Chaos at the Lazy Bones Bookshop by Emmeline Duncan Series: Halloween Bookshop Mystery #1
Published by Kensington on July 23, 2024
Source: Gift
Genres: Cozy Mystery
Pages: 248
Format: Paperback
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Bailey Briggs adores her year-round Halloween-themed town of Elyan Hollow, Oregon, but when she takes over her grandfather’s beloved bookshop, Lazy Bones Books, she accidentally discovers the town’s secret dark side . . .
Normally, spooky season is Bailey Briggs’ favorite time of year, and her Halloween-themed small town’s time to shine. But between managing Lazy Bones Books, working on her graphic novel-in-progress, and running the Spooky Season Literary Festival, Bailey hardly has a moment to enjoy Elyan Hollow’s spot-on seasonal vibes. Not to mention, at every turn she seems to be tripping over the contentious crew of Gone Ghouls, a ghost-hunting reality TV show currently filming around town. Bailey tries to stay focused on the Lit Festival, which is supposed to kick off Elyan Hollow’s annual Halloween Fair; instead, this year’s festival begins with a murder . . .
It’s bad enough Bailey discovered the victim, but now, as a lead suspect with some (admittedly) damning evidence pointing her way, she’s got to clear her name! With the help of her librarian friend, Colby, and Jack Skeleton, her world-class bookshop dog (and the absolute bestest boy ever), Bailey sets out to solve a murder . . .
As her investigation weaves through family secrets, professional rivalries, and town feuds, the list of suspects is growing fast . . . and unfortunately, so is the list of victims. If Bailey doesn’t find the killer soon, Elyan Hollow’s haunted reputation will get a little too real . . .
Another thing I’ve learned from cozy mysteries is to probably avoid themed towns, like Elyan Hollow, Oregon, a Halloween themed town. A cozy horror movie was filmed in town decades ago and after so many tourists came through to see the movie spot, the town decided to lean into it year round. Bailey manages her grandfather’s bookstore, Lazy Bones Books, and has organized a literary festival to kick off this year’s Halloween events. There’s also a ghost-hunting group in town from the reality tv show, Gone Ghouls. Obviously someone is going to end up dead, and Baily is just unlucky enough to discover the body and to have a motive for the murder.
I enjoyed the town and the characters. It was fun and light and a good October read. The mystery was a little simple but I was happy the secret in Bailey’s family was resolved. This is the first in the series, so we do get introduced to a lot of characters, but they’re quirky and caring. And I think the cover’s cute.
About Emmeline Duncan
Emmeline Duncan is a mystery writer based out of Portland, Oregon. Her novels include the Ground Rules series, starting with 2021’s Fresh Brewed Murder and followed by 2022’s Double Shot Death, 2023’s Flat White Fatality, and 2024’s Death Unfiltered. The first book in her new Halloween Bookshop Series, Chaos at the Lazy Bones Bookshop, came out in 2024.
Emmeline also writes YA novels as Kelly Garrett. Her debut YA, The Last To Die, was an Oregon Book Awards finalist and was re-issued by Sourcebooks Fire in November 2019. Kelly is also a 2020 Oregon Literary Fellow.
Emmeline/Kelly is a board member of the Columbia River Chapter of Sisters in Crime, and a past board member of the Northwest Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America. She also co-organizes Friends of Mystery’s Bloody Thursday lecture series. She’s also a member of Willamette Writers, and SCBWI.
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