Merry
Wynter needed to sell her home - that was more like a castle
in Autumn Vale, NY. She was planning to hold a pre-Halloween
bash to show potential buyers what a wonderful place Wynter
Castle could become with a little imagination. It would be
a masked costume party – which would allow the town
folks to mingle with celebrities and potential buyers.
In addition to planning the party with her two castle-mates,
Merry now has a new more pressing problem. Cranston Higgins
arrived several weeks ago and claims he is the rightful owner
of Castle Wynter. He claims to be the grandson of Merry’s
Uncle Melvyn. A DNA test would put his story to rest. Merry
is not sure she can handle the truth.
The party
is finally in full swing. Everyone seems to be having a great
time. There are the usual party crashers. How they got in
is a mystery as the invited guests were to be checked off
on a list at the front door by Zeke and Gordy. With the party
winding down, Merry goes out to check that the fire in the
fire pit is out and sees the coffin that should be right inside
the front door. This was Merry’s big concession to a
Halloween themed party. She looks at the body in the coffin
and realizes it is not a prop - but a real dead guy. Merry
better be on guard as she tries to solve this murder –
she could end up ghosted.
Things
to ponder: Who spray painted “Go Home” on the
castle wall? Why was Percy Channer more interested in the
surrounding area than the castle tour? Who is the dead guy
in the casket? Where is Juniper Jones?
This
was another fun read. I always enjoy seeing what Merry and
the gang are up to in Autumn Vale. There were plenty of twists
to keep me turning those pages. The story is well-plotted
and had me guessing whodunit right until the very end. The
author has thoughtfully provided some yummy recipes. So if
you like your mystery to have a spooky twist, then you should
be reading Muffin but Murder.
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