Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Haunted Hamlet by Kathi Daley: Review & Giveaway


Blurb: When a ghost hunter is found dead in a haunted house just days before Halloween it looks like the killer may be living impaired. Zoe must juggle the annual Zoe Donovan Spooktacular with zombies on the run, the annual pumpkin carving contest, a haunted hayride, a relationship in crisis, and a little behind the scenes investigation.

Tortie Shorties
Book reviews that are short and sweet...just like Truffles!

When I read the first paragraph in this book I thought the author was writing about me: Halloween is my favorite holiday. I know most people don't really get my obsession with all things spooky, but I love everything about this awesome time of year. I love the decorations, the annual events, horror movies on TV, personalized pumpkins, and finding the scariest costume of all. But it's not just the awesomeness of the holiday that I love, it's the coziness of the season. The romance of that first wood fire, hot cider with good friends, hiding through groves of aspens dressed in fall colors, and the scent of snow just around the corner.

My first introduction to Zoe Donovan was in last year's wonderful Halloween Hijinks, the first book in the Zoe Donovan mystery series. Now with the 9th book in the series, Haunted Hamlet, it's Halloween again in Zoe's world and the action is centered back at the haunted Henderson House in Ashton Falls. While trying to rescue a black cat on the property Zoe stumbles upon yet another dead body in the house, which leads her to also investigate the deaths of 3 summer camp counselors and the disappearance of another 13 years ago. It's an action-packed adventure that left me guessing until the very end.  

The character development in this series continues to be just stellar, with Zoe and her boyfriend Zak now cohabitating and decorating their home for Halloween with Zak's ever-growing collection of electronic gadgets, and Zoe's best friend Ellie facing a personal crisis. Of course there's also a wonderful cast of 4-legged characters as well with Zoe's Zoo, her animal rescue and rehabilitation center, especially black kittens Trick and Treat. 

Halloween is still well over two months away but this book instantly put me in the mood for all of the spooky fun that the holiday holds. The recipes at the end left my mouth watering, so I'll definitely be trying those out while I eagerly await visiting Ashton Falls for Thanksgiving!

Giveaway:

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

24 comments:

Malka E said...

love the tortie shorties!

Malka E said...

I am Nora Myrtle Wyoming! Ming to you,(black siamese cat extraordinaire!) and i LOVE food, canned, raw meat! dehydrated Chicken ..yum! ok i'm not too fond of vegetables, but if they have butter on 'em and there is no meat nearby…maybe, fruit pbbbb! no fruit!, cheese is good tho,
kibble is alright, esp if it is someone else's! goat milk, cow milk, mmmm! oh dear , i'm getting hungry, off to see if there is any food left in the dog's bowl, see you later!

Unknown said...

This is sweet pea , better known as "sweets" and nothing in the world tastes better than moms roasted turkey chopped up and mixed with fancy feast ! kathambre@yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

ME-OW, Ming here...I'm the noisy one...my sister, Ling, is quieter (mew). I HAVE to be noisy, though, to be sure Ling and I get plenty of kitty treats! Life is good...PURR!

patucker54 at aol dot com

Unknown said...

Chunky likes table scraps

servedogmom said...

I thoroughly enjoy reading the Zoe Donovan series. I haven't tried all of the recipes but those that I have made have been delicious, servedogmom@yahoo.com

scaro said...

New author to me. Sounds like a great read....
Carol Smith. penelope223@yahoo.com

traveler said...

Bogie is my name and I am a real man, from when men were men, you understand way back in the 1940's. I wear my Fedora, stake out my spot in the front window and eat chicken, crusty bread and chicken. Fearless adventurer. thanks for this great giveaway. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

Clickner said...

My name is Natalie and I love Meow Mix food and Friskies Treat and so does my brother Rylee. We meow at mom in the morning to get up so we can have our Meow Mix. sclickner@juno.com

Grandma Cootie said...

I'm Pep the pampered Pug. I love all things food, especially anything Grandpa is eating. My all time favorite is homemade pizza crust - immmm.

Unknown said...

Meou, I'm Missie the cat and I guard those vegetables that my friends grow on our hill. Never a deer, nor a rabbit, no a turtle can have a mite because Mighty Missie with hiss them away!! Ronnalord(at)msn(dot)com

Kuzlin said...

I just finished the first book of this series and loved it! Can't believe I hadn't found it before now. Thanks for the giveaway. Kuzlin at aol.com

Kuzlin said...

My latest pet is a 4 year old rescue cat, black and white, named Charlee and she loves chicken.

Sue said...

Hi--I'm Malachi, an overweight cat on a diet---my favorite food is ANY food--I even like asparagus.
suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com

Fish Crew said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Fish Crew said...

Hi I'm Jesse, I love when mommy gets vanilla ice cream with peaches.. I always get a bite. ourbutton@yahoo.com

Unknown said...

Mommy doesn't have a real pet. (The daddy is allergic) BUT... as virtual pet, I try hard to keep mommy happy even though she can't cuddle with me at night. My name is Rue and am hopelessly addicted to chocolate, just like mommy. :D

kmt1976 said...

Miss our pet, Sundae, but enjoyed reading the other comments (with butter pecan ice cream)!

Stacie said...

Hi! My name is Romeo and my girlfriend is Juliet. We are both mini schnauzers. Our forever family rescued us 8 years ago. We love to eat everything!

Anonymous said...

Cats are the best! Thank you for this giveaway!

Rita Wray said...

Lost my pet Truffy, she was a lovely sweet bunny.

Karen B said...

My name was Tony - I've passed on to cat heaven - and I loved to sneak fresh baked cookies when no one was looking. Favorite place to eat them was under mom's bed where no one could reach me!
kpbarnett1941[at]aol.com

Red Iza said...

That series look good, I've just put #1 on my list, thanks for sharing :) (And in this cold summer, fire and hot cider sound irresistible !)

Anonymous said...

I'm Teddy, a Wheaten Terrier mix adopted recently from a dog rescue non-profit. I've had a bad life so far, even though I'm young, because I flinch when people raise a hand or arm near me but I am learning to love and trust. My favorite food is any food, because I was not given good food in my early days, but if I am to have a treat on my food, well I'll take a slice of chicken or part of a hamburger, please! :)
Thanks, Melissa, this is a new to me, and sounds right up my alley for the Fall!