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A Mystery with Recipes #5
A Catered Halloween
A haunted-house party turns “Fun, well-plotted…A selection of delectable seasonal recipes rounds out the volume.”—Publishers Weekly With the promise of a hefty commission and some valuable word-of-mouth for their catering business, A Little Taste of Heaven, sisters Bernadette and Libby Simmons agree to cater the charity haunted house being staged at the old Peabody School. But when wealthy socialite Amethyst Applegate is found dead in the haunted house, Bernie and Libby wonder if a murderer might also be lurking about Peabody’s gloomy halls… While almost everyone Amethyst ever met might have a motive for killing her, not everyone had access to the Peabody School. All Bernie and Libby know is if they don’t solve this mystery soon, they might become the next stars in a real-life horror flick… “Fans of culinary cozies by Joanne Fluke and Diane Mott Davidson will enjoy discovering Crawford.”—Library JournalIncludes recipes!
353 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2008
164 people are currently reading
934 people want to read
About the author
Isis Crawford
28 books268 followersIsis Crawford was born in Egypt to parents who were in the diplomatic corps. When she was five, her family returned to the States, where her mother opened a restaurant in Upper Westchester County and her father became a university professor. Since then Isis has combined her parents’ love of food and travel by running a catering service as well as penning numerous travel-related articles about places ranging from Omsk to Paraguay. Married, with twin boys, she presently resides in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, where she is working on the next Bernie and Libby culinary mystery.
A pseudonym used by Barbara Block
A pseudonym used by Barbara Block
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 144 reviews
September 10, 2023
Isis Crawford’s A Catered Halloween is a spooky cosy mystery that is bogged down with inconsistent writing. I love the setting and the delicious food. The mystery plot is interesting and I like the inclusion of the supernatural. However, there are too many characters and the plot holes are distracting. This is the fifth book in the series and I had difficulty settling in. The book is far from boring but there is a lot of missed potential.
Caterer sisters Libby and Bernie Simmons are hired to cater a Haunted House attraction at the old Peabody School. It is rumoured that the school is haunted and the most tragic death was that of schoolgirl Bessie Osgood who “accidentally” fell out a window. However, there’s more murder on the menu as the sisters stumble across the severed head of nasty socialite Amethyst Applegate. The sisters and their friends and family dig into both mysteries.
The book started off very promisingly with a strong beginning and wraps up with a decent ending but the middle was a struggle. I really did not enjoy the rotating third-person perspectives. Although Bernie, Libby, and their retired cop father Sean all have very distinct voices, the constant changes in point-of-view is distracting and often choppily done as the perspectives sometimes switch within the same page!
Furthermore, while the overall writing is mature and I love the delicious descriptions of food, the book lacks cohesion. The writing can be repetitive and sometimes nonsensical with awkward dialogue. There is a lot of talking and descriptions when there could have been more action. For instance, in the middle of one scene, Bernie painstakingly lists out a future catering menu for an extravagant dinner party for no other reason than she simply can!
The mystery plot is interesting and quick-paced with good suspects and some nice twists. The Haunted House setting is very nicely-done and I love the book’s spooky atmosphere. I enjoyed the dual mystery of Bessie’s death and Amethyst’s murder. I like how the two storylines converge. The big reveal is pretty interesting and I like that I didn’t see it coming! However, the mystery is filled with so many plot holes and unanswered questions that I couldn’t enjoy the book fully. I also wish the ending was more cohesive to properly wrap up the mysteries. I did love the supernatural aspect as I really wasn’t expecting the book to go there. However, I wish the supernatural elements were better written and more fully explored from early on in the book. There is a lot of potential but Crawford kept missing the mark.
The book has a large cast of characters and I wish there were less so that the important ones could have been better developed. My favourite is funny, fashionable, and smart Bernie who boldly snoops all over town! I also like anxious and sensible Libby and the ways that her supernatural powers play into the plot. The sisters are total opposites but both are well-developed, interesting, and likeable characters. I wish they had gotten to sleuth together more because I enjoy their sisterly relationship. I wish there had been a lot less of brusque and unlikeable Sean as I don’t believe his chapters contributed much. Furthermore, there are too many side characters like the crazy ghost hunting brothers and the sisters’ employee Amber. It is hard to keep track of or feel connected to all these people.
