I decided that for October I would focus on Halloween-ish cozy mysteries for the month. Here are my reviews of my 3 NetGalley picks.
The Skeleton Paints a Picture by Leigh Perry
Some people have a proverbial skeleton in their closet, but adjunct Professor Georgia Thackery has a literal skeleton. Which seems very appropriate for a literary professor whose best friend and sometimes sleuthing partner is Sid the skeleton. I loved this dip into the fantastic! Being an adjunct means that Georgia goes where there is work and this time she finds herself at an art school that has decided to beef up its literary department. Apparently the school admin should have considered beefing up security because not only is original artwork being stolen from the students and resold as snazzy t-shirts on the net, another adjunct lit professor is murdered while investigating the problem and Georgia and Sid are the ones who find her. It could be anyone, from the art students to the faculty even that pesky co-worker who won't take no for a dating answer. Sid holds it together (with sheer will power, he doesn't have any muscles and such) and helps Georgia to paint the picture and solve the crimes.Grave Errors by Carol Perry
This was my second Lee Barrett book and I enjoyed it just as much as the first one. Lee lives in Salem, Massachusetts, THE Salem, Massachusetts and teaches TV production in a small local school; and this time the story takes place right before Halloween. It's not what you think, Lee isn't a witch but she does have an ability. She can get psychic visions whenever she looks into a reflective surface. From the mirror in her room to the gigantic shiny Buster Brown shoe behind her work desk. These visions are usually brought on by murder and mayhem. This time it's the sibling of a student who traveled all the way from the wilds of Alaska to find out what happened to her sister. If that wasn't spooky enough, the class decides that it would be fun to promote El Dia de los Muertos aka the Day of the Dead as a class project which means visiting a graveyard...several times. In the midst of all this Lee will try to help her police officer boyfriend to get to the bottom of the girls death that was ruled a suicide, but was it?A Catered Costume Party by Iris Crawford
This is the first cozy mystery I have read that started with a narrated murder. Darrius Witherspoon takes us step by step through the demise of his wife only to be found dead at his own Halloween soiree catered by our sister heroines; Bernie and Libbie Simmons. No strangers to suspense and the occasional dead body, these ladies get busy snooping out clues while doing their best to whip up tasty treats and stay out of jail. The local law enforcement does not appreciate their "meddling." To add to the macabre of this story is the mysterious Berkshire Arms apartment co-op where the place overseen by it's own murder of crows. The police say it's suicide but the girls were left instructions and promise of payment from Witherspoon just in case. I thoroughly enjoyed the plot and character development was spot on. I will take a look at the previous installments although this story did just fine as a stand alone and can't wait to try out the recipes.
