As Halloween approaches South Cove, California, four couples get into the spirit of the holiday by conjuring up spirits. . . The house has sat empty for fifteen years, taking up prime real estate along the picturesque coastline. Built by one of the founders of South Cove, its last known owner, Maryanne Demerit, vanished without a trace. Now her home will be demolished for a condo development, … condo development, but until then, it’s the perfect spot for a Halloween haunted house.
Jill Gardner, owner of Coffee, Books, and More, her boyfriend, and three other couples are spending the weekend in the Demerit home. But what begins as an all-in-good-fun fright fest turns into a mystery begging to be solved as Jill is contacted by the ghost of Maryanne . . .
Praise for The Tourist Trap Mysteries
“Murder, dirty politics, pirate lore, and a hot police detective: Guidebook to Murder has it all! A cozy lover’s dream come true.”
—Susan McBride, author of The Debutante Dropout Mysteries
“Lynn Cahoon has created an absorbing, good fun mystery in Mission to Murder.”
—Fresh Fiction
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What an entertaining read. It is short and sweet. Jill and her friends decide to spend a weekend in a haunted house. Are there really ghosts? What happened to the owner? The friends decide to solve the mystery of the owner’s disappearance. Are they being helped from the great beyond? I enjoyed this, nothing super scary. The mystery was fun and the characters were unique and some quite quirky. The villain was a surprise. This is easy-to-read and enjoyable.
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
A Deadly Brew is the most recent publication in Lynn Cahoon’s tourist trap mysteries set in South Cove, California. Jill Gardener and her boyfriend Greg King have joined three other couples to spend a weekend in a supposed haunted house as part of a fundraiser for charitable causes in the community.
However, they did not foresee how the mysterious disappearance of the home’s former owner would affect their stay and why someone would be making such an effort to use the house in a way in which they would become embroiled in the decade old mystery.They also did not foresee the answer to this mystery nor did they understand that the culprit was right there before them.
In finding potion rooms, hidden bookcases, and myriad clues, the mystery is laid wide open for Jill, Greg, and company to solve. And what an interesting excursion to the final answer! This is the first Lynn Cahoon book I have read and I did enjoy it!
A Deadly Brew by Lynn Cahoon was another delightful visit to South Cove for Halloween.
In this novella Jill and Greg with three other couples spend a weekend in a haunted house. The owner of the home disappeared several years ago and the city has sold the house to developers. Being a novella, we delve into the mystery right away. Jill has contact with the missing owner through a dream and is now determined to solve the woman’s disappearance. With all of the couples searching for clues it doesn’t take long to find out the history and begin to put the clues together. This was an absorbing little mystery and I always love visiting South Cove.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Lyrical Press via NetGalley. All of the above opinions are my own.
A Deadly Brew was another exciting adventure in Cahoon’s Tourist Trap mystery series. Jill, her boyfriend, Greg, and a group of their friends decide to do something special for Halloween. They decide to spend the weekend locked in a “haunted” house that will soon be condemned. The adventure starts out pretty normal until strange things start to happen that make Jill and her friends think the place really is haunted.
Cahoon does a great job at setting up a spooky tale that is perfect for the Halloween season or at any time of the year. Jill learns a little more about herself when the house’s ghost chooses her to communicate her dilemma. Despite being a shorter story, Cahoon delivers an exciting tale that captures the reader’s interest from the very beginning and never lets go. Overall A Deadly Brew is a great read that I would definitely recommend, and I am looking forward to reading Jill’s next adventure.
Received a copy of A Deadly Brew through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
A Deadly Brew
A Tourist Trap Mystery, Book #9.5
Lynn Cahoon
5 Stars
Synopsis:
As Halloween approaches South Cove, California, four couples get into the spirit of the holiday by conjuring up spirits. . .
The house has sat empty for fifteen years, taking up prime real estate along the picturesque coastline. Built by one of the founders of South Cove, its last known owner, Maryanne Demerit, vanished without a trace. Now her home will be demolished for a condo development, but until then, it’s the perfect spot for a Halloween haunted house.
Jill Gardner, owner of Coffee, Books, and More, her boyfriend, and three other couples are spending the weekend in the Demerit home. But what begins as an all-in-good-fun fright fest turns into a mystery begging to be solved as Jill is contacted by the ghost of Maryanne . . . (Goodreads)
Review:
The characters are well rounded and well developed and I feel like they are old friends. Any time I get to spend with Jill and her friends is time well spent.