🎃🎃½ out of 5 pumpkins!
Caterer sisters Libby and Bernie Simmons are hired to cater a Haunted House attraction at the old Peabody School. It is rumoured that the school is haunted and the most tragic death was that of schoolgirl Bessie Osgood who “accidentally” fell out a window. However, there’s more murder on the menu as the sisters stumble across the severed head of nasty socialite Amethyst Applegate. The sisters and their friends and family dig into both mysteries.
The book started off very promisingly with a strong beginning and wraps up with a decent ending but the middle was a struggle. I really did not enjoy the rotating third-person perspectives. Although Bernie, Libby, and their retired cop father Sean all have very distinct voices, the constant changes in point-of-view is distracting and often choppily done as the perspectives sometimes switch within the same page!
Furthermore, while the overall writing is mature and I love the delicious descriptions of food, the book lacks cohesion. The writing can be repetitive and sometimes nonsensical with awkward dialogue. There is a lot of talking and descriptions when there could have been more action. For instance, in the middle of one scene, Bernie painstakingly lists out a future catering menu for an extravagant dinner party for no other reason than she simply can!
The mystery plot is interesting and quick-paced with good suspects and some nice twists. The Haunted House setting is very nicely-done and I love the book’s spooky atmosphere. I enjoyed the dual mystery of Bessie’s death and Amethyst’s murder. I like how the two storylines converge. The big reveal is pretty interesting and I like that I didn’t see it coming! However, the mystery is filled with so many plot holes and unanswered questions that I couldn’t enjoy the book fully. I also wish the ending was more cohesive to properly wrap up the mysteries. I did love the supernatural aspect as I really wasn’t expecting the book to go there. However, I wish the supernatural elements were better written and more fully explored from early on in the book. There is a lot of potential but Crawford kept missing the mark.
The book has a large cast of characters and I wish there were less so that the important ones could have been better developed. My favourite is funny, fashionable, and smart Bernie who boldly snoops all over town! I also like anxious and sensible Libby and the ways that her supernatural powers play into the plot. The sisters are total opposites but both are well-developed, interesting, and likeable characters. I wish they had gotten to sleuth together more because I enjoy their sisterly relationship. I wish there had been a lot less of brusque and unlikeable Sean as I don’t believe his chapters contributed much. Furthermore, there are too many side characters like the crazy ghost hunting brothers and the sisters’ employee Amber. It is hard to keep track of or feel connected to all these people.
🎃🎃½ out of 5 pumpkins!
August 22, 2018
This was another good read in the series. The person who was murdered was not missed. I liked how it all went back to the past. I was surprised by who actually did it. One of the things I like best about this series is how close the sisters and their father are.
October 20, 2017
This is a great Halloween read. It takes place at a haunted house and is full of creepy Halloween goings on. The treats that Libby and Bernie were serving sounded really good. The mystery was good and I was a step ahead of Bernie figuring out the anagram (although I needed her to tell me that's what it was). I also liked the epilogue.
October 20, 2023
A good spooky mystery , perfect for October
October 29, 2017
Recipes are the best
I somehow missed this book so decided to give it a read. After all Halloween week.
I did like the story line. Catering for a haunted house, Halloween week by two sisters who bicker about everything. What fun.
Seeing ghosts and a murder or two, even better.
It is a good read if you're willing to put up with an overbearing father and sisters who seem to be in their late 20's, early 30's and the oldest Libby acts more like a 70 year old.
As in past books and future books (I haven't read the 2 newest ones) I still don't quite know what illness the father has that confines him to a wheelchair in one chapter and he is out investigating the next.
I have to admit I like the easy story line and even though the characters are never totally described as I read from book to book I can picture each one in my mind.
The best part of the book is and always has been the recipes. I have made a number of them. And even if the fictional Rose instilled in fictional Libby, no self confidence and turned her into a little old lady, that gal can cook and bake.
