VAMPIRES, BONES AND TREACLE SCONES

The owner of a Scottish emporium turns sleuth once more when a local murder has family connections.

Liss MacCrimmon, now Ruskin, has barely returned from her honeymoon with her husband, Dan, when she’s dealing with another body. Luckily, this time, the body is a manikin Liss is preparing for a Halloween haunted house at the old Blackie O’Hare place, which has been owned by the town of Moosetookalook ever since its namesake owner died while in prison for murder. It seems the perfect place for Liss to transform into a real haunted house with the help of her Halloween committee, especially since tales of where Blackie’s fortune might be buried still provide a tantalizing mystery for the townspeople. When mysterious noises and flashing lights are seen in the house, some suggest there might be a real haunting at work, though Liss suspects overzealous use of the home by a committee member—perhaps young Boxer Snipes, whose family is known for roguish behavior. The fears of foul play in the mansion are confirmed when the body of Liss’ cousin Ned Boyd is found posed in a spooky Halloween scene. Ned’s mother, Liss’ Aunt Margaret, isn’t sure what to think of Ned’s death; she didn’t even know he’d been released from prison. But Liss knows what to do: avert the suspicion falling on the Snipes family by uncovering what the police cannot.

Though Liss’ love life seems to have nowhere left to go, the ongoing saga of Moosetookalook (Bagpipes, Brides, and Homicides, 2012, etc.) gives readers a chance to catch up with old friends and meet new ones.