I went to my local department store and was surrounded by ghost and goblins.
I’m not talking about the spooky masks, and scary decorations. I’m talking
about those sneaky, delicious, evil treats made out of chocolate, caramel
and peanut butter! I resisted the temptation that would put ten pounds on my
hips, and turned to an area of the store that would make me ten times
happier—the book section!
What better way to celebrate Halloween then to buy up a few cozy mysteries
instead of candy? (You know you’re going to eat the little devils before the
holiday if you buy a bag this early anyway.) A book costs the same as a bag
of candy, but a book will never go bad, they won’t make my dentist roll her
eyes, and the stories are scrumptious! Just take a look, these were four
treats I couldn’t pass up!
LOOKING FOR MR. GOOD WITCH by Joyce and Jim Lavene
About: Everyone’s favorite retired witches from SPELL
BOOKED have returned and are diving into troubled waters to find a
sinister sea witch…
A sea witch has been leaving bodies in her wake up and down the Carolina
coast, baffling authorities who are finding drowning victims with no water
in their lungs. The fin-icky female will continue to kill young male witches
until she finds her perfect man—the one who survives her mating ritual—so
she can live for another hundred years. And now coven hopeful Brian Fuller
is about to be ensnared in her net.
Retired witches Molly and Elsie, along with the ghost of Olivia and her
daughter Dorothy, need all the help they can get to stop the sea witch.
Aided by a selkie and a crème puff–craving mermaid, they’re determined to
keep Brian out of her murky clutches. But are they all about to get in over
their heads?
About: In the latest Bridal Bouquet Shop
mystery, florist Audrey Bloom creates an arrangement for a one-of-a-kind
wedding, but ends up pruning a one-of-a-kind criminal…
As the co-owner of the Rose in Bloom Flower Shop, Audrey knows how to put
together unique wedding bouquets, but this one takes the cake. The daughter
of a local historian is getting married in a medieval-themed, hand-fasting
ceremony, and Audrey is responsible for providing period-accurate blooms.
But making sure she gets her roses right turns out to be the least of
Audrey’s problems. Shortly after the vows are exchanged, the father of the
groom suddenly drops dead. When Audrey discovers the man’s death stems from
monkshood poisoning, it’s a clear-cut case of murder. Now, faced with a
suspect list that rivals the guest list, Audrey needs to root out the toxic
killer…
About: The author of Independence Slay invites
readers back to Celebration Bay for Halloween festivities with more tricks
than treats…
This October in Celebration Bay, you can’t swing a black cat without hitting
a haunted house. There are three finalists in the contest for the town’s
official Haunted House, and ten thousand dollars will go to the winner, with
the rest of the contributions and proceeds funding a new community center.
Event coordinator Liv Montgomery has invited her friend Jonathan Preston,
the debonair CEO of a philanthropic organization, hoping he will award a
grant to the center.
But after the Museum of Yankee Horrors wins first place, the transformed
Victorian boarding house is vandalized ... and among scattered mannequins of
Hester Prynne, Lizzie Borden, and the Headless Horseman, a real dead body is
found—one of the contest judges. Now in addition to playing host to Jon, Liv
has to play detective and coordinate the clues to unmask a self-appointed
judge, jury, and executioner.
About: Sid the Skeleton bones up on clues to solve a
Haunted House homicide in this mystery from the author of The Skeleton Takes
a Bow…
What holiday could bring more warmth to a skeleton’s chest cavity than
Halloween? And when you’re a living skeleton who’s not supposed to be seen
outside the house, it’s a welcome chance to get some fresh air and rub bony
elbows with people. That’s why Sid doesn’t mind wearing a full-body dog suit
and going as Scooby-Doo along with Georgia Thackery’s Velma to the Halloween
Howl.
Sid can’t wait to go through the Haunted House—but he gets rattled for real
when a genuine dead body is discovered. Trapped inside as the police quickly
seal off the crime scene, Sid makes no bones about dropping the dog suit and
posing as an actual skeleton. This murder is a skull-scratcher, but as long
as Sid is on the inside, he might as well case the joint to figure out who
used the cover of darkness to commit the perfect crime…
Kym Roberts is a
retired detective sergeant who looks for passion, mystery and suspense in
every
book she reads and writes. She can be found on the web at kymroberts.com, on
Facebook at Kym Roberts (author) and on Twitter @kymroberts911. Look for her
latest release, DEAD MAN'S CARVE, A Tickled to Death Mystery on
Amazon. (All proceeds will be donated to wounded veterans)
Your column today was definitely a sweet treat, because I know you chose the cream of the crop for our eyes only!! It's true what you said comparing the price of a book to a bag of candy these days, and all you really need is a glass of your favorite beverage alongside you while you're reading!! Let your little ghosts and goblins go out on the town to get you a few tasty morsels if you have a sweet tooth!! Thank you again for coming through with some winners for us, especially for this time of year!! (Peggy Roberson 7:46am September 30, 2015)