I somehow missed this book so decided to give it a read. After all Halloween week.
I did like the story line. Catering for a haunted house, Halloween week by two sisters who bicker about everything. What fun.
Seeing ghosts and a murder or two, even better.
It is a good read if you're willing to put up with an overbearing father and sisters who seem to be in their late 20's, early 30's and the oldest Libby acts more like a 70 year old.
As in past books and future books (I haven't read the 2 newest ones) I still don't quite know what illness the father has that confines him to a wheelchair in one chapter and he is out investigating the next.
I have to admit I like the easy story line and even though the characters are never totally described as I read from book to book I can picture each one in my mind.
The best part of the book is and always has been the recipes. I have made a number of them. And even if the fictional Rose instilled in fictional Libby, no self confidence and turned her into a little old lady, that gal can cook and bake.
November 7, 2015
This book was what I was looking for right now--an easy read, a mystery, and a seasonal, spooky feel since it was Halloween. I also enjoy books that feature a cook or baker or someone who owns a small business. Then again, I read cookbooks for fun, too. I haven't read the other books in the series, but I didn't find that as distracting as some. I could figure out who they were by their actions in this book. Although, I do want to know what happened to their dad and why he's in a wheelchair most of the time.
This book definitely is a cozy, which I also was wanting to read. I liked the descriptions of their daily life of running a catering business and cooking, as much I did the mystery itself. Crawford did a great job creating a Halloween/fall atmosphere. I thought she paced the mystery pretty well, but a little long. I confess to skimming a little because I felt like I was being misled too many times and there were actions that just didn't seem believable to me--maybe if I had read the other books they would've made sense for those characters.
I figured out who did it at the same time Crawford wanted me to, but I do think there are too many characters. It would've been a tighter story if, for example, a character who had already been introduced had been the second victim, rather than bringing in a character that I still don't really understand who he was. There were some plot details that I also didn't understand, but then again, I have confessed to skimming.
The only real negative I have is that I got whiplash trying to follow whose point of view it was. At first I thought maybe chapters were going to be structured as third person limited, devoted to the 3 main characters (daughters and dad), but it just kind of bounced around.
I liked it well enough to check out a couple more of her books, so we'll see if I stay interested. I'm not going back and starting with book 1, so we'll see if that's a hinderance. I kind of feel that if the characters are interesting enough and if I like them well enough, I shouldn't have to know their whole history--who they are should come out in their actions. Probably some backstory would help with understanding the characters better, but I didn't like A Catered Halloween well enough to go that far back.
This book definitely is a cozy, which I also was wanting to read. I liked the descriptions of their daily life of running a catering business and cooking, as much I did the mystery itself. Crawford did a great job creating a Halloween/fall atmosphere. I thought she paced the mystery pretty well, but a little long. I confess to skimming a little because I felt like I was being misled too many times and there were actions that just didn't seem believable to me--maybe if I had read the other books they would've made sense for those characters.
I figured out who did it at the same time Crawford wanted me to, but I do think there are too many characters. It would've been a tighter story if, for example, a character who had already been introduced had been the second victim, rather than bringing in a character that I still don't really understand who he was. There were some plot details that I also didn't understand, but then again, I have confessed to skimming.
The only real negative I have is that I got whiplash trying to follow whose point of view it was. At first I thought maybe chapters were going to be structured as third person limited, devoted to the 3 main characters (daughters and dad), but it just kind of bounced around.
I liked it well enough to check out a couple more of her books, so we'll see if I stay interested. I'm not going back and starting with book 1, so we'll see if that's a hinderance. I kind of feel that if the characters are interesting enough and if I like them well enough, I shouldn't have to know their whole history--who they are should come out in their actions. Probably some backstory would help with understanding the characters better, but I didn't like A Catered Halloween well enough to go that far back.
August 29, 2022
I think this is one of my favourite books in the series so far, then again I'm a sucker for Halloween and everything spoopy.
Loved how a bit of paranormal goodness was mixed in the average, everyday situations the sisters find themselves in. It was a nice little break.
And SO many cookies were involved this time. And waffles. My sweet tooth is begging for mercy as I'm writing this.
