Book 3 in Ellen Byron's Vintage Cookbook Mysteries is a treat!
I am such a fan of Ellen Byron's cozy mysteries. They are well-written, humorous, puzzling whodunnits populated by wonderful characters. They have unique settings, and this one is a New Orleans Culinary Museum inside a historic home. Her books are always enjoyable and entertaining. And this one, with all the Fall/Halloween vibes and New Orleans charm, was atmospheric and so much fun to read!
The story revolves around Ricki James-Diaz and her crew at the Bon Vee Culinary House Museum, who are setting up a haunted house on-site. However, a suspicious death staged for dramatic effect disrupts the Halloween festivities. The well-paced mystery, with its good-sized suspect pool, twists, and red herrings, kept me engaged and guessing.
Ricki finds out she has a surprising connection with the victim, which sets off both an investigation and a personal discovery for Ricki. So, we get a bit more of Ricki's backstory in this one. Ricki is likable, intelligent, and surrounded by supporting characters who are as well-developed and witty as she is. There is a warm, found family dynamic between everyone. While the characters feel like old friends, these books also work as stand-alones, so anyone can jump in here and not feel lost. Bryon rounds out the book with recipes from vintage cookbooks, which are interesting to read, too. Cozy mystery lovers and anyone looking for a Halloween-themed book that is pure fun with a dash of deadly shenanigans will want to pick this up!
Thank you to Severn House Publishing for the gifted eARC
French Quarter Fright Night by Ellen Byron
Vintage Cookbook Mysteries #3
Pub Date: September 3, 2024
My steep was Pumpkin Spice Fireside Chai from Club Magic Hour with coconut milk. This herbal rooibos-based chai with orange peel and pumpkin spice is such a cozy tea!
PUBLISHER'S SYNOPSIS:
Welcome to the Bon Veeevil Festival of Fear! Prepare for the spookiest night of your life . . .
It's Halloween in New Orleans, and the staff of Bon Vee Culinary House Museum is setting up a fantastic haunted house tour for their visitors. But when flashy movie star Blaine Taggart and his entourage move into the mansion next door, gift shop proprietor Ricki James-Diaz gets a fright of her own.
While Ricki is excited about the potential business the tours will bring to her vintage cookbook shop, she's less thrilled by former friend Blaine's arrival in town. Then Bon Vee's prop tomb becomes a real tomb for Blaine's nasty assistant, and suddenly everyone at Bon Vee is a murder suspect. There isn't a ghost of a chance one of them committed the crime, but with NOPD busy tackling the mischief and mayhem generated by the spooky holiday, it falls on Ricki and her friends to catch the killer.
As the Big Easy gears up for the Big Scary, it seems everyone has skeletons in their closets. Can Ricki reveal the shadowy killer before someone else becomes part of the Halloween horror show?
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