Mischief Nights Are Murder
Poppy is none too pleased when her B&B is coerced into participating in the Cape May Haunted Dinners Tour during the Halloween season. Pranks abound, and Aunt Ginny is none too happy about them. Though Poppy’s knack for finding dead bodies has given the place a spooky reputation, the Murder House is a completely undeserved nickname. At least it used to be.
While Poppy wrangles with some guests who can’t stop squabbling with each other, including a paranormal researcher, a very quirky pet psychic who freaks out her portly Persian, an undercover tabloid reporter eager to catch her staff in a lie, and ghost hunters who think her house is haunted. One of them winds up face down in a plate of tiramisu. And now Poppy has bigger worries than pranks and getting her home teepeed.
The Details
Series: A Poppy McAllister Mystery – Book #8
Author: Libby Klein
Genre/Category: Cozy – B&B/Halloween
Publisher: Kensington Cozies
ISBN: 1496733150
Page Count: 448
Rating: 
The Review
Mischief Nights Are Murder is big, really BIG! And I know I have complained about this very thing with other books in this series, but this time it didn’t bother me very much. Revolving around my favorite season, Halloween, I loved the haunted dinner tour idea, and the pranks were great! I actually didn’t care if a murder happened or not, but of course, it did, and it was done to perfection. Agatha Christie would have been proud.
A haunted dinner tour includes a gourmet meal and tour of Poppy and Ginny’s house, supposedly haunted by several ghosts. When a tour member dies while eating dessert at Poppy’s house, there is no doubt she will get involved with the investigation. Anyone who thought otherwise would have to be, well… a ghost. Suspects abound, including everyone at the dinner, one of Poppy’s employees, and a few who were not at the dinner. Evidence is in short supply, so readers must put on their thinking caps. The side mystery of who keeps pulling pranks and decorating Poppy’s front lawn with ghoulish delights keeps Ginny on her toes and bad-tempered.
Figuring out who the killer was, wasn’t easy. Keeping the tabloid reporter from claiming that Poppy’s house is haunted and, at the same time, making sure the reporter left believing it was haunted was quite a balancing act. I caught on to the killer about midway through the book but wasn’t confident I was right until the end. On the other hand, I had no clue who was pulling the pranks, but I loved the way they were revealed in both cases. The character of Poppy grew a bit, and I was able to like her a bit more; it seems she may be finally growing a spine. All in all, this addition to the series was fun, exciting and contained two mysteries that will leave readers laughing and happy. But if you are anything like me… it will also have you craving the holiday season, decorating, the scents of good food, and the laughter of good company.
The Author
Libby Klein graduated from Lower Cape May Regional High School in the ’80s. Her classes revolved mostly around the culinary sciences and theater, with the occasional nap in Chemistry. She writes culinary cozy mysteries from her Northern Virginia office while trying to keep her naughty cat Figaro off her keyboard. Libby was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that prevents her from eating gluten without exploding. Because of her love for cake, she now creates gluten-free goodies and includes the recipes in her Cape May-based series. Her hobbies revolve around eating, traveling, and eating while traveling. She insists she can find her way to any coffee shop anywhere in the world, even while blindfolded. Contact Libby on her website.
Other books in this series readers will enjoy are Antique Auctions Are Murder and Beauty Expos Are Murder.
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