On the HahaFiction shelf
Mystic Mayhem
Mystic Isle Mysteries · Book 1 · 2015
Melanie Hamilton earns her living tattooing guests at a bayou resort near New Orleans, where spooky entertainment is part of the service. When a wealthy widow is poisoned and Melanie’s friend is arrested, she joins manager Jack Stockton in trying to identify the killer.
From the publisher’s blurb
“Come on along, and get your creep on.”Read the full description at Gemma Halliday Publishing
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What makes it funny?
One séance has enough candles to make Melanie think of bread rising. Her account gives the nervous medium a comparison closer to the dinner pot: a crawfish beside boiling water.
The comedy at work
Melanie knows how much work goes into the resort’s supernatural atmosphere. Her skeptical narration keeps exposing the practical side of the performance, including a costume that makes her feel like Count von Count rather than Elvira.
Try this if…
Séances, secret passages and bayou wildlife give the murder inquiry its setting. Readers who enjoy a little flirtation and an employee’s view of a theatrical resort may like Melanie’s company.
Good to know
Paranormal entertainment includes staff putting on an act. The haunted-resort setting leaves room for skepticism about what guests believe they have seen.
A few distinguishing details
- A tattoo artist investigates behind the spooky resort attractions
More funny amateur sleuth
Sources & further reading
- Mystic Mayhem by Sally J. Smith & Jean Steffens on Apple Books
Book information
- Fantastic Fiction bibliography
Book information
- Publisher
Publisher
- Niki Nyan review and excerpt
Review
- Author promotional excerpt via Melissa Keir
Reading sample
- Publisher description on Apple Books
Publisher
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