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 … 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.
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Murder in the Bayou Boneyard is the latest book in the Cajun Country Mystery series written by Ellen Byron. I’ve read all the previous books, and when this one became available on NetGalley, I had to request it. The book doesn’t launch until September 2020, but it’s one of my favorite series and I will highlight it again around publication day. So… let’s chat a bit about this 5-star read.
Maggie, a 30ish witty young woman from Pelican, Louisiana, runs a B&B with her parents, the Crozats. Throw in Gran, her newly engaged grandmother, and you’ve got a lovely core family to entertain us. Maggie’s fiance, Bo Durand, is a detective on the police force, and he’s often forced to get the family out of a bunch of murders… though they never commit them, this time, someone in their estranged family is the victim. On top of that, several others are murdered, and when a strange werewolf-like beast roams the town, Halloween has everyone a flutter and afraid.
The mystery is haunting and clever. The extended family members are quite an annoying group… they start out nice, but clearly, they are out for something after all these years. The guests at the inn make for an eclectic bunch, especially the talkative parrot. By adding in humor and the holiday-theme, the book is even stronger. I enjoyed reading about the history of the town, some of the other families, and the plans for both upcoming weddings. I will say… there are tons of snappy lines, and Rufus has turned a corner! What a great dynamic to have the neighboring town’s sheriff causing trouble this time.
Byron entertains… this is a top notch book, and I love being able to see the differences in her writing style, yet the amazing similarities too, with her Queens-based Italian family series. I hope one day we get a crossover because that would be just so over-the-top, I might not be able to stop myself from reading it every day for a month! Thanks for this funtastic (yep, my word for today) edition.
In an effort to increase bookings at her family’s Louisiana bed and breakfast during October, Maggie Crozat has come up with the “Pelican’s Spooky Past” promotion. Five of the area B & B’s are teaming up and offering historical crafts, food, and other promotions to tie in to the season. Someone else has gotten into the act since guests keep siting a rougarou, a local legendary monster. One of the events during the month is a play being staged at a nearby dilapidated graveyard. The first couple of weekends, the play goes well, but then at one performance someone in a rougarou costume stumbles onto the stage and dies. As cross jurisdictional strife heats up, Maggie and her family find themselves caught in the middle as prime suspects. Can Maggie clear their names?
Reading this series always makes me want to visit Louisiana in person, and this book is no exception. I also appreciate how we learn something about local customs, legends, and food while we read. The plot is strong with plenty of twists and action to keep us engaged and guessing. I do have a couple of niggles with the climax, but they are minor overall. The characters are as wonderful as ever. I love seeing the regulars again and watching them and their relationships grow. Meanwhile, the suspects are just as strong as the series regulars. Those looking for some Cajun flavor in their life will enjoy the five recipes we get at the end of the book. Fans of the series will enjoy the latest book, and if you are new to the series, this will make you go back and read the books you’ve missed.
Laissez les bons temps rouler!!!
Let us go to the Pelican, Louisiana
to stay at one of the five local plantations
offering the “Pelican’s Spooky Past”
package. This package will include
Halloween traditions of the historical past.
We are staying at the Crozat Plantation
B& B. There we will meet Magnolia Crozat
better known as Maggie, her parents
( Ninette and Tug) and her Gran-mere.
Crozat will offer unique cajun style menu’s
made for mourners in the past. You will
make immortelles which are cemetery
arrangements from dried flowers, beads
and ceramics. These were meant as immortal
memorials to the dead.
You will attend a play, Resurrection of the
Spirit, performed in the nearby derelict
Dupois graveyard in the evening.
Murder, ghost, burglaries and my favorite
happenings: appearances of the scary
rougarou ( the Cajun version of the
werewolf make this an attention keeper
from the first word until the ending scene.
I loved that the story was filled with drama,
intrigue, tension, twists and turns and quirky,
colorful,and well casted characters.
There are recipes after the end that made
my mouth water: Crawtatoes, Ghoulish Cajun
Goulash Cajun Pecan Cookie Fingers, Holy
Trinity Chicken and Sugar High Pie.
This is book # 6 in the Cajun Country Mysteries
series. It can be read as a stand alone.
I volunteered to read Murder in the Bayou
Boneyard. Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and
the author via Net Gallery for the opportunity.
My opinion is voluntary and my own.
Great Cajun Halloween fun in a perfect seasonal cozy.
