MISCHIEF NIGHTS ARE MURDER

Haunted houses, bickering spouses, and murder mix in this Halloween treat.

Poppy McAllister runs the Butterfly Wings, a B&B in Cape May, New Jersey, with the dubious help of her Aunt Ginny, snarky cook Joanne Junk, and actor/housekeeper Kenny Love. Poppy’s history of finding dead bodies and helping to solve the mysteries behind them has given her a reputation as a murder magnet. The B&B is participating in the town’s Halloween Week Package, which includes scavenger hunts and haunted dinner tours. The guests are a mixed bag of paranormal researchers, bickering college professors, and students. A colander-wearing pet psychic who translates Poppy’s cat Figaro’s thoughts and a tabloid journalist hoping to catch Poppy in lies only add to her angst. On top of it all, her boyfriend Gia’s mother, who hates her, has broken her hip, and their restaurant, Mia Famiglia, will be forced to close temporarily if Poppy can’t pitch in to help. Many of Poppy’s guests are interested in handsome professor Simon Beck and Brooklyn, his much younger wife. So when Simon drops dead in his tiramisu, there’s no dearth of suspects. Poppy is forced to investigate by Amber Fenton, her high school nemesis, now a police officer. Perfectly placed to spy on her guests, Poppy quickly learns that just about everyone either loved or hated Simon, who had a record of dallying with his students and stealing their research. Although he was poisoned with eyedrops, the police close Poppy’s kitchen, forcing her to work nonstop to cook at the Italian restaurant while she solves the case.

Suspects and motives abound in this laugh-out-loud mystery.