Murder at the Pumpkin Pageant - (Beacon Bakeshop Mystery) by Darci Hannah (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

It's Halloween weekend and Beacon Harbor, Michigan, has a packed schedule of events, including the Pumpkin Pageant, featuring humans and their canine counterparts. For treats, there's plenty of pumpkin goodness from bakery/café owner and local lighthouse resident Lindsey Bakewell. But someone wants to spoil the fun with a deadly trick . . .

Lindsey prefers to keep her bakeshop's Halloween decor light and autumnal, rather than gruesome and ghoulish. But everyone knows her lighthouse home is haunted. Some intrepid teens have even tried to break in to witness the resident ghost themselves. Dreading Halloween night, Lindsey reluctantly allows her influencer and podcaster best friend, Kennedy, to host a live ghost-hunting investigation in the lighthouse, conducted by a professional team. Protective of her ghost, Lyndsey is understandably nervous about what they might uncover . . .

The segment is uneventful--until things take a terrifying turn. The team freaks out. As Kennedy joins the mad dash outside, she bumps into what looks like the prankster teens' creepy clown costume hanging from a tree. But when Lindsey's dog, Wellington, begins to whine, they make a grim discovery: the clown is no dummy. It's a corpse.

Now Lindsey and company will need to keep their cool if they want a ghost of a chance to solve the murder--and see another Halloween . . .

Review Quotes

Praise for Darci Hannah

"You'll never see the end coming in this delightfully zany tale." --Kirkus Reviews on Murder at the Blueberry Festival

"From the sweet moments to the sleuthing, this whodunit was a fun, festive ride!" --FIRST for Women on Murder At The Christmas Cookie Bake-Off

"Red herrings, romance, and yummy recipes combine in this charming new series." --Kirkus Reviews on Murder at the Beacon Bakeshop

"Wellington--or Wellie, for short--exceeded expectations as a delightful canine companion. Most importantly, the mystery was intriguingly layered. I also really enjoyed the food and baking descriptions and thought the inclusion of both the romance and the paranormal element tidily done." --Criminal Element on Murder at the Beacon Bakeshop

"This is a great start to a new series with plenty of sweets, a charming setting, and a mystery to keep readers guessing." --Parkersburg News and Sentinel

"Darci Hannah mixes spicy characters, a sweet bakeshop, and a possibly haunted lighthouse into a charming beachfront Michigan village and serves up a mystery as delectable as the bakeshop's treats and as twisty as the lighthouse stairs." --Ginger Bolton, author of Boston Scream Murder

About the Author

Darci Hannah grew up in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, is a graduate of Indiana University, and currently lives in a small town in Michigan with her husband, three sons, and two dogs. She has lived around the Great Lakes all her life and considers them a source of inspiration. When she's not engaged in a rollicking family adventure, walking her dogs, or working at the historic Howell Carnegie District Library, she's either baking up a storm or hard at work on her next Beacon Bakeshop Mystery. Visit her at DarciHannah.com.