Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Book Review: Vampires, Bones and Treacle Scones

Vampires, Bones and Treacle SconesAuthor: Kaitlyn Dunnett
Publication Date: September 2, 2014
Publisher: Kensington Books
Series: A Liss MacCrimmon Mystery # 7

Halloween is approaching and newlywed Liss MacCrimmon Ruskin is tapped by the Moosetookalook Small Business Association to organize a community fundraiser. Liss throws herself into plans to turn an abandoned mansion into a “haunted house.”


There are already all kinds of scary stories about the old Chadwick place, which was most recently owned by Blackie O’Hare, a mob hit man from Boston. There are even rumors of buried treasure on the premises. Unfortunately, work on the haunted house is plagued by a series of minor mishaps and by the disappearance and reappearance of various objects. And then, to Liss’ horror, the fake skeleton she’s acquired for a special effect is replaced with a real body—and it’s someone she knows…



The haunted house, for all that it would be the centerpiece of the event, was only one of the attractions planned for the Moosetookalook All Hallows Festival.

Liss lost count of how many trips they made, but by the time the living room was empty of cartons, she’d run out of steam. She readily fell in with Dan’s suggestion that she call it a day, especially when she recognized the look in his eyes. They were, after all, still newlyweds.

“Maybe he does,” Patsy said, “but my money’s on the obvious. He thinks there’s buried treasure on the property, just like everybody else in town has thought for the last twenty-plus years.”


“Looks like our would-be treasure hunters have gone and dug up human remains.”


I have made a deal with myself that this year in October I would try my best to read more “Halloween-y” this year. I usually read at least one a year, but this year I wanted to go above and beyond what is normal for me. This title is perfect for Halloween because our main character, Liss, is in charge of organizing the town fundraiser for Halloween. The mood and setting are perfect for the fall aromas and feelings that are in the air. The books opens up with an old, abandoned house that Liss and her husband are debating using for a haunted house in the upcoming fundraiser. The house seems to fit the profile of being exactly what the couple needs, until a body shows up with severe puncture wounds. Liss, of course, is hot on the case from this point onward.

The Chadwick Mansion was one of the best parts of reading this book, along with the suspenseful mystery of course. In the opening pages of this book, the Chadwick Mansion is described and the mood is set from that point on. I grabbed a nice, warm cup of hot chocolate and didn’t stop reading for a while. The Mansion has quite an impressive past behind it and I was so thrilled to see Dunnett take the time to explain all of this to readers. This was a very cozy mystery and has me intrigued to read all of the others in the series.


***A free copy of this book was provided to me by the publishers at Kensington Books in exchange for my honest review***




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