Halloween has come to Etonville and the Etonville Little Theater has decided to perform the holiday classes: Dracula. To get into the vampiric mood, Dodie and the staff at the Windjammer restaurant will be dishing up garlic laden goodies. Some of the patrons fully embrace the galore of garlic while others are wondering why there is garlic in the ice cream. Oh how I wish that those wonderful menu items suggested throughout the story had recipes at the back. Later on I was inspired to find a pulled pork slider recipe (slider week menu) with Henry's ingredients and can't wait to try it out! With all that garlic you would think that not only vampires would be avoiding Etonville, but so would the shadow of death, not so for in fact Death is found dead in the graveyard or at least a mob enforcer dressed like Death with a stake. Dodie has no desire to get involved in this latest mysterious death, after all there were no apparent signs of foul play and Dodie needs to get busy with wedding plans, she is sure that her fiance, Chief Bill has a proper handle on the situation. Or at least that is what she thought before gal pal Lola came to her worried that Carlos Villarious, the consumate Dracula, and his wife Bella are a bit off. Is it the accent or the way he so easily morphs into the Count, as if he has done it before? A little too good of an actor for some of the cast, and his wife is a little woo woo as well with her palmistry and tarot card reading. She certainly has Dodie worried after revealing that Dodie's palm speaks of discontent, decisions and surrendering interests. There is something secretive and strange about the couple who are renting a very run down and creepy house, but he is a "creepy bloke" which might explain why he likes a creepy house. All in all they seem to be keeping secrets. Secrets aren't easily kept in a close knit town like Etonville, in fact it is quite easy to follow the story and "get to know" the characters making it possible to pick up any Dodie O'Dell book to read without needing to have started at the begining to know who the cast of characters are and what rolls they play.

I love Halloween, no secret it is my favourite holiday so I could not wait to delve into this story! Killing Time is book 6 in this series and I have not read the previous, and I do think it would be advantageous to have read them as the characters are all well established and I need more backstory on certain relationships. That being said, I did fall into line with the story and loved every minute of it.

Dodie O’Dell owns the Windjammer Restaurant, and it appears they like to theme their menus with events or seasons so with Halloween near and the Etonville Little Theatre hosting a production of ‘Dracula’ the menu features a lot of garlic! There are a few wacky moments with people being superstition about the lead of Dracula Carlos being an actual vampire, and with the time of year everyone’s is on edge. And rightly so as following a costume party a grim reaper is found dead in the cemetery!

Dodie’s fiance Bill investigates the murder whilst Dodie decides to do some sleuthing into Carlos, is there a connection between the two? There a few hairy moments for Dodie, and I loved the mystery with its little twists and turns.

Overall this was a great Halloween mystery, and I can’t wait to get the time to go back and start this series from the beginning!

4 stars

This series is becoming a favorite and I loved this complex, fast paced and Halloween themed story.
I found it engrossing and entertaining.
The cast of characters is quirky and interesting, the plot was well crafted even if bit confusing at times, the mystery is solid and kept me guessing.
I recommend it.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

By day, Dodie is the manager of the Windjammer restaurant in Etonville, New Jersey. By night (or anytime really), she helps her fiancé, Police Chief Bill, solve crimes. It’s the day before Halloween. And it’s almost Killing Time in Etonville Little Theater’s production of Dracula. Will life imitate art?

When a new couple moves into the disheveled Hanratty place, the town begins to think Carlos is a little too close to his lead role of Dracula. He totally looks the part. Plus no one has seen him during the light of day. And his wife, Bella, is a real-life psychic! So when things start to go missing in the theater, Carlos is blamed. The town gets vampire fever. People complain to the police about “vampire” bats in the park. Even the town’s gossipy old ladies take to wearing neck scarves and garlic necklaces.

At the town’s Halloween party, Carlos appears dressed as the Phantom of the Opera. Bella reads palms. And a fully-clad Grim Reaper lurks nearby. When someone is killed in the town graveyard by a stake to the heart, Dodie feels it’s her duty to investigate—because that’s how she rolls—head first into danger.

Dodie is spunky and headstrong. She goes where others, quite rightly fear to tread. Just as you are thinking that doesn’t seem like a good idea, Dodie is already blatantly questioning the main suspect or searching someone’s bedroom in the middle of a party. Her behavior reminds me of the gothic “had-I-but-known” genre.

While I found Dodie’s behavior annoying, others will like her spunk. The mystery had a lot of twists and turns. I adored the small town setting and the supporting characters that lived there. Even while reading this book on a hot spring day, I could feel the brisk Halloween air.

