DEADLY WINES, BLOODY COCKTAILS, & BOO-TIFUL BEERS: Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!! Bloody Cocktails, Deadly Wine, and Boo-tiful Beers!

DEADLY WINES

Chateau Du Vampire Wines Bordeaux Style Cabernet Blend (Vampire Vineyards – Paso Robles, California): blend of cabernet sauvignon (60%) with cabernet franc (30%), and 10% malbec to finish it off.

Vampire Cabernet Sauvignon (Vampire vineyards – Paso Robles, California): Vampire Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from several small-berry clones of this traditional Bordeaux varietal, grown in the Paso Robles region of California’s Central Coast.

Dracula Wines: Zinfandel and Syrah (originally the grapes for this wine were grown on the Transylvanian plateau, now they're made from California grapes).

Trueblood Napa Valley Syrah: This wine will "bruise your soul" with its palate crushing cherry, plum smoke and spice.

Ghost Block: 100% cabernet from Rock Cairn Vineyard in Oakville, next to Yountville's Pioneer Cemetery.

Twisted Oak 2011 River of Skulls in Calaveras County. Limited production vineyard mouvedre (red wine grape). Label has a bright red skull. English translation of calaveras is "skulls."

Ghostly White Chardonnay and Bone Dry Red Cabernet Sauvignon. Elk Creek Vineyards in Kentucky

Poizin from Armida Winery in Healdsburg is a 'wine to die for..". This Zinfandel sold in little wooden coffins

Big Red Monster  Red wine made from Syrah, Zinfandel and Petite Syrah.

Spellbound 2012 Merlot. Full Moon on the label. 

Ravenswood 2013 Besieged Red Blend. Ravens on the label.

Michael David 2012 Freakshow Cab.

Other Wines, Beers and Ales: Witches Brew, Evil (upside down and backwards label), Sinister Hand, Toad Hollow Eye of the Toad, Zeller Schwarz Katz.

Want to give the personal touch to your Halloween wines? Add your own ghoulish labels or rebottle in cool jars with apothecary labels from Pottery Barn (or make them yourself). For a great article, go to Spooky Halloween Bottle & Glass Labels.

BLOODY COCKTAILS

And what about an awesome cocktail? Make Nick and Nora proud! They always loved a good party. Throw in some rubber spiders or eyeballs as garnish. Want to make your own Halloween Cocktail Garnish--some eyeballs and fingers? Click HERE.

Blood Bath
1 Part Tequila Silver
1 Part Strawberry Liqueur

Shake with ice, and strain into shot glass.

Blood Test
1 Part Tequila Reposado
1 Part Grenadine

Shake with ice and strain into shot glass

Blood Shot
1 part Iceberg Vodka
1 part peach schnapps
1 part Jagermeister
1 part cranberry juice

Chill all ingredients. Combine in shaker with ice. Strain into shot glass. shoot!

Bloody-Tini
2 oz VeeV Acai Spirit
1 oz acai juice
1/2 oz fresh lime juice
Top with fresh champagne
lime wedge for garnish

Combine VeeV, Acai juice and fresh lime with fresh ice in a cocktail shaker and shake.
Strain into chilled martini glass and top with champagne.
Serve with fresh lime wedge.

Blood and Sand
3/4 ounce Scotch
3/4 ounce cherry liqueur
3/4 ounce sweet vermouth
3/4 ounce orange juice
1 thin strip orange zest

In cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine the liquids. Strain into martini glass, then garnish with the strip of zest. (recipe from Bank Cafe & Bar in Napa)

Corpse Reviver
1 ounce gin
1 ounce Lillet (blanc)
1 ounce triple sec
Juice of half a lemon
5 drops of absinthe
1 thin slice orange

In cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine the liquids. Strain into martini glass, then garnish with the orange slice.
(Recipe from Epic Roasthouse in San Francisco)
 
Vampire Blood Punch
4 cups cranberry raspberry juice (or cranberry juice cocktail)
2 cups natural pineapple juice (100% juice)
2 cups raspberry-flavored seltzer water
wormy ice cubes (optional)

Mix all ingredients together, and pour into large, decorative punch bowl.
Serve punch with wormy ice cubes, if desired

Corzo Bite
1-1/2 parts Corzo Silver Tequila
1/2 parts Campari
1 part fresh blood orange juice
1/4 parts blood (aka home-made grenadine) **
2 parts Jarritos Tamarindo Soda

Build all ingredients into highball glass filled with ice. Add “blood” at the end.
Garnish: Blood orange wheel and strawberry syrup

** Home-made grenadine: Add equal parts white sugar and POM pomegranate juice together and dissolve sugar over high on stove-top

Midori Eye-Tini (from Rob Husted of Florida)
1-1⁄4 parts Midori Melon liqueur
3⁄4 parts SKYY Infusions Citrus
1⁄2 part Finest Call Agave Syrup
2 parts of Canada Dry Green Tea Ginger Ale
2 parts Finest Call Sweet & Sour Mix
3 Orange Wedges
2 Fresh Ripped Basil Leaves
Strawberry Sundae Syrup

In shaker glass combine Midori Melon liqueur, SKYY infusions Citrus, Finest Call Agave Syrup, 3 Orange Wedges and 2 Fresh Ripped Basil Leaves.
Muddle ingredients together. Add ice and Finest Call Sweet & Sour Mix.
Shake for 10 seconds.
Add Canada Dry Green Tea Ginger Ale and roll drink back and forth between your mixing tin and shaker glass.
Strain into a chilled martini glass drizzled with Strawberry Sundae Syrup to give an effect of a bloodshot eye.

