I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from Great Escapes Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Murder in the Bayou Boneyard
by Ellen Byron
Series: Cajun Country Mystery #6
Series Rating:
Published by Crooked Lane Books on September 8, 2020
Genres: Cozy Culinary Holiday Mystery
Pages: 294
Format: Kindle
Source: Great Escapes Book Tours
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Get Your Copy at: Amazon, Book Depository, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, IndieBound
Also in this series: Mardi Gras Murder, Cajun Kiss of Death, Plantation Shudders
Maggie Crozat has the Halloween heebie-jeebies in USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award-winning author Ellen Byron's howlingly funny sixth Cajun Country mystery.
Maggie Crozat, proprietor of a historic Cajun Country B&B, prefers to let the good times roll. But hard times rock her hostelry when a new cell phone app makes it easy for locals to rent their spare rooms to tourists. With October--and Halloween--approaching, she conjures up a witch-crafty marketing scheme to draw visitors to Pelican, Louisiana.
Five local plantation B&Bs host "Pelican's Spooky Past" packages, featuring regional crafts, unique menus, and a pet costume parade. Topping it off, the derelict Dupois cemetery is the suitably sepulchral setting for the spine-chilling play Resurrection of a Spirit. But all the witchcraft has inevitably conjured something: her B&B guests are being terrified out of town by sightings of the legendary rougarou, a cross between a werewolf and vampire.
When, in the Dupois cemetery, someone costumed as a rougarou stumbles onstage during the play--and promptly gives up the ghost, the rougarou mask having been poisoned with strychnine, Maggie is on the case. But as more murders stack up, Maggie fears that Pelican's spooky past has nothing on its bloodcurdling present.
Murder in the Bayou Boneyard by Ellen Byron is a brilliant southern mystery. Ms. Byron’s writing captures this fun, polite, Louisana charm that makes it, so fun to read.
Did Maggie kill her cousin over a border issue? Will Maggie have a happy Halloween for the first time in a long time?
The Crozat family B and B and the others in Pelican Louisana are hosting Pelican’s Spooky Past weekend trips to bring in more business. Although, these weekends just aren’t adding up to what the innkeepers expected.
There is a rougarou running around scaring their guests and causing havoc. Then Maggie’s long lost cousin turns out to be a shyster who doesn’t want to be part of the family; just take them for whatever she and her family can. However, after an argument with Maggie, she is found murdered. To make things worse, the Pelican Police force is sharing the investigation with the neighboring town of Ville Blanc’s Police, where Detective Griffith has decided that Maggie or someone in her family is the killer.
This isn’t all, though; there is someone stealing things from their house. The local newspaper is reporting that the Crozats are suspects, and now they are losing customers. Then the cousin’s husband is shot. Yes, Maggie and Bo have their hands full. And did I mention Halloween is coming up?
The Crozats
I loved it all. Maggie keeps moving forward, and her family is so great. Gran keeps them cordial and classy, Ninette is cooking the most fabulous Halloween treats (recipes in the back). Tug is supportive and always lending a hand.
Maggie shows her kindness by helping people, even when she doesn’t have time. She sees things that most people don’t, and her intuition is knocking out the suspects. However, this family is hit with so many things throughout the course of this installment. I did like seeing the comeuppance that some of the players got was justly due.
Five Stars
I love this series, and Murder in the Bayou Boneyard by Ellen Byron is such a marvelous addition. One day I plan to read the entire series one after the other. Since I haven’t done that yet. I will tell you that this installment is filled with fabulous characters, a beautiful setting, and the right mix of mystery, history, and community. My rating for Murder in the Bayou Boneyard by Ellen Byron is five stars. I thoroughly recommend it to all you cozy mystery fans out there.
Other Books in the Series
Giveaway
Prize: (1) PRINT COPY – Murder in the Bayou Boneyard: A Cajun Country Mystery by Ellen Byron (U.S. Only)
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Until the next time,
About Ellen Byron
Ellen Byron authors the Cajun Country Mystery series. A Cajun Christmas Killing and Body on the Bayou both won the Lefty Award for Best Humorous Mystery and were nominated for Agatha awards in the category of Best Contemporary Novel. Plantation Shudders was nominated for Agatha, Lefty, and Daphne awards. Her most recent Cajun Country Mystery, Mardi Gras Murder, is nominated for Agatha and Lefty awards. In 2020, she’ll debut a second series, The Catering Hall Mysteries, under the pen name Maria DiRico.
Ellen’s TV credits include Wings, Just Shoot Me, and Fairly OddParents. She’s written over 200 national magazine articles, and her published plays include the award-winning Graceland. She also worked as a cater-waiter for the legendary Martha Stewart, a credit she never tires of sharing. A native New Yorker who attended Tulane University, Ellen lives in Los Angeles with her husband, daughter, and two rescue dogs. She still misses her hometown – and still drives like a New York cabbie.
I LOVE Ellen Byron’s Maggie Crozet and thhe Cajun Country Mysteries, great blurb! Thanks for the chance to win.
Good luck, Mina!
Thanks so much for a great review!