Another treat to the soul, this book, especially on busy times.
Can't wait to read the next one.
Loved how a bit of paranormal goodness was mixed in the average, everyday situations the sisters find themselves in. It was a nice little break.
And SO many cookies were involved this time. And waffles. My sweet tooth is begging for mercy as I'm writing this.
Another treat to the soul, this book, especially on busy times.
Can't wait to read the next one.
November 5, 2011
Anyone who knows me, knows that one of my favorite things to do is to read a book that is seasonally appropriate, particularly during the fall/winter holidays. So when I saw that this book was available for my Nook Color, I decided to download it. I'd read "A Catered Thanksgiving," and though it's not great literature, enjoyed it a lot, so I thought I'd try another of Isis Crawford's mysteries featuring Libby and Bernie Simmons.
In this installment, the sisters are asked to provide the food for a new attraction in town, a haunted house. It's in a building that was formerly the Peabody School, a successful private school until a couple of students died mysteriously. As the new owner is showing them through the haunted house prior to opening night, they discover the dismembered head of a well-known community member who had attended the school and was always suspected of one of the students' deaths.
This was fun to read at Halloween time - ghosts, sounds, twists and turns. The conversations between the two sisters is always fun to read, and the story is told well-enough to make you want to see how it all ends.
My only problem with these books is that, because the sisters own a cafe called A Little Taste of Heaven, there is a lot of discussion and description of food - it makes me so hungry! However, there are always a few recipes at the end, so if I just have to know what some of the dishes taste like, I can try them on my own. This is not, however, much consolation when reading at 9:o0 in the evening ...
In this installment, the sisters are asked to provide the food for a new attraction in town, a haunted house. It's in a building that was formerly the Peabody School, a successful private school until a couple of students died mysteriously. As the new owner is showing them through the haunted house prior to opening night, they discover the dismembered head of a well-known community member who had attended the school and was always suspected of one of the students' deaths.
This was fun to read at Halloween time - ghosts, sounds, twists and turns. The conversations between the two sisters is always fun to read, and the story is told well-enough to make you want to see how it all ends.
My only problem with these books is that, because the sisters own a cafe called A Little Taste of Heaven, there is a lot of discussion and description of food - it makes me so hungry! However, there are always a few recipes at the end, so if I just have to know what some of the dishes taste like, I can try them on my own. This is not, however, much consolation when reading at 9:o0 in the evening ...
November 4, 2018
This fulfills the category of the reading challenge for a "book about or set on Halloween." Since recipes were promised, I thought I could handle the sometimes cringe-worthy wording of the story. Amethyst Applegate as a character? Something about that name just turned me off. There were so many descriptions of people eating the wonderful pastries of the bake shop that figured prominently in the story that I eagerly awaited the recipe for the ginger pumpkin bars everyone was eating. But alas, the recipe was for a very generic pumpkin bar, no ginger in sight. The other recipes were Mexican selections to celebrate Day of the Dead - no relationship to the book. Disappointing, but a category fulfilled!
September 4, 2023
When Bernie and Libby take on a catering job at a haunted house, they never expect it to produce scares that can’t be undone. It doesn’t help that the location is rumored to be cursed, putting Libby on high alert. However, they need the business, so the sisters continue with the haunted house. Bernie loves Halloween while Libby hates all things scary. What could go wrong, anyway? Finding the beheaded Amethyst Applegate was certainly not on the list of things that Bernie or Libby thought were ever a possibility.
I know that I’m starting with the fifth book in the season, but now that it’s September, it’s time for some books with a Halloween theme! I was excited to pick this up, and it started off pretty strong! Unfortunately, it took a bit of a dip after that, but I found the overall plot pretty promising. We follow, well, too many characters! Bernie and Libby are the two main perspectives we follow, but we also follow Sean. While Bernie and Libby are likable characters, Sean is the exact opposite. Not only that, but his POV chapters don’t really add much to the story. If anything, every time he has a chapter, I’m left wondering how most people don’t flee from him and his bad attitude.
