Review of "French Quarter Fright Night: A Vintage Cookbook Mystery" by Ellen Byron

In this third book in the 'Vintage Cookbook Mystery' series, a murder victim is found in a Halloween horror exhibit. The book works fine as a standalone.

*****

Thirtyish cookbook enthusiast Miracle Fleur de Lis James-Diaz (aka Ricki James-Diaz) was born in New Orleans, spent many years in California, and is now back in the Big Easy.



Ricki owns and runs a gift shop, called Miss Vee's Vintage Cookbook and Kitchenware Shop.....



......in a New Orleans attraction called 'Bon Vee Culinary House Museum.'



The museum is located in a refurbished mansion, and Ricki has an idea for attracting more visitors during the Halloween season. Ricki suggests converting the Culinary House Museum into a haunted house, and calling the spooky attraction 'Bon Veeevil.'





This notion goes over big with the museum's manager and employees, and everyone gets on board to make it happen. Suggestions include a tomb with a dead body; an elderly abandoned bride in a soiled gown; a bubbling cauldron with witches; zombies and vampires; cobwebs and bats; etc.





Everything is going well at the Culinary House Museum until Hollywood heartthrob Blaine Taggert - whom Ricki knew when she lived in California - buys the mansion next door, called Duncan-Sejour.



The Duncan-Sejour mansion is being prepared for Blaine's arrival by his assistant, Miranda Fine, who's a difficult combative woman.



Miranda sends complaint after complaint to the head of the Culinary House Museum, grousing about the attraction's trash bins, parking allotment, noisy visitors, and more. The museum folks fear the Halloween haunted house will really send Miranda over the edge, but that doesn't happen.

When Blaine and his entourage arrive in town, it turns out the movie star knows nothing about Miranda's harassment campaign, and he makes her stop. Blaine even agrees to turn Duncan-Sejour into a Halloween haunted house alongside the museum's spooky exhibit.



The two mansions are set up with the requisite frightening rooms and a 'dress rehearsal' is scheduled. Shockingly, the 'dead body' in Bon Veeevil's tomb turns out to be all too real: it's Miranda Fine, who's been murdered.



Amateur sleuth Ricki is afraid all the people at the Culinary House Museum, including herself, will be suspects, and she decides to investigate the homicide herself. Ricki even gets a grudging 'okay' from police detective Nina Rodriguez, whom Ricki has helped in the past. The only caveat is that Ricki has to immediately share any information she gets with Nina.



Fans of cozy mysteries know how this goes: Ricky sneaks around; sticks her nose in everywhere; follows people; asks questions; searches for clues; and manages to make some discoveries.



Before the perpetrator is discovered, there's a second incident, involving a fire, which raises the stakes all around. All this leads to an exciting climax where the culprit is revealed.

Additional plotlines add interest to the story. For example, Ricki was abandoned by her birth mother and raised in an adoptive home. As an adult, Ricki is searching for biological relatives, and she's having some success.



Also, Ricki and her neighbor Virgil - a famous television chef - are co-parenting two dogs called Thor and Princess. There's an attraction between Ricki and Virgil, and the possibility of romantic sparks.







Of course, the book's setting, New Orleans during Halloween, provides a wonderful ambiance for the story. The Big Easy is decorated; the pubs have beer crawls and Halloweenie contests; people wear costumes; and there's lots of partying and jollity.






Like her character Ricki James-Diaz, author Ellen Byron is a fan of vintage cookbooks, and the end of the book includes recipes from Byron's collection, such as Popcorn Balls and a Jack-O'-Lantern Cheese Ball.


Popcorn Balls


Jack-O'-Lantern Cheese Ball

This is a fun cozy mystery that's especially appropriate for the Halloween season.

Thanks to Netgalley, Ellen Byron, and Severn House for a copy of the book.