From investigative reporter to assistant manager of the family funeral parlor isn’t exactly how Desiree Turner saw her life going. It certainly makes things interesting and she has the side job working for the local paper. So of course she can’t help but want to investigate when she over hears a couple of bereaved sisters talking in hushed tones about something that shouldn’t have happened. Did the caregiver sister Iris end her father’s life a little sooner than nature would have? And why did her latest “customer” Violet have bruises on the tops of her hands if she supposedly fell asleep at the wheel and fatally crashed into an embankment. Not that Desiree needs any encouragement to snoop around but when her former high school boyfriend and current interest ME Nate says that something is “hinky” about the death. To top it off Desiree is the only person who believes that her Dad did not die when he went surfing 6 months ago, after all there was no body recovered and the odd trinkets and notes that were left shortly after the incident that pointed to her Dad still being in the land of the living. Desiree is the girl next door, even though that door leads to a mortuary. She is outgoing and jovial with a great group of friends. While we don’t usually think of a funeral home being a true home, the Turner family, sister Donna and Uncle Joey make it feel just like that. Great story line can’t wait to read the next, especially with the cliff hanger ending.
What could be more fun than spending time with friends, maybe spending time with friends solving a 15 year old mystery about a supposed witch in an abandoned house right before Halloween! With a ghost and a séance the "lock-in" is sure to be an experience none of the group is soon to forget. Excellent Halloween read with a great cast of characters. Jill Gardner makes a great heroine, very real and relatable. The story line was very interesting and while I was able to figure out part of the mystery I did not see the whole picture until the author was ready for the big reveal. I cannot wait to get my hands on more of the Tourist Trap Mystery books to see how Jill and her Aunt Jackie fend with their shop, Coffee, Books, and More.
Attorney Keli Melanni is a closet Wiccan getting ready to celebrate one of the most sacred of Wiccan holidays, Samhain. That is until her mysterious eco conscious aunt turns up dead. Keli didn't have a chance to get to know Aunt Josephine although she was familiar with her good works with Sister Seeds. Why was Aunt Josie doing in the woods that night and why does Mrs. Hammerlin think her new home is haunted, how are Keli and Wes ever going to find time to be together even though they share a home. I liked the dash of occult mixed with the multiple story lines and interesting characters. The mini mysteries did not take away from the main thread and in fact enhanced it while helping the reader to get to know the other characters as well. Great read, great series can't wait to see what is up next!
This is another Meier two-for. Trick or Treat Murder. The early days of Lucy Stone after the catalog ordering business, but before she became a Mom of 4. Lucy is one bar working Mom who is trying to balance home, investigative reporting and a baby all on a minimal amount of sleep. Why else would she agree to make 12 dozen Halloween cupcakes for the town Halloween party. Yet she still finds the time to add a bit of sleuthing when the latest in a series of arson related fires takes the life of a summertime neighbor. So many suspects from a cheating husband to the energetic mistress, or was it just a group of kids looking for kicks and it all went wrong. These earlier story lines have a different character feel than the previous novels and the endings seem rushed. Overall it was entertaining and a quick read. It is interesting to compare and contrast early Lucy with older Lucy as the next story in the book is The Wicked Witch Murder. Funny thing, it’s a warlock not a witch who ends up dead as we see how little Tinker’s Cove reacts to a self proclaimed Wiccan with a new age storefront. Lucy endeavors to have an open mind but not all of her neighbors feel the same way especially after the next door neighbor’s wife becomes ill and dies. Plus Lucy’s girls are enamored with the idea of being new age Wiccans. With hostilities growing Lucy fears for her girls and their new Wiccan friend. It does seem that these more updated timelines are more political than they used to be which I find distracting from the entertainment of the story line. The Stone’s do seem more relaxed and less uptight than in the “younger” novels which is a nice progression in character development that mirrors life. All in all an easy read and an appropriate Halloween story.
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