Saturday, September 19, 2020

Murder in the Bayou Boneyard by Ellen Byron


Murder in the Bayou Boneyard 

A Cajun Country Mystery

by Ellen Byron

About Murder in the Bayou Boneyard 

Cozy Mystery
6th in Series
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books (September 8, 2020)
Hardcover: 304 pages
ISBN-10: 1643854607
ISBN-13: 978-1643854601
Digital ASIN: B082H3BT6F
Maggie Crozat has the Halloween heebie-jeebies in USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award-winning author Ellen Byron's howlingly funny sixth Cajun Country mystery.

Maggie Crozat, proprietor of a historic Cajun Country B&B, prefers to let the good times roll. But hard times rock her hostelry when a new cell phone app makes it easy for locals to rent their spare rooms to tourists. With October--and Halloween--approaching, she conjures up a witch-crafty marketing scheme to draw visitors to Pelican, Louisiana.

Five local plantation B&Bs host "Pelican's Spooky Past" packages, featuring regional crafts, unique menus, and a pet costume parade. Topping it off, the derelict Dupois cemetery is the suitably sepulchral setting for the spine-chilling play Resurrection of a Spirit. But all the witchcraft has inevitably conjured something: her B&B guests are being terrified out of town by sightings of the legendary rougarou, a cross between a werewolf and vampire.

When, in the Dupois cemetery, someone costumed as a rougarou stumbles onstage during the play--and promptly gives up the ghost, the rougarou mask having been poisoned with strychnine, Maggie is on the case. But as more murders stack up, Maggie fears that Pelican's spooky past has nothing on its bloodcurdling present.
The Rougarou: Louisiana's Cajun Werewolf
A Rougarou

About Ellen Byron

Maria DiRico
Ellen’s Cajun Country Mysteries have won the Agatha award for Best Contemporary Novel and multiple Lefty awards for Best Humorous Mystery. Her Catering Hall Mystery series, written as Maria DiRico, launched with Here Comes the Body and was inspired by her real life. She’s an award-winning playwright and non-award-winning TV writer of comedies like WINGS, JUST SHOOT ME, and FAIRLY ODD PARENTS, but she considers her most impressive credit working as a cater-waiter for Martha Stewart. A native New Yorker who attended New Orleans’ Tulane University, she lives in Los Angeles with her husband, daughter, and rescue furbaby. Sign up for her newsletter at https://www.ellenbyron.com/
St. Joseph Plantation Admission & Guided Tour - TripShock!
St. Joseph Plantation

Author Links

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Plantation Tours | New Orleans | Old River Road
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Last weekend, I was in Louisiana to do a panel and book signing at the Louisiana Book Festival. I decided to take the St. Joseph Creole Mourning tour during a
St. Joseph Creole Mourning Tour
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Savannah Bonaventure Cemetery | HubPages

