Halloween Mysteries: 6 Great Mystery Books Set on All Hallows’ Eve

Libby and Bernie Simmons are two sisters who own A Little Taste of Heaven, a catering company. They are thrilled when they are hired to cater the Halloween festivities at the rumored to be haunted Peabody School. A local businessman is going all out in decorating for the party, even constructing a haunted house with special high tech effects. Everything seems perfect until the head and torso of Amethyst Applegate ends up on the caterers’ table. Amethyst was universally loathed so the sisters with the help of their father have their work cut out in trying to find out who murdered Amethyst.

Cobb’s Landing is the quintessential New England Village and Peggy Jean Turner is the mayor. During the annual Halloween Pumpkin Float the body of the police chief’s teenage son is found murdered. This book sparkles with autumnal atmosphere. The author’s descriptions are so vivid you can hear the shuffling, crunch noise of orange and yellow leaves under your feet and feel that delicious nip of fall in the air. Mayor Peggy must turn part-time sleuth to find out who killed the chief of police’s son.

It saddens me to think that with the death of the author we won’t be seeing any new Leaphorn-Chee mysteries. Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee are investigating the discovery of a skeleton on Halloween at one of the holiest places in the Navajo religion, Ship Rock or “the rock with wings”. Newly retired Joe Leaphorn realizes that the skeleton is that of a missing person from one of his long-unsolved cases.

A girl swears she witnessed a murder at a Halloween Party given by mystery author Ariadne Oliver. Nobody believes her, and thinks it is just the fanciful imaginations of a young girl. That is until she drowns bobbing for apples. Ariadne Oliver calls for her friend, Belgian detective Hercule Poirot to help solve the case.

Can our favorite Belgian unmask a murderer amongst the costumed guests? A girl swears she witnessed a murder at a Halloween Party given by mystery author Ariadne Oliver. Nobody believes her, and thinks it is just the fanciful imaginations of a young girl. That is until she drowns bobbing for apples. Ariadne Oliver calls for her friend, Belgian detective Hercule Poirot to help solve the case. Can our favorite Belgian unmask a murderer amongst the costumed guests?

Bennis Hanaford, lover of former FBI agent Gregor Demarkian, discovers the murdered body of debutante Kayla Anson during a Halloween visit to the Anson estate. Bennis asks Gregor to come to the Anson estate in Connecticut to help investigate the murder. This village cozy is filled with interesting characters, great dialogue and, well, one of the best protagonists in mystery fiction (in my humble opinion) Gregor Demarkian. This book, like the entire series thus far is dazzling.

China Bayles, a former attorney, now an herbal shop owner just can’t seem to stay away from murder in this second title in this clever herb-based series. In this outing China must come to her friend Ruby’s defense when she is accused of murdering a woman who collects poisonous herbs. Lots of Halloween atmosphere in this book.

I really love this series. Every book has an herb as part of its title. Witches’ Bane is better known as monkshod and was believed to be the creation of Hecate, the Goddess of the Underworld. Throughout history the herb has been used to kill wolves and tigers and also used to execute criminals. This book also includes a delicious recipe for Hot Mulled Cider sans the witches bane.