It seemed like a good idea at the time to Maggie Crozat, but she quickly comes to regret suggesting the Spooky Past vacation packages and employing her long-lost cousin at the B&B's spa. Not only does the Cajun equivalent of a werewolf start appearing to scare guests, her cousin turns up dead and Maggie's the main suspect.

With all the Southern hospitality you'd expect from Ellen Byron, Murder in the Bayou Boneyard is a nice addition to the Cajun Country Mystery series.

I received access to a digital ARC from Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley.

I first discovered this series on Netgalley about 2 books ago and have since then been following the series (and also reading the previous books in the series). This is the sixth book in the series and another great hit. I absolutely love all the details Byron adds to the books around Louisiana culture, food and history; the details are so rich that you feel like you're right there watching it unfold around you. The character development across the series is also nicely done and well balanced in terms of flaws and positive attributes.

Already looking forward to the next one.

Maggie returned to Pelican in failure mode, which turned out to be the best move she had made in a long time. Maggie’s Gran and her impending double weeding are not the main topic of conversation, murder is. Extended family can be a blessing or a curse. Maggie learned quickly that she never should have asked her extended family to visit.
Sabotage and murder surround her and her family home. The killer is wondering free because Griffith was so focused on trying to pin the murder on Maggie or one of her family. Enjoyed how the mystery was solved and how family stuck through the hard times to come out on top.

An incredibly fun and twisting murder mystery set in the Deep South of Louisiana. I absolutely fell in love with the cover of this book, and the contents did not disappoint! Highly recommended for mystery lovers who are wishing for something a bit lighter.

Despite this being the sixth installment of Ellen Byron's Cajun Country Mystery series, I was able to grasp the character dynamics quickly, and really grew to enjoy them. Just an all around fun read!

The Crozat family has a charming, quaint and cozy bed and breakfast In Pelican, LA - an hour from New Orleans. They’ve promoted some Spooky Pasts weekend Halloween packages to bring in more guests. After a disagreement with distant relatives over new findings regarding the family’s property, someone is murdered and everyone in the Crozat family is a suspect. Murder, mysterious sightings, and family rafts heat up, causing a decline in bookings. There are many suspects and motives...how far will Maggie go to protect her family’s home and find the murderer?

I really loved the Cajun twang, food and vibes throughout. It makes me want to book a B&B getaway where delicious Cajun delicacies are provided nightly. I also loved the strong Crozat family dynamics and bonds.

One thing I noticed missing was descriptions of the characters. Imagery and detail is very important to me. I like to visualize the characters, their features, dress, style by the descriptions the author provides. No faces came to mind for me, which was disappointing.

I was also a bit confused about the time period of the book. I imagine this story to be present-day, but I kept getting 1950s feels. Perhaps it was the references to the plantations, but that’s Louisiana for you.

I stepped a tad bit out of my element with this book, although it is a mystery - which I love - I would’ve automatically passed on it because of the cover. (Judgmental, much?) Turns out it is considered cozy mystery, which is a first for me. I also learned after the fact that this book is apart of a series, which I would definitely continue to follow.

I’m so glad I gave it a try because I found this book to be a juicy suspense that left me wondering who-dun-it until the very end, and hungry for some authentic New Orleans cajun food. Gumbo and bananas foster anyone? The author also lists some yummy Cajun recipes at the end of the book!

⭐️: 3.5/5

Many thanks to @netgalley and #crookedlanebooks for this #arc in exchange for my honest review!

First of all - can I just say I love the cover of this book. How can you not was such a cute little basset hound on it!

OK now that that has been said, on with review of the actual book.

I found this to be a fun campy mystery story that makes me long to visit Cajun country again. The main characters feel genuine and you really root for the heroine to find a love for Halloween.

The who done it part of the story really had me guessing till the end! I look forward to reading more books written by Ms. Byron

Most excellent read from beging to end.Kept you on edge waiting to discover the killer.Love to read more from this author.Great way to write a murder novel

This was another charming entry in this series. And so many books in, that can be hard to sustain. All the characters are interesting and the mysteries genuine.

Halloween is not Maggie's favorite time of year, but she comes up with a spooky theme to attract guests to her family B&B. All the local B&B's join in and the month is a huge success... for the most part.
Maggie's long lost relatives come to town for the month, too. Unfortunately, they bring trouble with them.
Maggie soon becomes the main suspect in one, then two murders. It's up to her to find the killer.
I really like the stories and characters in this series.

What a fun read! I swear I gained 5 pounds just reading about the marvelous food. But Maggie and Gran have a wedding to plan. Maggie is letting Gran make the plans while she works the B&B Halloween activities. And what a load of fun. But then death visits the town. A good story with good characters and relationships. I enjoyed the book.

I was thrilled when I saw this book on netgalley. I love cozy mysteries and I have loved reading this series.

Louisiana, small-business, small-town, law-enforcement, murder-investigation, amateur-sleuth, family-dynamics, friendship, bed-and-breakfast, greed, rivalry, theft

If you've never read any of the other books about the folks in Pelican, Louisiana you won't get lost in this one, but you'll probably want to read the others anyway just for fun. If you've read the others, like me, you'll love this one, too! The Crozats and all of Pelican are fun and engaging people who make you feel like you just want to go there for a visit to the B&B, the town, and the historical plantations.
This fast paced and engaging mystery begins with some awful people who are supposed to be relatives, an apparent supernatural sighting, and the first murder. There is sleuthing, rivalry between police departments, disputed properties, a Halloween festival, thefts, a pesky visiting parrot, anguish, a nasty entrepreneur, plot twists, red herrings, misdirection, and humor.
I loved it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

Maggie Crozat runs a Cajun Country B&B along with her parents. They're doing their best to keep the old plantation alive, but lately it's been hard with Gavin Grody, creator of an app called Rent My Digs, moving in and buying up all the affordable housing and turning them into "owner" rentals. So, along with the other owners of local B&B's, they've decided to create "Pelican's Spooky Past" packages for visitors this Halloween. Each B&B will do something different, and there will also be a pet parade and other various events. People are also looking forward to readings from Helene Breville, a local Voodoo priestess, and to top it off, Maggie has opened a new spa on premises that she hopes will bring in even more guests.

