Happy Friday!
Are you ready for some spooktacular reading? Halloween is only a few weeks away and I’m reaching for Halloween/paranormal themed cozies to read. This is the time of the year when I want witches, ghosts and vampires in my reads. I want to read books filled with pumpkins and gourds and all the autumn vibes. It’s getting dark earlier each day and the temps are steadily dropping so I’m loving curling up on the sofa with Connie and a book that has a spooky, murderous vibe. I thought today I’d share with you some cozies that you might enjoy.
One Poison Pie by Lynn Cahoon (Kitchen Witch Mysteries)
In the first in New York Times bestselling author Lynn Cahoon’s Kitchen Witch series, Mia Malone is starting over in Magic Springs, Idaho—where murder is on the menu . . .
What’s a kitchen witch to do when her almost-fiancé leaves her suddenly single and unemployed? For Mia Malone, the answer’s simple: move to her grandmother’s quirky Idaho hometown, where magic is an open secret and witches and warlocks are (mostly) welcome. With a new gourmet dinner delivery business—and a touch of magic in her recipes—Mia’s hopes are high. Even when her ex’s little sister, Christina, arrives looking for a place to stay, Mia takes it in stride.
But her first catering job takes a distasteful turn when her client’s body is found, stabbed and stuffed under the head table. Mia’s shocked to learn that she’s a suspect—and even more so when she realizes she’s next on a killer’s list. With Christina, along with Mia’s meddling grandma, in the mix, she’ll have to find out which of the town’s eccentric residents has an appetite for murder…before this fresh start comes to a sticky end. . . .
Includes Recipes!
Mrs. Morris and the Vampire by Traci Wilton (Salem B&B Mystery)
It’s B&B owner Charlene Morris’s second Halloween in Salem, Massachusetts, and one she won’t soon forget when a self-proclaimed vampire is murdered . . .
Charlene’s bed and breakfast is fully booked with guests wanting to experience Salem’s wildest holiday—especially the annual Witch Ball, held at the historic Hawthorne Hotel. At the dance, actual witch and winery owner Brandy Flint has her back up over her daughter Serenity’s new beau—it’s bad enough he’s a decade older, he also claims to be a vampire from Romania.
As for Charlene, with handsome ghost Dr. Jack Strathmore haunting her B&B, she has developed an open mind regarding the supernatural. But her mind is blown when the clock strikes midnight, the lights flare and dim, and the vampire vanishes—leaving behind only his cape and a wooden stake with a thick red substance on the sharp tip. The next morning, a naked man washes up on the shore with a hole punched through his chest, and Detective Sam Holden has a homicide on his hands. Now Charlene and Jack must put their heads together to find out who staged the trick to stake a vampire . . .
What A Ghoul Wants by Victoria Laurie (A Ghost Hunter Mystery)
M. J. Holliday has the unusual ability to talk to the dead. But when it comes to a vengeful ghost and a mysterious drowning, this time she may be in over her head….
THAT SINKING FEELING
Kidwella Castle in northern Wales is rumored to be haunted by a deadly ghost—the Grim Widow, who allegedly drowns unsuspecting guests in the castle’s moat. Not long after M. J. and her crew arrive at the castle to film their ghost-hunting cable TV show, Ghoul Getters, two new victims are added to the Widow’s grisly roster.
Fear ripples through the castle, especially when it’s discovered that the victims may have had help into their watery graves from the land of the living. The local inspector suspects father-son serial killers, but M. J. thinks that theory is all wet. To catch the true culprit she will need to dive deep into the castle’s past and bring some long buried secrets to the surface.
A Stew To Kill by Jenny Kales (Callie Kitchen’s Mysteries)
Trouble is brewing in this Halloween culinary cozy mystery with a Greek twist!
A packed week of Halloween celebrations promises to be a treat for Callie’s Kitchen in scenic downtown Crystal Bay, Wisconsin. Greek-American eatery owner Callie Costas and her hard-working crew are gearing up for a charity costume gala, Halloween walk and spooky skeleton contest. But treats turn to tricks when a new employee at a friend’s tea shop is found dead, and Callie finds herself drawn into a murky brew of motives and murder suspects.
As if things weren’t scary enough, Callie’s old flame turns up and stirs the pot with a plan to develop a sprawling shopping mall that could threaten not only Callie’s Kitchen, but the town’s entire small business scene.