Garnish: Chilled red seedless grape at bottom of glass (to look like an eyeball) and bruised basil leaf floated on top of cocktail for aroma.

Black Martini

The Black Martini replaces vermouth with either blackberry brandy or black raspberry liqueur.

3 1/2 oz gin or vodka
1/2 oz blackberry brandy or black raspberry liqueur
lemon twist or black olive for garnish or gold flakes

Pour the ingredients into cocktail shaker with ice.
Shake vigorously.
Strain into chilled cocktail glass.
Garnish with a lemon twist or black olive or sprinkle in gold flakes.

***

BOO-TIFUL BEERS

Evil Dead Red from AleSmith Brewing Company

Dead Guy Ale from Rogue

Dead 'n' Dead from Rogue

Witch's Wit from Lost Abbey

Cuvee des Trolls from Brasserie Dubuisson

Black Death Chili from Fallen Angel

Black Heart from 3 Floyds Brewing

Monk's Blood from 21st Amendment

Wake Up Dead Imperial Stout from Left Hand Brewing

Zombie Dust from Three Floyds Brewing Company

Krieky Bones from Firestone Walker Brewing

The Fear Imperial Ale from Flying Dog

Voodoo Ranger Atomic Pumpkin from New Belgium

Dead Ringer from Ballast Point

THE SHIRLEY JACKSON AWARDS

The Shirley Jackson Awards, for works published in 2021:

In recognition of the legacy of Shirley Jackson’s writing, and with permission of the author’s estate, The Shirley Jackson Awards, Inc. has been established for outstanding achievement in the literature of psychological suspense, horror, and the dark fantastic.

The Shirley Jackson Awards are voted upon by a jury of professional writers, editors, critics, and academics. The awards are given for the best work published in the preceding calendar year in the following categories: Novel, Novella, Novelette, Short Fiction, Single-Author Collection, and Edited Anthology.

NOVEL

My Heart Is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones (Saga Press-US/Titan Books-UK)

NOVELLA

Flowers for the Sea by Zin E. Rocklyn (Tordotcom)

NOVELETTE

We, the Girls Who Did Not Make It” by E. A. Petricone (Nightmare Magazine, February 2021)

SHORT FICTION

You’ll Understand When You’re a Mom Someday” by Isabel J. Kim (khōréō magazine, August 2021)

SINGLE-AUTHOR COLLECTION

Folk Songs for Trauma Surgeons: Stories by Keith Rosson (Meerkat Press)

EDITED ANTHOLOGY--a tied vote, two winners

Professor Charlatan Bardot’s Travel Anthology to the Most (Fictional) Haunted Buildings in the Weird, Wild World, edited by Eric J. Guignard (Dark Moon Books)

Unfettered Hexes: Queer Tales of Insatiable Darkness, edited by dave ring (Neon Hemlock)

SPECIAL AWARD

The Shirley Jackson Awards, Inc., also is committed to promoting the legacy of Shirley Jackson and, as part of this mission, will present a Special Award to Ms. Ellen Datlow in recognition of the anthology When Things Get Dark: Stories inspired by Shirley Jackson (Titan Books, 2021).

Datlow was a nominee for the Shirley Jackson Award for Edited Anthology for the years 2011, 2013 (with Terri Windling), 2015, 2017, and 2019, and won the award in this category for the years 2007, 2009, and 2014.

Previous recipients of a Special Award from the Shirley Jackson Awards are Joyce Carol Oates as editor of the Library of America edition of Shirley Jackson:  Novels & Stories (Library of America, 2010) and Ruth Franklin in recognition of her biography Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life (Liveright/W.W. Norton, 2016). 

To see all the award nominees, go HERE.

TRICK OR TREAT DAY: No comment!

Really?  Trick, for sure!

Cartoon of the Day: Reasons to Visit Your Local Haunted Bookstore

 

Cartoon of the Day: Halloween Costumes for Pretentious Children

Authors and their Cats: Sylvia Plath

Sylvia Plath, American poet, novelist, and short story writer, was photographed multiple times with her cat, Daddy. 

Sylvia Plath: October 27, 1932 – February 11, 1963) Plath was one of the literary greats of the 20th Century. She advanced the genre of confessional poetry and is best known for two of her published collections, The Colossus and Other Poems (1960) and Ariel (1965), as well as her novel The Bell Jar, a semi-autobiographical novel published shortly before her death in 1963. The Collected Poems was published in 1981, which included previously unpublished works. Plath was awarded a Pulitzer Prize (posthumously) in Poetry in 1982 for this collection. Sadly she committed suicide at the age of 30.

“I am only thirty
And like the cat I have nine times to die."

Drawings by her were unearthed in 2011. They included this charming depiction of a ‘curious French cat.’ This drawing was done in 1956, most likely during her stay in Paris. 

Read more about her drawings and their relationship to her work, here. 

FOODIE FRIDAYS: DELICIOUS AND SUSPICIOUS: PAIRING FOOD WITH MYSTERY: Guest Post by Laura Childs

Foodie Fridays: Today I welcome New York Times best selling author Laura Childs, author of A Dark and Stormy Tea. 

***

Laura Childs: Delicious and Suspicious: Pairing Food with Mystery

 

I’ve always believed that food and mystery make a delightful and inspired pairing. There’s nothing quite as comforting as cozying up in an easy chair, reading a mystery, and snacking on a scone, cookie, or brownie bite. It just works. Maybe it harkens back to when I was a kid, sitting in a darkened movie theatre, munching Jujubes while watching Sherlock Holmes dash across a foggy moor.

