Maggie Crozat and the residents of Pelican Louisiana are back in this sixth installment in Ellen Byron’s Cajun Country Mystery series. The Halloween festivities in Pelican are disrupted by not one, but two murders! There’s a lot more than murder going on as usual though - wedding planning, shady real estate deals, antique theft, poisoning, attempted murder and multiple sightings of a rougarou are also needing to be dealt with. Some parts of the story could have used a little more depth to the investigation to make their resolutions a bit more satisfying, but it ultimately was a very good installment in this series. I’m looking forward to what happens next in Pelican!

4.5 Hearts
SJ, Romance Junkies

MURDER IN THE BAYOU BONEYARD by Ellen Byron is the sixth book in her A Cajun Country Mystery series. It can totally be read on its own, as I hadn't read any of the author's previous books and had no problem getting into the story. The author does a great job of introducing you to the characters and the town of Pelican, Louisiana. Though the book takes a slow start to the mystery, the characters are engaging and keep the pages turning.

This mystery is set at Halloween, and the town delivers its cute, spooky scares with festive celebrations amidst the local bed and breakfast (B&B) crowd, as well as with the arrival of rougarou sightings! Since rougarous—Cajun werewolves—clearly aren't real, something is definitely amiss in town. And then come the murders...

Maggie Crozat is the lead sleuth in this charming mystery. Along with her mother, father, and grandmother, who all run their plantation B&B, Maggie does her best to figure out who killed her newly-arrived, newly-met cousin. Along with her police officer fiancé, Maggie does her best to clear her name when she's accused of killing her new cousin. And when more people get murdered, Maggie seems to be once again be the chief suspect.

The setting is a character itself, not overdone, but perfectly lending to the Cajun caper. Who has motive to kill the first victim other than Maggie? And who wants the second victim dead? Who is dressing up as a rougarou to scare away visitors? And just as the plot thickens, Maggie's antique wedding dress is stolen!

The plots are woven together nicely and the mysteries cleverly develop, with enough clues to point to the villains without being over the top or easy to guess. I had a feeling I knew who the murderer was, yet I wasn't altogether right. And I love that!

With a wonderful cast of characters, suspects, and an intriguing mystery on top of a mystery, MURDER IN THE BAYOU BONEYARD is a terrific book for those who love a great whodunit. Now I have to go back and read the first five books in this series!

Maggie Crozant has planned a series of “spooky specials” for guests staying at area bed and breakfasts in Pelican, Louisiana. Maggie is willing to get creative to come up with ways to compete with a businessman who is buying up local properties that visitors can rent using an app. Her family business has also just opened a spa and Maggie hires a newfound distant cousin as the massage therapist and hopes she won’t come to regret this decision. In spite of all the festivities, Maggie confesses to her fiance, police officer Bo Durand, that she actually hates Halloween! When a murder occurs and Maggie becomes the prime suspect, her opinion of the scary holiday doesn’t get any better. She and Bo do some sleuthing of their own to clear Maggie’s name and catch the real killer.

This is the sixth book in this series, but there is a list of characters at the beginning of the book to help readers meeting Maggie and her friends for the first time. Maggie is an efficient businesswoman and an artist and has solved more than her share of murders. This time, the murder hits close to home and she feels she needs to start her own investigation to stay out of prison. She follows up several possible leads, but the motives start piling up and things get more and more complicated. The bed and breakfast also experiences some thefts, some more troubling than others, and Maggie isn’t sure how that fits it with everything else currently going on in Pelican.

Both she and her beloved “Gran” are planning an upcoming double wedding. Unfortunately, business troubles and the murder investigation have to come first for Maggie. Gran is a gem and at least she is having fun making some of the decisions for the ceremony, but I wish we had been treated to more lighthearted scenes with her and Maggie planning the event. I enjoyed the nice scenes between Maggie, Bo, and Bo’s eight-year-old son Xander, who clearly doesn’t have Maggie’s aversion to Halloween. I really like how their relationship has grown and how Bo fits right in with Maggie’s close-knit family.

