Cartoon of the Day: Dinner Invitation

 

Northern California Mysteries: Mystery Readers Journal (41:3) Fall 2025

Northern California I is now available. What a great issue--and not only because I live in NorCal. We've received wonderful articles, reviews, and author essays--so many that we are splitting this theme into two issues. We've left room for a few more articles and author essays. So if you didn't get around to contributing to Northern California Mysteries, you still have until November 10--a drop dead deadline!-- to send something. Send to janet @ mystery readers . org  Hope you enjoy Northern California I. 

Northern California Mysteries I

Volume 41, No. 3, Fall 2025

Available as a downloadable PDF.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ARTICLES

• The Campanile Murders: A Lost Berkeley Mystery by Randal S. Brandt

AUTHOR! AUTHOR!

• From Lake Tahoe to the Napa Valley by Rachele Baker
• Embedding Northern California with Murder, Mayhem, and Crime by Susan Alice Bickford
• Highway 49 Revisited by Taffy Cannon
• My NorCal Mystery Escapes by Kate Carlisle
• Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay by Glenda Carroll
• Sam Spade Returns by Mark Coggins
• Silicon Valley Will Always Be the Valley of Heart’s Delight to Me by Ron Cook
• Infinite Variety and Inspiration by Janet Dawson
• You Live Where? by Maddie Day
• We Had One Once, but She Died by Michele Drier
• Indigenous Voices Calling by June Gillam
• Meredith Ryan Women’s Mystery Series by Thonie Hevron
• “Why Is a Rock Band like a Writing Desk?” by Claire Johnson
• Santa Cruz: Home to Linguine with Clam Sauce, Avocado Toast… and Murder by Leslie Karst
• Whose Humboldt County Is It, Anyway? by Maria Kelson
• Why Sacramento? by James L’Etoile
• Just a Small Town Duck… by Claudia Long
• The Many Faces of NorCal by Marcia Muller
• How the Screaming Got Started on Northern California’s Quietest Street by Christopher Null
• A San Francisco Tale—Bop City Swing by M.E. Proctor
• The Cities of San Francisco by Lev AC Rosen
• The Noble Grape by Diane Schaffer
• Creating Justice Bay by Patricia Smiley
• Humboldt County: Prohibition, Dinosaurs and a Thousand-Year Flood by Kelli Stanley
• Death, I Said: A Charlie Chan Mystery by John Swann
• Is It Pelican Point… or Bodega Bay? by Penny Warner
• Real Life to Reel Life NorCal Mysteries by William P. Wood

COLUMNS

• Mystery in Retrospect: Reviews, by LJ Roberts and Lucinda Surber
• Children’s Hour: Northern California Mysteries by Gay Toltl Kinman
• Real Crime in Northern California by Cathy Pickens
• From the Editor’s Desk by Janet A. Rudolph

***

Subscribe now in order to be sure to receive all 4 issues for 2025: Themes: London II; Retail Sales; Northern California I; Northern California Mysteries II. 

If you're a PDF subscriber, you should have received download instructions. International subscribers will receive their issues within few weeks. 

PDF Contributor PDF copies went out today. 

Contributors: Thanks so much for your great articles, essays, and reviews!

Day of the Dead Crime Fiction

What holiday could be more fitting to Crime Fiction than El Dia de los Muertos: Day of the Dead? 

Día de los Muertos is celebrated every year on November 1st and 2nd. On these days, it is believed that the souls of the dead return to visit their living family members. Many people celebrate the holiday by visiting the graves of deceased loved ones and setting up altars with their favorite foods, drink, and photos.

Here's my updated list of Day of the Dead Crime Fiction. Be sure and check my Halloween Crime Fiction list for other mysteries that start on Halloween and include Day of the Dead. I've also added a short list of Day of the Dead episodes on some popular TV series, as well as some of my favorite Day of the Dead movies!

Let me know if I'm missing any titles/authors.

Day of the Dead Crime Fiction

Day of the Day by Victoria A. Brownworth

Day of the Dead by R. Allen Chappell

The Day of the Dead by John Creed
The Day of the Dead: The Autumn of Commissioner Ricciardi by Maurizio de Giovanni

Trick or Treason by Kathi Daley
Catering to the Dead by Kim Davis

A Cemetery, a Cannibal, and the Day of the Dead by CC Dragon 

Day of the Dead by Drew Golden

Days of the Dead by Barbara Hambly
Sugar Skull by Denise Hamilton
Dios De Los Muertos by Kent Harrington
The Wrong Goodbye by Chris Holm
Death Arts by Melanie Jackson
Day of the Dead by J.A. Jance
Depth of Winter by Craig Johnson
In Big Trouble by Laura Lippman