 

That’s why food features prominently in each and every one of my mysteries, which now total 53 books and counting. And, as you might have guessed, I include lots of terrific recipes. Because when you read a passage that mentions Chocolate Sour Cream Scones, Banana Cupcakes, or Lemon Chess Pie, I think your taste buds get curious. There’s also something fun and interactive about finishing a chapter, then buzzing into your kitchen to whip up those very same scones or cupcakes.

 

Since I write three different mystery series – The Tea Shop Mysteries, New Orleans Scrapbook Mysteries, and the Cackleberry Club Mysteries – I’m constantly balancing a delicious mélange of plot lines, suspense, characters, and recipes. 

 

In my Tea Shop Mysteries, I also include tea tips for readers who aren’t necessarily tea drinkers or who might worry about tea types, tea etiquette, or brewing times. I urge them to grab a cup of tea or chai from their favorite coffee shop, or try the sample teas that local tea shops offer. Buying a small amount of fresh tea leaves at the supermarket or local co-op is also a great way to experiment. Mix a black tea with a flavored tea like cranberry spice and create your own house blend. (There, you’ve just invented Black Berry Spice!)

 

And once you’re into tea you might want to bake your own scones. Start with a basic scone recipe and tinker with it. Trade out white sugar for brown sugar. Instead of adding cranberries to your dough, throw in some butterscotch chips, chopped walnuts, or diced peaches. Because I’m a huge fan of turtle sundaes, I developed a turtle scone recipe that incorporates chocolate chips, butterscotch bits, and pecans – with a drizzle of caramel sauce on top. (Important note here: My husband has come to adore my test kitchen.)

 

That said, I hope you take a look at the Tea Time Recipes in the back of A Dark and Stormy Tea, my newest Tea Shop Mystery release. My recipes are easy and designed for busy people who don’t have time to chase from one grocery store to another searching for that one special ingredient that was harvested in the French Alps under a full moon. My Tea Time Recipes are simple, delicious, and kitchen tested. So please enjoy.

 

And about that basic scone recipe – here it is!

 

Basic Cream Scones

 

Ingredients:

1 ½ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup sugar

¼ tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

6 Tbsp. butter, cubed and softened

1 egg

¼ cup sour cream

¼ cup cream

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Combine egg, sour cream, and cream in a separate dish, then add to dry mixture. Combine until mixture holds together. If needed, a splash more of cream can be added. Pat dough into a large circle about ½ inch thick. Now cut dough into 10 to 12 triangles and place on well-greased baking sheet. Bake scones for approximately 25 minutes or until golden brown. Yields 10 to 12 scones.

 

 ***

 

Laura Childs is the New York Times, USA Today, and Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, Scrapbooking Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. Recently, Book Riot named her mysteries to their list of “25 of the All Time Best Cozy Mystery Series.” In her previous life Laura was CEO of her own marketing firm, authored several screenplays, and produced a reality TV show. She is married to Dr. Bob, a professor of Chinese art history, enjoys travel, and has a Chinese Shar-Pei dog named Lotus.

   

Cartoon of the Day: The Big Decision

 

Cartoon of the Day: Halloween Party

SLOW HORSES Second Season News & Trailer

Slow Horses Season 2 has a release date! Friday, December 2, Apple TV+ This is a great series, and if you haven't read the books yet, get started! Mick Herron is a terrific writer. 

Just an FYI, Season 2 was filmed immediately after Season 1, so that's why there's such a quick turn around time, in case you were wondering. This terrific series is on Apple TV+. 

Season 2 is based on Mick Herron's second book in the series, Dead Lions. Mick Herron, interviewed by Radio Times, tells us that there are changes in the second season, but that's he's happy for the series to deviate from his novels as long as it's in line with the characters and tone.

The show's Third and Fourth seasons are expected to adapt Real Tigers and Spook Street.

Slow Horses Season 2 will debut on Apple TV+ Friday, December 2.

Alfred Hitchcock Pumpkin: National Pumpkin Day!

Today is National Pumpkin Day! I just had to share this vintage Alfred Hitchcock Pumpkin photo. Want a Pumpkin Chocolate Martini? Go to DyingforChocolate.com for three chocolate pumpkin cocktail recipes. Happy Halloween!

IRISH INDEPENDENT CRIME FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR SHORTLIST

Thanks to The Rap Sheet for posting the An Post Irish Book Awards.There are 17 categories of nominees, but I'm posting the shortlist for Irish Independent Crime Fiction Book of the Year:

IRISH INDEPENDENT CRIME FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR

• Remember My Name, by Sam Blake (Corvus)
• Run Time, by Catherine Ryan Howard (Corvus)
• Breaking Point, by Edel Coffey (Sphere)
• The Accomplice, by Steve Cavanagh (Orion)
• The Interview, by Gill Perdue (Sandycove)
• Hide and Seek, by Andrea Mara (Transworld)

Readers can vote for their favorite here, click . 

Voting ends Thursday, November 10. Winners will be announced on November 23.

October Library Poster: 1930s

Love this WPA Library Project Poster (1936-1939)

MAP BACK MONDAY: Helen McCloy's She Walks Alone

Today is Mapback Monday. Here's another great Dell Map Back: She Walks Alone (1948) by Helen McCloy. 

