Dru’s Short Musing:
This is an intriguing whodunit that I could not put down, quickly becoming a page-turner.

Getting a new start on her life, Carissa joins her two eccentric aunts in managing their new B&B. Little did she know the words “haunted” will apply especially when she hears noise during the night. Things get worse when a visitor is poisoned and all eyes’ points to her aunt who has an herbal garden that have poison plants. Knowing her innocence, Carissa starts looking into who wanted the visitor dead and why.

The author did a great job in setting this up with an eclectic yet quirky cast of characters, a small-town atmosphere and engaging dialogue that helped move the story forward. The pool of suspects was short, but the motives were larger than life when uncovered. There were a few red herrings that enhanced my reading pleasure and when I thought I had a handle on the person responsible, the author changed directions and I enjoyed following the path she had laid out, especially when one by one, the pieces began to fit together with the killer’s identity made known. Overall, an excellent read and welcome addition to the cozy genre.

Series Name: A Haunted Dead and Breakfast Mystery Book 1
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: September 23, 2025
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link

Book Synopsis:
A haunted house and the occult are the least of Carissa Blackwood’s problems when her eccentric aunts are accused of murder in this cozy series debut by multiple award–winning author Penny Warner.

Ghostwriter Carissa Blackwood is having the worst year of her life. After leaving her cheating husband, she finally takes up the offer to help her two eccentric aunts manage the Blackwood Bed ’n’ Breakfast Inn in Pelican Point, California–a house they only recently inherited from their deceased father, Bram Blackwood. The old man dabbled in the occult, and his daughters haven’t fallen far from the family tree. Aunt Runa is into crystals and plans to hold séances at the reportedly “haunted” house. Aunt Hazel has an herbary and offers herbal cures for everything from headaches to paranormal visions. But it’s Hazel’s poison garden that really concerns Carissa.

When one of the townspeople dies from a poison that could have only come from Aunt Hazel’s garden, the town is quick to point fingers. It doesn’t help that one of Aunt Runa’s charms is found at the scene of the crime. With a little help from Noah, the mysterious and handsome handyman; Aiden, the charming newspaperman—and the ghost of Carissa’s grandfather—it’s up to Carissa to clear her aunts and find the real killer before someone else is checked out for good at the B&B.

FTC Full Disclosure – I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.