A Masked Murder: A totally addictive and twisty masquerade cozy crime mystery

by Cass Landri

A Costume Party. A Killer in Disguise. And One Guest Who Won’t Make It Home.

Former journalist turned bakery owner Sam Baker didn’t expect her weekend at a renovated mansion to start with a murder. Invited to historic Holloway House to help cater a costume party, she’s barely unpacked her macaroons when a wealthy guest drops dead—dressed as an old-time smuggler.

Thrown off by a familiar face that stirs something she thought she’d buried, Sam finds herself even more unsettled when the clues start piling a forged identity, a missing will, and whispers of a buried fortune tied to the house’s shadowy past. With sharp-tongued Hazel, gossip-loving librarian Lily, and her loyal dog Diggie on scent patrol, Sam follows a trail through hidden tunnels, fake names, and long-standing grudges.

Between glamorous widows with secrets and a charming guest who isn’t what he seems, someone’s getting desperate to keep the truth buried.

If Sam fails, she might be the next to vanish behind Holloway House’s velvet curtains.

New readers are welcome! This story stands alone and can be enjoyed without reading the others.

256 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 4, 2025

Reviews

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cozy mystery from the Sam Baker series written by Cass Landri. Sam, her pet dog Diggy and her friends Hazel and Lily are heading to cater desserts for a weekend event at the historic Holloway House. During the first night, one of the guests at the costume party is murdered. Can Sam and her friends solve this case before someone else is harmed?

This story was intriguing as Sam and her friends tried to unravel the mystery of Daniel’s death. That being said, I did struggle at times to keep everything straight. There were hidden rooms, forgotten buildings and missing documents that the author weaves into the story. But sometimes, it almost seemed too much. Also, this story has other elements that are intertwined with previous books. Though you can enjoy the book as a stand alone, I think it would be helpful to have read the earlier books to fill in some of the gaps.

*I received a free ARC from the author and BookFunnel. All opinions expressed are my own.

[DianaRaven · Rating 4 out of 5]

A MASKED MURDER is the fourth installment in Cass Landri's, a Sam Baker Cozy Mystery Book series. The plot, characters, and world building are well done, making this a fun and entertaining book to read. This is a fast-paced book with so many red herrings and twists and turns you won't know who to fear and who to trust.

Sam Baker moved to Ashford Peaks and opened the Cozy Crumb bakery for a fresh start after losing her husband. What she didn't expect was to keep finding dead bodies one after the other, turning her into an amateur sleuth.

Sam and Cozy Crumb Bakery are catering desserts at the Holloway House. You'll find lies, secrets, suspense, and even death in this in this story centering around who really owns the Holloway House. So get ready as Sam and her friends, Hazel, Lily, and Diggie (a very intuitive corgi) search for the secrets buried at the Holloway House while exposing the murderer 

Will they find and solve each clue before one of them becomes collateral damage? Only reading this story will lead you to the answer.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another adventure for our favorite foursome. Sam, Hazel, Lily and "Sherlock" Diggie find themselves more than catering an gala at Holloway House, they are smack dab in the middle of a murder mystery. But it's not only a murder, but a mystery of inheritance and identity.

Reading about Sam, Hazel and Diggie (and sometimes Lily) trying to connect all the various clues to decipher what has been happening for decades at Holloway House was fascinating. Add the appearance of character from an earlier mystery into the mix, and see how earlier events add to the confusion of the what is happening now. Trust me, this will be something that will keep your interest until the end of the book and leave you wanting more.

I received an ARC of this book from the author. My review is both voluntary and honest. I highly recommend not only this book but the entire series. I loved the book so much that I purchased a ebook when it became available. I will enjoy rereading it in the future.

[Laure · Rating 4 out of 5]

A catered costume party and a weekend at the historical and possibly haunted Holloway House gives Sam Gaker, and her friends Hazel and Lily another chance to use their investigative skills to solve a decades old mystery, and then the murder of a friend. With her corgi Diggie to sniff out hidden clues they will discover truths that some people would prefer remained buried. Anyone familiar with this series knows that this author has created very likeable, and in my opinion, realistic characters. I love their fast-paced and always entertaining dialog, and it kept me engrossed in this book from the first page to the last. A murder mystery with some fascinating twists in the plot that I happily recommend to other readers.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary ARC received from Book Sprout.

[Merry Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sam Baker along with her smart clue finding dog, Diggie is the owner of the Cozy Crumb bakery and was hired to cater a costume party at the Holloway House with her fantastic desserts. With the help of her best friends, Hazel and Lily who was sure the large house was haunted. But even before things were really underway, Daniel is found dead and the Sam, Diggie and the girls are on the case. We are treated to a fast paced 4th book in the Sam Baker Cozy Mystery series that keeps you turning pages and guessing wrong time after time until the very end. Not only do I recommend this book as a great addition to the series, but I highly recommend the whole series and I can't wait to see what Sam's next adventure will be! I received an ARC of this book but the opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

[Marla Bellmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved the author's turn of phrase. It was interesting and very creative. I would have happily read even longer and more descriptive passages to flesh out the scenes but I found the plot compelling. There were enough red herrings to make the reader think. It was comforting to know that the good "guys" won in the end. The characters with a strong moral compass stayed true to their ideals but seemed real and carried their own flaws. The dialogue is exceptionally well written, ascribing lines to the proper character without a lot of boring , "he said, she said." I will continue to look for more books from this author.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Anne Newman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sam, along with Hazel, Lily & Diggie, her dog, are supplying a weekend event at Holloway House. According to Lily, it is haunted! Due to two people dropping out, the team are able to stay in the house. It is a masked, costume event and right at the beginning someone dies. It was made to look like an accident, but Sam is sure it wasn’t. There is a cat who lives both in the house and outside, that appears to be leading them to interesting places, and they find some clues to help them as well. There is doubt as to who actually owns the place, as well as several other questions. Once again an interesting read.