Overall, if you want authentic characters and that creepy Halloween feeling, Killing Time is the book for you. 4 stars!

Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Dodie's Windjammer Restaurant matches its menus etc. to whatever the Etonville Little Theater is putting on. This time it's Dracula, and casting it proves a challenge. The people of Etonville, delightful though they may be, go over the top in the try outs and then....a stranger appears with the perfect accent. Unfortunately, this raises lots of questions, especially after someone is found with a stake through the heart! Yikes! Dodie's wavering a bit about her wedding to Bill, the police chief, but not on investigating the latest murder in this small town. Cozy readers know there will be red herrings but that all will work out in the end. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Will be fine as a standalone.

KILLING TIME by Suzanne Trauth
The Sixth Dodie O'Dell Mystery

Vampires have descended upon Etonville! OK, one vampire. OK, it's a newcomer playing Dracula in the Etonville Little Theater's latest production. But this suave yet spooky actor has the town atwitter, apprehensive about vampires even if they are getting a bit tired of the Windjammer's garlic infused specials. As if a vampire wasn't enough, the Grim Reaper shows up. Seeing the Grim Reaper at the town's Halloween party is one thing, but when some teens find him dead in the cemetery, it's another. To ease Lola's mind and protect the production, Dodie agrees to do a little snooping into the leading player's background. But will digging into Dracula's past prevent Dodie from having a future?

KILLING TIME is about identity: keeping it, changing it, and losing it. Are you willing to give up the intrinsic parts of who you are? What part must you keep, no matter the cost? There is no doubt that Dodie loves Bill and is happy to be engaged. But, is she delaying the wedding plans out of a fear of losing herself? Her life will obviously change, but how much of a change is she willing to make? And Dodie isn't the only character facing these concerns.

I love the Dodie O'Dell Mystery series and this sixth entry is a great addition. The wacky citizens of Etonville never fail to make me laugh and the trials and tribulations of the Etonville Little Theater bring back happy memories of my time in the theatre.

KILLING TIME looks at identity while providing a complex mystery. Deep characterizations combined with fun and laughs make this a book you won't want to miss.

Killing Time is a cozy mystery set at Halloween on the Jersey Shore. Dodie O'Dell manages a restaurant called the Windjammer and works with the Etonville Little Theatre. She's currently working on a production of Dracula, but when a mysterious murder takes place that may involve one of her actors, she starts sleuthing ...

I wanted to read Killing Time because of the community theater setting. I worked in theater years ago and love books with theater settings. I also love cozy mysteries and Halloween, so this sounded like a fun read!

This was my first read in the Dodie O'Dell Mystery series. I picked up on the characters and setting very quickly and enjoyed this book as a standalone. That said, I have now added the rest of the books in the series to my "to read" list!

I throughly enjoyed this mystery. It is especially well paced, with Dodie balancing work at the theater, work at her restaurant job, and planning a wedding with her police chief boyfriend, Bill ... all while doing some great sleuthing.

Dodie is a talented amateur detective who manages to get herself in jeopardy several times by taking chances. She's a likable character, smart, hard working, and relentless about solving the case.

The mystery aspect of this book was well done. There were a couple of surprising little twists along the way, and the denouement was exciting.

I recommend Killing Time for fans of cozy mysteries, and especially for anyone who enjoys Halloween mysteries or back stage theater settings. It's a fun read!

I enjoyed this book. The story line is interesting and convoluted, there's a lot going on. The story moves fast while Dodie investigates the murder of a hit man from the mob, and keeps an interest in the theater next door. The reveal is a bit confusing with all kinds of bad guys coming out of the woodwork. The ending is the best. #KillingTime #NetGalley

Killing Time was a fun and entertaining cosy mystery, especially if one is into Dracula, vampires and Halloween. The plot was engaging and well crafted and the characters were interesting. I'm sure I'll be reading more books in this series.

4 Stars

This is the sixth book in the Dodie O’Dell mystery series by Suzanne Trauth.

The premise: During the production of Dracula put on by the town’s local theater company, a stranger ends up dead in the cemetery from what looks like a stake to the heart. Dodie had been transforming her restaurant to echo the needs of the Dracula production but is sidelined when she realizes she needs to figure out what is really going on in her town.

I thought this was a pretty good read. The mystery was compelling and the setting at Halloween/Thanksgiving time was nice. Always a plus to have a holiday book to cozy up with. The Dracula aspect was very gimmicky but it worked for me.

