"The Magic of Halloween Night" By Kathi Daley: Review/Giveaway

Review by Kathleen Costa

Details on how to win an ebook copy of this book at the end of the review and links to purchase it.

Silver Linings

Calliope Rose Collins is not unfamiliar with cloudy days. At four years old, she was orphaned when a tragic car accident killed her parents, but her great Aunt Grace welcomed her, loved her, protected her, and instilled in her a passion for music. She became a successful concert pianist until [cue the cloudy skies] a drunk driver hit her head on causing injuries that ultimately destroyed her career. She retreated to her childhood home and her aunt’s security. There, through circumstances, she “fell into” a new career opportunity at the local paper Foxtail News when Dex Heatherton, the editor, offered her own weekly column, Callie Considers, and now a promotion to a full-time reporter job. She’s made a name for herself reporting on local events which have oddly included getting directly and indirectly involved in the investigation of suspicious deaths and murder from cold cases to current ones. The ancestral curse may have “cloudied up” Callie’s life, but through it all, it’s the silver linings that have shined brightly on a new path including a job she loves, a young girl she cares for, and a childhood friend and deputy Cass Wylander with whom she is cautiously “more than friends.”

Evelyn (Judy Dench): Nothing here has worked out quite as I expected.

Muriel (Maggie Smith): Most things don't. But sometimes what happens instead is the good stuff. —The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011)

---

➡ switch to KingsRiverLife.com for more articles ⬅

---

The Magic of Halloween Night earns 5/5 Haunted Barns...Entertaining Fun!

It’s Halloween and Foxtail Lake is a buzz with prepping for the Harvest and Halloween festivals, but more buzz is attached to news a major Hollywood producer is set to use the area as the setting for his new murder mystery movie starring a well-known heartthrob. Callie has been assigned the job to get the behind-the-scenes scoop and is surprised to discover Harrison Roberts, an old high-school classmate known as Robert Harrison, is an up-and-coming actor in the film which might just be the “hook” to interest readers. However, a close friend has a different opinion about Mr. Roberts calling him pond scum.

Cass arrived late at the animal shelter and Callie saw he was tired, appeared worried, and as a deputy it’s understandable since he’d spent the day investigating the tragic death of friend Bill Fuller. The circumstances surrounding the incident are unclear, but Fuller’s car was found in a ditch having hit a tree, and the idea he was on the Old Highway is curious to many of his close friends. But the last known moment witnesses saw him alive was at the diner, having dinner with long-time friend Robert Harrison, aka Harrison Roberts. The conversation seemed friendly, at first, but tensions began to heighten including an argument witnessed in the parking lot. So, later, when Fuller is found dead suspicions are just too many to close this as only an accident, and when a second body shows up, Cass and Callie know this is...murder!   

Brilliant! Kathi Daley has penned an entertaining and involved drama as the fifth installment in her A Cat in the Attic Mystery series. She paints the holidays well with festivals, holiday activities, and a town festooned with streamers and pumpkins. She adds seemingly individual events and weaves them together into a mystery perfect for a reporter and her detective boyfriend to unravel...and wow, does it unravel! However, Kathi Daley’s signature style is to spend a lot of time on extraneous interaction, character development, and realistic day-to-day life that her fans greatly enjoy! There’s the ten-year-old next-door neighbor who still needs loving care, the health of the newspaper’s editor that seems to be a worry, the inner workings of a film production, and the family “curse “ continues to shackle Callie’s emotions about her relationship with Cass. I would have enjoyed a little more time spent on the victim’s background and the murder mystery. The first-person narrative used is my favorite because it allows me the pleasure of enjoying the ‘I” perspective, and along with descriptive language and clever banter, and a few loose ends tied...I enjoyed the read!

A Cat in the Attic Mystery 

The Curse of Hollister House (2019) KRL Review HERE

The Mystery Before Christmas (2019) KRL Review HERE

The Case of the Cupid Caper (2020) KRL Review HERE

The Secret of Logan Pond (2020) KRL Review HERE

The Magic of Halloween Night (2020) 

Be a Big Kathi Daley Fan!

USA Today bestselling author Kathi Daley has twelve series (Book List) offering something for every cozy taste with clever dramas, arctic to tropical to west coast settings, close relationships with friends and family, and a variety of “fur” friends. She has a great social media community of fans and can be followed on Amazon, Goodreads, and BookBub. Keep updated on all of her book releases, events, and goings-on by signing up for her newsletter HERE.

Facebook - Kathi Daley Books

Join the Club Kathi Daley Book Club

On the Web Kathi Daley Website  

Saturday Sips! Hard Pumpkin Cider Floats

Just in time for the “Pumpkin-Spiced” season! Enjoy the right compliment to Kathi Daley’s The Magic of Halloween Night! 

Author: Evermine Blog

Serves: 1

Image source Evermine Blog

Ingredients

•    1 bottle of pumpkin cider

•    2 scoops vanilla ice cream

•    Whipped cream

•    Caramel sauce

Place two scoops of ice cream in a glass. Tilt glass to the side and pour the cider down the inside of the glass slowly to reduce foaming. Scoop off any extra foam, and continue to add cider until the level has reached ½-inch from rim. 

Top with a dollop of whipped cream and garnish with caramel sauce and a light dusting of ground cinnamon.

Serve with a spoon and a straw. Enjoy!  

To enter to win an ebook copy of The Magic of Halloween Night, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line "halloween,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen October 17, 2020. US residents only and you must be 18 or older to enter.  You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section in Kings River Life and in our mystery category here on KRL News & Reviews. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. And check out our new mystery podcast which features mystery short stories and first chapters read by local actors! A new episode went up this week.

You can use this link to purchase the book. If you have adblocker on you may not be able to see the Amazon link:

Kathleen Costa is a long-time resident of the Central Valley, and although born in Idaho, she considers herself a “California Girl.” Graduating from CSU-Sacramento, she is a 35+ year veteran teacher having taught in grades 1-8 in schools from Sacramento to Los Angeles to Stockton to Lodi. Currently Kathleen is enjoying her retirement revitalizing hobbies along with exploring writing, reading for pleasure, and spending 24/7 with her husband.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.