Staying at the Crozat B&B, along with a couple of other guests, is part of the cast of a local play that was written by Quentin MacIlhoney, attorney extraordinaire. She's also looking forward to meeting her distant cousins for the first time - Susannah Crozat McDowell, her husband Doug, and his twins from a former marriage, Bonnie and Johnny; they'll be staying in the old schoolhouse that Maggie has converted into her art studio.

But things don't go as planned: guests have sighted a rougarou - an old Cajun legend of a creature that has a man's body and the face of a werewolf - even though Maggie and her family try to tell them it doesn't exist. But when someone careens onto the stage during the play wearing a mask of a rougarou, screaming, it's soon discovered that they've been poisoned with strychnine.

Even though the Pelican PD doesn't believe any of the Crozats capable of such a crime, not so with a neighboring PD who also has jurisdiction at the cemetery where the play was being performed. And the lead detective has his eye on Maggie, who needs to find a killer before her own head is in a noose....

This is the sixth book in the series and as such, just as interesting as all the others. You are drawn in from the very Prologue, where people respect their ancestry instead of trying to eliminate it. The time is nearing Halloween, and where else would it be spooky except in the bayou of Louisiana? The Crozats are hoping for a successful month, but don't expect that it's going to turn out exactly the way it does -- with a dead body on their hands.

Now Maggie's targeted as the killer and knows she needs to find who wanted the victim dead. But it isn't going to be easy with everything else going on around her, including her promise to go trick-or-treating with her fiancé Detective Bo Durand and his son Xander. But in between it all, the fact remains that someone is terrorizing the tourists by pretending to be rougarous, and a killer is still on the loose, and Maggie is still the main suspect. Only by using all of her wits is she going to be able to find out who's doing it and save her own skin in the process.

Maggie is intelligent, witty, and can think on her feet; she's grown from when the series began, and I love the fact that Xander is coming out of his shell and their relationship is also changing. Her parents are delightful, and her Grandmeré is a hoot, being almost oblivious to everything around her except her wedding planning -- which includes a lot of cake tastings. I also like the fact that Rufus has changed. In the first book he detested the Crozats, but now I've come to like him quite a bit. (I really detest the 'evil nemesis' of sheriffs who hate the protagonists in books). It really makes these books a pleasure to read.

Ms. Byron is an immensely talented writer who can bring us to Cajun country and make us almost taste the food (which I am definitely craving), and feel the humidity in the air. Her descriptions of the area are wonderful, as are her descriptions of the people. They come alive on the page, and you can almost hear their accents when they speak. It's a completely enjoyable experience.

When the ending comes and the killer was revealed, it was a complete surprise, which is a good thing. The reasons for the murder are never reasonable to anyone except the murderer, yet we are left with the promise of more to come. I eagerly await the next in the series. Highly recommended.

One of my favorite series. Maggie and her family own a b & b. when someone is murdered she sees out to find the killer. Cant want to read more in this series

This is my first book in this series, but I greatly enjoyed the cast of characters! The folks of Pelican are such fun that now I’m going to start the series from the beginning.

Murder in the Bayou Boneyard is a fast paced and entertaining cosy mystery with a bit of action. I loved Maggie, her BF and her close-knit family. I also wouldn't mind eating some of all the yummy food mentioned.

Maggie is becoming one of my favorite characters. She goes to the end of the earth to help her friends and family, and always earns a gruff thank you from the sheriff.
There is plenty of action in this fast paced book that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

I arrive late at the party, this is the first book I read in this series or of this author. I will probably go back to the others.
If you like cozy mysteries, and I do, this is what you'll find here, nothing more, nothing less. It is not a surprising or an innovative book, it is what is supposed to be and sometimes that's what you need as a reader.

Maggie Crozat is not a big fan of Halloween, but she does know how it can help the local B&B community by having festivities dedicated to the spooky holiday. So thanks to Maggie, the B&Bs in Pelican, Louisianna are offering packages as part of October’s Pelican’s Spooky Past festivities and people are heading into town.

Having finished the spa at the Crozat’s B&B, Maggie invites a recently found cousin who is a masseuse to work for them for the month so they can get to know each other better. Turns out the long lost cousin has claims to the land adjacent to their’s and intends to sell it to a chemical company. Maggie is hurt by the snub from her cousin. But when said cousin turns up dead in a neighboring town, Maggie looks like the primary suspect. Luckily the local police don’t believe the Crozats had anything to do with the woman’s murder, but everyone is scrambling to find the real murderer and get back to normal before Maggie joins the increasing number of bodies that piling up.

I adore this series, but who doesn’t like to partake of some good old Cajun fun now and then? This series is full of history, family, friends and mystery. You cannot go wrong with a book from Ellen Byron and a visit to Cajun Country.

Maggie Crozat , owner of a Louisiana B and B is feeling the pinch as more and more tourists turn to AirBNB sites. She and other B and B hosts decide to come up with a Halloween themed experience for their guests. And while the scares were supposed to be all in good fun, it would appear that there is someone out to scare people to death in the local cemetery. A delightful entry in this cozy series, Halloween themed stories are always fun