"A Loose Bushmaster and Murder Make a Harrowing Voyage in 'SHE WALKS ALONE.' "

Helen McCloy (June 6, 1904 – December 1, 1994), is the pseudonym of Helen Clarkson. She was an American mystery writer, whose series character Dr. Basil Willing debuted in Dance of Death (1938). Willing believes, that "every criminal leaves psychic fingerprints, and he can't wear gloves to hide them." He appeared in 13 of McCloy's novels and in several of her short stories. McCloy often used the theme of doppelganger, but in the end of the story she showed a psychological or realistic explanation for the seemingly supernatural events.

Cartoon of the Day: Book Club

 

Authors & their Cats: Beverly Cleary

I am a huge fan of Newberry Award winning children's book author Beverly Cleary. I often reread her books which are filled with subtle life lessons and lots of humor. 

Beverly Cleary was a cat enthusiast. She had several cats over the years including the one in this photo who posed sitting on top of the manuscript she was editing. 

One of her well known books is Socks about the misadventures of a tabby cat. 

Beverly Cleary was named a "Living Legend" by the Library of Congress in 2000. She died on March 26, 2021 at the age of 104. 

100 Things You Might Not Know about Beverly Cleary. 

Why Prequels? - Guest Post by Michael Stanley

Michael Stanley: Why Prequels?
 
In many series, there comes a point where the author decides to write a prequel—a book that shows the series protagonist before the role she or he plays in the series. The benefit to readers is that they learn how the character was shaped by earlier events and relationships. A powerful example is the Charles Todd prequel novella The Piper, where we see Inspector Ian Rutledge during the First World War and its devastating effect on him that molds him for the whole series.

When we started writing A Carrion Death, we didn’t plan that Kubu would be the protagonist. As debut novelists, we heeded the advice of experienced writers, who said we should write about what we knew. So, as academics, we planned that a brilliant young ecology professor would discover a body in the Kalahari that had been left in the desert for hyenas to devour, and go on to solve the mystery. The ecologist would realize at once that the death was no accident because the body he found was naked. That made it a likely murder, and we needed a police detective to investigate. 
 
So David Bengu, from the Criminal Investigation Department in Gaborone, appeared. A very large man with the nickname Kubu, meaning hippopotamus in the local language, he climbed into his Land Rover, well provisioned with sandwiches and drinks. As he headed into the desert, he listened to his favorite opera arias and sang along (badly). He also had time to muse about how a Bushman school friend had shown him how to look beyond the superficial, and to see clues of hidden things. That was the spark that made Kubu want to become a detective. He would train himself to look beyond the obvious.
 
By the time this larger-than-life character had visited the scene of the crime and interviewed the men who’d found the body, he’d made it clear to us that he had to be the main character. That came as a complete surprise. We thought we were in charge of the story. 
 
Five more novels followed where Kubu was the key investigator. During the series, we discovered he was smart and good at solving murders, and he became more solid, more three-dimensional, but there was nothing that explained how he’d gone from school to being the star detective in the Botswana CID. It was not just a hole in his background, but, in a way, a gap in his character.
 
We wanted to fill that gap and perhaps discover a younger, less self-confident Kubu, who might be an intriguing character in his own right. As a bonus, we could pull the director of the CID, Jacob Mabaku, out from behind his desk and show his background and achievements, and why he became director. 
 
Diamonds are key to Botswana’s prosperity. We thought there might be a backstory involving Debswana, the Botswana diamond giant owned jointly by the powerful De Beers group and the government. Setting the story twenty years in the past would be appropriate since that was the height of the diamond boom. What about a massive diamond robbery that could shake Botswana’s credibility as a safe, stable, country? Immediately, things started to take shape. The diamond heist takes place and suddenly everyone in the CID is thrown into the case, even Kubu, the raw detective in his first week on the job. Facets of Death, the first Kubu prequel, was on its way.
 
As we wrote the story, we watched Kubu develop, having insights, but also making the mistakes that only experience can avoid. He earns respect, but also opprobrium. Facets of Death was a journey of exploration for us. We learnt a lot about how Kubu became the CID’s best detective and about who he is as a person. We also discovered that we liked this young man with his insecurities. And we liked his boss as an insightful detective whose instincts about solving a case were matched by his instincts in mentoring Kubu. 

At the end of Facets of Death, we realized we were only at the beginning of the journey that led to A Carrion Death. Kubu is painfully shy and far from having a real girlfriend let alone a wife. He and Mabaku are not friends or even colleagues, but rather superior and junior, mentor and mentee. We enjoyed these “new” characters and wanted to follow them on their journey. So we decided to write another prequel, one that chronologically would come after Facets of Death.
 
We both love the Okavango Delta area of Botswana, a wonderful network of waterways and wildlife where the Kavango River loses itself in the Kalahari Desert. The Okavango is potentially threatened by excessive use of the water from the river before it reaches the delta. What, we wondered, would be the effect of a major water project being set up just south of Shakawe where the river enters Botswana from Namibia? 
 
We are also fascinated by the cultures of the Bushman peoples and they have featured in a major way in three of our books—A Carrion Death, Death of the Mantis, and Dying to Live. Originally spread over most of southern Africa, they were gradually driven into the arid desert areas as both white and black settlers moved into the lands they roamed and persecuted them. We postulated a massacre of Bushmen that had taken place far enough in the past to be hidden, but recently enough for the discovery to be a threat to the perpetrators.
 
During the story, Kubu and Mabaku become colleagues, and Kubu and McGregor become friends. As for Kubu and his future wife, Joy, well, read the book. 
 