Ellen Byron makes me want to go to Louisiana. I am not a hot weather person so this is a feat. Every time I read one of her books, I’m ready to go. She does an amazing job bringing Pelican Louisiana to life between the covers of her books. It’s not just the scenery that Ms Byron brings to life either. You can smell the Cajun cooking delights waft up from the pages. She makes me drool!
This book is set at one of my most favorite times of the year…Halloween! Louisiana is in my top five places to spend Halloween in. I loved they way Halloween was included but didn’t obscure the mystery. The mystery was intriguing. Far away family comes to visit and brings with them a few issues. Don’t you just love when you open your home to family and they have a plot against you already going? There is a lot going on with the holiday, the B&B, a play and the double wedding preparations. Which I can’t even say how much I love the grandma/granddaughter wedding plan! That just warms my heart and Grandma is a hoot, making it so fun to read about. If all this doesn’t have you turning pages how about a rougarou and death? I was delighted to see a rougarou in the mix! If you are new to the term, it is a werewolf/vampire like creature. They make my horror loving heart beat faster. There is no graphic horror in this book though. It is most definitely a cozy mystery. The mystery part kept me guessing. When you read this book you will understand why. I definitely recommend you read this book.
I am grateful to having won a copy of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. Reviews are not required but I chose to voluntarily review this book. I want all cozy lovers to read it! I had a good time with it. It is a book I read slowly because I didn’t want it to end but all good things do have an end. I’m looking forward to the next book!
Ellen Byron writes a delightful cozy series set in the small town of Pelican, Louisiana. Murder in the Bayou Boneyard can be enjoyed any time of the year, but is perfect for October. The author excels at Cajun culture, traditions, and visual imagery – as well as characterization.
Maggie, a descendant of Pelican’s founding family and proprietor of a B&B, is an appealing protagonist – smart, caring, creative, respectful of family and the town’s heritage. With local B&Bs suffering at the hands of a man’s unethical business practices, she brings several establishments together in offering October weekend packages focusing on “Pelican’s Spooky Past.” I enjoyed learning about food and folklore, even the werewolf-like figure of the “rougarou.”
Cleverly entwined in all this is the mystery itself. The number of suspects felt just right and was never obvious to me. There’s a surprise twist at the end, which paves the way for future stories. And, of course, there’s the anticipation of two weddings – those of Maggie and her grandmother.
With the exception of a little mild profanity, which I could have done without, Murder in the Bayou Boneyard is a thoroughly enjoyable story.
Where has this series been all of my life? Murder in the Bayou Boneyard is the 6th book in A Cajun Country Mystery Series, but if you’ve not read the first five, you can still jump in right here like I did! Sure, you miss some of the backstory like how certain characters met. However, Ellen Byron swiftly manages to make you feel like you’ve known the characters forever. Furthermore, you catch on to the important relationship details just through reading the story.
Maggie and her grandmother’s relationship reminds me of the relationship I had with my grandma. I was always grandma’s girl, and I still miss her. Plus, the way that Maggie’s Gran dresses is so much like my grandma was. She was always stylin’ no matter where she was.
Maggie and Gran are just two of the wonderfully written characters you meet in Murder in the Bayou Boneyard. Along with the main characters, you’ve got a whole passel of side and “guest” characters (oh, and a parrot!) who make the story and mystery so intriguing!
Though I’ve never been to Louisiana, it’s on my bucket list, so I adored the setting. Add to that the fact that the book takes place during the Halloween season, and you’ve got the perfect backdrop for this cozy.
You’ll love trying to solve the multiple crimes with all of the red herrings that you’ll encounter. I kept changing my mind about who the perpetrator(s) was(were)! I spent almost all day reading Murder in the Bayou Boneyard because I couldn’t put it down! It’s a great book to read in your fuzzy socks with a cup of tea and a plate of cookies. Trust me. You’ll want those cookies because you are going to be starving while you read about all of the delicious sounding food in this one! Luckily for you, the author shares her recipes at the end of the book. And I’ve got one of the recipes on my blog, Christy’s Cozy Corners, for you too! Just stop by for some Ghoulish Cajun Goulash!
I highly recommend this fun cozy mystery book! Enjoy reading and eating!
Anytime I read one of the books in this series, I feel like I am visiting my family that lives in Cajun country. The vernacular is spot on and the food, well, let’s just say it is all delicious and I’m glad that the author provides recipes at the end of the book.
I enjoyed spending time with Maggie and her fiance’ Bo, and the rest of the Crorzat family. The whole family is a bit wacky but I love have they have each other’s back no matter what the situation. Actually, the whole town seems to support one another, at least most of the time. However, this time there is a new family relation in the picture and she is not what she seems. Her whole family is a bit off and that does not win them any friends.
