A Catered Costume Party
A Catered Costume Party by Isis Crawford Kensington Books Mystery & Thrillers Pub Date 29 Aug 2017
Review
I had high expectations for A Catered Costume Party. The introductory chapter where Darius murders his wife has just the right dash of humor. After reading it, I was eager to discover what comes next.
On the whole A Catered Costume Party is a fun fresh mystery. Many of the passages are cleverly written and the dialogue is excellent. I was disappointed, however, by the lack of individual characterization. Each of the characters were referred to by name, but there was little to distinguish one from another. Even Libby and Bernie could only be told apart by their different choices in footwear- and they were the main characters. A bit more effort was spent on the suspects, but still far too little. I think that Isis Crawford has a lot of potential as a mystery author. The book would be great if she spent more time breathing life into her characters, making them unique, memorable individuals. That weakness in characterization leads me to give a 3 rather than a 4, but I am definitely willing to give one of her future novels a try.
3 / 5
I received a copy of A Catered Costume Party from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
--Crittermom
Description
When sisters Bernie and Libby Simmons agree to cater an extravagant Halloween party in their little upstate New York town of Longely, they figured a ghost or two and a blood curdling scream might be part of the menu, but they never expected to be haunted by the deadly specter of murder . . . Halloween is coming, and Darius Witherspoon isn’t giving up on his plan for a catered costume party—despite the recent disappearance of his wife, Penelope. He may be heartbroken, but perhaps throwing a big shindig in her honor will boost his spirits. He’s going to hold it at his stylish new co-op apartment at the Berkshire Arms, where the couple had dreamed of moving in. Darius hires Bernie and Libby to provide the treats. They’d prefer to avoid the festivities altogether. As far as they’re concerned, the Berkshire Arms is a haunted house—or at least haunted by the memory of the murder that happened on the site, when it used to be The Peabody School. But as always, there are bills to be paid, so they accept the job. And in the midst of the celebration, Darius is discovered hanging from a noose outside one of the ballroom’s French doors . . . Was it suicide, induced by despair over his missing spouse? Bernie and Libby think not, once they read the note he left—which includes a sum of money and a request for them to “do something” if anything should happen to him. Now, once the serving trays have been cleared and the decorations taken down, it’s time for the sisters to unmask a killer . . .
