It’s almost Halloween in New Orleans and the Bon Vee is decked out and ready for fun. However, their nasty new neighbors are trying to put a damper on things. Who are they and why do they have an ax to grind? Of course, the discovery of a corpse on the grounds is no laugh riot either. This is a solid entry in the series hallmarked with Byron’s trademark humor and twisty plot elements. Delving more into the secondary mystery….who are Ricki’s birth parents….proves enlightening. A highly recommended read.

Here we go again, another murder, this one hitting a bit close to home when an old acquaintance moves next door to Ricki and his personal assistant is murdered, another surprise when her familial ancestry is discovered. Of course, some of the Bon Vee staff become suspects, but there’s more with the introduction of an eclectic cast of secondary characters who supply us with better motives and a chance to watch Ricki and her friends seek out clues to unearth the killer.

As a gifted writer, the author knows who to verbalize scenes with visually descriptive narrative and engaging dialogue that keeps you enthralled in all aspects in the telling of this tale. I love how the team worked together to uncover clues that the author has sprinkled throughout this wickedly solid mystery. There were a few surprises along the way that enhanced my reading pleasure. This was a fun book to read, and I enjoyed all the cleverly written scenes where pivotal characters shined and had a role in the killer’s identity. The side story of Ricki searching for family members is a bonus. Again, a wonderful read in this delightfully entertaining series.

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of FRENCH QUARTER FRIGHT NIGHT (Book 3 of the Vintage Cookbook Mystery series) by Ellen Byron in exchange for an honest review. Ricki James Diaz and the staff of the Bon Vee Culinary House Museum are always looking for ways to finance the museum. Inspired by Halloween, Ricki suggests hosting an old fashioned haunted house complete with scary vignettes, peeled grapes, and cold spaghetti noodles. Everyone agrees and gets excited for staging and promoting the Bon Veeevil Festival of Fear. During the dress rehearsal, the staff gets a fright of their own. A new neighbor, who had been making trouble for everyone in the neighborhood, makes a surprise appearance in one of their sets---as a very real corpse. Once again, the Bon Vee staff become suspects and persons of interest in a suspicious death. Now the Bon Vee staff must work together to clear their collective names, and things are made more difficult by the persistent appearances by action movie star Blaine Taggart, who was the best friend and enabler for Ricki’s now-deceased husband.

I enjoyed this book and the prior two in the series. I recommend this book to fans of cozy murder mysteries set in cities with their own personalities, searches for roots, homecomings, and finding family.

#FrenchQuarterFrightNight #NetGalley

Halloween is my favorite season, and when I learned the third book in Ellen Byron's Vintage Cookbook Mysteries, French Quarter Fright Night, would focus on a murder taking place during a Halloween event, I was super psyched. And wow, did it deliver! The cast is well developed, brimming with over-the-top personalities, a macabre sense of humor, an elegant matriarch whom Ricki recently discovers is an unknown family relation, and a lovely tour of the Garden District in New Orleans. In this installment, Ricki's deceased husband's best friend, a famous actor, appears in town, and his assistant wrecks havoc on the neighborhood. It prompts a mini-war between the museum and its new neighbor, and someone is found murdered during the Halloween shenanigans. Lots of hidden truths swim to the surface, including new DNA connections for Ricki herself. How does it all fit together?

What a gorgeous setting and clever set of characters where numerous side stories seamlessly weave their way through the plot without being distractions. Ricki's quest to discover how she's related to the museum's owner creates small ripples that eventually flood the dramatic climax of the story, leaving us closer to the truth but not in its entirety. On another level, the discovery of the murderer's identity and conclusion of the mystery offers Ricki some closure on her own husband's death, prompting her to accept the path for moving forward. And on top of it all... we get an intoxicating tour of New Orleans with delicious scents, sounds, and visuals. Who wouldn't love diving into this series? Highly recommended!

When Blaine, her ex's best friend, buys a mansion next door to Bon Vee and his assistant is found dead in Bon Vee's shed Ricki and her friends set out to investigate her death. The mystery deepens when she finds out that the assistant used her as a reference to get the position and that she's a cousin of sorts.
There was a bit too much going on and it felt like the book was more about Ricki's finding her roots vs solving the mystery. I started disliking Zellah quite a bit with her constant "white people" references. Don't think it's needed and it was quite off-putting. Not my favorite book in the series but I will continue reading to see where the journey takes Ricki.

Halloween is on the horizon, and New Orleans is gearing up like crazy, as it does for all holidays. In Ellen Byron's third Vintage Cookbook Mystery, French Quarter Fright Night, Ricki James-Diaz, proprietor of the vintage cookbook and housewares shop in the Bon Vee Culinary House Museum, is looking forward to participating in the festivities, along with her friends and coworkers. But trouble looms when popular movie star Blaine Taggart moves into the mansion next door, and one of his staff is soon found dead in a haunted house tomb that is part of the upcoming Festival of Fear. Ricki immediately feels involved because she blames Blaine in part for the death of her ex-husband. And she learns that the murder victim, who was a stranger to her. used her as a reference to get the job with Blaine.

What ensues is a typical cozy mystery plot, written by a seasoned writer: a fun and fascinating plethora of characters--some of whom are murder suspects--,a delightfully entertaining Big Easy setting heightened by Halloween season merrymaking; the reappearance of Ricki's errant boyfriend, and Ricki's quest to find family members she has never met. I appreciated the opportunity to spend time with familiar characters and meet new ones, and although the reveal of the murderer could have been better grounded, I found this book easy to read and ultimately satisfying.

My thanks to Severn House and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

Halloween in New Orleans. While setting up a haunted house at the museum, Ricki and her assorted friends must deal with the shenanigans from the movie star who moves in next door along with his assorted hangers-on. When there is a murder at the Hollywood house, Ricki and friends investigate, while also continuing to search for Ricki's family. The plot is rather loose and seems designed to further Ricki's family tree, and the characters (old and new) are one-dimensional (except Detective Nina). Thanks to NetGalley and Severn for the ARC.

Cozy mystery
Halloween setting, which is my favorite Setting to read Along with being in New Orleans
I love it. Good mystery solving book To find out who the killer is