That said, I really do like Bernie and liked Libby as well. Bernie is funny, caring, and relatable at times while being very concerned with her appearance. She doesn’t always think ahead of things and often leaves her sister to pick up the slack while she’s off doing her own thing, but she means well. Meanwhile, Libby is very self-conscious, sensible, and anxiety riddled. She’s often irritated with her sister, but they’re very close, and she’s often left to be the responsible one with their business. The sisters are opposites, but Libby can be a little overbearing at times with being overly whiny or irritable. However, given how many times Bernie left her to do all the food prep, I could understand it at times.
I think the story had a lot going for it. The mystery plot was really interesting and I really thought it was a character that none of the characters ever suspected, but it seemed like a possibility. It turned out to be someone else who makes a lot of sense, especially given the huge bit of backstory that we learn about the ghost much later in the book! I did think that there are too many characters coming in and out of the story at all times, which takes away from the story. I also think that the paranormal aspect of the book was touch and go for quite a while, especially with how everyone was treating two characters about being ghost hunters. Given its importance to the story, I wish it leaned more into what Libby and Bernie are capable of on a paranormal level. It’s also extremely dialogue heavy, which made the story very clunky.
Right now, I’m on the fence about whether or not I want to give this series another chance. The story has a lot going for it, however, it needs to be tightened up to be spectacular because the overall writing and plot was pretty good. However, it’s dialogue heavy, Sean’s chapters don’t add anything to the story other than letting us see how unlikable he is, and there are way too many people popping in and out of the story at all times. That said, I really liked some of the characters, the overall plot, and how interesting Bessie’s story is as well as the paranormal touches the story has.
I know that I’m starting with the fifth book in the season, but now that it’s September, it’s time for some books with a Halloween theme! I was excited to pick this up, and it started off pretty strong! Unfortunately, it took a bit of a dip after that, but I found the overall plot pretty promising. We follow, well, too many characters! Bernie and Libby are the two main perspectives we follow, but we also follow Sean. While Bernie and Libby are likable characters, Sean is the exact opposite. Not only that, but his POV chapters don’t really add much to the story. If anything, every time he has a chapter, I’m left wondering how most people don’t flee from him and his bad attitude.
That said, I really do like Bernie and liked Libby as well. Bernie is funny, caring, and relatable at times while being very concerned with her appearance. She doesn’t always think ahead of things and often leaves her sister to pick up the slack while she’s off doing her own thing, but she means well. Meanwhile, Libby is very self-conscious, sensible, and anxiety riddled. She’s often irritated with her sister, but they’re very close, and she’s often left to be the responsible one with their business. The sisters are opposites, but Libby can be a little overbearing at times with being overly whiny or irritable. However, given how many times Bernie left her to do all the food prep, I could understand it at times.
I think the story had a lot going for it. The mystery plot was really interesting and I really thought it was a character that none of the characters ever suspected, but it seemed like a possibility. It turned out to be someone else who makes a lot of sense, especially given the huge bit of backstory that we learn about the ghost much later in the book! I did think that there are too many characters coming in and out of the story at all times, which takes away from the story. I also think that the paranormal aspect of the book was touch and go for quite a while, especially with how everyone was treating two characters about being ghost hunters. Given its importance to the story, I wish it leaned more into what Libby and Bernie are capable of on a paranormal level. It’s also extremely dialogue heavy, which made the story very clunky.
Right now, I’m on the fence about whether or not I want to give this series another chance. The story has a lot going for it, however, it needs to be tightened up to be spectacular because the overall writing and plot was pretty good. However, it’s dialogue heavy, Sean’s chapters don’t add anything to the story other than letting us see how unlikable he is, and there are way too many people popping in and out of the story at all times. That said, I really liked some of the characters, the overall plot, and how interesting Bessie’s story is as well as the paranormal touches the story has.