Will Callie help save her business and uncover a stew of simmering secrets before she becomes the killer’s next victim?
Scroll up to download this page-turning Halloween cozy mystery! Traditional Greek and comfort food recipes from Callie’s Kitchen are included, including delicious fall treats!
Seven Year Witch by Angela M. Sanders (Witch Way Librarian Mystery)
Finding your feet in a new job isn’t always easy. That goes double for Josie Way, who’s settling in as Wilfred, Oregon’s, new librarian—and has just discovered she’s a witch. But will her fledgling powers be enough to save her from a spell of murder?
While Josie develops her witchcraft with the help of letters left by her grandmother, there are other changes happening in her new hometown. A retreat center is being built at the old mill site, and rumor has it that the location is cursed. That piques Josie’s interest almost as much as Sam Wilfred, handsome FBI agent and descendant of the town’s founder . . .
When Sam’s soon-to-be ex-wife, Fiona, goes missing at the same time that a bloodied weapon is found, Josie enlists her witchy insight, and her cat familiar, to clear Sam’s name. But then the mill project’s architect is found dead, and it’s clear that someone has been drawing up a vicious plan. Now Josie will have to divine her way out of fatal mischief, before this deadly trouble turns double . .
Be My Ghost by Carol J. Perry (A Haunted Haven Mystery)
Maureen Doherty and her golden retriever Finn have taken possession of a charming old inn—only to discover that it’s already possessed by tenants whose lease on life already ran out . . .
Maureen’s career as a sportswear buyer hits a snag just before Halloween, when the department store declares bankruptcy. Meanwhile, Finn’s lost his way as a guide dog after flunking his test for being too friendly and easily distracted. Sadly, only one of them can earn unemployment, so Maureen’s facing a winter of discontent in Boston—when she realizes she can’t afford her apartment.
Salvation comes when she receives a mysterious inheritance: an inn in Haven, Florida. A quaint, scenic town on the Gulf of Mexico hidden away from the theme parks, Maureen believes it’s a good place to make a fresh start with a new business venture. But she gets more than she bargained for when she finds a dead body on her property—and meets some of the inn’s everlasting tenants in the form of ghosts who offer their otherworldly talents in order to help her solve the mystery . . .
A Waffle Lot of Murder by Lena Gregory (All-Day Cafe Breakfast Cafe Mystery)
For diner owner Gia Morelli, her seasonal fall menu calls for two main ingredients—maple syrup and murder . . .
While the first hints of autumn grace Boggy Creek, Florida, Gia misses the colorful harvest traditions she left behind in New York. On a scramble to make new fall memories—and promote her irresistible pumpkin spice waffles—things take a dark turn when she gets roped into the Haunted Town Festival, a spooky celebration held on deserted farmlands. The desolate area conjures plenty of eerie vibes at night, but Gia and her best friend, Savannah, are nearly frightened to death upon the discovery of the event organizer’s body buried in the nearby woods. More alarming, the local rumor mill says the woman’s shady dealings may have egged someone into sending her to an early grave. Now, there’s no shortage of creepy clues to feast on as Gia and her pals try to stop a killer with a very scary appetite . . .
Includes recipes from the All-Day Breakfast Café!
Murder Outside the Lines by Krista Davis (A Pen and Ink Mystery)
With Halloween just around the corner, the fall colors in Georgetown are brilliant. As manager of the Color Me Read bookstore, coloring book creator Florrie Fox has arranged for psychic author Hilda Rattenhorst to read from Spooktacular Ghost Stories. But the celebrity medium arrives for the event in hysterics, insisting she just saw a bare foot sticking out of a rolled-up carpet in a nearby alley. Is someone trying to sweep murder under the rug? Florrie calls in her policeman beau, Sergeant Eric Jonquille, but the carpet corpse has disappeared without a trace. Then in the middle of her reading, Hilda chillingly declares that she feels the killer’s presence in the store. Is this a publicity stunt or a genuine psychic episode? It seems there’s no happy medium. When a local bibliophile is soon discovered missing, a strange mystery begins to unroll. Now it’s up to Florrie and Jonquille to expose a killer’s true colors . . .
Now’s there one more suggestion I have for you and it’s WHAT NOT TO WEAR TO A GRAVEYARD. This novella is a part of the Resale Boutique series and is only available in e-book. I loved writing the Halloween themed story complete with a graveyard, a missing dog that was inspired by our little Billy and a costume party Kelly will never forget!
