by Ellen Byron
Part of Vintage Cookbook Mystery
First published 2024
Ricki James-Diaz runs a vintage cookbook shop at the Bon Vee Culinary House Museum in New Orleans. Halloween arrives, and the museum staff prepares a haunted house tour to attract visitors. Movie star Blaine Taggart moves his entourage into the mansion next door. Ricki feels excited about the business the tours might bring, but she dreads seeing Blaine, a former friend. The situation turns deadly when someone murders Blaine's assistant, leaving the body in a prop tomb that was meant for the Halloween display. The police suspect everyone at Bon Vee of the crime. The NOPD stays busy handling Halloween chaos throughout the city, so Ricki and her friends must solve the case themselves. As they investigate, they discover that many people harbor dangerous secrets. Ricki races to identify the killer before another victim joins the Halloween body count. The third book in Ellen Byron's cozy mystery series combines New Orleans atmosphere with vintage charm, as Ricki navigates friendship betrayals and hidden motives in her quest for justice.
Genres: american-fiction, mystery, crime, contemporary, adult-fiction, cozy-mystery
Vibes: atmospheric, charming, cozy, fast-paced, suspenseful, witty
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, found-family, friends-to-lovers-potential, small-community-mystery
Setting: New Orleans, Bon Vee Culinary House Museum, French Quarter
Period: Halloween, Contemporary
256 pages · Hardcover · Severn House
Content warnings: murder