There were a few things I enjoyed about the book such as the setting and wonderful description of the Blackwood Inn. I loved reading about the various room themes, However, I found the overall mystery pretty flimsy. The murderer seemed obvious to me, and I thought the "evidence" and suspicion for aunts' frame job was poorly done. I'm not sure that I believe modern police (even in a small town) arresting someone because of the use of crystals in the case. Finally, I just didn't see Noah as a likeable love interest. Don't get me wrong, he's not a bad guy, but he seemed "just ok" as far as his connection with Carissa or his character in general. Honestly, you could have given her a dog or an older friend as the inn's maintenance person, and it doesn't seem like their relationship would have been much different. Yes, there's kissing, but that doesn't add anything to the relationship if the emotional relationship foundation isn't already laid down.

This was a nice cosy little mystery! It has a lovely cover too! It was fast paced with some quirky characters. I love the sound of the Inn and could see wanting to stay there. It’s a good start to a new series and I’m looking forward to more in this series.

I just finished Murder at Blackwood Inn and had a blast. Carissa Blackwood, a ghostwriter, moves to Pelican Point to help her eccentric aunts run their haunted B&B. When a local dies from poison linked to her aunt's garden, things get spooky. With a little help from her grandfather's ghost, Carissa dives into the mystery. The setting is charming, the characters quirky, and the mix of paranormal elements adds a fun twist. It's a cozy read with just the right amount of suspense. Looking forward to the next one!

This book was decent, I wanted it to be more mysterious than it was because it was an interesting concept, but it's been an idea that's been done before. Carissa was an interesting character but was still the typically MFC that has to solve a crime since the police can't seem to do it themselves. Noah was mysterious but that's about all there wasn't much else to him. Carissa's aunts were cute and believed in magical things but there was also not much to them, other than they were suspects of the crimes committed.

Carissa Blackwood has come to Pelican Point, California, to help her aunt's run their new bed & breakfast. Her aunts are a little eccentric. One is devoted to crystals and the other to herbs and poisonous plants. They have decorated their inherited Italianate mansion in a spooky theme. From a black, purple and green exterior to rooms decorated for famous horror movies, Carissa is wondering if she's making a right move after her acrimonious divorces and losing her job as a ghostwriter for a famous author.

However, her aunts have decorated her room according to a Nancy Drew theme, and are supportive of her desires to write her own mysteries once the inn is up and running.

The reception they are holding on the evening before their first guests arrive is supposed to introduce them to the locals. However, only five people attend and all have their own agendas from the other innkeeper in town who resents their competition to the next door neighbor wo worries that the odd color scheme will destroy his home's value to the real estate agent who has been trying to convince the sisters to sell out and buy a nice oceanside condo.

Things go from bad to worse when the real estate agent is found dead in her bed the next morning with one of Aunt Runa's crystals under her bed. Further investigations lead to the conclusion that she was poisoned with belladonna which Aunt Hazel tends in her poisons garden.

With the police focusing on Aunt Hazel, it is up to Carissa to channel Nancy Drew and find out who really murdered the realtor.

This was an entertaining cozy mystery set in a bed & breakfast that I would like to visit.

This was a good read. I enjoyed the book. Murder mystery and is it a haunted inn makes it enjoyable.

I had been in kind of a reading rut. This was just the type of book to pull me out of it. I wanted to jump into the book. It was so adorable...minus the murders, of course. I instantly not only ordered it for work but told my friend who owns an indie bookstore she needs to stock the book.

Perfect start to a new series! I’m a huge fan of cozy mysteries so was beyond thrilled to receive this ARC! Perfect read for the fall! Full of charm, whimsy & all the classic whodunnit thrills!

What a cute and cozy mystery! Would be a fun book to read during the autumnal season. Gives me similar vibes to if Gilmore Girls and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina had a baby. Easy to fly through the chapters, engaging plot and likable characters. Would recommend!

This is the series debut of the charming new cozy series " The Haunted Dead And Breakfast Mysteries." Author Penny Warner has all the perfect elements for a great cozy series. Thank you to the publisher , the author and Net Galley. My review opinion is my own.
Our protagonist Carissa has left her no good cheating husband and moved to Charming Pelican point to live with her Aunts Runa and Hazel . They recently inherited a mysterious old Victorian they plan to open as a B&B. Their Uncle who passed had a occult history with the inn even holding seances and doing readings for locals. Runa is a crystal witch and Hazel is a green witch creating a herbal garden of usable and poison herbs. They want to open the Inn as a paranormal experience expanding on their interests.
When a murder occurs the Aunts are to blame as primary suspects. The poisen used is found in their herb garden. Carissa is determined to save her Aunts and their business.
The sleuth was fun to conclusion with red herrings abound and fun clues. I loved the eccentric Aunts and the setting. Adorable cats, mysterious hauntings and wonderfully rich characters make this the perfect cozy paranormal series. I look forward to the next in series.

