Mrs. Morris and The Wolfman (A Salem B&B Mystery Book 7)

Author:    Traci Wilton

Genre:     Mystery/Paranormal

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781496741370

Kensington Cozies

336 Pages

$6/99; $7.59 Amazon

August 29, 2023

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Saturday night at the movies has some added flair now that Darren and Elise Shultz are reopening one of Salem's classic theaters.  Charlene is delighted to help the couple with their venture, and Darren has lined up a cult classic double-header featuring Lon Chaney in The Wolfman.  But things get hairer than expected when Elise starts to choke on her popcorn mid-movie -- and once the lights go up, she's dead...

When tests reveal Elise's popcorn was poisoned, Detective Sam Holden eyes her husband as the guilty party.  Charlene doesn't believe Darren would hurt his wfe -- even if his company's specialty seasoned salts were sprinkled on the fatal snack.  But who else had a motive to do something so unsavory?  With a little help from Jack, the handsome ghost who haunts her B&B, Charlene delves into the ill-fated couple's past.  And the more she learns, the more Charlene wonders if this time, she’s bitten off more than she can chew...

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After her husband's untimely death, Charlene Morris moved to Salem, Massachusetts and opened a B&B.  It's doing well, and between herself and her employees, she has a thriving business.  She also has a resident ghost, Dr. Jack Stratford, who was murdered on the property and is a permanent guest.  Only she and her cat, Silva, can see the handsome man.  But Charlene doesn't mind.  Jack is good company, and he's helped her solve a few murders in the past.

When there's a new theater opening in town, Charlene is one of the guests since she's friends with the owners, Darren and Elise Shults.  Darren, owner of a specialty salt company, is finally realizing his dream of owning a classic movie theater.  On this night, they're showing The Wolfman with Lon Chaney, Jr. as the haunted hero, a true classic.  But halfway through the film, his wife Elise seems to be choking, and is sent to the hospital.  But it's too late, and Elise is dead.  With Detective Sam Holden looking at Darren as the prime suspect, Charlene has a hard time believing it.  The problem is, Sam tells her to stay out of the investigation, while she knows that she can't.  Now it's up to her, Jack, and Charlene's young employee Avery to find a killer...

This is the seventh book in the series and I have read them all.  Probably because I love the fact of a resident ghost, and he and Charlene have what I would call chemistry, even if it's other-worldly.  Jack is definitely taken with Charlene, and while Sam is human, the thing I like most about Jack is he doesn't try to change Charlene, whereas Sam is always nagging her to stop doing things.  Jack accepts her for who she is, even if he doesn't like it.  He seems more suited to her (and I wish there were some way Jack could come back to the earthly plane to be with her).  Ah, well.  Just my thoughts.

While Charlene is trying her best to covertly find out who is a killer, she looks into Darren and Elise's pasts to see if she can garner any clues.  It is one word uttered by one of Darren's employees that sets her off on a new trail that might just lead her to the reasons behind the murder; but finding the person who killed Elise might just be a dead end.

What follows is an intense search for a killer that brings Charlene into trying not only to take care of her B&B guests, but help Darren prove his innocence.  The clues are there if you look for them, but they aren't easy to find.  I recognized some of what was going to occur, but not everything.  The book fascinated me to the point that I read it in one sitting (not even stopping to eat); and the ending was such a surprise and yet at the same time rather sad and bittersweet.  It was probably one of the best books (although I love them all) and I cannot wait to read the next in the series.  This talented writer has me completely hooked.  Highly recommended.

I was given an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

[On a side note, I love the old Universal horror films and own every one of them, which I watch around Halloween.  If you watch them in order, beginning with Dracula and Frankenstein, they tell a story that segues in each ascending film, including The Wolfman and culminating with House of Dracula.  It's a binge watch that has a very good ending.  Each film connects to the next.  Food for thought and I hope that I have given at least a few people a new enjoyment of older films (and I also can quote the movie lines.  Yes, I'm a book nerd and a classic film nerd).]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BNWG9V65?ref_

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5567134663

More on Traci Wilton's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/w/traci-wilton/

Halloween Cupcake Murder

Author:    Carlene O'Connor, Liz Ireland, Carol J. Perry

Genre:     Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781496740267

Kensington Cozies

320 Pages

$27.00; $13.77 Amazon

August 22, 2023

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

HALLOWEEN CUPCAKE MURDER by Carlene O'Connor

With Galway's Halloween Mystery Tour only a few days away, Tara Meehan is scouring the town's curiosity shops for spooky decorations to draw tourists into her architectural salvage store.  But when a stranger appears in her shop bearing a cryptic cupcake and an ominous message, Tara suddenly finds herself tangled in a mystery with ancient Gaelic roots, but very modern -- and very deadly -- consequences...

MRS. CLAUS AND THE CANDY CORN CAPER by Liz Ireland

Christmastown is pulling out all the stops for their Halloween celebration, planning a huge carnival with rides, games, and a candy corn-themed bake-off!  But the sweet theme stokes the bitterest of rivalries amongst the elves, until tragedy strikes at Santaland's newest bakery.  The only clue is a cupcake, leaving Mrs. Claus to sort through tricks and treats as she races to unmask a Halloween fiend...

