Murder At The Pumpkin Pageant by Darci Hannah

TV networks and retail stores may have been touting Christmas in July, but here at Wonder Women Sixty, it’s Halloween in August!

Murder At The Pumpkin Pageant is the newest entry (#4) in Darci Hannah’s Beacon Bakeshop Mysteries. And like her other books in this series, I LOVE IT!

In book #1, we found Lindsey Bakewell starting a new career and new life. She buys an old historic lighthouse in Beacon Harbor, Michigan off the internet! Then she packs her bags, grabs her dog and heads to her newly acquired lighthouse to convert it into her permanent home and bakery (The Beacon Bakeshop).

In Murder At The Pumpkin Pageant, we find Lindsey’s bakeshop fully established and flourishing. It’s fall – it’s chilly – it’s almost Halloween. Pumpkin lattes and everything else pumpkin are being served at her bakeshop.

But when tasteless Halloween pranks on the bakery grounds take a deadly turn, Lindsey, her handsome beau, Rory, and her best friend, Kennedy, don’t take it lightly. The 3 of them together, plus Kennedy’s boyfriend, police officer Tuck, step up to the plate. After all, unless you’re a mortician, a dead body is “never” good for business!

But the fabulous 4 have their hands full. With so many twists, turns and dead ends, it’s frustrating for all of them – and they’re getting nowhere fast!

In Murder At the Pumpkin Pageant Ms. Hannah teases us with lighthouse tales from the past, paranormal ghost busters in the present and a cold-blooded killer in the future.

Dogs become heroes. High school kids come under sharp scrutiny. Teachers are in the spotlight: some wonderful, some despicable. An old friend of the victim might be weaving a devious plot. A high-end fiction author and his researcher sidekick are becoming a nuisance around town. Tik Tok witches – forest foragers – oh my!

The author has perfected a solid cast of regular characters throughout every book in this series. And when I say characters, that also includes Lindsey’s Newfoundland dog, Wellington. Lindsey’s dad is a former baker — her mom, a former super model and a there’s a wealth of other locals, all individually and expertly crafted to tug at your heart strings, make you laugh, make you angry and make you want to find out exactly who is the nefarious killer or killers!

And the most subtle character in the series? Captain Willy – a long deceased lighthouse keeper whose quiet presence in the lighthouse is rarely noticed unless there’s danger on the horizon.

Released in July by Kensington Publishing, Murder At The Pumpkin Pageant is a bubbling cauldron of hidden agendas and treacherous suspects. So cozy fans, grab yourself a copy. Whether you read it now or save it to read during the Halloween season, you won’t be tricked – Darci Hannah’s cozy Halloween mystery is a real “treat!”

A copy of this book and photograph were provided by Kensington Publishing.