Gossamer Ghost
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- $6.99
Publisher Description
Carmela Bertrand knows that Halloween in New Orleans means a week of rabble-rousing, costumed craziness—and she can’t wait to get the party started. But when a local antiques dealer turns up dead, Carmela suddenly finds herself in a real-life danse macabre…
An evening’s work deciding on the class schedule for her scrapbooking shop has put Carmela in the mood to kick up her heels. But after some strange noises draw her into Oddities, the neighboring antiques shop, Carmela’s night is abruptly put on hold when a bloody body falls out of a curio cabinet—and into her arms.
While shop owner Marcus Joubert was known for being an eccentric with a penchant for eclectic merchandise, Carmela never thought he was the kind of man who could inspire the passion required to kill. But when Marcus’s assistant—and fiancée—Mavis reveals that a priceless death mask was also stolen, it becomes clear that murder wasn’t the culprit’s sole intention.
Carmela can’t resist the urge to investigate the growing mystery, but as the list of suspects increases, she realizes it’ll take every trick in the book to unmask the killer thief before there’s another night of murderous mischief…
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Childs's enjoyable 12th Scrapbooking mystery (after 2013's Gilt Trip) finds charming heroine Carmela Bertrand musing about what costumes to wear over Halloween and what classes to offer next at her New Orleans craft store. But she soon has a bigger puzzle to solve: the murder of Marcus Joubert, the creepy owner of the store next door. A rare French mask is missing from Joubert's store, and soon the police, including Carmela's hunky cop beau, Det. Edgar Babcock, are wondering not only who stole the mask from Marcus but also whether Marcus himself had come into its possession illegally. Real estate lust also complicates matters more than one savvy small businessperson was longing for Marcus to vacate his primo location. Local color is Child's strong suit, and on this romp with Carmela, the details of the Big Easy, from absinthe to touff e, do not disappoint and readers will get a few zany Halloween costume ideas to boot.
Customer Reviews
Just right
Scary just enough; scrapbooking, friendship, & cooking just enough; New Orleans flavor just right; & suspects enough to leave you guessing to the end. A pleasant who-dun-it with great continuing characters!