The Kubu of A Deadly Covenant is not the Kubu of Facets of Death. Nor is he the Kubu of A Carrion Death. But he’s getting there.

***

 

Michael Stanley is the writing team of Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip. Both were born in South Africa and have worked in academia and business.

On a flying trip to Botswana, they watched a pack of hyenas hunt, kill, and devour a wildebeest, eating both flesh and bones. That gave them the premise for their first mystery, A Carrion Death, which introduced Detective David ‘Kubu’ Bengu of the Botswana Criminal Investigation Department. It was a finalist for five awards. The series has been critically acclaimed, and their third book, Death of the Mantis, won the Barry Award for Best Paperback Original mystery and was shortlisted for an Edgar award. Deadly Harvest was shortlisted for an International Thriller Writers award.

***

A Deadly Covenant

While digging a trench for a new water project, a backhoe operator unearths the skeleton of a long dead Bushman. Kubu and Scottish pathologist, Ian MacGregor, are sent to sort out the formalities, but the situation rapidly gets out of hand. MacGregor discovers eight more skeletons of Bushmen including women and children. However, the locals deny any knowledge of the event. When an elder of the village is murdered at his home, the local police believe it was the result of a robbery gone wrong. Kubu thinks otherwise. So does an elderly woman who believes it was the work of Mami Wata, a powerful river spirit. 

When she dies in an apparent crocodile attack, suspicions rise.

Things become still more complicated when a mysterious Bushman appears at the massacre site, collapses, then disappears again, but seems connected to the murders in some way. 

Kubu’s boss, Assistant Superintendent Mabaku, joins them as accusations of corruption are levelled at the water project, and international anger over the massacre of the Bushman families builds. But how do the recent murders link to the dead Bushmen? As they investigate, they uncover a deadly covenant made many years before by an unknown group, and they begin to fear that their own lives may be in danger.

HALLOWEEN CRIME FICTION // HALLOWEEN MYSTERIES: A LIST

Happy Halloween! Halloween so lends itself to crime fiction! Here's my updated 2022 List of Halloween Mysteries (mysteries that take place on or around Halloween). Let me know if I've missed any titles. I'll have a separate Day of the Dead list.

HALLOWEEN CRIME FICTION

Behind Chocolate Bars by Kathie Aarons
The Root of All Evil by Ellery Adams
The Pumpkin Killer by Stacey Alabaster
Green Water Ghost by Glynn Marsh Alam
Witches Bane by Susan Wittig Albert
Antiques Maul by Barbara Allan
The Pint of No Return by Ellie Alexander
In Charm's Way by Madelyn Alt
Lord of the Wings by Donna Andrews
Strange Brew by Mary Kay Andrews
A Roux of Revenge by Connie Archer

Double Jinx by Gretchen Archer

Killing Time by Amy Beth Arkaway
Far to Go by May Louise Aswell
Ghouls Just Want to Have Fun, Calamity Jayne and the Haunted Homecoming by Kathleen Bacus 
A Haunting Homicide: Halloween Cozy by Kathy Bacus and Sally J. Smith

Closely Harbored Secrets by Bree Baker  
Trick or Treachery: A Murder She Wrote Mystery by Donald Bain and Jessica Fletcher
The Ghost and Mrs Fletcher by Donald Bain, Renee Paley-Bain, & "Jessica Fletcher"
Punked by the Pumpkin by Constance Barker
Last Licks by Cynthia Baxter
Scary Sweets by Jessica Beck
In the Spirit of Murder by Laura Belgrave 
The Long Good Boy by Carol Lea Benjamin
Spackled and Spooked by Jennie Bentley 
Watchdog; Howloween Murder by Laurien Berenson
The Ginseng Conspiracy by Susan Bernhardt
The Halloween Pumpkin Spell by Morgana Best
A Haunting is Brewing by Juliet Blackwell
Dial Meow for Murder by Bethany Blake
Ghost of a Potion by Heather Blake (aka Heather Webber)
The Scent of Murder by Barbara Block
Under an English Heaven by Alice K. Boatwright
Witches of Floxglove Corners by Dorothy Bodoin 

Death of a Wolfman by Susan Boles
Night of the Living Thread by Janet Bolin

Boston Scream Murder by Ginger Bolton 
Death of a Trickster by Kate Borden 
Post-Mortem Effects by Thomas Boyle
A Graveyard for Lunatics; The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury
Rebel without a Cake by Jacklyn Brady
The Cat Who Talked to Ghosts by Lilian Jackson Braun

15 Minutes of Flame by Christin Brecher
Death Overdue by Allison Brook
The Hunt Ball; The Litter of the Law by Rita Mae Brown
Death on All Hallowe'en by Leo Bruce

Dessert is the Bomb by Catherine Bruns
Scrapbook of the Dead by Mollie Cox Bryan
The Big Chili by Julia Buckley
Killer Takeout by Lucy Burdette

Halloween by Leslie Burgess
Wycliffe and the Scapegoat by W.J. Burley
Death Goes Shopping by Jessica Burton
Murder on All Hallows by Beth Byers

Murder in the Bayou Boneyard by Ellen Byron 
A Deadly Brew by Lynn Cahoon
Wolf in Sheep's Clothing by Ann Campbell
The Wizard of La-La Land by R. Wright Campbell
The Charm Stone by Lillian Stewart Carl
The Murders at Astaire Castle by Lauren Carr

