Tag: Kanga Press

Halloween Parade Peril:
A British Cozy Murder Mystery with a Female Amateur Sleuth
(A Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery)
by Victoria Tait

About Halloween Parade Peril

Halloween Parade Peril: A British Cozy Murder Mystery with a Female Amateur Sleuth (A Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
10th in Series
Setting – Ireland
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Kanga Press (September 13, 2024)
Number of Pages c. 240
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CM2MGBVY

A spooky spectacle turns deadly when a singer’s voice is silenced forever. Does an amateur sleuth have the ghost of a chance to unmask the killer before the jack-o’-lantern’s candle is snuffed out?

Emerging antiques expert, Dotty Sayers, is excited about traveling to Ireland for a prestigious auction. Alongside her friend, Sergeant Keya Varma, Dotty revels in Dublin’s iconic sights and finds herself spellbound by haunting melodies at the Bram Stoker Festival. But a Halloween parade turns tragic when a musician’s last melody leads to his final breath.

With the police operating a skeleton crew, Keya expresses grave concerns while Dotty carves up excitement at the auction, bidding for a pumpkin full of Irish treasures. But when one of their friends ends up behind bars and another confesses to the crime, this duo of detectives realises the witching hour is near.

Can Dotty piece the eerie puzzle together and unveil the villain before the plot thickens like a witch’s potion?

Join Dotty and her friends in Dublin for the latest instalment of the Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery series. If a cauldron of quirky characters, bewitching puzzles, and enchanting Irish folklore is what you crave, then Victoria Tait’s spellbinding narrative will keep you captivated until the final page.

Make no bones about it – read Halloween Parade Peril today!

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Dotty and Keya are going to Ireland. Dotty is becoming quite the antique expert and has been hired to purchase items for a new castle hotel in Leicestershire. She is hoping a well-respected auction at the Grand Hotel in Malahide, Ireland may have items to furnish the new hotel with the necessary historical character and charm. Keya’s boyfriend, Sujin, and his band the Celtic Twisters have been asked to perform at Dublin’s Bram Stoker Festival and he has asked her to come along. Since both towns are close they decide to travel together. Keya even convinces Dotty to invite her gentleman friend, Zach to join the group.

Everyone is enjoying the excursion taking in the touristy sights, the music, and the auction. They are excited to attend the annual Halloween Parade until one of the Celtic Twisters is killed right in the middle of the event. The local Garda only has one sergeant and two constables and usually officers from Dublin would take over the murder investigation but they are busy with their own cases. Keya and Sunjin explain their actual jobs and offer to help. Dotty and Zach also offer their assistance. Members of the band top the suspect list but Dotty thinks she needs to dig deeper to find the killer. Will she get to the bottom of the story to reveal the real killer or will the Halloween Parade killer get away with murder?

I love it when Dotty and Keya get together. Dotty has been doing things on her own and Keya now has her own series but when they get together they pick up right where they left off and make an incredible team. I liked that the men in their lives also came along on this trip to Ireland. We see a new side of these women when they are dealing with budding romance. Ms. Tait does a fantastic job of creating genuine characters and allowing them to develop naturally as the series’ continue. She also surrounds them with strong supporting characters and interesting individuals unique to each story. Lady Veronica was a true treasure. A friendship bloomed immediately with Dotty, Zach, and their friends.

I loved the mystery and the confidence Keya had in assisting Sergeant Patrick (Paddy) Collins with the case. There were several suspects and Sujin knew them best so he was in the middle of the investigation professionally as a crime scene technician and personally. Dotty’s keen sense of observation was key too. I was delighted to follow along as they worked through the clues and how little snippets of things Dotty heard from others finally all snapped into place to pin the killer into a corner.

The thing I like most about Ms. Tait’s writing is her attention to detail. Everywhere the characters traveled, what they were wearing, and all the things they looked at or noticed were crystal clear in my mind because of her words. The dialogues and interactions felt true to life. It is easy to escape into a story when it is so well written.

Halloween Parade Peril is a marvelous addition to this series. The characters are appealing and entertaining. The mystery was well-plotted and intriguing. The setting was fabulous. I would love to travel to Ireland someday. I appreciated this little virtual vacay very much. 

The next book in this series, Yuletide Market Murder, will be released on November 22. I also need to catch up on Keya’s Waterwheel Cafe Mystery Series. I am not sure how I got behind but will rectify that soon.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you to the author for providing me with an ARC.

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About Victoria Tait

Victoria Tait was born and raised in Yorkshire, England, and never expected to travel the world. She’s drawn on her life’s experiences of following her military husband, and a love of Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Murder She Wrote, to write British-based cozy mysteries.

Her determined and hard-working female sleuths are joined by colourful but realistic teams of helpers, and her settings are vivid and evocative.  As you’re compelled to keep turning the pages, you’ll be irresistibly drawn into a world of intrigue, surprises, and humour, as well as a delectable helping of mystery, because tea and intrigue are a perfect blend.

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Purchase Links

Coming November 22, 2024

Coming January 22, 2025

Also written by Victoria Tait

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” “As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.”