The mystery gets a little over-complicated, but as always, I enjoyed the main characters, the setting, and the details about life in the Bayou that are woven into the story. One of the twists at the end wasn’t even on my radar, so I was very surprised at that plot turn as well as by the solution to the murders when all was revealed. Overall, this is another solid installment in this enjoyable series, and I hope there are more of Maggie’s adventures to come.

I received this ebook from NetGalley through the courtesy of Crooked Lane. An advance copy was provided to me at no cost, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

Murder in the Bayou Boneyard by Ellen Byron is the 6th book in the Cajun Country Mystery series, and another fun read. Not only is this book really funny, I often found myself laughing out loud, it has a great mystery too. There are twists and turns around every corner, which kept me reading page after page. I found this book to be a quick read, with a well developed plot and characters. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. If you love cozy mysteries with quirky characters, I highly recommend this book and series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

In this 6th book in the 'Cajun Country' cozy mystery series, amateur sleuth Maggie Crozat is suspected of murder. The book can be read as a standalone.

*****

Artist Maggie Crozat helps her parents, Ninette and Tug, run Crozat Plantation Bed and Breakfast in Pelican, Louisiana.The Crozats are concerned because their inn - like other local hotels - has been losing business to a new app called 'Rent My Digs.' To increase business, Maggie and four other B&B owners create a package called 'Pelican's Spooky Past', to run every weekend in October. The inns are appropriately decorated for the month, which adds to the fun.

Each Pelican B&B offers a Halloween themed entertainment, such as serving meals that mourners ate in antebellum days; holding a workshop that teaches guests to make cemetery decorations called immortelles; staging a a play called Resurrection of a Spirit, performed in a spooky cemetery; and so on. Guests at the Pelican B&B hotels rotate through the activities, providing more business for everyone.

To make Crozat Plantation B&B even more appealing, Maggie opens a spa on the property, which offers massages and facials. In the spirit of helping family members, Maggie invites a distant Canadian relative called Susannah Crozat MacDowell to be the masseuse for October. Susannah brings her husband and grown stepson and stepdaughter, all of whom stay in a renovated schoolhouse Maggie is fixing up as a combination art studio/apartment for herself and her fiancé, Crozat police detective Bo Durand.

Unfortunately, no good deed goes unpunished, and Susannah soon announces that she's taking over the property of her ancestral relatives, right beside the Crozat Plantation B&B. Moreover, Susannah says the schoolhouse is on her property, and she's keeping it.

To sour Maggie's mood even more, legendary werewolf-like creatures called rougarous start jumping out of the woods scaring weekend B&B guests - some of whom leave early. Worse yet, a rougarou stumbles into the cemetery during a production of Resurrection of a Spirit and promptly drops dead. As it turns out the rougarou is a murder victim wearing a werewolf costume.

Detectives from the nearby Ville Blanc Police Department get the murder case, and promptly finger Maggie as the prime suspect. More murders follow, and Maggie is in the crosshairs for those as well. Being an accomplished amateur sleuth with excellent connections in the Pelican Police Department, Maggie sets out to uncover the killer herself.

The accusations against Maggie and the ingratitude of the Canadian relatives is hard on the whole Crozat family. So Maggies's mom Ninette - who cooks to calm her nerves - fills the B&B with Cajun savories and desserts. In fact, when the house is burgled, the Pelican cops vie for the chance to investigate....knowing they'll get tasty bowls of gumbo or some other treat. (Note: recipes are included at the end of the book.)

While all this is going on Maggie and her Grand-mère are preparing for their joint wedding on New Year's Eve. Gran is doing most of the planning, and she's having a fabulous time - collecting swag from bridal expos and doing cake tastings at every bakery in town.