Devil's Kitchen by Clark Lohr
Weave Her Thread with Bones by Claudia Long
Day of the Dead by Manuel Luis Martinez
Secondhand Souls by Christopher Moore

Bread of the Dead by Ann Myers

Day of the Dead by Mark Roberts
The Day of the Dead by Bart Spicer

Children and YA:

Loulou and Pea and the Mural Mystery by Jill Diamond; Illustrations by Lesley Ramos

Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier  (Graphic Novel)

Cemetery Boys by Aidan Thomas

The Day of the Dead Mystery (The Boxcar Children Mysteries) by Gertrude Chandler Warner

Any titles missing?

***

Some Day of the Dead episodes on your favorite mystery TV series:

The Brokenwood Mysteries: Day of the Dead, Season 10, Episode 2.

Murder She Wrote: Day of the Dead, Season 8, Episode 19

Penny Dreadful: City of Angels, Day of the Dead, Episode 10

Death in Paradise: Murder on the Day of the Dead, Series 7, Episode 5

Movies:

I love to watch Coco on The Day of the Dead. It's not a mystery, but it's a fantastic animated film featuring the holiday!!

The James Bond movie Spectre opens with a great take on Mexico's Day of the Dead! 

The Book of Life, another great animated film, that takes place on the Day of the Dead.

What are your favorites?

 
 

Cartoon of the Day: Dog Trick or Treat

In case you don't understand....chocolate is poisonous to dogs.

Cartoon of the Day: Halloween Costume!

 

A Mystery Love Letter to Ottawa: Guest Post by Mike Martin

A Capital Mystery is an anthology of 21 short stories that are all set and written in Ottawa, Canada’s capital city. The idea for such an anthology has been percolating for some time and finally brewed over into this new anthology featuring stories from well-known authors Barbara Fradkin and Brenda Chapman as well as rising star, Katie Tallo. But it was an also an opportunity for new and emerging writers to join the team. Some with their very first publishing credit.

The key to getting this project off the ground was eager and active support from Crime Writers of Canada who along with a local mystery writing group, Capital Crime Writers, agreed to sponsor and promote this anthology. There are stories from modern day Ottawa and others reaching back into the 1950’s. One goes all the way back to the 1800’s when Ottawa was called Bytown, a muddy hole in pre-Confederation Canada. The stories range from mild to dark to darker. There are department store owners, a famous Canadian hero, jilted lovers, and desperate people during desperate times. Even a weird ceramic polar bear enters the scene.

Early readers and reviewers have been impressed by the depth and quality of the stories. Melodie Campbell, the best-selling author of The Silent Film Star Murders said: “From clever whodunits to edge of seat thrillers, this anthology covers all the bases. Ottawa takes the stage front and centre in twenty-one crime stories by seasoned writers and fresh new voices. A historical mystery places us deftly into 19th century Bytown. Blackmailers and burglars terrorize our current day capital, and even the weather has a part to play.”

And Judy Penz Sheluk author and publisher of the Derringer-nominated Superior Shores Anthologies said: “This is a love letter to Ottawa, a city these writers call home, and they’ve done it proud. If you can only read one anthology this year, read this one. It would be a capital crime to miss it.”

A Capital Mystery was published by Ottawa Press and Publishing and available from Amazon all over the world.

***

Mike Martin is the Co-editor of A Capital Mystery along with Bernadette Cox and the author of the Sgt. Windflower Mystery series.

  

DOWN CEMETERY ROAD, Apple TV+ series based on a Mick Herron novel

Emma Thompson stars in Down Cemetery Road, an 8-Part Mystery Thriller, that debuts tomorrow night on AppleTV+. 

This 8-episode thriller starts Wednesday, October 29 with two episodes, followed by new episodes every Wednesday through December 10. 

Down Cemetery Road is adapted from by Mick Herron's novel of the same name. Herron is the CWA Diamond Dagger Award winner whose Slough House novels were adapted into the award winning Slow Horses series. 

The storyline of Down Cemetery Road follows Thompson as a  private investigator pulled out of near-retirement when a teenage girl vanishes from a quiet Oxford suburb. What begins as a domestic disappearance rapidly changes into a conspiracy rooted in the university’s inner sanctums — power, secrecy, old money, and the brutal machinery that protects them. Thompson is joined by Ruth Wilson, who plays a morally ambiguous academic with ties to the missing student. 

Can't wait! More to come after I've seen the first two episodes. Let me know what you think, too!

 

The Grand prix de littérature policière 2025

The Grand prix de littérature policière 2025 was awarded on September 24 to Mathilde Beaussault for Les saules, and Peter May for Loch noir (The Black Loch). 