I enjoyed learning some interesting tidbits about the superstitions that many believe in the south and how they especially love Halloween. I don’t think I had ever heard of a rougarou before this book so now I’m going to have to ask my Cajun family about that mythical creature.
The mystery is engaging and I have to admit, I wasn’t sure who the killer was or why. As I read further into the book and near the end, I had my suspicions, but I didn’t really know they why. It was interesting to uncover the truth in the situation. I’m going to be cryptic because the why is rather intricate and I don’t want to spoil anything for you.
There is a somewhat sad scene near the end that touched my heart and hopefully will touch yours. Another one that I won’t share details because you’ll need to read the book to find out!
I’m not sure what the next book will hold but I’m hoping it is Gran and Maggie’s double wedding! We get a taste of Gran’s planning and her affinity for cake testing. I can’t blame here, one of my favorite parts of planning a wedding. Laissez les bons temps rouler!!!
We give this book 5 paws up and if you have never read this series, start with the first book in the series, Plantation Shudders.
Murder in the Bayou Boneyard by Ellen Byron the 6th instalment in the “A Cajun Country Mystery” series. I really enjoy this series and am trying to get all caught up, so far I have only read the last two. Even though this is only the second book I have read in the series I was able to follow along easily so it can be read as a stand alone. I really enjoyed it and practically read in one sitting, I must find the time to read the other books in the series.
The protagonist Maggie is a strong, independent woman. The characters are well rounded and seem real as I could relate to each of them. I especially loved Maggie’s family as they provide humor, quirkiness especially her feisty grand-mère. I especially love how the author includes local customs, legends, and food the story. The town of Pelican Cove, Louisiana sounds like a great place to visit too!
The mystery is interesting and well plotted, and there are plenty of twists and turns in this story, and I kept guessing and second-guessing myself on whodunnit right to the very end. The story moves at a steady pace, and I had a hard time putting it down.
I highly recommend this book to all my cozy loving friends.
I requested and received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my OWN.
Time for Halloween hijinks and Maggie Corzat has figured out a way to give some local B&Bs the financial boost they really need. Maggie runs a lovely plantation B&B and is finally opening an on site spa. Putting together a package of goodies and events will do the trick. Pelican’s Spooky Past is ready to roll out with good food, crafts, local lore and the Dupois cemetery acting as the venue for a very creepy play. All in good fun to entertain the tourists until somebody crashes the party decked out in a rougarou -part werewolf part vampire creature – and then drops dead. Not good for the tourist business as many turn tail and head for home. And that’s just the beginning.
If that wasn’t enough to stress Maggie, she and her grandmother are putting the finishing touches on their weddings, planned for New Years. One more unexpected nasty twist shows up in the form of a distant relative and her family – Maggie invited her to stay awhile in the renovated school house she and her soon to be husband plan to live in while working at the spa. Hey, they are family. Turns out to be a very bad idea when the woman lays claim to it and won’t leave. Soon the local police are focusing on Maggie as their prime suspect and she goes into sleuth mode to investigate who is trying to ruin not only Halloween but Maggie’s life, as well.
There are so many things to love about this series. The setting, the main characters, the yummy food and a very well developed puzzle to keep you guessing from the first page to the last. Murder in the Bayou Boneyard works fine as a stand alone but I’d wager a big bowl of gumbo that you will want to make sure you enjoy the entire series.
My thanks to the publisher Crooked Lane and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
This is one of my go to series. . It is always fun to get back to Pelican,Louisiana. I love the main character, Maggie and her family. The mystery had me guessing until the very end. I cannot wait for the next book in the series!
I reviewed a digital arc provided by Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for an honest review. Thank you!
I have not read books #1-5 in the series and can be a read as a stand-alone as I did not feel left out or confused. This is an entertaining, spooky (as cozy goes) read. I loved it and will be reading the others in the series. Thanks to Crooked Lane Books, NetGalley, and Ellen Bryon for this ebook ARC. This is my honest review.
It’s Halloween in Cajun country, and things aren’t going as planned at the Crozat B&B. I love my visits to Pelican, Louisiana. Byron has some fun characters who are always getting into trouble. In this one, Gran and Maggie plan their double wedding. What could go wrong?
CRAZY! Halloween is nutso all in itself but when you add the crew from Pelican you can guarantee someone is going to end up dead. A play in a graveyard and long lost relatives are just the start of the adventures but it is the cold blooded killer you have to really watch out for. Maggie saves the day as always with her usual panache and she even helps Gran with wedding details. That girl can do it all. Let’s see if she can keep it up in the next book.
