Member Review

Howloween Murder by Laurien Berenson is A Melanie Travis Mystery novella. This was a fun tale to read. Melanie Travis and Halloween equals a delightful murder mystery. Melanie Travis is looking forward to Howard Academy’s annual Halloween party where everyone devours Harriet Bloom’s marshmallow puffs. Unfortunately, there will be no sugary treats this year after one of Harriet’s neighbors dies after eating one of the fluffy delights. It seems that someone added a little cyanide to that batch which puts Harriet at the top of the police departments suspect list. Melanie gets an appeal for help from Aunt Peg and Harriet. Melanie ends up visiting each of Harriet’s neighbors to ask questions while retrieving the pans of marshmallow puffs. Howloween Murder can be read on its own for those new to the series (I highly recommend reading all the books). I thought Howloween Murder was well-written with developed characters and a heaping helping of humor. Melanie’s youngest son, Kevin is quite a charmer and enough energy for five kids. He has yet to settle on a Halloween costume which means there will be rushing around at the last minute unless decisive action is taken. Melanie meets Harriet’s neighbors and gets a variety of responses. I enjoyed following the mystery. I had my list of suspects and collected the clues which allowed me to make a guess at the guilty party’s identity. I then waited to see if I was right or way off base. I had a howling good time reading Howloween Murder. There is a recipe for Harriet Bloom’s marshmallow puffs (minus the cyanide). Howloween Murder is a ghostly good time with a costume conundrum, poisoned puffs, nosey neighbors, a poodle problem, and Halloween hijinks.