French Quarter Fright Night by Ellen Byron
Author Ellen Byron gives us a fun cozy ride through New Orleans with her French Quarter Fright Night, a Vintage Cookbook Mystery.
It’s Halloween season in New Orleans. Local business owners are gearing up for the festivities. The Bon Vee Culinary House Museum is no exception. Ricki James-Diaz is the museum’s vintage cookbook shop proprietor. She’s beyond happy and excited to work with the staff to create the “best ever” haunted house tour – everything is going as planned UNTIL:
A high-profile actor (TBD) has bought the grand Duncan Sejour estate next door. His right-hand assistant, Miranda, has already moved in with the staff. To be blunt: Miranda is a piece of work! She’s snide, spiteful and demanding. She’s managed to get the Bon Vee in trouble with local inspectors. She’s hacked off everyone at the Bon Vee – including Eugenia Charbonnet Felice, the estate’s Grand Dame!
With Halloween fast approaching, this is no time for warring neighbors. And Ricki’s had enough! She stomps over to the new neighbors from hell and confronts the tyrannical Miranda. But then she receives the shock of her life. Miranda informs her that the new owner of Duncan Sejour is Blaine Taggart.
Blaine Taggart: action hero, A-list film star. He may be a “hot shot” actor to the world with everyone constantly fawning all over him, but to Ricki, he’s an uncaring and cold individual, linked to her husband’s untimely demise. While Blaine wasn’t directly responsible, Ricki felt Blaine could have discouraged Chris, her husband, from performing a dangerous publicity stunt – a stunt that got him killed and left her a widow.
And if things couldn’t get much weirder during the weirdest season of the year, a real corpse is discovered in a fake tomb set up for the haunted house tour. The deceased was living at the Duncan Sejour. No natural causes here – it’s straight up murder! Considering the animosity between the folks at the two estates, everyone at the Bon Vee is a suspect.
The staff at the Bon Vee steps up to the plate with Ricki in the lead – they all want to get off that virtual “hot seat” with the local authorities.
While the motive may be elusive, there’s also a slew of suspects that is on everyone’s radar: A security officer/investigator hired by Miranda and Blaine, reeks of seediness. Blaine’s half-brother/bodyguard is making not so subtle threats for them to “back off.” Staff members have been resorting to unethical practices, including blackmail.
The Big Easy is a perfect setting, and Ellen Byron, dare I say it (YES, I will): ONCE AGAIN, gives us an array of colorful characters and a cozy Halloween mystery sure to get you into the spooky spirit! Fall is in the air – perfect weather for a cozy mystery. And what could be more perfect than a copy of French Quarter Fright Night!
Cover photo provided by: Severn House Publishing.