It's getting close to Halloween, and everyone is looking forward to the Garbers' annual party, where all the women dress as witches and the men are the ones in the unique costumes. It's been a tradition for a few years, and Hayley is looking forward to it. But while in her office one afternoon, a young, beautiful woman comes in and asks Hayley if she'll place an ad for her in the newspaper. Hayley tries telling her it might be too late, but then she's bribed with a delicious sub sandwich and manages to do it just under the wire. The woman introduces herself as Trudy Lancaster. It seems her husband Ted is taking over from Reverend Stiles, who is retiring, and since they don't know anyone, Hayley invites them to dinner with she and her husband Bruce, who also works for the Times.

But while at the restaurant, they see the Garbers, and Mary Garber immediately asks Trudy if she'll cater the party. But before that night, Hayley has another surprise - her daughter Gemma arrives from New York with her actor boyfriend, Connor. While Hayley thinks everything might not be perfect in their life, Bruce urges her to stay out of it. But then Connor has an accident, and that one event changes things, giving Hayley suspicions about another event. So when she discovers Trudy's body at the party inside her food truck, Hayley's now dealing with a devastated husband, a daughter who can't decide what she wants for her future, and a killer who's living just under the wire...and not only had their own personal reasons for wanting Trudy dead, but have decided that Hayley might have to go also...

This is the latest in the series, and I really enjoyed it quite a bit. We've watched Hayley's kids grow up through the series, and now Gemma has a life of her own and her career is spiraling upward, and while Hayley is happy for her, she's become worried at the present moment. She's also dealing with the fact that Bruce has once again taken up a nasty habit and Hayley is determined to break him of it.

Then we have the murder - which is the gist of the story. Hayley and nearly everyone in town liked Trudy - some exceptionally so - and she wonders if the rival food truck owner is the killer. But then people start seeing someone around town that's frightening them, and Hayley has to wonder if things are connected.

What we get is a very good mystery with characters that are continually developing over time, and I'm glad to see Hayley is finally getting the happiness she deserves with Bruce in her life, and while Mona is absent in this book and Liddy is only a footnote, it really doesn't matter because this time the story features Reverend Stiles and his long-suffering wife, Edie. It's a side of Edie we haven't seen before, and it humanizes her far beyond her reputation as merely being a gossip. We also get to see Hayley and Bruce banter playfully, which causes them to be a little more real in the series.

When the ending comes and the climax occurs, it's no less than anything else we would have expected from Hayley, having proven herself capable of getting out of trouble one way or another time and again; but the reasons for the murder seemed almost unhinged; yet how can anyone tell what will drive someone to commit such a heinous crime in the first place.

In the end, it all came together nicely, with a hint of things to come. I whisked through this in one evening and it was a relaxing read that brought me to Bar Harbor and home again. Recommended. ( )

cozy-mystery, culinary, murder, amateur-sleuth, situational-humor, family-dynamics, friendship, holiday-themed, verbal-humor, small-business, small-town*****

I hadn't read anything in this series, but I will now! It's a really good cozy mystery complete with interesting characters, plot twists, red herrings and misdirections, good laughs, and even recipes. The publisher's blurb is a good hook and no recap or spoilers here. I loved it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you! ( )