A TRIPLE LAYER HALLOWEEN MURDER by CAROL J. PERRY

Every October, Salem plunges into a month-long celebration of Halloween and WICH-TV's Lee Barrett can't wait to cover the festivities.  But rumors swirl after a wealthy bakery owner goes missing -- and his beloved cat, Cupcake, is found -- under mysterious circumstances.  Now, amid Salem's wicked revelry, Lee must conjure clues to reveal the missing millionaire...or the truth about his disappearance...

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This is an anthology of three short stories by well-known cozy writers.  In the first, Halloween Cupcake Murder by Carlene O'Connor, we join her in Galway, where the American has made a good life for herself.  As the owner of an architectural salvage shop, the ex-interior designer knows what to look for when browsing, and one day comes across a shop with an old man who owns it.  He sells her a few items to decorate for Halloween, and also an unusual painting that has a legend attached to it.  

Later that day, she sees someone in a cloak and Halloween mask enter his store, and when she returns, the man is dead.  While she becomes the main suspect, she knows she needs help to solve the murder.  But it doesn't help when she receives a cupcake with a key in it -- from the same bakery that the elderly man had mentioned to her.  Now she's involved in a secret group, and doesn't want to be.  With Halloween coming up fast, she needs to solve the mystery before her only costume will be a jail jumpsuit...

This is the story that I loved the best.  I do love Ms. O'Connor's writing, and I love this series, so perhaps I am biased, but oh, well.  The tale is written beautifully, and you are almost pulled into the Irish isle yourself.  It is a delightful tale for Halloween, with a bit of suspense thrown in, and a very good ending indeed.

The second story, Mrs. Claus and the Candy Corn Caper by Lis Ireland, has a new bakery opening up directly across from the one everyone goes to.  It is run by the owner's former chef, and he has high hopes for it.  That is, until his employee is found dead with a candy corn cupcake near him.  Mrs. Claus wonders who wanted to kill the elf, since he seemed well-liked by everyone.  But someone didn't want him around, and she's determined to figure out who, before the Halloween Festival is ruined.

I have not read anything by this author before, and I will say that she is very talented, also.  But I am not really interested all that much in fantasy, to be honest.  However, I did enjoy the tale quite a bit.  I would have really liked to have seen more interaction between April (Mrs. Claus) and her husband, Nick.  It seemed to me that they led two separate lives, as he never asked her what she was doing or even seemed involved.  Other than that, the story was cute and would definitely interest those who love this author.  The ending was cute as well.

In the third story, A Triple Layer Halloween Murder by Carol J. Perry, one of the town's most respected citizens disappears, along with his cat, leaving his bakery in chaos and his wife heartbroken.  Lee Barrett, who works for WICH-TV, finds the cat in her front yard, but no one is with him.   Lee has a special talent -- when she looks in a reflective image maker, she can see things that are pertinent to what she needs -- and now she sees a cabin.  But what does it have to do with the missing man?

Informing her detective boyfriend, he knows whatever she tells him will matter, but he deals in facts, and can't act on her impressions.  With Halloween approaching, will she be able to help find the man before it's too late?  Or will something more sinister approach leaving her out in the cold?

I have read Ms. Perry's books upon occasion and enjoyed them.  I enjoyed this one as well; so much so that I think I need to re-read her Witch City series.  It grows on you, and this short story just adds to that.  As a final story, it holds up well, and plays to Halloween nicely.  When the ending comes, it is a very good epilogue, and leaves us wanting more.

All in all, the three stories are highly enjoyable and I would definitely recommend this anthology to those who love reading about Halloween, and even those who don't.

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but in no way did it influence my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Halloween-Cupcake-Murder-Carlene-OConnor-ebook/dp/B0BNCMN5Y4/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5559113718

More on Carlene O'Connor's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/o/carlene-oconnor/

More on Liz Ireland's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/i/liz-ireland/

More on Carol J. Perry's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/p/carol-j-perry/

Murder at a Cape Bookstore (A Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery #5)

Author:    Maddie Day

Genre:     Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781496740557

Kensington Cozies

288 Pages

$8.99; $6.99 Amazon

August 22, 2023

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Everyone loves a festival, though Mac has a few concerns about the Spring equinox event organized by the new Chamber of Commerce director, Wagner Lavoie.  After all, March weather is unpredictable.  Still, there's plenty to enjoy, between flower-shaped candies at Salty Taffy's, spring rolls at the Rusty Anchor, and a parade of decorated bicycles.  But the festivities soon take a stormy turn... 

Mac glimpses conflict between Wagner and other locals during the festival, but it's a shock when he's found dead in the Book Nook, pinned beneath a toppled bookshelf.  It's an irresistible cast for Mac's book group.  She and the rest of the Cozy Capers will have to use all their sleuthing skills to bring the killer's story to an end...

