Gimme Five: Halloween Mysteries

Sipherd, Ray. Dance of the Scarecrows

To renowned ornithologist and bird artist Jonathan Wilder, it is a situation that becomes more and more strange with each turn of events. First, a local politician with whom he had publicly argued is found dead in a cornfield, propped up like a scarecrow. Then it is realized that the murder weapon not only is covered in Jonathan's fingerprints, but came from his house. Once he becomes the prime suspect in the murder, Jonathan knows he must catch the real killer before his own time runs out.

Swanson, Denise. Murder of a Royal Pain

When school psychologist Skye Denison stumbles over the body of pushy “Promfest” chairperson Annette Paine during a Halloween fundraiser, it looks like a clear-cut case of promicide. Annette was not the only prom mom desperate to see her daughter crowned queen. But she was also wearing the same witch costume as Skye, so which witch was the intended victim?

Taylor, Kathleen. Mourning Shift

Tory Bauer is the quintessential diner waitress, slopping up greasy food with a hefty side order of cranky attitude. In Mourning Shift the goblins are out for Halloween, and Tory is crabbier than usual. Is it a trick when a mysterious old man dies in the cafe's restroom? Or is it a treat to find out the juicy gossip that he's the cafe owner's long estranged husband? The reluctant heroine saves the day again by discovering the identity of a killer.

Thrasher, L.L. Charlie’s Web

Charlie came out of Lizbet Lange's swimming pool excavation the last time he visited. This time he pops out in her bedroom ... his timing could have been better, as far as Lizbet is concerned, as she was presently otherwise engaged with Charlie's own son. And Charlie's request this time? Help him find the true story of a tiny, ten-year-old girl, believed kidnapped on Halloween back in the 70s. Unable to resist the blue-eyed, blond-haired god/ghost, Lizbet plunges into the hunt in her own inimitable and scatalogical way, revealing a good deal more than the little girl's ghost on the way.

Wolzien, Valerie. All Hallow’s Evil

At first Susan Henshaw thought the body in the library was a Halloween trick -- but then she saw the blood and heard the man's dying gasp. Then a second body -- celebrity morning talk-show host Jason Armstrong -- was found stabbed on his front porch. Now, as Susan begins to investigate the deaths, she uncovers secrets that a killer would go to any lengths to keep hidden . . .