Halloween

Lucy Connelly: Death at a Scottish Halloween

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Scottish Isle Mysteries #5

All Hallow’s Eve celebrations are underway in tiny Sea Isle, Scotland. American Dr. Emilia McRoy, a new resident who is the town’s only doctor and coroner, is busy working at the local haunted house. It’s good, safe fun until she and her assistant, Abigail, realize that one of the fake bodies in the haunted house is an actual dead body – and a murder victim.

Dr. Em’s boyfriend, Constable Ewan Campbell, is investigating the murder and tries to keep her out of it, but Em’s compassion for the victim’s family compels her to assist in the case. And it’s a complicated case involving multiple victims, mistaken identities, and possible theft. The killer seems to be looking for something, but what? Is there a connection between the two victims or just a mistaken identity, and is there a connection to a mysterious puzzle box from a local estate sale? read more

Traci Hall: Murder at a Scottish Halloween

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Scottish Shire #8

It’s Halloween in Nairn, a small seaside village in northern Scotland, and when teenage Brody Shaw accepts a dare to video the Wraith of Rait Ruins at a local castle, things go seriously wrong. Brody flees the ghost in terror, drops his phone, and returns to face his friends in shame. Worse, when he and mum Paislee return to look for his phone later that night, they find the dead body of a local teen dressed as the wraith. Was her death an accident or was it related to a theft at Cawdor Castle the same night? And who is leaving fliers promoting Scottish independence at crime scenes in the area? read more

Carol Miller: The Magician’s Deception

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Fortune Telling Mysteries #4

Disclosure: this is the first book of this series I have read. Apparently the theme of each Tarot-themed book comes from the main card of a Tarot reading done at the beginning of the book. Although Amazon describes the series as “hilarious,” that was not my impression. It’s fun and cozy, but not laugh-out-loud funny.

Sisters Hope and Summer Bailey run Bailey’s Boutique, a mystic shop in Asheville, North Carolina which features palm and tarot readings, tea, and mystical gemstones. When Hope does a one-card Tarot reading for a customer, her Gram peeks at the next undrawn card. It’s the Magician, which means “beware the deceitful stranger.” It’s enough to give Gram pause and for her to consider cancelling her school reunion trip with her boyfriend “Because it’s almost Halloween, my dear, and everything is turned around on Halloween.” read more

Maddie Day: Murder at Cape Costumers

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Cozy Capers Book Group #7

Maddie Day’s cozy capers book group series celebrates its seventh addition with Murder at Cape Costumers. Makenzie “Mac” Almedia run a bike rental and repair shop known as Mac’s Bikes in Cape Cod. She has extensive family there, and lives with her husband, Tim, and her African Grey Parrot, Belle. Mac and many of her friends are part of the cozy capers book group. While the group does spend time discussing the books they read, they also indulge in some investigations of their own when the need arises, often times to help clear the name of a member of the club, family member, or a friend in the community, of suspicion. read more

Frank Anthony Polito: Haunted to Death

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Domestic Partners in Crime #3

If you’re from southeast Michigan, these books really should be a must read.  This zippy cozy series is set in Pleasant Ridge and features Michigan details like Shinola watches and Sanders bumpy cake, but even if you aren’t from the mitten, these are still fun reads.  Main characters and life partners PJ and JP are, among other things, hosts of an “HDTV” home renovation series, where they take old houses and restore them to their former glory.  This charming gay couple reminds me strongly of my favorite couple on HGTV’s Detroit based Bargain Block, and like it or not, their faces have attached themselves to my reading of the books. read more

Emmeline Duncan: Chaos at the Lazy Bones Bookstore

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Series debut

Emmeline Duncan introduces us to her first book in a new series with Chaos at the Lazy Bones Bookshop. Readers are taken to Elya Hollow, Oregon to Bailey Briggs’ Lazy Bones Bookshop. This small town in Oregon is Halloween famous and definitely capitalizes on the theme. Even at Christmas they make sure to blend the two holidays, and make good of use of the movie Nightmare Before Christmas. All the shops have fun spooky themed names such as the Lazy Bones Bookshop, which Bailey has taken over from her grandparents. Her mother had her at a very young age, so Bailey was actually raised by her grandparents and she still lives with her Grandpa. Chaos at the Lazy Bones Bookshop has the town kicking off its spooky season with the Lit Festival. Aiming to take full advantage of the festival, Bailey has several fun events planned for her store including some visiting authors, one of which can cite Elya Hollow as his childhood home. As if enough isn’t going on, a TV show known as Gone Ghouls is also coming around to film a few episodes, the star of which also has roots in Elya Hollow. It starts off as a book of celebrations and homecoming, everyone excited for the events to come. read more

Paula Munier: Home at Night

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Mercy & Elvis #5

This is a great Halloween read.  You’d think mystery fiction would be more littered with great Halloween reads, but there really aren’t that many.  Munier also has a theme, as she always does, and the theme of this novel is “home,” the meaning of it and the finding of it. Her series centers on Mercy Carr, a veteran of the Afghan war, as is her dog, Elvis. The story opens with a young Mercy Carr encountering a ghost like figure at an old, abandoned house in town.  The woman who had owned it was a well known poet, and one of her more famous poems is a Halloween verse for children. read more

Meri Allen: Fatal Fudge Swirl

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Ice Cream Shop #3

As summer heats up this year, cozy fans should really consider staying cool by enjoying Fatal Fudge Swirl by Meri Allen. The Udderly Delicious ice-cream shop owned by Riley Roades is the place to be in Penniman, Connecticut, even as it celebrates Halloween. Perhaps the surge at the store is because when winter comes in, ice-cream shops go out, and no one wants to miss out on their last cone of the season. Riley isn’t upset about it, though, as she already has several plans to fill the time off. There is also a major event in town as formal child star Cooper Collins is filming a romantic comedy in town and his socialite mother Diantha is having an extravagant Halloween themed wedding at the local Inn on the Green. read more

Emily Littlejohn: Shatter the Night

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I am smitten with this series, now four books in.  Slight spoiler:  Detective Gemma Monroe is planning her wedding to Brody, father of baby Grace.  This is more or less background, however, as Gemma deals with a car bombing that takes place in the first chapter.  Set during Halloween, this novel is atmospheric and embraces the fear inherent in Halloween, rather than the cute ghostie trick or treating aspect of this now huge holiday.  Littlejohn goes back to the root: scary things that go bump in the night.  In this case, literally, an explosion. read more