The book has a large array of additional characters, including townspeople of Pelican and B&B guests. My favorite visitors are a woman called DruCilla and her talking parrot Lovie - a clever bird who repeats whatever he hears and belts out tunes on command.

The story's southern Louisiana ambiance is authentic and charming, as is the affectionate appellation 'cher' (dear), which Cajuns use all the time (right back at ya, cher; thanks, cher; you look exhausted, cher; it's not about that, cher; etc.)

I enjoyed this delightful cozy mystery, and recommend it to fans of the genre.

Recipes in the book include:
Crawtatoes
Cajun Pecan Cookie Fingers
Ghoulish Cajun Goulash
Sugar High Pie
Holy Trinity Chicken

Thanks to Netgalley, the author (Ellen Byron) and the publisher (Crooked Lane Books) for a copy of the book.

This is the Cajun Country Mystery #6. I have read most of this series and always enjoy returning to this fun Southern based series with fun charcters. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the ARC. My review opinions are my own.

Maggie Crozat is the owner of a historic Cajun Country B&B in Pelican Louisiana. Her business is in trouble from people using a phone app to rent out locals rooms. She is worried about her business and comes up with a fun way to gain more customers joining with other local B&B's to create a festive Halloween theme night with a pet parade, a cemetery crawl and a play. When a murder occurs at the play Maggie is once again on the case to solve the murder. When other murders occur including her lying long lost cousin Maggie is convinced that the murders are related to a common suspect. She has help from her her police detective boyfriend and her quirky friends and family to find the clues through the mired of suspects and red herrings.

I love the atmosphere of this series. The author perfectly captures the Southern charm with location and the charcters. it is always fun to return to this series..

It is Halloween time in "Murder in the Bayou Boneyard", book 6 in the Cajun Country murder mystery series by Ellen Byron. Nothing is going to get you in the Halloween spirit better than reading this book! Packed with a compelling series of murders, southern Halloween and funeral traditions, voodoo dolls, werewolf (rougarou) shenanigans, theatre troupes, poison, and paranormal groups - this book spans the whole month of October as the character's celebrate "Pelican's Spooky Past" each weekend.

I haven't yet read any of the previous books in this series, but because there was a good recap and introduction to the characters I didn't feel lost. I was able to jump into this book with no issues. And this book made me feel a lot of emotions. I felt really upset for the family when the "bad guys" were threatening their business and home, and I felt hungry every time a Cajun food dish was mentioned, and I even felt appreciative when the author took the time to represent different groups of people - for example, the young boy Xander who has Asperger's. I thought "wow, that's awesome that she included a character with this attribute". You don't see that enough.

I learned about Creole culture and traditions while reading, and it certainly makes me want to visit New Orleans some day. I'm a lifelong East Coast, USA resident myself and my only exposure to Louisiana is what I've gleaned from True Blood, Anne Rice novels, and various movies like The Princess & The Frog. But I cobbled together my 30+ years of pop culture depictions and read the characters with accents, and was able to picture the town and countryside with what I believe is relative accuracy, all things considered.

So many cozies are depicted up here in the North in places like Maine and Massachusetts that it's great to be transported somewhere else for a while. Now, I just need to go back and read the first five books in the series!

** I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.**

More Facts for Readers about our Sleuth:
Main Sleuth: Magnolia (Maggie) Marie Crozat
Best friend/ Sidekick: None
Physical Description: White female, Creole descent
Location: Pelican Parish, Louisiana (1 hour from New Orleans)
Time of Year: October - Halloween
Business: Helping to run the family's Crozat Plantation Bed & Breakfast
Pet: Gopher, a rescue basset beagle hound, and Jolie a rescue Chihuahua mix
Love Interest: Bo Durand, Maggie's fiance and a Pelican Police Detective
Family: Mom, Dad, Grandmother, Xander (her 8 year old stepson)
Cussing? No
Diversity? Yes! There is so much diversity especially in terms of ethnicity that there's no need to list out the characters. But there is color diversity, as well as religious diversity, mental diversity, and sexual preference diversity. It's a good representation of normal life and the many different types of folks that build a community and I for one found it very refreshing.

