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 

Murder in the Bayou Boneyard: A Cajun Country Mystery

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.

A Rougarou

About Ellen Byron

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

Author Links

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/ellenbyronauthor/

https://www.facebook.com/CateringHallMysteries/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/ellenbyronmariadirico/

BookBub:

https://www.bookbub.com/profile/ellen-byron

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/maria-dirico

St. Joseph Creole Mourning Tour

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/23234.Ellen_Byron?from_search=true&from_srp=true

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19130966.Maria_DiRico?from_search=true&from_srp=true

Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Ellen-Byron/e/B00J7NW9IM?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1591801316&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.com/Maria-DiRico/e/B07SF86ZM2?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1591801389&sr=1-1

My Thoughts

Murder in the Bayou Boneyard by Ellen Byron is the 6^th 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.  

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 House, B&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

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September 14 – This Is My Truth Now – REVIEW

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September 15 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – GUEST POST

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Here Comes the Body by Maria DiRico: Excerpt, Review & Giveaway!

Here Comes the Body

A Catering Hall Mystery

by Maria DiRico

About Here Comes the Body

Here Comes the Body (A Catering Hall Mystery)

Cozy Mystery

1st in Series

Publisher: Kensington (February 25, 2020)

Mass Market Paperback: 304 page

ISBN-10: 1496725344

ISBN-13: 978-1496725349

Digital ASIN: B07R8WYLSC

After her philandering husband’s boat went down, newly single Mia Carina went back to Astoria, the bustling Queens neighborhood of her youth. Living with her Nonna and her oversized cat, Doorstop, she’s got a whole new life—including some amateur sleuthing . . .

Mia is starting work at Belle View, her father’s catering hall, a popular spot for weddings, office parties, and more—despite the planes that occasionally roar overhead on their way to LaGuardia and rattle the crystal chandelier. Soon she’s planning a bachelor party for a less-than-gentlemanly groom. But it goes awry when the gigantic cake is wheeled in and a deadly surprise is revealed . . .

Since some of her family’s associates are on the shady side, the NYPD wastes no time in casting suspicion on Mia’s father. Now, Mia’s going to have to use all her street smarts to keep him out of Rikers Island . . .

Italian recipes included!

About Maria DiRico

Maria DiRico was born in Queens, New York, and raised in Queens and Westchester County. She is a first-generation Italian-American on her mother’s side. On her father’s side, her grandfather was a low-level Jewish mobster who disappeared in 1933 under mysterious circumstances. She also writes the award-winning, bestselling A Cajun Country Mystery series under the name Ellen Byron.

Author Links

Website - https://www.ellenbyron.com/catering-hall-mysteries

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/CateringHallMysteries/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/ellenbyronla

Astoria, Queens

My Thoughts

Here Comes the Body by Maria DiRico has Mia Carina returning to Queens for a fresh start.  She is thankful to no longer be under suspicion for her husband’s disappearance.  Mia will be working for her father as assistant manager at Belle View Catering Hall.  Ravello Carina, Mia’s father, is taking a stab at running a legit business which pleases Mia.  Mia’s first event is a bachelor party with a woman popping out of a cake.  Things go sideways when they find a woman who threatened Ravello a few days earlier inside the cake with a knife sticking out of her chest.  With Ravello as the police’s prime suspect, Mia begins searching for the real culprit.  

Here Comes the Body is the exciting debut of A Catering Hall Mystery series.  Mia Carina has had a rough time recently with her husband disappearing and the police accusing her of offing him (her family has a reputation).  She is glad to be back in Astoria with her family.  Mia can visit her brother, Posi during visiting hours at Triborough Correctional Facility where the guards know the family by name.  Mia will be working at Belle View Catering Hall which a man gave up to cover his gambling debts.  Ravello, Mia’s father, is the manager and Mia will be handling events.  Belle View is run down and needs a facelift (get rid of the 80s vibe).  Mia has not been home a week when a body if found inside a cake.  Someone is framing Ravello and Mia does not appreciate it.  She begins questioning attendees of the bachelor party in hopes of narrowing in on the killer.  The mystery had several viable suspects.  I had a good time following Mia on her quest to clear her father’s name.  I thought Here Comes the Body contained good writing, interesting characters and humor.  I laughed several times while reading.  I loved Mia’s grandmother, Elisabetta Carina.  She is an Italian grandmother who makes mouthwatering dishes.  The ladies on her block compete to have the best decorations for each holiday (and other things as well). There are a couple of side stories as well.  A greedy realtor is trying to get senior citizens to sell their homes and move into an assisted living facility.  46^th Place is the new hot area where people want to take the homes, gut them and modernize them. Something is going on with Evans, the sous chef, as well.   Cozy mystery readers will be delighted with Here Comes the Body which is written by Ellen Byron under the pen name Maria DiRico.  Here Comes the Body is a humorous & intriguing cozy mystery with a murdered moll, a vanished feathered friend, transportation troubles, frightful free furniture, a relentless reporter, and a matchmaking mobster.

