Halloween is Murder (McKinley Mysteries, #11)

by Carolyn Arnold

[Nadz@Totally Addicted to Reading]

As a big fan of Carolyn Arnold, after reading Violated from her Brandon Fisher series, I could not wait to read Halloween is Murder. It has been awhile since I read a cozy mystery. The ones I read are those written by Agatha Christie and to be honest I never felt compelled to read any other cozies until now. After all Carolyn Arnold is the author.

Halloween is Murder is the eleventh book in the McKinley series. However, it can be read without having to read the previous books.

What the story is about.

Sean and Sara McKinley are former police officers turned private investigators. The name of their firm is Pay It Forward Investigations, which is fitting given their philanthropic nature. They are launching a haunted house charity event, which is covered by the media. Chloe Parsons is the reporter responsible for featuring the event. Unfortunately, after filming the event she was found dead in her apartment. Did she die from natural causes or was she murdered?

The Story

This was a quick and easy read. There was humour and a dash of romance. I found the pacing slow for my tastes, but I still enjoyed the plot, characterisation and development. It held my attention from start to finish.

The Characters

Although this is book eleven, there is sufficient background information, which allowed me to establish a connection with the characters.

I admired Sara for her tenacity. She concluded that the circumstances surrounding the reporter’s death was suspicious, and she was not willing to give up until her suspicions were satisfied. She relies on her gut instinct in conducting investigations. Sean on the other hand relies on hard evidence, but he has learned to trust his wife’s instincts, making them the perfect investigating duo.

They say variety is the spice of life and this was evident from the varying range of characters who brought the story alive. From the grumpy medical examiner to the snarky computer geek, they added their own blend of spice to story.

The Mystery

Due to the lack of danger and conflict, the intense and edge of your seat feeling one would expect from mysteries was absent. I thought the mystery developed nicely. The author created a wide pool of suspects making it difficult to figure out who or what was behind Chloe’s demise. It was not until near the end that all was revealed, but that did not stop me from trying to figure it out on my own.

Conclusion/Recommendation

I had a good time with this installment and I will be looking to read the previous books in the series. If you enjoy cozies, then you may want to give this series a try.