The writing style flows smoothly and this novella is a quick easy read. The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and I felt like I was right there with them in the haunted house. There is a mystery in this book, but it does not revolve around a dead body that someone stumbled upon. I find that very refreshing.
I would recommend this novella (and series) to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. This a a great series.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this novella provided by the publisher, Kensington Books, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.
I loved this novella, I wish that it were longer. Jill, Greg and two other couples decide to be locked into a haunted house for the weekend. The previous owner had disappeared without a trace.
I loved the touch of paranormal, great for a Halloween read. I found the story of the previous owner being unraveled intriguing. It was fun revisiting these characters and I will continue on with this series.
Wonderful ghostly story. Very entertaining. Great characters
Short, ditzy little book. Pleasant entertainment.
Read it too long ago to comment
When the South Cove friends get together for a weekend in the local haunted house, they get so much more than they bargained for! A quick story guaranteed to scare your pants off!
Intriguing Halloween novella in the Tourist Trap Cozy Series. Esmeralda uses her psychic abilities to find clues to a missing woman and a child. I thought this short story was absorbing and fast-paced. Never a dull moment! Jill Gardner, owner of Coffee, Books and More, joins her police officer boyfriend, Greg, and three other couples for a weekend stay in a haunted house where there are mysterious goings-on. The mystery is great! I love this series and highly recommend it to other readers.
I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and Kensington Lyrical Press. Thank you.
A fun haunting story that fits into the series! I enjoy the characters, the town and the book store! Family, neighbors, community with a flare for murder!
Four couples spend a weekend in a house marked for demolition where the last owner, who had the reputation of being a witch, just disappeared. When books go flying and a disturbing dream involving the previous owner occurs, the weekend becomes even more mysterious. Enjoyable, short and entertaining.
A fun short mystery! Jill, her boyfriend Greg, and 3 other couples spend the weekend in a house that is supposedly haunted. The woman who had lived there mysteriously disappeared. Strange things happen during the weekend and Jill has an encounter with a ghost in a dream. Can they solve the mystery and survive the weekend? This is only the second book I’ve read in this series, but I absolutely loved it! Such a charming town and intriguing characters. Can’t wait to read more books in this series!!!
A quick read. Awesome they compare themselves to scooby doo and the gang.
It really is a bit like them
I really enjoyed this Halloween story. For being a short story, it had a great storyline. This was my first time reading from this series. It made me want to start the series from the beginning. This one reads like a standalone.
Was looking for a quick read that would be somewhat entertaining. Story weak, characters weak, but it was quick.
Lynn has created a wonderful set of stories and this one in this series will not dissappoint. A short story but with no dead bodies, but instead solving a long ago mystery.
When it was revealed I was not prepared for what solving the mysterious death of this woman would take place. But it was a very happy ending and look forward to the next installment.
“A Deadly Brew” earns 5/5 Ghostly Weekends…Clever Fun!
Lynn Cahoon has penned a “short and sweet” spooky tale perfect for the holiday season! I am an eager fan of her Tourist Trap Mystery series (this book chronologically falls after the ninth book) and enjoy her signature writing style that always includes a clever mystery and well-developed characters to keep me engaged. Easily read in between “trick or treating” bell rings, “A Deadly Brew” is set in an old abandoned house soon to be demolished, but currently being used as a fund-raising charity event. Jill Gardner with her detective/boyfriend and six other new and old friends (one with self-proclaimed psychic talents, one with EMF equipment, and one with a gun) plan to spend the weekend “locked” in the rumored haunted house, and as a treat, maybe uncover answers to the mysterious disappearance of the last owner who was rumored to be a witch…so cool! It may be short, but this novella is not short on entertainment with engaging descriptions, mysterious events, and spooky “bumps in the night.”
Side thought on the Dedication: I, too, loved the 60s “Dark Shadows” television show, rushing home from school with my BFFs to watch Barnabas Collins, Josette, and Angelique. We even found onyx cabochon rings to show our devotion! We were “goth” before it was cool…Halloween was so much fun during that time of my life!
This is really a short story so there’s no character development or much setup so I don’t think readers new to the series would enjoy it as much.
I enjoyed seeing Jill outside the bookshop and the story was enjoyable for a Sept./Oct. read though the lack of characters made it easy to know who the bad guy was .
I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.