Excerpt

Ravello put his arm around Mia’s shoulder. “Let me introduce you to the rest of the staff.”

He was about to do exactly that when the door to the room flung open. A slim woman with stringy black hair appeared, clad in a mini dress that looked like it was made from bright red ace bandages. She was pretty but in a hard way. She pointed a finger attached to a tattoo-sleeved arm at Ravello. “You,” she said, her tone angry and accusing.

“Me what?” Ravello seemed flummoxed by the intruder.  “You know what.” The woman pulled a cell phone out of her tiny purse and held it up to him.

Mia moved closer to her father. “Dad, what’s going on?” Ravello responded with a confused shrug.

The woman waved the phone in the air. “Our date. Through Meet Your Match dot com. What’d you think, it was a freebie? Angie here doesn’t do freebies.”

She pointed a long, red-lacquered nail at herself. “You owe me.” Mia was incredulous. She knew her father had barely dated since his marriage to her mother had been annulled five years earlier. But she couldn’t imagine him resorting to a paid escort.

“Sweetie, I don’t know what she’s talking about,” Ravello said. He looked embarrassed. “I swear on a bible, I’ve never seen her before in my life.”

“Liar.” The woman spit out the word. She took a step toward Ravello, who remained frozen in place.

“Either give me my fee or I’ll make big trouble. I know who you are.” “Oh please,” Mia scoffed. “Everyone knows who he is. If that’s your biggest threat, you need better material.”

The woman, still holding the phone, waved her arms in the air dramatically. “I want my—”

A giantess wearing a chef toque stepped out of the group. “Okay, we’ve had enough of the crazy, sister.” “That’s Guadalupe Cruz, our chef,” Cammie, who’d been watching the odd scene with fascination, whispered to Mia. “She was an army cook in Iraq.”

Guadalupe approached the interloper, then took all of a second to grab the woman and hold her under one arm like a football. She strode out of the room, her charge kicking and screaming a stream of profanities. “As you were,” the chef called to the others as she disappeared down the stairs.

There was a moment of stunned silence. Then Cammie pointed to the buffet. “Let’s eat before the bagels get stale.”

A murmur of agreement was followed by a rush to grab a plate. Ravello started to follow, but Mia pulled him back. “Hold up, Dad. What was that?”

The mobster gave a helpless shrug. “Mia, believe me, I have no idea. There are nut jobs all over this city. I guess one found her way to Belle View. This Belle View, not the one in Manhattan. Where she obviously belongs. Because she needs mental help.”

There was a loud buzzing overhead. “Sounds like a turboprop. Must be the 9:10 from Syracuse on its final approach.”

Ravello detached himself from Mia and joined the others at the buffet. She frowned as she watched him pour a cup of coffee and chat with the others. She knew her father well. He was telling the truth when he said he didn’t know the woman. But he was also hiding something.

And it was never good when a Carina hid something.

Here Comes the Body is can be purchased from Amazon*, Barnes &Noble, Kobo, Google Play, and IndieBound.  Would you like to win a copy of Here Comes the Body?  You can enter here to win a one of three (sorry, U.S. Only) copies of Here Comes the Body.  You can also enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter form below.  Good Luck! I will return tomorrow to share my thoughts on Murder Makes Scents by Christin Brecher.  It is the second A Nantucket Candle Maker Mystery.  Thank you for visiting today.  I hope you have a sunny day.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

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February 24 – The Avid Reader - REVIEW, EXCERPT

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February 25 – Socrates Book Reviews - REVIEW

February 25 – Ascroft, eh? – GUEST POST  

February 25 – Gimme The Scoop Reviews – REVIEW

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February 27 – The Power of Words – REVIEW

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February 28 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

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February 29 - Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW

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March 1 – StoreyBook Reviews - REVIEW

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March 3 – Baroness' Book Trove - REVIEW

March 4 – Melina's Book Blog - REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST

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Fatal Cajun Festival by Ellen Byron

Good Day!  Buried in the Stacks by Allison Brook, Fatal Cajun Festival by Ellen Byron and Remembering the Dead by Elizabeth J. Duncan are out today.  The Girl Who Loved Ghosts by K. C. Tansley releases on September 16.  It is the third spirited tale in The Unbelievables series. 

Fatal Cajun Festival by Ellen Byron has us journeying to Pelican, Louisiana.  Maggie Crozat and her fiancé, Bo Durand have temporarily put aside their wedding planning.   Everyone is needed to help prepare for Cajun Country Live! that Charlotte Crozat, Maggie’s grandmere dreamed up to bring tourists to their town.  The headliner of the festival is Tammy Barker, a hometown girl, whose claim to fame is being the winner of Sing It!  Gaynell Bourgeois, Maggie’s friend, is not happy that Tammy will be returning to Pelican.  The pint sized bully enjoyed tormenting Gaynell in high school. Gaynell and the Gator Girls are a local popular act who will also be performing at the festival.  When Tammy’s manager is murdered, Tammy is quick to point the cops in Gaynell’s direction since she had words with him.  Maggie sets out to prove Gaynell’s innocence by ingratiating herself with the band members.  Can Maggie get the band members to spill their secrets so she can finger the killer or will Gaynell be serenading the warden at the local penitentiary?