📚 ARC via NetGalley
📅 Release Date: September 23, 2025
If you love cozy mysteries with a dash of creepy atmosphere and a whole lot of “whodunit” charm, Murder at Blackwood Inn is absolutely for you. I devoured this book—it kept me guessing the entire time and gave me a mix of cozy, small-town vibes and just enough haunted-house energy to keep things deliciously tense.
The story follows Carissa, who returns to her small hometown to help her aunts open their new inn. But things take a sharp turn when a murder occurs—and the prime suspects are none other than her two eccentric aunts. Carissa refuses to believe they’re guilty and sets out to prove their innocence. Along the way, she’s joined by Noah, the inn’s handyman, who helps her dig into clues and uncover secrets.
What made this stand out for me was the setting. The inn itself almost feels like a character—sometimes giving off cozy charm, other times making you wonder if there’s something paranormal lurking within its walls. There are moments where you genuinely question: is this a straight mystery, or is there a supernatural twist? The possibility of her grandfather’s ghost being present only adds to the intrigue.
The story plays with those classic whodunit elements—hidden motives, quirky suspects, and the constant feeling that you’re almost sure you know who the killer is… until you’re wrong. It reminded me a lot of the game Clue, but with more slice-of-life charm and a touch of eerie suspense.
If you’re a fan of:
🏠 Cozy mystery settings with a creepy edge
🕵️‍♀️ Whodunit plots that keep you guessing
👻 Paranormal “maybe… maybe not” intrigue
💬 Quirky, lovable side characters
🔍 Small-town secrets
…then mark your calendars for September. Murder at Blackwood Inn delivers all of that and more.


Thankful to be getting this ARC through NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books publishing

I fully expected to love this novel but the plot is so full of holes and the characters one-dimensional that it was a struggle to finish,

Murder at Blackwood Inn serves up charm, chills, and cheek in equal measure. In this debut from Penny Warner's cozy mystery series, we’re swept away to Pelican Point, where the quirky Blackwood Bed ’n’ Breakfast stands at the crossroads of paranormal antics and small-town suspicion.

Carissa Blackwood, recently single and reluctantly returning to her roots, finds herself juggling ghostwriting gigs and ghostly encounters. Her eccentric aunts — one partial to séances, the other to suspicious herbs — are accused of murder when a local winds up poisoned. It’s Carissa who must unravel the truth, with a little help from a brooding handyman, a sweet newspaperman, and, believe it or not, the ghost of her grandfather.

Warner blends the cozy with the kooky, crafting a cast you’ll want to brunch with — provided Aunt Hazel isn’t cooking. The mystery is twisty enough to keep you guessing, but light enough to enjoy with tea. Add in the haunted house, magical mishaps, and a poison garden? It’s pure entertainment from start to finish.

Perfect for fans of whimsical whodunits and anyone who suspects their herb garden might be hiding secrets. I am looking forward to where this series will take us.

with thanks to Penny Warner, Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

*ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. *

Now I always love reading cozy mysteries and I can tell you now I did enjoy this quick read. The first thing that pulled me to request this book on Netgalley was the cover. It is real quirky and I LOVED IT. Then came the summary of the book. It pulled me in even further so I went ahead ad requested this book. Even though I am real picking currently and I keep going to Thriller or certain classic books. I can tell you that this was a nice easy going read.

This reminded me of Sabrina the Teenage Witch and all the Nancy Drew books I read when I was still in school. It was nice reading about the hidden rooms and passages. I also liked all the quicky characters in the book. The mystery was alright, could have been a bit more mysterious. At the end they did not actually deduce who the killer was, I mean the killer kind of  confessed so the ending was kind of underwhelming. The ending also felt a little rushed for me.

As I said before I also liked the characters but a lot of characters appeared in the book. Especially if this is the first book in the series. Lets see though how the rest of the series will play out. As far as I’m aware this is my first time reading the book of this author but I have added them to my list of cozy mystery authors. I always like to go and search out a nice light cozy mystery especially after I read a hard thriller or horror novel. I’m glad I did but sadly I saw a few issues so I can only give a 3 star. Though I am still adding the rest of the series on my TBR pile so I can see how the series play out further.

This was a fun first in series about a possibly haunted B&B in a small coastal town in California. Carissa Blackwood has moved in to the Blackwood family home turned B&B. Carissa as left her ex-husband as well as her job as a ghostwritter to help her aunts get the bed and breakfast up and running. It's their first official week being open and in preparation they have invited some townsfolk over for a soft opening.

