Death by Pumpkin Spice (Bookstore Cafe Mystery, #3)

by Alex Erickson

Bookstore café owner Krissy Hancock would rather spend Halloween serving pumpkin goodies than wearing costumes with Pine Hills’ wealthiest at Yarborough mansion, especially when the soiree shapes up to be more trick than treat . . .
 
As if a run-in with an old flame and a failed marriage proposal weren’t enough to horrify Krissy for one night, a woman is found strangled to death in a room filled with ominous jack-o’-lanterns. All signs suggest a crime of passion—but when the hostess’s jewelry disappears, malevolent intentions seem way more likely . . .
 
With the estate on lockdown and a killer roaming the halls, Krissy must help Officer Paul Dalton investigate each nook, cranny, and guest for answers—while also confronting a few demons of her own. Someone has lots of skeletons in the closet, and Krissy better tread lightly to expose them . . .

• ISBN10: 1617737550
• ISBN13: 9781617737558
• Publish Date: 27 September 2016
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Kensington Publishing
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 320
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/isbn/9781617737558

Reviews

[Max Likes Mystery]

This was a near perfect cozy mystery! It takes place at a Halloween party in a huge (haunted?) mansion during a thunderstorm. What else do you need really? About 80% of the characters are new to this story, so there were many many options on who the killer might be. There were hidden clues throughout that the narrator didn’t actually explain, so if you are a seasoned mystery reader, you could probably solve the case before Krissy.

This story also had a lot of action…which i found sort of interesting in a cozy mystery. Not sure I’ve seen a story structure quite like this before, but i really liked it. The majority of the book takes place over about 3 or 4 hours in the mansion, so the bookstore and coffeeshop are sort of lost in this story, unfortunately. Also, one thing I would have like to see is more description of the mansion. I did get the general feeling that the mansion was huge and scary but not many specific details.

Overall, it was a great Halloween read and i’ll def be checking out more in this series and by this author.

[Eve1972]

Krissy Hancock owns and runs Death By Coffee her and her friend Vicki's bookstore café. When the charming Will Foster invites her to a Halloween party at one of the swanky mansions in Pine Hill, she is less than enthusiastic. Will is good looking and charming though, and with her failed attempt at romance with Officer Paul Dalton still fresh in her mind she finds herself saying "YES."

What starts out as a fun evening soon turns into a murder investigation when one of the guests is found dead. With the maison on lockdown and a killer amongst them, Krissy lends her former flame a hand. Can they solve the case before someone else's evening ends permanently???


"My imagination had a tendency to get me into more trouble than I cared to admit. It was a wonder it hadn’t gotten me killed yet."




This was a fun little read. I love the Halloween atmosphere and the fact the whole book took place over just one evening. The mystery had some interesting twists and turns. I was left guessing right until the end. The characters were likable for the most part. We don't really get a lot of information about Will and I found Krissy a bit annoying at times. I also found it to drag a bit in parts.

This is the first book I have read in the series and I will say that I felt like I was dropped into an ongoing storyline in regards to Krissy and Paul. For that reason alone I would suggest reading the other books in the series first. It wasn't a HUGE distraction, but details of prior books are given which could spoil the previous books if you wanted to go on and read those after.

I also wasn't crazy about the whole "WILL & KRISSY & PAUL" triangle thing. This isn't a romance book, so no sexy times or anything like that. I felt the author gave way too much page time to Krissy's waffling back and forth between Will and Paul. One minute she is drooling over Will and going on and on about what a handsome great guy he is. Then in the next breath she is all about Paul and drooling over him. I think the author could have cut some of that out and it would have helped to move the story along more.

Overall though a very decent way to spend a few hours...

[Mystereity Reviews]

See my full review on my blog Mystereity Reviews

Death by Pumpkin Spice, the third in the Bookstore Cafe series, has Krissy scoring a date with the handsome Will to a Halloween party. During the party, a woman dressed as Marilyn Monroe is found dead. With 2 other women dressed in the same costume, which woman was the real target and why?

I loved the plot; a torrential rainstorm, a Halloween costume party, family secrets, multiple suspects and one very large horror house made for a very Agatha Christie-type mystery with lots of red herrings, plot twists and suspects. Good pacing leading up to an action packed ending made for an enjoyable read.

Overall, a really great plot made this a very enjoyable book and one I recommend for anyone who loves cozy mysteries. I haven't read the other books in the series, and although it had a few references to previous books, I found that it didn't hamper my enjoyment at all.

Thank you to Kensington Books and Netgalley for an advanced copy to read and review.