Book Review: A Catered Halloween

Reviewed By: Dawn Dowdle

A Catered Halloween     Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
Isis Crawford
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Culinary   Cozy
Series: Catered Mysteries # 5
Kensington, Hardcover, 9/08, 320 pages, $22.00

Sisters Libby and Bernie Simmons run their catering service and shop called A Little Taste Of Heaven. They're catering the Lonely Volunteer Fireman's Halloween Haunted House fundraiser in the mansion wealthy Mark Kane just purchased for his Foundation. He has hired experts to set up holograms and special effects.

Mark, Libby, and Bernie stumble across the severed head of Amethyst Applegate at the bottom of the steps. Her body is found on the platform with the pendulum swinging above.

Amethyst wasn't well liked, so there are a lot of suspects. Bob Small becomes the prime suspect. Libby and Bernie are asked to find the real killer. They enlist the help of their ex-policeman father Sean Simmons. Marvin, Libby's boyfriend, also lends a hand.

Years ago this mansion was The Peabody School. Bessie Osgood, a student, fell out one of the windows and died. There has been speculation that it wasn't an accident and that Amethyst was involved. But no one knows for sure.

Could Amethyst's death be related to Bessie's? Is it really Bessie's ghost they keep seeing?

I'd never read any books by this author. I found this to be an easy to read cozy mystery with a good plot and likable characters. Reading it around Halloween enhanced the reading experience.

Libby, Bernie, and Sean are very good investigators and kept me guessing as to the real identity of the killer until it was revealed.

I recommend this book.

Dawn Dowdle

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Dawn Dowdle

Please visit Dawns website at www.mysteryloverscorner.com

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