July 24, 2022
Bernie and Libby are catering at a haunted house festival. Set at a former school, it’s a total delight for those wishing to be scared, especially since an accident, or maybe a murder, killed a student there years ago. As the duo get a sneak preview to the scary displays, the last thing they expected to see was a head rolling towards them - a real head, that is, decapitated from a now-dead body. Now, they feel compelled to find the real murderer and save an innocent man from more jail time. It’s a pretty good mystery, made a bit more complicated because the deceased had so few friends and so many enemies. The book can be read as a stand-alone for the mystery, but the characters have substantial backstories, and not everything will make sense to readers who have not read the previous books. Still, it’s a well written mystery, and a nice fit for Hallowe’en, filled with all the right words to set the scene.
September 10, 2018
This is my least liked book of this series. I don't usually like books involving ghosts and/or haunted houses, and this wasn't an exception. I did enjoy the food and still like the main characters.
October 15, 2009
I made a resolution to only read Halloween/scary books until Halloween. I have a feeling I will regret this, but oh well!
This book was ok. It was part of a series, and this is the first one I've read. I'm notorious for reading books out of order (and never had much trouble with that), but I've never found one as difficult as this one; there was just no character back story. I realized that I never knew how old the characters were -- they mention something about getting Botox and being paranoid in their "old age", but they have boyfriends and do other very young-ish things. You also learn that one of the characters has cancer, but they never say what kind. It was those kind of nagging little things that really got to me. I also felt like there was way too much short, pointless dialogue. And then there was the way the perspective changed between several different people that made it hard to get adjusted to any one character.
This book was ok. It was part of a series, and this is the first one I've read. I'm notorious for reading books out of order (and never had much trouble with that), but I've never found one as difficult as this one; there was just no character back story. I realized that I never knew how old the characters were -- they mention something about getting Botox and being paranoid in their "old age", but they have boyfriends and do other very young-ish things. You also learn that one of the characters has cancer, but they never say what kind. It was those kind of nagging little things that really got to me. I also felt like there was way too much short, pointless dialogue. And then there was the way the perspective changed between several different people that made it hard to get adjusted to any one character.
November 5, 2015
Bernie & Libby own a catering company in upstate NY (Ok, I'm assuming it's upstate, I didn't bother to figure out if it's a real town).
They are on their way to cater a haunted house, which is being held at a former school. It also happens to be a local legend-it's supposedly, really haunted.
When a dead body just so happens to show up in one of the haunted house displays, Bernie, Libby and their cast of friends find themselves trying to solve this whodunit, before someone else gets their head cut off.
There comes a point in the book where I felt there were too many extra characters (who's boyfriend is that? is that a cleaning woman? wait, is that the drunk?)..but besides that, it was a cute cozy read.
They are on their way to cater a haunted house, which is being held at a former school. It also happens to be a local legend-it's supposedly, really haunted.
When a dead body just so happens to show up in one of the haunted house displays, Bernie, Libby and their cast of friends find themselves trying to solve this whodunit, before someone else gets their head cut off.
There comes a point in the book where I felt there were too many extra characters (who's boyfriend is that? is that a cleaning woman? wait, is that the drunk?)..but besides that, it was a cute cozy read.
November 12, 2008
Halloween is my favorite holiday - the title of this book sucked me in. The story was just barely ok and even though I am a big fan of books in a series (as I can really bond with the characters), I won't read anymore of these. The writing was poor, the story line was not captivating and the characters were tolerable - not likeable. My advice for this one is don't bother.
May 6, 2019
I really liked the characters in this story. Libby, Bernie and their dad have issues but they work together to help each other and to solve crimes. Of course having ghosts visit you on Halloween can be a bit nerve wracking.
November 5, 2021
I really enjoyed this one. It wasn't too hard to follow having not read any others in this series. I picked it specifically for it's Halloween setting. It was just what I was looking for in a spooky cozy.
October 10, 2016
Ghosts, murder, a haunted house, slight twist at the end of the story AND awesome Halloween recipes!
November 8, 2023
A CATERED HALLOWEEN, by Isis Crawford, is another story in this entertaining series about two sisters who own a catering business, who ultimately find murder on the plate at every event.