Dark Loch by Sarah L. Carter
The Halloween Murders by John Newton Chance 
Bad Neighbors by Maia Chance
Death with an Ocean View by Nora Charles 
Frill Kill, Tragic Magic, Photo Finished, Bedeviled Eggs The Jasmine Moon Murder, Fiber and Brimstone, Bedeviled Eggs, Frill Kill, Gossamer Ghost, Ming Tea Murder by Laura Childs

Death by Bubble Tea by Jennifer J. Chow
Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie

Jam Up and Jelly Tight by Donna Walo Clancy
Hazelnuts and Halloween by Leena Clover
Fudge Bites by Nancy Coco
Haunted Hair Nights by Nancy J. Cohen
Poison Buried Punch; Boo Buried Cupcakes by Lyndsey Cole 
A Holiday Sampler by Christine E. Collier
Lost Souls by Michael Collins
A Gala Event; Search for the Dead by Sheila Connolly (aka Sarah Atwell)
Under the Hill by Sheila Connolly
Witch Hunt: A Full Moon Mystery by Cate Conte

Not in My Backyard by Susan Rogers Cooper
Night of the Living Deed by E.J. Copperman 

Crypt Suzette by Maya Corrigan

The Ghost and Mrs. McClure; Decaffeinated Corpse by Cleo Coyle
Deadly Magic by Elisabeth Crabtree
Trick or Treat by Caroline Crane

Pumpkins are Murder by Kathy Cranson
A Catered Halloween by Isis Crawford
Spooky Business: Spooky Spider by Addison Creek
Newly Crimsoned Reliquary by Donna Fletcher Crow

Haunted House Ghost by James J. Cudney
Silver Scream, Bantam of the Opera, The Alpine Uproar by Mary Daheim
Halloween Hijinks, Pumpkins in Paradise, Haunted Hamlet, Legend of Tabby Hallow, Ghostly Graveyard, Costume Catastrope, Count Catula; Trick or Treason, Deja Diva by Kathi Daley
The Dracula Murders by Philip Daniels

Cake Popped Off by Kim Davis
The Diva Haunts the House, The Ghost and Mrs Mewer; Murder Outside the Lines by Krista Davis
Fatal Undertaking by Mark de Castrique
And Murder for Dessert by Kathleen Delaney

Swamp Spook by Jana Deleon
No Gravestone Unturned by Debbie De Louise

Murder on Halloween by Steve Demaree
Farmcall Fatality by Abby Deuel
Throw Darts at a Cheesecake by Denise Dietz
Trick or Treat, The Halloween Murder by Doris Miles Disney
A Map of the Dark by John Dixon
Ghostly Murders by P. C. Doherty
Died to Match by Deborah Donnelly
Cat with an Emerald Eye by Carole Nelson Douglas
Cupcakes, Bats, and Scare-dy Cats by Pamela DuMond
Not Exactly a Brahmin by Susan Dunlap 
Vampires, Bones and Treacle Scones by Kaitlyn Dunnett 
A Ghost to Die For by Elizabeth Eagan-Cox
Be Careful What You Witch For; Do No Harm by Dawn Eastman 
Mischief, Murder, and Merlot by J.C. Eaton

The Bowl of Night by Rosemary Edghill 
The Frozen Shroud by Martin Edwards

Knit of the Living Dead by Peggy Ehrhart
Ghost Story by K.J. Emrick
Death by Pumpkin Spice by Alex Erickson
Door of Death by John Esteven 
The Witchfinder by Loren D. Estleman 
Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich

Dark Tides by Chris Ewan 

Dead Pig in the Sunshine by Penny Burwell Ewing
Dead Ends by Anne C. Fallon 
Sympathy For The Devil by Jerrilyn Farmer
Five Dog Voodoo by Lia Farrell
Mulberry Mischief by Sharon Farrow
Dead in the Pumpkin Patch by Connie Feddersen 
It's Your Party Die if You Want To by Vickie Fee  
Blackwork, Hanging by a Thread, Blackwork by Monica Ferris
The Black Cat Sees his Shadow by Kay Finch

Scary Stuff by Sharon Fiffer
The Lawyer Who Died Trying by Honora Finkelstein 
Trick or Treachery by "Jessica Fletcher" and Donald Bain

Halloween by D.M. Flexer
The Fudge Cupcake Murder by Joanne Fluke
Halloween Murder, Foul Play at the Fair, Trick or Deceit by Shelley Freydont
A Harvest of Bones by Yasmine Galenorn
The Spook in the Stacks by Eva Gates (aka Vicki Delany)
Broke by Kaye George
Stirring the Plot by Daryl Wood Gerber
Trouble Brewing by Heather Day Gilbert

Trick or Treat by Leslie Glaister
Mommy and the Murder by Nancy Gladstone
Haunted by Jeanne Glidewell 
Blood & Broomsticks by Jean G. Goodhind (aka J.G. Goodhind)  
A Few Dying Words by Paula Gosling
The Black Heart Crypt; Hell for the Holidays by Chris Grabenstein
Monster in Miniature by Margaret Grace 

Deadly Harvest by Heather Graham 

Pumpkin Ridge by Pamela Grandstaff  
Nail Biter by Sarah Graves
Trick or Treat by Kerry Greenwood 
Halloween by Ben Greer 

