Val Deniston and her grandfather Don Myers are attending the Maryland Mystery Fan Fest; Don as a contestant in a dessert contest, and Val as a volunteer to go where needed. When they receive their welcome packages, Granddad receives a note that seems ominous, and they both wonder if they need to keep an eye on Cynthia Sweet, who has a history of not being so sweet at all.
At night after a full day, Val hears a teakettle whistling, and gets the security guard to open Cynthia's door, where they find her dead. At first it seems an accident, but then is discovered to be a murder by the police. Now Val feels she needs to do a little research to find out who had a real grudge against the woman -- enough to kill...
This is the eighth book in the series and I have read them all. I will admit that at first it started out slower than the previous books, but then reading on, I began to see that it is much different. This book is almost like those old classic movies where someone in a dark house is murdered, and then the rest of the guests staying there are all suspects; finally, the protagonist discovers the murderer. Yes, it is just like that.
The 'guests' in this story are people that are attending the fest. There are several that might have a grudge against the dead woman, and yet all of them seem to have alibis (such as in a movie). Now it is up to Val and Granddad to disprove the alibis -- at least of one of the guests; the murderer.
It's a fun tale that keeps you wrapped up in the story, and working right alongside Val to figure out who the killer might be. With red herrings everywhere, and so many people to talk to, you need to keep an eye on the prize: who the killer might be. And when it's finally discovered, it's strange enough to be true, and sad enough to make you wonder what goes through a killer's mind.
As always, Ms. Corrigan weaves a tidy tale that has has enough action and sifting through peoples' statements to finally come to a completely satisfying end. I look forward to the next in the series. Highly recommended.
I received an advance copy from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.
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The chilling story of the abduction of two teenagers, their escape, and the dark secrets that, years later, bring them back to the scene of the crime. | Learn more
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Mystery at the Mystery Convention
Val Deniston and her granddad are going to the Maryland Mystery Fan Fest to help her friend Bethany with it. And Granddad, aka the Codger Cook, is participating in the mystery themed baking competition the first night. One of his fellow contestants is Cynthia Sweet, the woman that Granddad feels stole his shot at turning his Codger Cook recipe column into a book. But when Val finds Cynthia dead in the middle of the night, the two of them start to discover that other people didn’t like Cynthia either. Can they figure out who killed her?Since the fest is out of town, we don’t see much of the other series regulars, but the series usually focuses on Val and Granddad, so it’s not too big of a loss. This also gives us plenty of time to get to know the new characters, who rise to the occasion. And there is a return appearance by a character from early in the series that is fun. The plot is wonderful. It is intricately plotted, yet it holds together at the end. As someone who complains about the timelines in books when they don’t work, I have to praise this one for holding together perfectly. I got a kick out of the mystery fest setting. The recipes at the end are great fun as well, but I’ll leave that for you to explore on your own. Fans of the series will be happy with this book. If you are looking for a fun culinary cozy series, I definitely recommend you check this one out.
