{I've Been Reading} Halloween Cozies

Mulberry Mischief by Sharon Farrow

When the eccentric Lake Lady comes into her shop wanting to order enough mulberries to completely cover her house, Marlee doesn't know what to think. The berries are supposed to have protective qualities, but Leticia genuinely seems to believe that they'll protect her from the "shadow people." She accepts the special order, for a much smaller quantity of berries, and thinks that'll be the end of it.

When a murdered man is found on Leticia's property and the Lake Lady herself vanishes without a trace, Marlee realizes that the danger was real.

I loved this one. The suspense built until, near the end, I was actually holding my breath. It's the first book I've read from the Berry Basket series and I'll definitely be starting at the beginning to catch up on the others.




Death by Jack O' Lantern by Alexis Morgan

An unfriendly farmer is found dead in his own corn maze and most of her neighbors suspect the homeless veteran who's been accused of trespassing on the pumpkin farm. This is the first Abby McCree mystery that I've read and it really captures the fall season. I enjoyed the mystery, but I had a lot of questions about Abby and her background that probably would have been answered if I'd started with the first book.




Haunted House Murder by Leslie Meir, Lee Hollis, Barbara Ross

These three short mysteries will help get you into the Halloween spirit, especially if you're so busy you don't have time to settle in with a full length book right now. I've got mixed feelings about the individual stories. Leslie Meir's protagonist managed to push all of my buttons with her snap judgments about her unfriendly new neighbors. Barbara Ross's mystery about a ghost tour gone murderously wrong was definitely my favorite and I'm happy to report that I already had the first of the clambake mysteries on my Kindle so I'll be able to find out more about Julia Snowden and her friends soon.

Disclosure -- The publishers provided me with advance review  copies. This post contains affiliate links.