Bernadette and Libby Simmons are hired to cater a charity haunted house at the old Peabody School, with the promise of a steep commission and valuable word-of-mouth hype for their catering business. The old Peabody School is a beautiful gothic building with towers and turrets. It is the perfect setting for the haunted house fundraiser. What makes the venue even better and more fitting is the eerie rumors that the building is haunted by the ghost of Bessie Osgood, who died in an "accident" years before, which led to the close of the school. Bernie and Libby don't believe in ghosts, but agree that there is something creepy about the building. When Amethyst Applegate, a wealthy socialite who was a former classmate of Bessie Osgood, is found murdered in the old Peabody School, Libby and Bernie wonder if a murderer might be lurking the halls. Amethyst Applegate had a reputation as a home wrecker. She had so many enemies that it was a surprise that no one had tried to kill her before, out of anger, spite, or jealousy. Some of the people who were hardly heartbroken at her death included Inez Colley, whose husband had a steamy affair with Amethyst; Bob Small, who went to jail for grand larceny due to Amethyst; and Zach Timberland, who blamed Amethyst for ruining his daughter's life. Almost everyone Amethyst met had a motive for killing her, but not everyone had access to the Peabody School where she was murdered. While investigating, Bernie and Libby keep hitting one dead end after another and realize that solving Amethyst's death will only be solved if they can solve the mysterious accident that killed Bessie Osgood decades earlier.
We would recommend this page-turning novel that will keep you guessing until the very end, to those who like cozy mysteries and thrillers, complete with recipes at the end.
Bernadette and Libby Simmons are hired to cater a charity haunted house at the old Peabody School, with the promise of a steep commission and valuable word-of-mouth hype for their catering business. The old Peabody School is a beautiful gothic building with towers and turrets. It is the perfect setting for the haunted house fundraiser. What makes the venue even better and more fitting is the eerie rumors that the building is haunted by the ghost of Bessie Osgood, who died in an "accident" years before, which led to the close of the school. Bernie and Libby don't believe in ghosts, but agree that there is something creepy about the building. When Amethyst Applegate, a wealthy socialite who was a former classmate of Bessie Osgood, is found murdered in the old Peabody School, Libby and Bernie wonder if a murderer might be lurking the halls. Amethyst Applegate had a reputation as a home wrecker. She had so many enemies that it was a surprise that no one had tried to kill her before, out of anger, spite, or jealousy. Some of the people who were hardly heartbroken at her death included Inez Colley, whose husband had a steamy affair with Amethyst; Bob Small, who went to jail for grand larceny due to Amethyst; and Zach Timberland, who blamed Amethyst for ruining his daughter's life. Almost everyone Amethyst met had a motive for killing her, but not everyone had access to the Peabody School where she was murdered. While investigating, Bernie and Libby keep hitting one dead end after another and realize that solving Amethyst's death will only be solved if they can solve the mysterious accident that killed Bessie Osgood decades earlier.
We would recommend this page-turning novel that will keep you guessing until the very end, to those who like cozy mysteries and thrillers, complete with recipes at the end.
December 10, 2021
good but not a 5 star, like the characters so so, they could have been better, and the plot could have been better as well
September 25, 2022
I pick this one as an easy read. I really enjoyed the story & even made the right guess on who did it! But as I read I never really knew how old the main characters were supposed to be.
October 12, 2022
Sisters and catering partners investigate the death of a woman at a catered event.
November 28, 2021
I thought this would be a real mystery, but it isn't.
SPOILER: This book involves the supernatural, which I wasn't expecting. I didn't know this book was part of a series, but maybe it's a running thing where the girls can communicate with ghosts to solve mysteries. Because of this, it became too ridiculous for me, and this is coming from someone who thought it would be Scooby-Doo style!
Word of advice to villains, if you're ever trying to conceal your identity, PLEASE DO NOT USE AN ANAGRAM OF YOUR REAL NAME.
These sisters are most definitely not my favorite pair of detectives... nor is their father any better. Does anyone actually find him endearing? I thought he was incredibly arrogant for someone who didn't even come close to solving the case. How did they end up figuring out who did it? Well, a huge clue came from following what someone DREAMT. I have no idea how they managed to solve the past four mysteries, but it was a MIRACLE they managed this one.