[Baby Girl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sam, Hazel, Lily, and Diggie are at it again. The amateur Sleuths are a force to admire. This one included a costume party with masks that hid the suspect well. It took Sam a little bit to break the suspects veil, but she succeeded. There was twist and turns, but in the end, the sleuths prevailed. Swayze, the black cat was a nice addition to the story although Diggie outshines him in the adorable and cuteness category!! Having Eli in this story was also a good connection to the Locked in the Lighthouse mystery. Such a great series!!

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the fiasco at the lighthouse in the last book, Sam has opted to cater a weekend costume party at Holloway House. Little did she know, one of the guests drops dead even before the party gets going good! Sam, with her friends Hazel and Lily and her dog Diggie, finds deep in the middle of the murder investigation and the tangled mess of a twisted history of the house. Can they sort things out before someone else dies in an attempt to keep the past buried? An interesting array of characters will keep you guessing until the very end!

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sam Baker owner of a bakery, Cozy Crumb,is catering a costume gala in a house that one of her staff swears is haunted. Hazel and Lily her staff are with her along with dog Diggie. During the gala there is a murder which the three of them trying to figure who did it. This book is hard to put down. Keeps you guessing right up to the end. Great suspence.

I’m received an advance review copy, ARC, for free and I am leaving an honest opinion and voluntary review

[Giannina Roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this story for review. Sam, Hazel and Lily cater an event at Holloway House. This home has a complicated history and a disputed ownership. The death of a historic reseacher set of a sseries of events which the three investigate in order to uncover the murderer and their motive.
It is an intriguing story which the reader is pulled into to solve the murder and the backstory to Holloway House. A very enjoyable book and look forward to their next adventure.

[Cherie Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

While catering a costume party at a renovated mansion, former journalist Sam and her faithful companion Diggie find themselves involved in another mystery when one of the wealthy guests drops dead. Fake names, hidden tunnels, a missing will, buried fortune lead Sam and Diggie on a dangerous mission to find the truth that someone is desperate to keep hidden! An excellent cozy mystery and very entertaining!
Cherie

[Dianne Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder mystery!

An intriguing, easy to read murder mystery. I enjoyed the twists and turns in this book. The tunnels, the deception and the clues were fascinating to follow. Thank goodness for the clever corgi, Diggie, who helped solve this investigation.

I read this book as part of an advance reader team. I am voluntarily reviewing this book.

[G · Rating 5 out of 5]

A death at a costume party, a mystery of identities, and in the middle of it all Sam and Diggie. A great cozy mystery to read with lots of twists and turns and interesting characters. Just fun to read and follow along.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Cyndi Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm enjoying the Sam Baker series. I like that characters from previous books are making appearances. On top of a cute doggo, now there's a sweet kitty. I like possibly haunted house with secret passages and hidden mysteries.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This started as just a bakery order for a masked ball in a very old historied mansion and turned into a murder mystery. Plus the people are not at all who they seem to be. Lots of work finding old ledgers and artifacts to figure out the puzzles in this story. Most of the clues were found by Diggie and Swayze, the cat. Good story.

I received an arc and this is my review.

[Kimberly Heck · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had twist and turns, mystery and suspense. The three characters that were solving this mystery were quirky and very likable. It was a great book and it had a mystery inside of a mystery. It kept me guessing and it had me on my toes so I did not miss anything. It is definitely worth the read.

[Marietta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent written murder mystery with lots of twist and turns for Sam Baker and her friends to solve. It took just about to the end to figure out who the murderer was but that is what is so good about her stories. I would recommend any of her books for someone who loves mysteries. there are no dull pages there is aways something happening.

[Amanda✨️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder mystery with twists and surprises. I enjoy the MC and the dynamic with her group of friends that help her along with Diggie find clues.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Juanita E. Arp · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book, the storyline is well written and the interaction between the characters is wonderful. I can't wait to read more from this author. I received this book as a Free ARC copy to read and I voluntarily leave this review

[Kristen Karter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic cozy mystery by Cass, Landry, love the characters, including Sam, Hazel, Lily, and Diggie, of course too. The story definitely left me on the edge of my seat from the first chapter till the end highly recommend to all mystery, lovers, cat and dog lovers, etc..

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

very enjoyable murder mystery

[Lisa Robison · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun who done it book. It kept me guessing until the end.

[Linda Whitenight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sam starts out catering a masquerade party which ends with the host falling over dead. Was it an accident or murder? Can Sam figure it out with all the twists and turns of the ancient mansion?