Fatal Cajun Festival is an engaging cozy mystery that will have your craving etouffee and a beignet.  Fatal Cajun Festival by Ellen Byron is the fifth A Cajun Country Mystery.  This is a series that I recommend reading in order because it will allow you to get to know the characters and the town.  I enjoy Ellen Byron’s conversational writing style.  Her story welcomes you and I soon find myself immersed in the story.  There is a great cast of characters in A Cajun Country Mystery series. I like their Southern charm and Louisiana quirkiness.  Maggie comes from a close family and lives with her grandmother, Charlotte.  Maggie was happy to put her wedding plans on the back burner to help with the festival.  She designed the graphics for the festival and is also making the pralines (they are yummy) to sell at the Pelican Praline booth.  Unfortunately, the Crozat B&B kitchen is off limits thanks to Tammy and her entourage with their special meal requests.  Maggie must rely on the kindness of her friends and relatives for the use of their kitchens.  I liked Gaynell with her sweet demeanor and beautiful voice.  Gaynell and the Gator Girls played lively tunes that set my toes to tapping.  I thought the mystery was clever from the way the individual was killed to the killer.  You need to pay careful attention to the clues, or you will end up fingering the wrong person. Charlotte is sorting through her belongings and uncovers some information about her deceased husband that raises questions and sends her on a journey.  The joyful ending will have you beaming.   At the end of the book there are a couple of recipes including one for pecan pralines. Fatal Cajun Festival is a harmonious cozy mystery with lip-smacking pecan pralines, toe tapping Cajun tunes, a dramatic diva, an electric stage, a clever killer and a sneaky sleuth.

Fatal Cajun Festival is available at Amazon along with the other four books in A Cajun Country Mystery series. Thank you for reading my review today.  I am a stop of the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for A Night's Tail by Sofie Kelly tomorrow.  It is the eleventh A Magical Cats Mystery.  May you have an electric day.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

A Cajun Christmas Killing: A Cajun Country Mystery

Happy Book Release Day!  I just love waking up with new books on my kindle. Who remembers when they used to arrive in your mailbox on release day?  Some of the new titles out today are Hide and Seek by M.J. Arlidge (just wonderful), The Skeleton Paints a Picture by Leigh Perry, The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman, Death in St. Petersburg by Tasha Alexander, Death Overdue by Allison Brook, Murder on the Toy Town Express by Barbara Early, A Cajun Christmas Killing by Ellen Byron and Twelve Slays of Christmas by Jacqueline Frost. 

A Cajun Christmas Killing by Ellen Byron is the third book in A Cajun Country Mystery series.  Maggie Crozat and her family are busy with guests at the Crozat Plantation B&B and making Christmas preparations.  One of their guests, Donald Baxter is playing the part of Scrooge with his constant complaints.  Maggie is guiding a tour around Doucet and discovers their guest has become a ghost when she finds him stabbed to death.  Bo Durand, Maggie’s boyfriend, is a person of interest and Rufus Durand, his cousin, returns to be lead investigator (he is not a fan of the Crozat family—but he swears he has changed).  Maggie needs to find the real killer and clear Bo off the suspect list as well as herself and the rest of the Crozat family.  Her attention is diverted by Tannis Greer’s changes at Doucet (and her hideous new costume), her father’s ill health, numerous anonymous complaints about the B&B on a travel site, Lia’s revelations, and the return of her ex-boyfriend who is determined to exploit Bo’s son, Xander.  Just another typical week for Maggie in Pelican, Louisiana.  Come along for some Christmas fun in A Cajun Christmas Killing!

A Cajun Christmas Killing is an entertaining cozy mystery.  It has lively, unique characters and a small, quirky Southern town.  Maggie has a large extended family and many friends in Pelican.  It was interesting to read about the bonfires being built and how they are utilized on Christmas Eve (what a nifty tradition).  I just loved the descriptions of the old homes with original details (I am one of those people who loves squeaky old wood floors).  I found the story to be nicely written and to have a good pace (makes for an easy to read story).  There is quite a bit going on in A Cajun Christmas Killing.  I highly recommend reading the series in order.  It will help familiarize you with the characters (it can be hard to keep them all straight).  My rating for A Cajun Christmas Killing is 4 out of 5 pumpkins (I thought I would switch in honor of Halloween).  I do wish, though, that the mystery had been harder to solve.  I like to be challenged, and I accurately predicted the outcome before Maggie stumbled upon the body.  There are some delightful sounding recipes at the end of the book.  The ending was very satisfying (those who dislike Tannis will be merry).  I look forward to visiting Pelican, Louisiana again in the next A Cajun Country Mystery.

The first two books in A Cajun Country Mystery series are Plantation Shudders and Body on the Bayou.  I will return tomorrow to review Christmas at Carnton by Tamera Alexander.  May each of you have a stupendous day.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris
The Avid Reader