My Thoughts


Murder in the Bayou Boneyard by Ellen Byron is the 6th A Cajun Country Mystery.  Maggie Crozat came up with “Pelican’s Spooky Past” to help draw customers to the local bed-and-breakfasts.  It runs the month of October with various activities including a play in the Dupois cemetery.  The Crozat family are also getting to meet a distant cousin and her family who will be arriving from Canada.  One night they hear a guest screaming outside.  She claims to have seen the legendary Rougarou.  Maggie writes it off as a prank until guests from other bed-and-breakfasts have similar sightings.  Maggie is watching the “Resurrection of a Spirit” in the cemetery when a Rougarou stumbles onto the stage and collapses.  When the mask is removed, it turns out to be Maggie’s new cousin, Susannah MacDowell who is now dead.  Maggie and her family come under suspicion because of a recent altercation with the victim. When a second death occurs, Maggie knows she needs to solve this case quickly before Pelican turns into a ghost town.  
Things to Do: Haunted Places and Ghost Locations Around Louisiana | Louisiana Travel
I thought Murder in the Bayou Boneyard was well-written with developed characters.  I always enjoy visiting Pelican, Louisiana.  There is nothing better than to be there at Halloween.  I enjoyed the spooky happening and learning about the Rougarou.  I just loved that this was a double mystery.  There are spooky sightings, a pesky police detective, a chatty parrot, and various suspects.  This was a fun mystery to solve. Murder in the Bayou Boneyard had plenty going on in it which made the story zip by so quickly.  There were some quirky characters including bird who lands Maggie in hot water.  Maggie and Gran are both engaged.  They are going to have a double wedding.  Gran has taken over the wedding planning for the extravaganza.  She is particularly enjoying the cake tastings.  I just loved the screaming doorbell at the Crozat Bed and Breakfast (I want one for my house).  Murder in the Bayou Boneyard can be read as a standalone. I recommend reading this entertaining series in order.  It will allow you to know the characters, their relationships, and the town.  The ending was delightful.  There is a bounty of food in this story (had my stomach growling).  There are recipes at the end for some of the items featured in the book including Ninette’s Holy Trinity Chicken and Cajun Pecan Cookie Fingers.  Murder in the Bayou Boneyard is an entertaining cozy mystery with a creepy cemetery, a wrathful Rougarou, a determined detective, a prolix parrot, multiple murders, a bold bridezilla, and problematic property line polemic.  
Le Petite Versailles built by Francoise-Gabriel Aime
Murder in the Bayou Boneyard is available from Amazon*, Penguin Random HouseB&N,  Kobo, and IndieBound.  You can find the other novels in A Cajun Country Mystery series here.  A Catering Hall Mystery series can be located here.  Ellen Byron's next release is Long Island Iced Tina which is the 2nd novel in A Catering Hall Mystery series.  It will publish on February 23, 2021.   As part of the tour, Ellen Byron is giving away one print copy (sorry, but US only) of Murder in the Bayou Boneyard.  You can click here to enter or use the Rafflecopter form below.  Do not forget to leave a comment for an extra entry.  Good Luck!  Thank you for visiting today.  I am reviewing Before the Crown by Flora Harding tomorrow.  I hope that you have a joyful day.  Take care, be kind, and Happy Reading!

Kris
The Avid Reader
Murder in the Bayou Boneyard (Cajun Country Mystery #6)

Tour Participants


September 14 – This Is My Truth Now – REVIEW

September 14 – I'm All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

September 15 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – GUEST POST

September 15 – Elizabeth McKenna - Author – SPOTLIGHT

September 15 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

September 16 – Island Confidential – REVIEW

September 16 – Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

September 17 – Author Elena Taylor's Blog – REVIEW
Louisiana. Rougaroua-how rougarou are “made,” that the rougarou results from some sort of spirit entity possessing a human host. In most cases, the entity leaves the host after some period of time (101 days, according to folklore), but occasionally the creature can apparently completely take over the host, effectively killing the human who once resided in the body. Once the rougarou takes over, he can shapeshift at will and is complete control at all times.
September 17 – eBook Addicts – SPOTLIGHT

September 18 – View from the Birdhouse – REVIEW

September 18 – Angel's Guilty Pleasures – SPOTLIGHT

September 19 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW

September 19 – StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW

September 20 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

September 20 – I Read What You Write – SPOTLIGHT

September 21 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
Creepy cemetery
September 21 – Christy's Cozy Corners – REVIEW, RECIPE

September 22 – Mysteries with Character – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

September 22 – Cozy Up With Kathy - CHARACTER GUEST POST

September 23 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW

September 23 – Literary Gold – CHARACTER GUEST POST

September 24 – Sneaky the Library Cat's Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

September 24 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

September 25 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
Immortelles fleurs séchées
Immortelles--"immortal" memorial to the dead
September 26 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT

September 26 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

September 26 – Baroness' Book Trove – REVIEW

September 27 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW
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