A Waffle Lot of Murder by Lena Gregory
The Snafued Snatch by Jackie Griffey
Quoth the Raven; Skeleton Key by Jane Haddam
A Crime of Poison by Nancy Haddock
Hallowed Bones; Bone to Be Wild; Clacking Bones by Carolyn Haines
Muffin but Murder by Victoria Hamilton
Black Light by Elizabeth Hand
Delicious Mischief by Marianne Harden
Southern Ghost, Ghost at Work by Carolyn Hart 
Sweet Poison by Ellen Hart
Hide in the Dark by Frances Noyes Hart 
Revenge of the Cootie Girls by Sparkle Hayter
Town in a Pumpkin Bash by B.B. Haywood

Digging Up the Remains by Julia Henry

A Streetcar Named Murder by T.G. Herren

Samhain Secrets by Jennifer David Hesse
Dead Pirates of Cawsand by Steve Higgs
Asking for the Moon by Reginald Hill  (SS)
The Fallen Man, The Wailing Wind by Tony Hillerman 
Death of a Pumpkin Carver; Death by Haunted House; Death of a Wicked Witch by Lee Hollis
Delicious Mischief by Marianne Horden
The Color of Blood by Declan Hughes
A Vintage Death by Mary Ellen Hughes
Halloween Waffle Murder by Carolyn Q Hunter 
Murder on the Ghost Walk by Ellen Elizabeth Hunter 
From Bad to Wurst by Maddie Hunter  
Already Dead by Charlie Huston
Long Time No See by Susan Isaacs
Murder on Old Main Street; Dirty Tricks;Dying Wishes by Judith K. Ivie
The Pumpkin Thief, The Great Pumpkin Caper by Melanie Jackson
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Murder Among Us by Jonnie Jacobs
A Murder Made in Stitches by Pamela James
The Widow's Walk League by Nancy Lynn Jarvis

Designed for Haunting by Sybil Johnson
The Devil's Cat, Cat's Eye, Cat's Cradle, The Devil's Kiss, The Devil's Heart, The Devil's Touch by William W. Johnstone  
The Violet Hour by Daniel Judson
Muffins & Murder by Heather Justesen

A Stew to Kill by Jenny Kales
A Charming Voodoo; Decaffeinated Scandal by Tonya Kappes
The Sacrifice by Karin Kaufman

The Bakeshop at Pumpkin and Spice by Donna Kauffman and Kate Angell
Death by Chance by Abigail Keam

Day of Atonement by Faye Kellerman
Saturday the Rabbi Went Hungry by Harry Kemelman
Wed and Buried, The Skeleton Haunts a House by Toni L.P. Kelner
Verse of the Vampyre by Diana Killian
Pumpkin Roll by Josi S. Kilpack 
The Animal Hour by Andrew Klavan 
Mischief Nights are Murder by Libby Klein

Paws for Murder by Annie Knox
The Spirit in Question by Cynthia Kuhn

Mean Girl Murder by Leslie Langtry
Murder in the Neighborhood by Janis Lane 
Ghastly Glass by Joyce and Jim Lavene 
The Stitching Hour by Amanda Lee (aka Gayle Trent)  
Death of a Neighborhood Witch by Laura Levine 
Death Knocks Twice by James H. Lilley
The Legend of Sleepy Harlow by Kylie Logan (aka Miranda Bliss & Casey Daniels)

All Saints' Secrets by Nicole Loughan

Picked Off by Linda Lovely

The Clock Strikes Nun by Alice Loweecey

The Body from the Past by Judi Lynn
Smoke Screen by Marianne MacDonald
Pumpkin Pied; Deadly Brew by Karen MacInerney 
Poisoned by Elaine Macko 
Bear Witness to Murder by Meg Macy
Halloween Flight 77 by Debbie Madison
The Haunted Season by G.M. Malliet  
Baby Doll Games by Margaret Maron
A Halloween Hookup by Jennie Marts
Satan's Silence by Alex Matthews 
Tricks: an 87th Precinct Mystery by Ed McBain 
Poisoned Tarts by G.A. McKevett 
Dark Chocolate Demise; The Plot and the Pendulum by Jenn McKinlay
Death on All Hallows by Allen Campbell McLean
A Sparrow Falls Holiday by Donna McLean
Witch of the Palo Duro by Mardi Oakley Medawar  
Trick or Treat Murder, Wicked Witch Murder, Candy Corn Murder by Leslie Meier 
Dancing Floor, Prince of Darkness by Barbara Michaels
The October Boys by Adam Millard

Monster in Miniature by Camille Minichino 
The Violet Hour by Richard Montanari
Bobbing for Bodies by Addison Moore
Death by Jack O'Lantern by Alexis Morgan

Stakes and Spells by Lynn Morrison
Cat Among the Pumpkins by Mandy Morton

A Biscuit, a Casket by Liz Mugavero
Send in the Clowns by Julie Mulhern
Bread of the Dead by Ann Myers 
Dead End by Helen R. Myers
Nightmare in Shining Armor by Tamar Myers 
Hatchet Job by J.E. Neighbors
Oink by Judith Newton
What Doesn't Kill Here by Carla Norton
Retribution by Patrick J. O'Brien
Halloween Cupcake Murder by Carlene O'Connor

Deadly Places by Terry Odell
Halloween House by Ed Okonowicz
Curried Away by Gail Oust
The Body in the Moonlight by Katherine Hall Page 
Dark Harvest by Norman Partridge
The Witch Who Hated Halloween by Katie Penryn

Caught Dead Handed; Grave Errors; Be My Ghost by Carol J. Perry
The Skeleton Haunts a House by Leigh Perry
Flight of a Witch by Ellis Peters 
Twilight by Nancy Pickard
Strange Halloween by Horace Poulin
Pumpkin Spice Murder by Summer Prescott
Charmed Again by Rose Pressey