Of course we LOVE this series, as it is set in Louisiana! But more than that, Ellen makes sure to add our local flavor into every cozy mystery in this fun series, and this time it's the Rougarou (please note, we capitalize it, cause you KNOW, Boogie Man and all...LOL)In this fun Halloween story, the local B&B's are trying to help each other out as they face undue competition from a AirBNB type magnate. For Maggie's family it comes at a bad time, as distant relatives come to visit. But little do they know this isn't just reunion time. As it gets closer to Halloween, the bodies start stacking up, and of course Maggie is right there in the middle, and it's down to her, and her family, to figure out what is really happening! A fun, quick read, it will make you pine for the chill days of fall (especially if like us, you're in 100 degree heat!)

I felt immersed in all things Louisiana while reading this story. The setting does an excellent job of putting the reader in small town Louisiana complete with mansions, food and even rougarous. The setting also proved to be an excellent backdrop for the Halloween theme of this story. Add some murders for the mystery and Gran exploring every aspect of the perfect wedding for humor and it becomes a well balanced plot.

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for an ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

Byron delivered a good mystery with plenty of red herring that kept me guessing until the end. Halloween was the perfect time for this mystery where a character dropped dead in a cemetery and rougarous (a Cajun version of a werewolf) made an appearance. Also, she created an interesting town rich in Cajun atmosphere and flavor--recipes included--with quirky characters.

This was the first book by Ellen Byron I have read but it won't be the last.

I received this ARC from Netgalley and the publisher in return for a fair review.

The sixth book in Ellen Byron’s Cajun Country Mystery series and it’s still going strong. The familiar cast of Crozat family and friends provide a welcome return to bayou country with its unique southern ways and family history. Once again Maggie, the Crozat daughter is confronted with a murder, this time of a long lost relative she found and brought to the area for the Halloween Spooky Past festival she’s dreamed up to try and increase business. As might be expected, things go wrong, the long lost relative turns out to be a thorn in Maggie's side, and then get murdered. The result is an ambitious detective in the adjacent town sets his sites on Maggie and begins working to prove her guilt. What’s a suspect to do? If you are Maggie Crozat, you try to solve the murder yourself.
Along the way there are additional murders Maggie has to deal with as well as sightings of a rougarou scaring off guests...that’s a werewolf type creature native to Louisiana folklore if you’re wondering. To add to the chaos there’s an internet entrepreneur who is buying up all the available housing in town which is making business difficult for Maggie and housing unaffordable for the residents, plans for the double wedding Maggie and her Gran-mere are planning, and the fear of her long-lost relative’s family selling the adjoining land they just learned they owned to a chemical company.
Lot’s to keep track of and lot’s to keep Maggie running from one area to another. Her fiance, Bo, can’t investigate the murder because of his association with Maggie, and things get really snarled before they finally unravel. The book is a well-paced mix of mystery and local flavor that makes reading the book feel like a trip to the Louisiana bayou country. Read it at your own pace, whether you want to read straight through or take it for a beach read; it’s an excellent escape.
My thanks to Crooked Lane Books for providing me with an advanced digital read copy of this novel. I voluntarily offer this unbiased review.

Sixth book in the series

The Crozat family run a cozy B & B in Pelican Louisiana.All the B&Bs in the area are hurting for business due to a company that is buying up properties for short term rentals. To boost business, the B&Bs are offering spooky weekend packages for the month of October.
In addition, Maggie Crozat has hired a long lost cousin to work as a masseuse in the newly opened spa. When the cousin ends up dead, the entire family is under suspicion for the murder.
Fast read with a surprise ending.

Love the local culture, food and history featured.

I enjoyed this book. I haven't read the other ones in this series but didn't have any problems figuring out what was going on. I loved the characters and their interactions. The setting of Cajun country and the tidbits about the culture were great. Especially enjoyed the food references. All in all, a YUMMY read!
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher and voluntarily chose to review it.

