Murder at the Pumpkin Pageant

• Author: Darci Hannah
• Genre: Cozy Mystery
• Publication Date: July 25, 2023
• Publisher: Kensington Cozies
• Series: Beacon Bakeshop #4

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Cozies for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

CONTENT WARNING: murder, mention of an inappropriate relationship between an adult and a minor, grief, violence

It’s Halloween weekend and Beacon Harbor, Michigan, has a packed schedule of events, including the Pumpkin Pageant, featuring humans and their canine counterparts. For treats, there’s plenty of pumpkin goodness from bakery/café owner and local lighthouse resident Lindsey Bakewell. But someone wants to spoil the fun with a deadly trick . . .

Lindsey prefers to keep her bakeshop’s Halloween decor light and autumnal, rather than gruesome and ghoulish. But everyone knows her lighthouse home is haunted. Some intrepid teens have even tried to break in to witness the resident ghost themselves. Dreading Halloween night, Lindsey reluctantly allows her influencer and podcaster best friend, Kennedy, to host a live ghost-hunting investigation in the lighthouse, conducted by a professional team. Protective of her ghost, Lyndsey is understandably nervous about what they might uncover . . .

The segment is uneventful—until things take a terrifying turn. The team freaks out. As Kennedy joins the mad dash outside, she bumps into what looks like the prankster teens’ creepy clown costume hanging from a tree. But when Lindsey’s dog, Wellington, begins to whine, they make a grim the clown is no dummy. It’s a corpse.

Now Lindsey and company will need to keep their cool if they want a ghost of a chance to solve the murder—and see another Halloween . . .

I’ve been a fan of this series since getting an ARC of book 1, and have been eagerly following Lindsey’s adventures, or more accurately, misadventures, ever since. Besides, she comes with a super-lovable crew: a sweet yet goofy Newfoundland named Welly (short for Wellington), a super hot former military boyfriend named Rory (or Sir Hunts a Lot depending on who you ask), a ride or die best friend named Kennedy who is a social media influencer and podcaster, a police officer named Tuck who is dating Kennedy, and her parents—Ellie is a former model who now has a fashionable clothing store catering to women and their dogs and offering matching clothes. 

If you’re going to read this series, the one thing you should prepare yourself for is a rumbly tummy. Lindsey is a total foodie, and isn’t just a talented baker, but she’s also an incredible cook. She makes all kinds of food and treats throughout the story, and there’s also some recipes at the back of each book, and somehow she makes everything sound incredible, even things I do not like at all. So don’t read this on an empty stomach or when you’re eating something bland and boring.

After helping to solve three murders in the little town of Beacon Harbor, Lindsey is ready to enjoy the Halloween festivities and bake up a storm. But things don’t quite work out that way. First, Lindsey keeps finding pre-Halloween pranks around the lighthouse. Then, Kennedy informs her that they’ll be hosting an episode of a professional ghost-hunting show in her haunted lighthouse on Halloween. Finally, the episode goes awry and ends with the discovery of a real body hanging from the tree outside of her lighthouse.

Now, Lindsey is roped into solving yet another murder with the help of her trusty crew and the help of Officer Cutie Pie (aka Tuck). The mystery is well-plotted, with a bunch of red herrings to throw readers off the trail and make it difficult to pinpoint the real culprit. I was surprised by who it turned out to be, although they were my second choice for murderer. And the way the different pieces of the mystery were revealed over the course of the story until they could all be put together still didn’t help me figure it out on my own until everything was laid out for me. 

This book was medium-paced but stayed consistent for the whole story until the end when things sped up a bit. I found it easy to stick with and flew through this entire book faster than I was expecting to, but I didn’t mind, other than the fact that I’m going to have to wait just a bit longer for the next installment (and there better be another because I’m not ready to let these characters go yet). The story is a fun one, and I especially loved the banter between the main character and her little circle of friends. Now that Lindsey and Rory are an item, and Kennedy and Tuck are too, they mess with each other just like regular couples who hang out all the time do, and it was fun to read. This is just another hit in a series full of them, and I’m looking forward to more in the Beacon Bakeshop!

People who have sat around with me while I’m reading, especially when there’s a surprising reveal, a shocking plot twist, or an unexpected event often look up in alarm when I gasp audibly. The gasp factor is directly related to the number of times I audibly gasp during a reading, and there isn’t an upper limit.

Gasp Factor: 15