Author: Darci Hannah
Genre: Mystery
Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9781496741721
Kensington Cozies
352 Pages
$8.99; $6.99
July 25, 2023
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Lindsey prefers to keep her bakeshop's Halloween decor light and autumnal, rather than gruesome and ghoulish. But everyone knows her lighthouse home is haunted. Some intrepid teens have even tried to break in to witness the resident ghost themselves. Dreading Halloween night, Lindsey reluctantly allows her influencer and podcaster best friend, Kennedy, to host a live ghost hunting investigation in the lighthouse, conducted by a professional team. Protective of her ghost, Lindsey is understandably nervous about what they might uncover...
The segment is uneventful -- until things take a terrifying turn. The team freaks out. As Kennedy joins the mad dash outside, she bumps into what looks like the prankster teens' creepy clown costume hanging from a tree. But when Lindsey's dog, Wellington, begins to whine, they make a grim discovery: the clown is no dummy. It's a corpse.
Now Lindsey and company will need to keep their cool if they want a ghost of a chance to solve the murder -- and see another Halloween...
✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽
Lindsey Bakewell gave up her job in finance to move to Michigan and open a bakeshop -- right in the old lighthouse that even has a resident ghost, Captain Willy. She's been happy and successful, and has made many new friends. Among them first and foremost is Rory Campbell, with whom she's started a romance. Also along is her best friend Kennedy, who's a successful podcaster and influencer herself, who stays in the lighthouse with Lindsey when she's in town.
It's closing in on Halloween, and Lindsey loves the pumpkin season. What she doesn't love is the pranks that local teens have been playing on her: at night they've been hanging scary dummies in one of her trees (think along the lines of Freddy Kreuger). She's determined to get to the bottom of who exactly has been doing it, and has asked for help from a local teacher that the students love. During a pumpkin carving contest for the teens, she has her suspicions, but keeps them to herself.
On top of that, a television ghost hunting team has descended upon the town, trying to find out if Lindsey's ghost is real or not. Intrigued, Kennedy and Lindsey's friends convince her it can't be harmful. But while on air, something spooks the team and they come running from the lighthouse. Unfortunately, Kennedy bumps into what appears to be another dummy. But it's not. It's the body of a local. Now there's a murder investigation, Lindsey's lighthouse is temporarily off limits, Kennedy is traumatized, and a visiting author is interested. Where does Lindsey go from here? And who killed the person? She's determined to find out, even if it kills her...
This is the fourth book in the series and I have read them all. I love this series. Probably because I like the idea that she has a resident ghost that looks out for her (and vice versa), but I also love all the characters, her parents included. They have depth, they have believability, and they act like real people act, which is a feat to truly achieve.
Lindsey has her ups and downs, just like us. She cares for those who are close to her, and even those who are not. She has a strong sense of integrity, and is smart. putting that knowledge to use when she's on a mission. Her mission right now is to avoid the annoying author and find out who murdered someone on her grounds. It's a task she doesn't take lightly, and her friends have her back.
When she starts looking, the suspect list grows longer. But with each interview, the list dwindles until there are only two names on it, and she's not sure which one is the killer. Once she has the information she needs from the coroner, this seems to begin to put things in focus, but is it the right path?
In the end, we have a climax that is extremely tense, and worth reading the entire book for. While I was both a bit sad and happy, I do want to see all of the characters back in the next book. Without saying any more, or ruining the book for others, I will say that this can be read as a standalone, but you will enjoy the rest of the series as well. Highly recommended.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.
More on Darci Hannah's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/darci-hannah/
No comments:
Post a Comment