Fall is Mae West Sharp’s favorite season, and she and the Laundry Club Ladies are getting Happy Trails Campground ready for the Haunts and Hikes Festival. Seeing Normal, the campground, and the forest through Mae’s perspective made me want to be in her car, on the roads to the Nada Tunnel that “feel like a journey through a living painting”.
The festival includes the first event that Mae’s adoptive mother, Mary Elizabeth, has organized as a member of the Ladies of the Elks. Her fabulous keynote coup should raise many funds to benefit the Boys and Girls Club of Kentucky. Ken Treadwell, the best-known paranormal investigator in the country, has a regular television program showing his exploration of various places with noted paranormal events. He and his crew will film the Nada Tunnel and surrounding area as they search for the Green Lady, thought to be the spirit of a climber who died near the tunnel. Legend says that if one drives through the long, dark, one-lane tunnel without honking their vehicle horn, the Green Lady will follow them home. Many sightings have been noted over the years, and everyone hopes that the Green Lady will appear with a spectacular show.
Ken, his wife, Dina, and their crew arrived, and they are very different than expected. Dina refused to talk with Mae, even though she is the campground owner. She wanted Dottie to be their guide around the park for a surprising reason. Dina had no qualms, however, about demanding, hours later, that Dottie scrub the shower in their bungalow by hand, with bleach.
Shortly after their arrival, Mae had overheard a few of the crew, including Maggie, the assistant producer, and Eli, who did much of the video and audio work, discussing Ken and Dina. Not one person had positive words to say. Ken took credit for all of their work, and cut out some of the best work completed by Maggie or Eli. The show and working conditions were much worse after Dina joined them. She and Ken were married almost a year, and she had taken control over much of the show, discounting Ken’s crew that had been with him for years.
The tunnel tours were scheduled for the next morning. Several volunteers would get a chance to go inside the tunnel on foot before the public tour. They only awaited Ken, who hadn’t yet arrived. They learned he had taken an early hike. Mae and Abby, her sister-in-law and close friend, went to search the trail. Hank, Mae’s husband, a National Park Ranger, joined them. They quickly found Ken, looking as if he had fallen to his death. The unique wound that may have killed him was exactly like the Green Lady’s deadly handiwork when killing her victims.
Not everybody brings their own murder suspects with them going on a video shoot! Yet, at least three people with him became suspects. Each had a motive. Each had their own resentment against him. And when Mae discovered the weapon, it was just a matter of time. The killer was one of the suspects, and the person was an excellent performer to keep eyes off themself. Mae, the Laundry Club Ladies, and the author successfully solved the murder. I highly recommend this Southern cozy mystery and series, especially for those who enjoy laughter, camping, the company of good friends, and autumn festivals!