Dodie sure did take a lot of needless chances with her life in this book. When it ends, she is a pretty banged up restaurant owner. I wish there had been more Bill in this book. The main police presence was a woman on the force who works with Bill. I know this is cliche but I like it when the men come in and rescue the damsel in distress. And Dodie needed that strong shoulder to rest upon more than once during the course of the story.

There is a nice twist at the end but the real culprit didn’t shock me. I was kinda expecting it. Needless to say, that didn’t keep me from completely enjoying myself. A wonderful Halloween read that ends up with a thankful vibe at Thanksgiving. Nice.

If you want to read a good cozy mystery, definitely check this one out. You won’t be disappointed.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

I enjoyed reading this book. It is the first time I've read the author. It had lots of twists and turns, which kept me guessing through the end about who did it and why.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Good book to read because it gives you some humor, some magic and some twists and turns. I like the title and paranormal plot. It was an easy read and entertaining one. I shall read more books by this author when I have time.

I highly recommend this sixth book in the series. I enjoyed the small town amateur theatre, the Windjammer restaurant, along with the interesting and well written characters. The whodunit was well paced and kept me guessing.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

The story was interesting with the theater hook. I read this because it was about NJ and I live in NJ. However, I didn't get a real feel for NJ in the book. The restaurant was named the Windjammer yet they weren't by the shore and there wasn't much of a locale feel in the book.

With a restaurant turning into haunted house Halloween setting, this mystery has plenty of twist and turns to keep it moving until the surprise ending.

I have read all of the previous books in this series and this one keeps up with the theme of the series. Dodie is back with the cast of characters in a small town in New Jersey. The story moves along well. It is a typical cozy mystery in which the MC says they aren't snooping all the while that they are. The characters are interesting to read about. The conclusion seemed to be trying to be a bit complicated with the result that I'm not sure it quite works. I had one pet peeve that bothered me throughout the entire book. Dodie kept referring to her car as a MC. I am not aware of any such model of car. However, there is a really nifty little british car called an MG. Mistakes like that could easily be avoided by a few minutes on the internet; not doing your research detracts from the story.

Killing Time by Suzanne Trauth is an enjoyable book full of quirky characters and wonderful twists and turns. I just couldn't figure out who was the good guys and who were the bad.and as soon as I thought I had it...I didn't! Which to me makes an interestingly enjoyable read. Of course, there are the obvious good ones and some surprises which makes for a really good mystery. I am going to read the first books. I want to see how Dodie and her fiancee met and got together. I bet it is a hoot!

The ELT is putting on Dracula as their next production and the lead actor is so authentic that it’s blurring the lines between fact and fiction for some of the cast and crew. When a man dressed as the Grim Reaper at the Etonville Halloween party is found dead in the cemetery with a stake, it pushes things to a point where even Dodie is thinking it’s a little too true to life. This means that the call is on for Etonville’s resident sleuth to take a little closer look.

While Dodie swears off investigating, she does agree to check a few things for her BFF Lola, but she’s NOT investigating, well maybe 98% not investigating. But when Count Dracula himself is missing, the show cannot go on and Dodie finds herself in far deeper than she thought as things don’t look good for the missing actor and his wife. Can Dodie find them before the body count rises or will she be just another stake in the killer’s coffin?

Having a series set on the Jersey shore makes this series a must read for me. The storyline, characters and writing keep me coming back. Can’t wait for the next entry!

Halloween is fast approaching, and restaurant manager, Dodie O'Dell is working hard to transform The Windjammer into a haunted house.
The Etonville Little Theatre is preparing to perform Dracula, and their star fits the role perfectly, too perfectly in Dodie's bff's opinion. Lola tells Dodie that the actor, Carlos Villarias, gives off creepy vibes, and the house he and his wife are living in, is rumored to be haunted. Dodie tries to focus on setting a wedding date and helping out at the theatre, but when a dead body is discovered, Dodie can't help but sink her teeth into her own investigation.

I loved this book! The story is well told, plenty of twists and turns, the fun of Halloween, and a great surprise ending!
I cannot wait until the next book is ready to read!
Be sure to grab your copy on June 2, 2020.
#KillingTime #NetGalley

As Halloween grows near, Dodie o” Dell is transforming her restaurant into a haunted house. Meanwhile the local theater group is preparing to produce Dracula, with lots of locals angling for the lead role. Then a newcomer rolls into town with the perfect accent to play the part. Rumors abound that he really is a vampire, and fears grow when a member of the play is found in a coffin on set. Is the newcomer really a vampire? Dodie thinks not, and sinks her teeth into solving this charming holiday mystery