Murder At The Bayou Boneyard by Ellen Byron
With all the Halloween décor being shoved in my face in early September, I promised myself I wouldn’t write a Halloween book review until October 1st. Then the UPS dude shows up with Murder in the Bayou Boneyard – and well, frankly, I dropped everything.
This being the newest in Ellen Byron’s Cajun Country Mystery Series, well — I caved. Not only did I read it immediately, but I’m posting the review “now”.
Murder in the Bayou Boneyard is one of my all-time favorite Halloween cozies. The Louisiana bayous always had their share of hauntings and ghostly goings on passed down through the generations, making this the perfect setting for this cozy series.
Maggie Crozat is the proprietor of a historic Cajun Country B&B. She’s not a fan of the Halloween season that is fast approaching, but she IS looking forward to her upcoming wedding in January. This isn’t your average wedding – we got a DOUBLE wedding going on! Seems her grandmother made a “love connection” – and it’s going to be a twice as nice celebration!
I knew just from reading the prologue to this really terrific Halloween tale, that this book would be a “must” for cozy readers this fall. The story opens with five local B&B’s, including hers, getting ready for their town’s “Spooky Past” packages – a surefire draw to bring in the tourists.
But the real life frights are overshadowing the upcoming festive events – and as the saying goes: “Houston, we have a problem!” When guests start seeing a mythical creature called the rougarou (Cajun werewolf), they start freaking out. But when there’s a murder in the creepy, old cemetery – well, guests start cancelling their B&B reservations!
As if things aren’t challenging enough, Maggie’s dealing with a family of long-lost relatives who showed up out of the blue. As they become more demanding every day, their original sunny and friendly disposition suddenly isn’t very sunny or friendly anymore. Maggie soon finds out it’s a family of dysfunction at the junction.
With B&B’s losing business faster than a speeding bullet, Maggie has no choice but to step up to the plate. She’s somehow got to figure out how to not only find a killer, but solve the mystery of the rougarou sightings, and get ready for her upcoming wedding – all while reeling in her distant relatives.
This is a well-thought and out complicated tale — a Cajun mystery at its very best! Leave it to Ellen Byron to NEVER disappoint! Grab your hot off the press copy now! And don’t forget to check out the rest of her Cajun Country Mysteries and her new Catering Hall Mystery series. You can read the review of her Here Comes the Body (A Catering Hall Mystery) under the BOOK/Mystery category.