Congratulations! 

WPA LIBRARY POSTER: October!

Love this WPA Library Project Poster (1936-1939)

LEFT COAST CRIME 2027: THE BIG CHILE!

Breaking News!

Left Coast Crime 2027 Location Chosen

The Big Chile Returns, the 37th Left Coast Crime convention, will be held April 1–4, 2027, at the Eldorado Hotel in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Santa Fe, New Mexico was recently selected as the #1 city in the U.S. in Travel + Leisure's 2025 World’s Best Awards and placed #2 in Condé Nast Traveler's 2025 Best Small Cities in the U.S.

More information and registration coming later this fall on The Big Chile Returns website.

***

And, don't forget to register for Left Coast Crime 2026: San Francisco Schemin'

https://leftcoastcrime.org/2026/

Petrona Award 2025: Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year

Winner of the Petrona Award 2025 for the Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year: 

THE CLUES IN THE FJORD by Satu Rämö translated from the Finnish by Kristian London and published by Zaffre.
 
Satu Rämö will receive a trophy, and both the author and translator will receive a cash prize.

The judges’ statement on THE CLUES IN THE FJORD:
 THE CLUES IN THE FJORD is a sophisticated and atmospheric police procedural with a pleasingly unpredictable dark and twisty plot, set against the backdrop of the raw and untamed beauty of rural Iceland. 
 
Providing the local detective with a Finnish side-kick allows the author to contrast Icelandic and Finnish traits, adding authenticity to an original story. The intriguing back-stories of both characters leave the reader anticipating the next instalments.
 
In the ever increasing Icelandic crime fiction scene, Satu Rämö has carved out a unique position between traditional mysteries and the darker end of crime fiction.
 
Statements from the winning author and translator:
 
Satu Rämö:
I am deeply honoured to receive this award, and I want to thank the jury and the organizers of the Petrona Award. I also want to acknowledge the incredible writers nominated alongside me. To be included among such talented writers is a reward in itself. Your words have inspired me a lot!
This award reminds me of a conversation I had with a reader, a ninety-five-year-old woman, who shared how the book, the first part in the Hildur crime book series, THE CLUES IN THE FJORD, made her feel. She told me that she knows she is getting very old but after reading this book, she hoped she would live long enough to read the sequel, to know what happened to the two little girls who got lost on their way from school. When the sequel came out, I sent it to her and called her after a few weeks. She was still as happy and joyful as last time, waiting for the next book in the series to come out...
It is the readers who keep stories alive. Thank you for reading. I want to thank you also, my British publisher Zaffre and my translator Kristian London. Great teamwork! Thank you jury from the bottom of my heart, this award means so much to me.
 
 
Kristian London:
When I first took on translating Satu Rämö’s THE CLUES IN THE FJORD, the book’s incredible success in Finland suggested it had a high chance of connecting with audiences abroad as well. I’m gratified to see this is the case. It has been a privilege to act as an intermediary between Rämö’s imagination and those of her English-speaking readers as they enter Hildur’s world of human quirks and foibles, familial traumas and inheritances. For me, the work’s slow power springs from its true protagonist: that isolated land in the North Atlantic that serves as the setting, and the terrain and culture and people we’re introduced to through an outsider’s keen eyes. Many thanks to the Petrona Award jury for this honor.

***

The Petrona Award 2025 Shortlist 
 
Samuel Bjørk - DEAD ISLAND translated by Charlotte Barslund (Norway, Bantam)
Pascal Engman - THE WIDOWS translated by Neil Smith (Sweden, Legend Press)
Malin Persson Giolito - DELIVER ME translated by Rachel Willson-Broyles (Sweden, Simon & Schuster)
Óskar Guðmundsson - THE DANCER translated by Quentin Bates (Iceland, Corylus Books)
Aslak Nore - THE SEA CEMETERY translated by Deborah Dawkin (Norway, MacLehose Press)
Satu Rämö - THE CLUES IN THE FJORD translated by Kristian London (Finland, Zaffre)
Gunnar Staalesen - PURSUED BY DEATH translated by Don Bartlett (Norway, Orenda Books)

***

Further information can be found on the Petrona Award website: http://www.petronaaward.co.uk.

HALLOWEEN NON-FICTION

Last year I added a list on Halloween Non-Fiction. Here's that updated list. Be sure and check out my 2025 Halloween Crime Fiction List, too.