I love “traveling” to Cajun Country with Ellen Byron and her wonderful characters in this series. In this latest book it is October and Maggie has come up with a promotion that all of the B&Bs in the area are participating in. They are celebrating Pelican’s Spooky Past with special weekend activities throughout the month of October. Also, Maggie’s grandmother is busy investigating all of the options for her and Maggie’s joint wedding ceremony. Many other things are also going on in Pelican including a tech entrepreneur who is buying up homes and has started “Rent my digs” which has been taking business away from the local B&Bs. And some long lost relatives are visiting from Canada and the two families are getting to know each other. There is never a dull moment in this book or this series. I hope that there will be many more books.
I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Maggie Crozat, who runs a historic B&B deep in Cajun Country, has come up with a theme for the month of October that celebrates Pelican’s spooky past. The plan’s designed to help give the local B&B’s the edge over a new thing allowing people to rent out their spare rooms through an app. But B&B guests are being scared off with rougarou sightings. When someone dressed as a rougarou dies during a play set in the Dupois cemetery, it soon becomes clear that it was murder and more bodies follow. Can Maggie find the killer before she goes down for the crime?
I love this series and this book is no exception. The author keeps the series fresh and this may be my favorite of the series although all the books are wonderful. This book will draw you in and keep you guessing. It’s well-written with well-rounded characters, some of whom you’ll like and others you won’t. The various relationships are done well and you’ll go through a variety of emotions that’ll bring laughter and tears. I’m very eager for the next book and highly recommend both book and series which I suggest you read in order.
This author continues to be creative and inventive with her plot and her characters. This new book in the series will not disappoint.
Fantastic book! I absolutely love the Cajun Country mysteries and Maggie and her family. Pelican is hosting Halloween weekends at their B and Bs to help bring business in after an entrepreneuer starts buying up property and renting it out at a low cost. The Crozats are also preparing to open their new day spa and have enlisted the help of a recently located distant relative. Unfortunately, the happy family reunion the Crozat family had hoped for doesn’t happen and they have many issues with their newfound relatives. After cousin Suzanne is murdered, Maggie and her family are prime suspects. Bo isn’t able to be involved in the case because of his relationship with Maggie and the fact that the murder occurred in a nearby town. Strange mythical creature sightings have been occurring as well. Maggie is determined to clear her name and save her family’s business. Lots of intrigue and twists in this latest book. I absolutely love the characters and the town of Pelican. It is always such a delight to visit and find yourself transported to this town. I can’t wait to find out what’s next for Maggie and her family and finally see Maggie and Bo get married! I highly recommend this series. The books are so well-written and are hard to put down.
*I received a free copy of this book which I voluntarily chose to write an honest review for.
A fabulous addition to a great cozy series. It is close to Halloween but Maggie is not excited about that. To help business though she creates a themed event for the whole month pairing with several other places. Things start fairly well and a recently discovered cousin is coming to be the masseuse at the new spa on the property. This starts as a great turn of events until things go bad making it necessary to fire the cousin who turns up dead not long after. The death happened at a jurisdiction line so a new group of police are involved who quickly focus on Maggie. This makes for a fun ride when she starts looking into things. Overall a satisfying mystery mixed with plenty of characters making for a pleasant mix. A total must read for cozy fans. I totally loved it so I give it 5/5 stars.
A delightful and fun cozy mystery with a Halloween theme great for kicking off the fall season. Murder in the Bayou Boneyard was a Great distraction for a lazy day of reading.
Maggie is not a fan of Halloween, yet goes along with her family along with other B&B owners hosting Halloween theme weekend to help bring more business to their businesses. What should be fun and pleasant weekends turn into mayham and murder. Not to mention some appearances made by fabled, bayou creatures just to spice up the mix a little bit more. If that wasn’t enough Maggie has out of town distant relatives that are just not quite The kind of people she was expecting. Pelican, Louisiana maybe a small town but it sure got a lot going on.
Murder in the Bayou Boneyard was my first visit with the characters of the Cajun Country Mysteries and William not be my last. Not only was the story entering, the mystery kept you guessing and the plot was solid. The characters are well developed and fun. The setting is like being transported to a different place. With everything that’s going on in the world right now I feel it’s important for myself to be able to get lost in a book. Author Ellen Byron does just that. I felt like I was right in the bayou with Crozets. The only thing missing was the delectable food that we read about through the pages of this entertaining book.