozy Mystery, Mystery, Halloween, Short Stories, Cozy, Ebooks, Holiday

42 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 17, 2018

About the author

Leena Clover is a popular, bestselling author of cozy mysteries with heart.

You can expect fearless heroines, small town drama, quirky characters and friendships that last a lifetime in her books. Yummy food and a murder or two are guaranteed!

Visit her website at leenaclover.com to learn more.

Reviews

[Sandra]

Jenny King is throwing a Halloween party at her Boardwalk Cafe for the people of Pelican Cove and the tourists. But the next day, after the festivities, there is news that a dead body washed up on shore. Who could the murderer be?

This was a short and fun Halloween mystery. I liked Jenny and her lady friends (who called themselves The Magnolias). I enjoyed the setting of Pelican Cove (a small coastal town) and the lively characters who lived there.

A fast and entertaining read.

[Leane]

Really enjoyed this one.
Short, fun setting, straight to the point without seeming rushed.
I will definitely read the rest of the books in the series.

[Babs]

The people in Pelican Cove Rea having a Halloween party at Jenny’s Boardwalk Cafe. They start talking about haunted places, ghost ships and the other side. When a man washes up on shore the town hires Jenny to check it out.

Adam is the sheriff and doesn’t like Jenny stepping on any toes or his investigation. He is really rough around the edges.

With some help Jenny gets on the case.

This is supposed to be an introduction to the series. There were a lot of charters brought in and if you have not read any of the other books you might get lost. For a short read it was hard to stay in the story. I didn’t care for it. The age of the characters why stick with someone that is not very nice!

[Sharon]

It's Halloween and there is a costume party at Jenny’s Boardwalk Cafe. Everyone is having a good time. The next morning a dead body is washed up on the beach. It is determined he was killed at the cafe. Who is this man? Who killed him? And why? The town hires Jenny to investigate. Adam, the Sheriff, tells Jenny to stay out of it and that she is a suspect. The Magnolias, a group of ladies that are friends with Jenny are going to help her. Will Jenny find out who murdered this man?
I voluntarily received a copy of this book from the author and I'm voluntarily posting a review. My opinion is entirely my own.

[Darlene Riggs]

I really enjoy reading a good cozy mystery. While looking through my library of downloaded to-be-read ebooks, the cover of this book caught my eye. It is the first book I have read by Leena Clover. Even though this is a short story, it is a well-written, clean, fun, and easy read. The murder fit well with the Halloween theme of the story. I found the characters likeable and entertaining. So much so, I have already downloaded the first full length book in the Pelican Cove Cozy Mystery Series and plan to begin reading it after posting this review.

I like the writing style of Leena Clover and this little cozy was a gem of a short story.

[Maus]

This was such a delightful short read! I loved everything about this book, beginning with the darling cover! This was such a fun, light, entertaining read that I was sad when it ended. I enjoyed the descriptions of the the setting as well as the characters. This book is what idyllic Autumn and Halloween are all about! I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a fun and entertaining read! I absolutely loved it! I did receive this book as an ARC in return for my honest opinion.

[Lee Brothers]

A very nice introduction to a new author and her short stories. There are a lot of characters in this series, they are well introduced and blended into the storyline. The story is well written, interesting and entertaining. Pelican Cove becomes a character in the story with a lot of background and history. Sounds so nice I’d like to visit. I look forward to the next short story.

[Kayt18]

Cute

A super quick and fun read. Halloween is a time for mystery and bodies. This short novella has that and more.

[Danielle Lee]

Quick and cute!! Spirited too 🎃

[Mary Bemis]

Really Great Book!

I loved this book. I loved that it was a short story, but still tied in to her other books in the series.

[Phyllis]

An enjoyable uick read.

If you wnt a quick, fast and fun read, this is the book. It's Hlloween in Pelican Cove and there i a big party going on. A body is discovered on the beach and the Magnolias step in to solve the mytery.

[Kevin Noel]

A good short mystery

So this was a quaint little mystery, had me guessing who was the killer and i was rather surprised... if you like short reads this is one good little mystery...

[Virginia Bast]

Very good

Too short. Great story and I enjoy your stories. Love the main characters. Have to find a other book you've written.

[Tuanna Kelly Carpo]

A very well written story. I enjoyed it.

[Yvonne Meyer]

Short Story.

This was a very well written short story. I would like to read another of this series. I believe this was the second one I've read.

[Artist_carrie]

Cute

This was a cute short Halloween murder lol. It was fun to read I really did enjoy it on to the next in the series

[Barbara Hackel]

This is a fun short story to add to the growing saga of Pelican Cove and their rather high murder rate! It isn't the best place to start the series-obviously that is book one. By the time you have read all the books in the series it is a pleasure to have a short holiday story. In fact at this price, I hope the author considers doing other holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine's day, etc. Of course I hate to see all those holidays tainted by murder as well, but there may be other mysteries to solve, right?

