Sunday, October 2, 2022

Halloween Cozy Mystery Review

One thing I love is getting into the spirit of the season by including some seasonal reading. Now truth be told, I'm not a fast reader, and I'd rather be crafting than reading most of the time, so I like books that are short and sweet but still deliver a perfect holiday feel-and Halloween at Pumpkin Hill by Thea Cambert was just that book!

I was attracted to the series (this is book 7 of 8 in the Inn Vermont Cozy Mysteries) because they are set in Vermont. I'm totally captivated by New England, but with the Green Mountain State in particular. The peaceful setting, quaint charm and beautiful changing seasons make it one of my favorite places. So when I went searching for a cozy Halloween mystery to read, this book seemed perfect.

Another feature that was perfect for me was that it's only 158 pages. Much more than that and I'm reading Halloween books at Christmas.

But despite it's smaller size, this story really packed a punch when it came to transporting me to the small town of Williamsbridge, Vermont. The sights, sounds and tastes were all there. As I followed Eloise and Matthew around town, I could almost feel the cool air circling around me. And Thea has a wonderful conversational style of writing that makes you feel like you're hearing this story from a friend.

As for the mystery, it too was perfect. There were a handful of viable suspects and you didn't know who did it until right up until the end. The close of each chapter made me want to keep reading the next.

Meeting Eloise and Matthew seemed very real too. They're a sweet couple and I'm looking forward to getting to know them better in other books. In fact, I liked this book so much that I just ordered the first book in the series too. It seems that the series starts with and ends with a Christmas mystery, so it's a perfect time to jump in and read the rest of the books in this series throughout this upcoming year.

The book includes a recipe for June's Apple Dumplings, which sounds delicious. But what is making my mouth water is right at the end of the book when Matthew mentions Pumpkin Pie Spice Balls. Yum! And now I'm on a mission to find (or create) a recipe for those.

I wasn't paid to do this review and paid full price for this paperback copy at Amazon, and it's really worth it. At $6.99 I think the price is really reasonable. The covers of the set are beautiful and it makes a great collection to keep or pass on to a friend. It's also available in the Kindle edition for $3.99 and if you have Amazon Kindle Unlimited, it's free! So if you're looking for some great cozy mysteries, be sure to check out this series. You'll be glad you did!

My thanks go out to Summer Prescott, the publisher, for allowing me to photograph the book to go along with my review. I'm looking forward to spending more time checking out all the great titles on her website, www.summerprescottbooks.com.

Now I've got to run, because my craving for Pumpkin Pie Spice Balls is beckoning me to the kitchen!

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