The most criminal part is the ending. I may be in the minority here, but I certainly wouldn't thank my murderer for killing me.
SPOILER: This book involves the supernatural, which I wasn't expecting. I didn't know this book was part of a series, but maybe it's a running thing where the girls can communicate with ghosts to solve mysteries. Because of this, it became too ridiculous for me, and this is coming from someone who thought it would be Scooby-Doo style!
Word of advice to villains, if you're ever trying to conceal your identity, PLEASE DO NOT USE AN ANAGRAM OF YOUR REAL NAME.
These sisters are most definitely not my favorite pair of detectives... nor is their father any better. Does anyone actually find him endearing? I thought he was incredibly arrogant for someone who didn't even come close to solving the case. How did they end up figuring out who did it? Well, a huge clue came from following what someone DREAMT. I have no idea how they managed to solve the past four mysteries, but it was a MIRACLE they managed this one.
The most criminal part is the ending. I may be in the minority here, but I certainly wouldn't thank my murderer for killing me.
November 8, 2021
This was the first "cozy mystery" that I've tried. I'm not sure if they're all like this but nothing happens in this book. It was completely anticlimactic. I'm sure I came into this series well into its beginnings but I'm so confused as to why two people who own a bakery are going around solving murders? What blew my mind the most was people actually answered their questions?? I tried this because I wanted to be festive and get into the Halloween spirit. Aside from being hungry after reading this because all they do is eat snacks, it was very hard to get into. The dialogue was terrible, nothing happens throughout the entire book and the ending was incredibly disappointing.
November 1, 2018
Don't get me wrong, it was an entertaining book. It just felt bland, and like there was no foreshadowing or anything leading up to the big reveal.
I like a bit of foreshadowing, and actually being able to guess who did it. This book just didn't have that. It seemed to think it was a plot twist moment, when really it fell short.
The characters were good, felt like a couple of girls I could be friends with! Though Marvin felt like he had a personality of a 15 year old, rather then someone Libby would be dating. Same with most of the younger characters, actually.
I like a bit of foreshadowing, and actually being able to guess who did it. This book just didn't have that. It seemed to think it was a plot twist moment, when really it fell short.
The characters were good, felt like a couple of girls I could be friends with! Though Marvin felt like he had a personality of a 15 year old, rather then someone Libby would be dating. Same with most of the younger characters, actually.
September 21, 2011
Made it about 3/4 the way through and I just did not want to spend anymore time reading this. The story could have been good but it seemed to bounce around too much. I lost interest and felt annoyed while reading it. It took me awhile to figure out who Sean and Marvin were (I had not read previous books in the series). It changed perspectives way too much and hard to follow. Disappointing. Now I need to find another halloween mystery to read....
October 8, 2017
3 1/2
I've never read this series before, but it was kinda cute. There were some world-building weirdness though--I can't tell if the author has decided 5 books in to make this a paranormal series, or if the ghostly & precog touches have always been there.
I found the actual mystery pretty easy to solve--had the culprit right from very early--but the journey of the sisters and their ex-police chief dad to be entertaining.
I've never read this series before, but it was kinda cute. There were some world-building weirdness though--I can't tell if the author has decided 5 books in to make this a paranormal series, or if the ghostly & precog touches have always been there.
I found the actual mystery pretty easy to solve--had the culprit right from very early--but the journey of the sisters and their ex-police chief dad to be entertaining.
February 3, 2018
Here's what I'm discovering: cozy mysteries are usually poorly written. This one wasn't bad. I kind of liked the sisters; how different they are from each other but how much they still loved each other. The mystery wasn't too badly plotted. I really liked the supernatural elements in the book. I might read another of this series someday.
November 2, 2008
A cute halloween mystery. The series is about 2 sisters I think in their 40s/50s that own a catering business. I doubt I will read any more books in this series, its not the best writing. And the sisters tend to get on each others nerves, and in turn, got on mine!
October 14, 2009
I am terrible at guessing mysteries. I never even try, but I guessed this one about 10 pages in. Plus there were a ton of loose ends that never really got resolved and in the end it just didn't really make sense.
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