One of those guests is found dead with some damning evidence implicating Carissa's aunt in the murder. Carissa starts to investigate her family history and her family history and in that secrets start to unfold. There are some interesting and fun characters in this book. The are a few story lines that are set up for a following book. I want to know the secret of Carissa's bedroom lights, and more about Noah's past. The B&B has themed rooms from horror movies, and I am really hoping there is a second book that will answer some of these questions.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

This is a classic cosy mystery setup. We have an interesting setting, a curious protagonist, a handful of guests with secrets, some quirky support characters, and a murder that needs solving. It offers the kind of comfort read that cosy fans expect. If you like stories that may remind you of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, this could appeal to you. Also if you enjoy stories where houses have hidden rooms and passages. I know I do!

That said, the mystery itself felt middle of the road. While there were some red herrings sprinkled throughout, the resolution leaned on a confession rather than deduction, which made the payoff feel a bit underwhelming. The plot didn’t quite offer the kind of clever unraveling that makes this genre shine.

The characters were likable and fun, but I wonder if there are too many quirky characters in the first book. There's nothing wrong with the characters, I just thought maybe the two aunts were too similar. But that may even out as the series progresses, and I'm more that willing to embark on that journey.

For cosy fans, this will likely hit the spot for a light, undemanding mystery.

Thanks to Netgalley for a providing a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was quick and a lot of fun, which is exactly what I want in a cozy. I’ll note that I saw more errors than is typical in a galley, the most glaring being Bram’s timeline: born in 1895, died at 80 but presumably in 2025, and also had a son who was in his 30s? I did like this though, and will continue in the series. Cute cliffhanger too.

I gave this book 4.3⭐. I loved the story, it starts slower but it's a cozy, fun murder mystery. The characters are fun and the romance is sweet and light. I did not expect the plot twist but thoroughly enjoyed it. I genuinely can't wait to read the rest of the series.

In Murder at Blackwood Inn, the first installment in Penny Warner’s new cozy mystery series, the author returns to the genre with a masterful blend of whimsical eccentricity, subtle suspense, and carefully-woven character dynamics. Warner, a multiple award-winning writer with a longstanding reputation in the field of mystery fiction, delivers a novel that succeeds not only in providing the essential comforts of a cozy read, but also in establishing the thematic complexity and emotional resonance that distinguishes the best examples of the genre.

Set in the fictional coastal town of Pelican Point, California, the novel follows Carissa Blackwood, a ghostwriter newly divorced and adrift, who retreats to her late grandfather’s Victorian bed-and-breakfast—recently inherited by her two aunts, Runa and Hazel. While the haunted setting and occult leanings offer the expected genre flavor—crystal energy, poison gardens, ghostly visitations—Warner astutely uses these elements not for pure spectacle, but as symbolic scaffolding for deeper explorations of grief, legacy, and familial eccentricity.

What elevates Murder at Blackwood Inn is Warner’s deft characterization. Carissa is not merely a proxy for the reader; she is a fully-realized woman confronting the dual hauntings of her past marriage and her complicated family legacy. The aunts, who in lesser hands might veer into caricature, are instead rendered with nuance and affection. Their offbeat spirituality and botanical peculiarities serve as narrative misdirection while also anchoring them firmly in the textured fabric of the novel’s world.

The novel’s mystery plot adheres to the structure readers expect from the cozy form—an amateur sleuth, a suspicious death, red herrings, and an eventual revelation—but Warner handles these conventions with precision and freshness. The murder, involving a rare poison traceable to Aunt Hazel’s garden and a charm belonging to Aunt Runa, provides just enough menace without betraying the genre’s emphasis on gentler suspense. Supporting characters, including the enigmatic handyman Noah and the affable newspaperman Aiden, contribute romantic and social tension, though they are wisely kept secondary to the central mystery and familial entanglements.

Particularly commendable is Warner’s integration of the supernatural. The ghost of Bram Blackwood, the family patriarch, is not simply a gothic garnish but functions as both plot device and psychological foil, prompting Carissa to confront questions of inheritance—literal and emotional. In this way, the novel gestures toward the deeper question at the heart of all effective cozy mysteries: What does it mean to belong, especially when that belonging is shadowed by suspicion?

Murder at Blackwood Inn succeeds on multiple levels: as an engaging puzzle, a portrait of intergenerational bonds, and a subtle meditation on the spectral nature of personal history. Warner’s prose is light but intelligent, her plotting brisk but never rushed, and her setting vividly immersive. With this series debut, she invites readers into a world that is strange, warm, and quietly haunted—and few will want to check out.

Verdict: A pitch-perfect introduction to a new series that promises equal parts charm, suspense, and emotional depth. Fans of the genre will find much to savor here.

I was genuinely hooked by the story and plot - it was really engaging from start to finish! While the writing style felt a bit simple, which made the book a quick read, I do think it could benefit from some additional editing before publication. There were a few inconsistencies here and there, but thankfully, none of them affected the main plot or detracted from the overall experience.
The mystery kept me intrigued the whole way through, and the cliffhanger ending left me eagerly anticipating the next book.
Penny, I'm reading for the sequel - Please and Thank you!