Crypt Suzette by Maya Corrigan is the sixth A Five-Ingredient Mystery. Val Deniston is catering the grand opening of Title Wave which is the new bookstore owned by Dorothy Muir. There is a costume contest as part of the festivities with a gift card to the bookstore as the grand prize. Suzette Cripps, who has been renting a room from Don Myers, Val's grandfather, enters the contest and wins with her creative entry. The next morning, Chief Earl Yardley visits the house to notify them that Suzette is dead from a hit-and-run driver. Val has a feeling that it was not an accident and decides to learn more about Suzette. After someone tries to run Val down, she has a feeling she is on the right track. There are multiple suspects, good misdirection and discreet clues. You will have to pay close attention if you want to solve this case before the reveal. While Val is working on Suzette's case, Grandad is busy with his new ghost hunting business. He has two women who have had items disappear. Both mysteries are cleverly done and interesting to follow. We can always count on Grandad to provide humor and he does not disappoint in Crypt Suzette. He is certainly busy with his Codger Cook column, private investigating business, and now ghost hunting. Bayport is celebrating Halloween and the festivities help provide Val with a vital clue. Bram Muir has come to town to help his mother with her new business venture and Val has caught his eye. While Crypt Suzette is the sixth book in the series, it can be read alone. There is cooking a plenty in Crypt Suzette and the author provides a couple of recipes at the end of the book. I always enjoy the banter between Val and her grandfather. I like that they have a close relationship and share the same interests (cooking and investigating crimes). The ending of Crypt Suzette will have you laughing. Crypt Suzette is a spirited cozy mystery with clever costumes, devilish delights, a crafty killer, Halloween hijinks, morbid moaning, and a phantasmal plunderer.
Brenda H. (booksinvt) -
Crypt Suzette is the sixth installment in the A Five-Ingredient mystery series set on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay and featuring cafe owner and caterer, Val Deniston and her grandfather Don aka the Codger Cook. Halloween is around the corner and Val has been asked to cater a costume party for the opening of the new bookstore, Title Wave owned by an old friend of Don.
Suzette Cripps is a local college student renting a room from Don and Val, while very friendly she is also very secretive and neither know much about the girls past. Suzette and her writing club friends attend the party and Suzette is overjoyed to be awarded the best costume. Unfortunately, her joy is short lived as the next morning she's run down and left for dead while out for a jog. Suzette and Don aren't sure if her death was an accident or murder, but the clues left in the manuscript she was writing lead the two to suspect the later.
A fast paced plot from the first page featuring series regulars and the introduction of Dorothy and her son Bram, owners of the Title Wave, may mean romance is in the future for both Val and Don. Plenty of suspects will leave you guessing whodunit. A great addition to the series.
Suzette Cripps is a local college student renting a room from Don and Val, while very friendly she is also very secretive and neither know much about the girls past. Suzette and her writing club friends attend the party and Suzette is overjoyed to be awarded the best costume. Unfortunately, her joy is short lived as the next morning she's run down and left for dead while out for a jog. Suzette and Don aren't sure if her death was an accident or murder, but the clues left in the manuscript she was writing lead the two to suspect the later.
A fast paced plot from the first page featuring series regulars and the introduction of Dorothy and her son Bram, owners of the Title Wave, may mean romance is in the future for both Val and Don. Plenty of suspects will leave you guessing whodunit. A great addition to the series.
