Author: Ruth Baker
Genre: Mystery
Digital Book
ASIN #: B0BB8Q8GG1
Clean Tales Publishing
114 Pages
$2.99 Amazon
October 31, 2022
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As Halloween draws close, Lucy is excited about some yummy treats she'll be sharing with the customers at Sweet Delights Bakery. She's always been a fan of this time of year as she loves being scared out of her wits and expecting the unexpected.
She is therefore thrilled when she's invited to visit a popular Halloween attraction in town with some close friends.
They're left petrified and speechless by what they encounter at the Haunted Forest attraction that includes real life monsters, a foreboding forest, spooked animals, and a dead body!
Lucy and her friends are horrified when one of the gang is identified as a prime suspect due to the strained relationship they had with the deceased. Things only take a turn for the worse when Lucy's name is disparaged in the local press because of her involvement with previous murders in Ivy Creek and a conspiracy that she might be involved with the present one.
Lucy is left frustrated and appalled as she sees the killer making the police department chase their tails and go down several rabbit holes.
Will she outwit the killer and bring them to justice or is it time to be afraid....very afraid as the killer begins to hunt her?
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Lucy Hale is living a happy life: she's taken over her parents' bakery after their death, has loyal employees, is living with her Aunt Tricia and her Persian cat Gigi in her family home, and has recently reconnected with her former boyfriend, Taylor, who's a chief deputy in the police department. As they say, life is good...
...or at least it was, for a little while. One of her employees, Betsy, is dating the local theater manager, Joseph Hiller. His younger brother Derek, a theater major at college, is visiting, and hoping to get the lead in The Sword and the Stone. But when the part goes to a rival, Tony Newton, he's not so much crushed as merely disappointed; at least until Tony starts spreading it all over social media what a loser Derek is. But Derek does manage to get a part as a monster in the new Haunted Hayride exhibition, which everyone plans to visit.
But on the night they do, there's a murder, and Derek is a likely suspect. To make things worse, there's a freelance reporter in town who specializes in salacious stories, and Lucy wants no part of him. He turns up everywhere, and is hounding townspeople. But she tries to stay positive, since she's sure Derek is innocentt
Meanwhile, her other employee Hannah is looking to care for a stray cat who doesn't seem to want to be found. She's sure the kitten needs a home, and she wants to be the one to provide it. Right now, that seems the easiest thing to focus on, as Derek's problems are much bigger. Will Lucy be able to stay away from this latest murder? Or will she find that she inadvertently puts herself in the line of fire once again?...
This is the eighth book in the series and I have read them all. I find them quick, easy, cozy reads that make you feel good when they are finished. The characters are becoming endearing to me, and their personalities grow with each book. I love the fact that Lucy's finding her life becoming stable and just what she wants it to be. I enjoy these so much that I wish I could visit her bakery; if for nothing else than to sit on the veranda and drink coffee!
The mystery is done very well, with enough red herrings thrown in to keep us busy throughout the story. While we are led in one direction, is it the correct one? Or are there others that we are not seeing? I guarantee that when you read this book you will find it a lovely book to read, and with just enough going on to keep you interested.
When the ending comes and the murderer is revealed, it's not so much as a surprise as the reason for the murder is. Try as I might, one can never see into the mind of a killer. In the end, this was just as delightful as the others in the series, and I cannot wait to read the next. Highly recommended.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher but this in no way influenced my review.
More on Ruth Baker's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/ruth-baker/
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