Halloween Non-Fiction

Halloween Merrymaking: An Illustrated Celebration Of Fun, Food, And Frolics From Halloweens Past by Diane C. Arkins
Halloween: An American Holiday, an American History; Halloween Nation: Behind the Scene's of America's Fright Night by Lesley Pratt Bannatyne
Witches, Pumpkins, and Grinning Ghosts: The Story of the Halloween Symbols by Edna Barth, Illustrated by Ursula Arndt

Sundays with Vlad: From Pennsylvania to Transylvania, One Man’s Quest to Live in the World of the Undead by Paul Bibeau
October Dreams: A Celebration of Halloween edited by Richard Chizmar and Robert Moorish
The Pagan Book of Halloween by Gerina Dunwich
Frankenstein: A Cultural History by Susan Tyler Hitchcock
The Book of Halloween by Ruth E. Kelley

The True History of Halloween by Kurt LeRoy
The Pagan Mysteries of Halloween: Celebrating the Dark Half of the Year by Jean Markale
The Halloween Handbook by Ed Morrow
The Halloween Encyclopedia; Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween  by Lisa Morton
The Dead Travel Fast: Stalking Vampires from Nosferatu to Count Chocula by Eric Nuzum
Halloween: Customs, Recipes & Spells by Silver RavenWolf
Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night by Nicholas Rogers
Death Makes a Holiday by David J. Skal

The Better Days Books Vintage Halloween Reader by Various Authors.

And don't forget to check out my Halloween Mystery List! 

BLOODY COCKTAILS & DEADLY WINES: Halloween!

Bloody Cocktails and Deadly Wine! Perfect for your Halloween Celebration!

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 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.

HALLOWEEN CRIME FICTION

Happy Halloween! Halloween so lends itself to crime fiction! Here's my updated  List of Halloween Mysteries (mysteries that take place on or around Halloween). Let me know if I've missed any titles/authors. I'll have separate lists for Halloween Non-Fiction and Day of the Dead later this month.

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; Catch Me You Candy 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 
Bobbin for Answers by Melissa Bourbon

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, French Quarter Fright Night 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
Murder at Cape Costumers by Maddie Day
Fatal Undertaking by Mark de Castrique

Beggar's Night by Elizabeth Dearborn

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
Murder at the Pumpkin Pageant by Darci Hannah

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
A Corpse at the Witching Hour by Debra Sennefelder

Phantoms Can be Murder by Connie Shelton
A Killer Maize by Paige Shelton
Booked for Murder by Morgan W. Silver

Booked for Murder by Maggie 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
Halloween Parade Peril by Victoria Tait
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; Pineapple Halloween 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; Mrs Morris and the Vampire 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

NOIR CITY: Philadelphia, November 14-16, 2025

 

Coming soon: NOIR CITY: Philadelphia

NOIR CITY: Philadelphia returns to The Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, November 14-16, 2025, for a three-day extravaganza. Join Eddie Muller for a film noir lineup that shines the spotlight on women whose cinematic legacy is entwined with film noir. Several of this year’s films star additional actresses profiled in Muller’s Dark City Dames: The Women Who Defined Film Noir — Ella Raines, Ruth Roman, and Jan Sterling.

Festival highlights include three rarely screened films: tiki-noir Hell’s Half Acre(1954) with Evelyn Keyes and Marie Windsor, John Farrow’s Faustian tale Alias Nick Beal (1949) with Audrey Totter, and Max Ophüls’ suspenseful 1949 film The Reckless Moment featuring one of Joan Bennett’s finest performances.

A 35mm restoration performed by UCLA Film & Television Archive and funded by the FNF will also play: Joseph Losey’s The Prowler (1951), written by Dalton Trumbo with Van Heflin and Evelyn Keyes in the leads.

Festival program schedule, double-feature tickets, and weekend passes (includes all ten films) are available on The Colonial Theatre’s website.

MISS SCARLET: SEASON 6

Miss Scarlet Season 6 will be streaming prior to its television broadcast when you watch with PBS Passport, an added member benefit. You will be able to stream it online and via the free PBS app beginning December 7, 2025. 

Miss Scarlet Season 6 makes its broadcast premiere on Sunday, January 11, 2026 at 8pm ET—launching a brand-new season of intrigue, wit, and Victorian sleuthing. 

What Happens in Miss Scarlet Season 6?

When we last saw Eliza Scarlet, her life seemed out of balance. A new Detective Inspector had taken charge at Scotland Yard; one with no intention of enlisting her services. But true to form, Eliza didn’t back down. Through grit and brilliance, she earned the DI’s respect. And Eliza’s maternal housekeeper decided to marry coroner Barnabus Potts as Season 5 wrapped—what will that mean for the household? Now as a new chapter begins, we wonder: Will Eliza continue to pour everything into the job, or will she attend to her personal life?