Jenny and Adam are just about always pitted against each other even though they have a common goal. In this story he seemed unusually gruff with Jenny, and perhaps we will find out why in a future book. But if he always told her what she wanted to know, what would be the fun in reading the book then?

I have read books for this author in the past, and because I have always enjoyed them, I bought this one the moment I saw it for sale. I recommend it for all of you readers of the Pelican Cove Mysteries! It's a fun break from daily routine and is about my favorite holiday! Now if I could just sit down with Jenny and try her goodies from the cafe!!

[Kelsey]

I understand that this is a short story, but iy felt too short. There was a rush of introducing the characters at the beginning (I'm still not sure who everyone is exactly) and the climax and resolution all ended too quickly. The whole story was just too convenient and predictable. Plus, the characters are not realistic. The main character supposedly has a son in college (which would make her late 40s or 50s) but is acting like a young 22-year old. With more attention to detail (and a longer plot), this could be a pretty good stand-alone short story, but right now, it's not worth your time. I am disappointed and will not be reading the other short stories in the set.

[Aera]

I love the Halloween/Fall Festival season so was looking forward to reading this. I enjoyed reading the descriptions of the festivities but the characters were dull, uninteresting & boring. As for the mystery, it was okay but it's conclusion was a major disappointment. Very rushed, trite & very lame.

But what really grated was how the sheriff/boyfriend treated Jenny. What an abusive jerk but Jenny is the one who apologizes for his awful treatment of her? Grow a back bone Jenny. And to think she's the mother of a grown up son. Not a very good role model she's being.

For such a short story (just 42 pages) it was a bit of a chore to finish.

[Val]

Halloween has come to Pelican Cove and Jenny is hosting the Halloween party at the cafe. (Gulp). The cafe is packed and everyone is having a great time until a dead body is found on the beach. Jenny is the prime suspect (again) when its determined he was killed at the cafe. Who was the mystery guy and who killed him? Jenny and the Magnolias set out to solve the mystery and maybe see ghost ship in this hauntingly Great story.

[David Caldwell]

Short story

Just a quick short story that is mainly an introduction to the series.

It was not a bad read. It reminded me of the type of mysteries you get on the Hallmark Mystery Channel. Decent but not too involved. A couple of small points bothered me though. I still do not feel like I know the characters that well. Also, the last line of the story is not a good place to give the final clue.

[Lise]

(I like to review each story in a collective so I'm doing each one separately.)

As an overall mystery, the length hindered the plot greatly. A fair amount of time had to be spent briefly (very briefly) introducing the main characters and their relationships to one another. While each person seemed to have their own voice, some of the motivations seemed muddled.

The mystery itself was wrapped up very quickly and went from unsolved to wrapped up in the blink of an eye.

[Gina]

This very short story takes place around a Halloween party at the Boardwalk Café in Pelican Cove. A dead body is found, and Jenny, the main character, decides to help Sheriff Adam Hopkins find the killer. It doesn't take long, as this is a short tale, and is a little bit rushed at the end. I'm sad there wasn't a recipe included, especially with the mentions of all the delicious food! A squeaky clean read, for those new to the series.

[Vanessa]

This didn't do anything for me. Says it's an good introduction to the series, but perhaps would have enjoyed it more if I knew the characters before hand, but I doubt it. Too many people introduced in a short story to have any character development, the victim and the murderer aren't even given names, too quick and trite.

[Sue E]

Disappointed...

Was hoping for a cute Halloween story, and this just wasn't it. The writing and characters are poor, it's way too hurried through, and I had to laugh at the part where the sheriff blames her for the crime for no real reason, when he supposed to be interested in her ?! … and then in the next page she's fine and walking with him on the beach! 😔 seriously ?!

[Kat]

Who Foiled Halloween

This is a humorous well written short halloween cozey murder mystery. Jenny and the magnolia womans group put on a large halloween costume party. The next morning a body is found on the beach, once again the women turn to Jenny to find out what happened. A short enjoyable read, now i'ts your turn to enjoy "Hazelnuts and Halloween " 🙄Kat

[Linda]

At 43 pages, Hazlenuts and Halloween is a quick look at what is happening with Jenny King and Star in Pelican Cove. Now that Petunia is gone, Jenny is the Boardwalk Cafe owner and she's dating Sheriff Adam Hopkins. She's also back to sleuthing when a dead man is found on the beach after the Halloween party. Wish the story had been longer as I enjoy these characters.

[Misty]

Almost didn’t finish

This is the first book I’ve been able to finish from the series. I usually like when the main character dates the officer, but no one should date someone who treats them that way.

[Marcia Ditter]

This is the first book that I have read in this series. I was looking for a Halloween read. I liked everything about the book, the cover, the characters, the story.
Will be definitely reading more books in this series.

[RaChelle Holmberg]

Cozy story

Cute little story found in FreeBooksy, but if recommend reading part of the series first, characters were not easily identifiable.

Cozy little mystery story, but not really believable.