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Mackenzie "Mac" Almeida owns a bike shop in town, and her new husband, Tim Brunelle, owns the local bakery.  They're just settling into married life, and all is good.  At least, it was.  The new Chamber of Commerce director, Wagner Lavoie, wants this year's Spring equinox festival to go over well, and he's requesting that all business owners give away "freebies" to locals and tourists.  Not all business owners are happy about this, and Mac does see a couple of them arguing with Wagner.  But the festival goes on as planned, and everything seems to be going well.

At least until Mac visits her friend Norland, ex-police chief in town, at the bookstore he's watching for the owners.  They hear a noise inside, and unfortunately find the body of Wagner under a bookcase that's tipped over.  When they find it's a suspicious death, Norland is one of the suspects, and Mac isn't letting it go.  She's determined to find out who killed the man and why.  What she does discover is that Wagner wasn't well liked by anyone, and the person who killed him just might be someone she knows...

This is the fifth book in the series and I have read all of them.  I have to say that the series has improved with each book, and that's a good thing.  This time out, Mac wonders if one of the other business owners in town is a killer, and if so, how she can prove it.  Or it could be her new employee Sandy, who disappears without notice whenever she wants and seems to have a history with Lavoie.  But Sandy's sister Orlean, another of Mac's employees, isn't giving anything out.  She'll have to figure this one out on her own, since the rest of her book group isn't garnering much themselves.

When the ending comes it isn't as much of a surprise as it should be, but it is definitely worth reading about.  It shows that Mac keeps her wits about her and manages once again to get herself as much out of danger as in it.  It's a good book that will keep you reading in one session.  Recommended.

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but in no way did this influence my honest review.

https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Bookstore-Capers-Group-Mystery/dp/1496740556/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5552366592

More on Maddie Day's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/d/maddie-day/

Overdue or Die (A Haunted Library Mystery Book 7)

Author:    Allison Brook

Genre:     Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781639104833

Crooked Lane Books

304 Pages

$29.99; $13.99 Amazon

October 3, 2023

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Carrie Singleton has more than her fair share on her plate: her job at the Clover Ridge Library, preparing for her wedding to Dylan Avery, and hoping that the local art gallery doesn't steal away one of her part-time employees.  Her fiancé Dylan accompanies her to the beautiful home of Victor Zalinka -- art collector and successful businessman -- to select paintings for the art show at the library.  While Carrie muses that Victor's home would be the perfect wedding venue, Dylan spots a forgery among the paintings in Victor's collection.

Then Martha Mallory is found murdered in her art gallery.  With the assistance of Evelyn, the library ghost, the resident cat, Smoky Joe, and the office manager of Dylan's private investigation company, Carrie comes up with a suspect list long enough to rival the size of an encyclopedia.  During her investigation, Carrie stumbles across a terrible truth: Martha's murder was part of something far bigger and more dangerous than she could have ever imagined.  And it all leads back to the art gallery.

How far will Carrie go to find the killer and uncover the truth?  If the killer finds her first -- will Carrie finally be taken out of circulation?

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Carrie Singleton is trying to find time to plan her wedding to Dylan Avery, the owner of a private investigation firm.  But she's also wondering if her employee Susan is going to be poached by the owner of a local art gallery.  In between this, an art collector, Victor Zalinka, is willing to offer several of his paintings for a show at the library.

But more is happening in Carrie's life: there's a problem with her Uncle Bosco, and she's worried about him; and Dylan has to travel once more to retrieve a painting his late uncle left for him.  So, Carrie is manning everything by herself without trying to feel overwhelmed, even if it's hard to do.  Then, the owner of the art gallery, Martha Mallory, is found dead; bludgeoned with a heavy object, and of course the first suspect is her husband Ron.  But when he turns out to have an alibi, Carrie once again tries to find out who the murderer might be.  Was it a wannabe artist who has a bad past and disliked her?  Was it the son of a noted mob boss?  Or could it have been someone Carrie never even suspected in the first place...

This is the seventh book in the series and I have read them all.  I loved this one even more than the last.  While we watch Carrie's angst at planning her wedding, we also see that she can handle stress and multitask like there's no tomorrow.  Unfortunately, there is no tomorrow for the dead woman, and Carrie only hopes that her employee Susan isn't involved in the murder.  While Evelyn, the library ghost, offers cryptic clues and pushes Carrie to solve Martha's murder, Carrie soon finds that the list grows with every day.  But what surprises her is actually a surprise about Martha, and this revelation brings more doubt and even more suspects.  For Carrie, the truth isn't going to be easy, and no matter what she does, she discovers that she might have her eye on the wrong people.

When the ending comes and the murderer is revealed, it is a cold day indeed; one that brings us to realize just how one of the Seven Deadly Sins can cause murder and distrust.  This story is not only well-written, it is done with aplomb and intrigue, and kept me reading in one sitting.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

I was given an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Overdue-Haunted-Library-Mystery-Book-ebook/dp/B0BRMP7C37/ref

Goodreads:     https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5534059090

More on Allison Brook's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/allison-brook/