I do like this series and how the author always incorporates some genuine Cajun Country details, this time besides the usual new local foods introduced there are funeral and creepy details like Rougarous which fit the Halloween time setting.

Maggie and her family get bit in the butts by some human gators and things look bleak until one of the gators gets killed and they're the prime suspects. This story was jam packed with action and details. Because of that I think it leans more towards a standard mystery. There's a lot here for a true cozy.

Looking forward to the next book especially to see how the ending of this one plays out.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

It's fun to read about cultures and locations that are different from mine. This mystery takes place in the Louisiana Bayous where voodoo priestess and rougarous, and murder happen. Maggie and her family run the Crozet B&B. It is Halloween week and all the B&B's are hosting a scary weekend throughout October. In preparation Maggie offers a job to a distant relative. The relative isn't a nice person and there is tension between the families. The new relative turns up murdered and the police and the whole Crozet family in their sights. At least the Ville Blanc Police think the Crozets are quilty. Pelican police do not. What a romp. Nasty relatives, scary happenings, missing antiques, what's a girl to do? Maggie tries to stay out of the investigation, but it's hard when you are suspect number 1.

That characters are fun. I enjoyed all the twists and multitude of suspects and the history of the area. This book is easy-to-read and a nice escape.

A very well written and entertaining cozy mystery. Great Cajun setting. I received an advance ebook from the publisher and this is my unbiased review.

This was a great addition to a wonderful series. I loved the plot and characters, and couldn't figure out what happened until the end. The setting is so well described that it almost felt like another character, at times. I loved the romantic subplots and felt that it added a break in the tension where it was needed. I can't wait until the next one!
I received an advanced reader's copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Laissez les bons temps rouler!!!
Let us go to the Pelican, Louisiana
to stay at one of the five local plantations
offering the “Pelican's Spooky Past”
package. This package will include
Halloween traditions of the historical past.
We are staying at the Crozat Plantation
B& B. There we will meet Magnolia Crozat
better known as Maggie, her parents
( Ninette and Tug) and her Gran-mere.
Crozat will offer unique cajun style menu’s
made for mourners in the past. You will
make immortelles which are cemetery
arrangements from dried flowers, beads
and ceramics. These were meant as immortal
memorials to the dead.
You will attend a play, Resurrection of the
Spirit, performed in the nearby derelict
Dupois graveyard in the evening.
Murder, ghost, burglaries and my favorite
happenings: appearances of the scary
rougarou ( the Cajun version of the
werewolf make this an attention keeper
from the first word until the ending scene.
I loved that the story was filled with drama,
intrigue, tension, twists and turns and quirky,
colorful,and well casted characters.
There are recipes after the end that made
my mouth water: Crawtatoes, Ghoulish Cajun
Goulash Cajun Pecan Cookie Fingers, Holy
Trinity Chicken and Sugar High Pie.
This is book # 6 in the Cajun Country Mysteries
series. It can be read as a stand alone.
I volunteered to read Murder in the Bayou
Boneyard. Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and
the author via Net Gallery for the opportunity.
My opinion is voluntary and my own.

3 1/2 stars rounded up to 4.

I don't know what it is about this super cozy series that I enjoy so much. If I'm honest, Maggie is not my favorite. Something about her is just a miss for me, but I adore the dynamic she has with her friends and family and that's what brings me back.

This book is part of a series and while I think you can read it as a standalone, I would definitely read the other ones first if you can. There's lots of backstory that doesn't get re-explained with each subsequent book.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are mine and mine alone.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3464820980

Maggie Crozat, proprietor of a historic Cajun Country B&B, is conjures up a witch-crafty marketing scheme to draw visitors to Pelican, Louisiana I enjoyed returning to Pelican and dropping in on the Crozat Clan. What wonderful and enjoyable characters!