Drawn & Butter by Shari Randall
Murder at Witches Bluff by Silver Ravenwolf

No Parm No Foul by Linda Reilly

Calypso, Corpses, and Cooking by Raquel V. Reyes

Poltergeist by Kat Richardson 

Death Notice by Todd Ritter 

Spook Night by David Robbins 

A Hole in Juan by Gillian Roberts

Murder in a Nice Neighborhood by Lora Roberts

Magnolias, Moonlight, and Murder by Sara Rosett
Scared Stiff by Annelise Ryan
Death of Halloween by Kim Sauke
Mighty Old Bones by Mary Saums 
Murder Ole! by Corinne Holt Sawyer
Tracking Magic by Maria E. Schneider
The Tenor Wore Tapshoes by Mark Schweizer
Trick or Treat or Murder by Kendall Scott

Devil's Day by Kyle M. Scott
Phantoms Can be Murder by Connie Shelton
A Killer Maize by Paige Shelton
Booked for Murder by Morgan W. Silver

Dance of the Scarecrows by Ray Sipherd
The Sterling Inheritance by Michael Siverling

Halloween in Cherry Hills by Paige Sleuth
The Lawyer Who Died Trying by Susan Smily
Recipe for Murder by Janet Elaine Smith

Halloween Season by Lucy A. Snyder

The Egypt Game by Zilch Neatly Snyder (YA)
Town Haunts by Cathy Spencer
Carbs and Cadavers by J.B. Stanley
Black Cats, Corpses and the Pumpkin Pantry by Rachael Stapleton

In the Blink of an Eye, Halloween Party by Wendy Corsi Staub
Halloween Party by R.L. Stine (YA)

Tiaras & Terror by Anne Marie Stoddard
Ghost Story by Peter Straub
Ripping Abigail by Barbara Sullivan
Candy Coated Murder by Kathleen Suzette
Murder of a Royal Pain by Denise Swanson
Mourning Shift by Kathleen Taylor

The Darkness Deepens by S.D. Thames
Halloween Homicide by Lee Thayer
Inked Up; Inked Up by Terri Thayer
Sharpe Point by Lisa B. Thomas
Charlie's Web by L.L. Thrasher
Gods of the Nowhere by James Tipper
Death in the Cotswolds by Rebecca Tope
A Room with a Brew by Joyce Tremel
A Dash of Murder by Teresa Trent
Strange Brew by Kathy Hogan Trochek
Bitter Harvest by Wendy Tyson
Masking for Trouble by Diane Vallere
Pineapple Mystery Box by Amy Vansant
I Will Fear No Evil by Debbie Viguié
Dangling by a Thread by Lea Wait
Haunted Hayride with Murder; In the Company of Witches by Auralee Wallace
How to Party with a Killer Vampire by Penny Warner
Murder by the Slice, Trick or Deadly Treat by Livia J. Washburn 
Five-Minute Halloween Mysteries by Ken Weber
The Scarecrow Murders by Mary V. Welk
Goodnight Nobody by Jennifer Weiner

Gourd to Death; Never Say Chai by Kirsten Weiss 

Killer Mousse by Melinda Wells
Ghoul of My Dreams by Richard F. West 
Sweet Fire & Stone by J.A. Whiting

Blood Moon by J.A. Whiting and Nell McCarthy  

All Hallow's Eve by Charles Williams
Mayhem, Marriage, and Murderous Mystery Manuscripts by J.L. Wilson

Mrs Morris and the Witch by Traci Wilton
A Stitch to Die For by Lois Winston
Killer See, Killer Do by Jonathan Wolfe
All Hallow's Evil by Valerie Wolzien
Trick or Murder?; Reading Between the Crimes by Debbie Young

Halloween Mystery Short Story Anthologies

Homicidal Holidays: Fourteen Tales of Murder and Merriment, edited by Donna Andrews, Barb Goffman, & Marcia Talley
Deadly Treats: Halloween Tales of Mystery, Magic and Mayhem, Edited by Anne Frasier 
Trick and Treats edited by Joe Gores & Bill Pronzini
Asking for the Moon (includes "Pascoe's Ghost" and "Dalziel's Ghost") by Reginald Hill
Murder for Halloween by Cynthia Manson
The Haunted Hour, edited by Cynthia Manson & Constance Scarborough
Murder for Halloween: Tales of Suspense, edited by Michele Slung & Roland Hartman.
Mystery for Halloween (an anthology), edited by Donald Westlake
Halloween Horrors, edited by Alan Ryan
All Hallows' Evil, edited by Sarah E. Glenn
Chesapeake Crimes: Homicidal Holidays, edited by Donna Andrews, Barb Goffman and Marcia Talley
Halloween Thirteen-a Collection of Mysteriously Macabre Tales, by Bobbi Chukran
Happy Homicides 4: Falling into Crime, edited by Joanna Campbell Slan et al.

A Very Cozy Halloween, Summer Prescott & 7 others

Midnight Mysteries: Nine Cozy Tales,  Ritter Ames and others

Murder on Halloween by Steve Demaree

Want some Halloween Chocolate Treats to accompany your reading? Head over to my Chocolate Blog  DyingforChocolate.com.

And here's a great article about Halloween, Cozies, and Fall Foodie Mysteries by Raquel V. Reyes: Pumpkins and Peril: Halloween Mysteries for US Scaredy Cats