Halloween Murder
A Lindy Haggerty Mystery
By Shelley Freydont
Kensington Books - October 2002
ISBN: 0758201249 - Hardcover
Mystery

Reviewed by Brenda Weeaks, MyShelf.Com
Buy a Copy

Halloween Murder is Freydont's fourth Lindy Haggerty mystery.

Lindy is a rehearsal director for a dance company who returns home to her small community minus her husband, Glen. Upon arriving home, Lindy finds herself suddenly very busy, dog-sitting for her son and directing a variety show that will be part of the Mischief Night Marathon - an all-nighter of frights which includes a haunted hayride, games, ghost stories, food booths and more.

Upon Lindy's visit to the historical Van Cleef building which is being restored, she meets up with friends to talk about the Marathon. There have been some changes since she left. An old friend is ill and been replaced in her job and another is separated from her husband.

While taking a break, Bruno, the Irish setter, finds a body floating in a creek. When Lindy gets closer to investigate, a local recluse steps in and gives the body a nudge, casually sending it downstream, and leaving Lindy in shock. Stella, the local caterer, is poisoned and taunting limericks are delivered. Soon there are more and the group discovers that the crimes are based on the Seven Deadly Sins.

The only treat Lindy finds in this one is getting back with her old friend Bill and this time it's dinner instead of lunch. Could there be a new relationship for old friends on the horizon?

There is enough variety in the lead and secondary characters to make the Lindy Haggerty series worth considering. The mystery pulled me in quickly and kept my interest consistently throughout. There are quite a few characters to follow, which might be distracting to some more than others. The mystery wasn't a real conundrum, but still had enough twists and turns to exercise the mind. As I read, I felt I was learning a lesson or two about life and people in general.

Halloween Murder is a cross between a traditional mystery and a cozy - the small town location and familiar characters are cozy, but the language and subject matter definitely aren't. At 320 pages it's a substantial mystery to be read and savored. If Halloween Murder catches your interest, why not look for the first three in the series: Back Stage Murder, High Seas Murder, and Midsummer Murder, and enjoy the whole package.