French Quarter Fright Night is the 3rd book in Ellen Byron's Vintage Cookbook Mystery series and it was really enjoyable! The characters are very likable and the mystery kept me guessing! It is October and Ricki James-Diaz and friends are getting Bon Vee Culinary House Museum ready for Halloween. They decide to have a haunted house tour at the mansion. Before long, they get complaints from the new neighbors. They eventually find out the new owner is Blaine Taggert, a movie star and Ricki knows him. One of Blaine's employees is not well liked and ends up dead at Bon Vee. Cookie, Zellah, Theo, and Olivia all help Ricki figure out who wanted the neighbor dead. They uncover many secrets which add to the story. Ricki's sort of boyfriend Virgil is traveling as a judge for a tv show but he returns towards the end. Ricki is adopted and is searching for her birth family. There is a lot going on and the story was hard to put down! There is friendship, family, romance, humor, and Halloween in New Orleans! You won't want to miss this cozy mystery! #FrenchQuarterFrightNight #VintageCookbookMystery. #NetGalley #SevernHouse

I was THRILLED when the Vintage Cookbook series was announced that it would be continuing, and this story was a fantastic addition to the series. Ricky and the Bon Vee crew made me laugh uproariously so many times, and this book was just a thoroughly enjoyable read. I really enjoyed getting to know Ricky even better as she faced her past through the mystery surrounding Blaine and his assistant. The shenanigans Ricky got herself into in the name of investigation were my favorite, and I don't ever think I'll forget her witchy faux pas at Blaine's assistant's funeral! If you need a good laugh, look no further than an Ellen Byron cozy mystery, and this is a particularly good one!

French Quarter Fright Night is another enjoyable entry in Ellen Byron's Vintage Cookbook cozy series. I really enjoy the New Orleans setting as well as all the merchandise Ricki finds for her gift shop. I also liked seeing how folks in New Orleans get ready for Halloween.

There's a good mix of characters in this third book in the series. Ricki is likable and smart, and she certainly has an interesting mix of friends. Movie star Blaine Taggart is an interesting addition, often showing how celebrities seem to be from a different planet. Ricki's friend, Cookie the "recovering children's librarian" rapidly became tiresome with all her attempts to flaunt her charms right in Taggart's face, but there are others-- like Mordant "the human Eeyore" and college intern Olivia Felice-- who took my mind right off Cookie.

The mystery is a strong one that kept me guessing, and I liked the continuing search into Ricki's family history. If you like cozy mysteries with a strong sense of place and a good cast of characters, try Ellen Byron's Vintage Cookbook series. The first book is Bayou Book Thief.

One of my favorite cozy mystery writers has a new book coming out in early September. French Quarter Fright Night by Ellen Bryon is a charming and engaging cozy mystery that highlights New Orleans’s culture, food, and history. It’s the third book in the Vintage Cookbook Cozy Mystery series featuring Ricki James-Diaz and a wonderful assortment of supporting characters.

Ricki is a California transplant who has moved back to her birth city. She’s turned her avocation of collecting vintage cookbooks into a job by establishing a gift shop in the late home turned museum of Genevieve (Vee) Charbonnet, who ran one of the city’s finest restaurants before she died. Ricki’s gift shop features vintage cookbooks and kitchenware.

With Halloween approaching, the staff of the museum are gearing up for their haunted house tours for their visitors. When movie star and Ricki’s former friend Blaine Taggart and his support staff move into the mansion next door, things start to go wrong. When a body is found in the museum yard’s prop tomb, everyone in both mansions becomes a suspect, along with a few other characters.

Ricki is a likeable person that makes friends easily, but she has trust issues due to her backstory. She is a softy at heart, organized, honest, and adept at telling when people are lying. There are many characters, but there is a character list at the front of the book for reference. For those who have read the prior books in the series, there are several repeat characters among the museum employees and the New Orleans detectives. This also makes it easy to keep track of the characters.

The author is a great storyteller. As always, the world-building and characterization are great. The story is well-plotted and contains a few twists and several red herrings. I enjoyed the humor that the author intersperses throughout the novel along with visits with the various animals. Thor and Princess are the canines Ricki co-parents with her neighbor and Gumbo and Jambalaya are the peacocks at the museum. The introduction of a kitten at the museum added additional humor and warmth to the story. Threads of found family, friendship, connections, communication, genealogy, and intimidation add depth to the novel. At the end of the book are some recipes from a variety of vintage cookbooks as well as some information about the cookbooks themselves.

Overall, this was an entertaining novel with some tense moments that kept me engaged throughout. This series is best read in order. The earlier books fill in Ricki’s background and readers can see her character grow over time. Those who enjoy cozy mysteries with an amateur sleuth will likely enjoy this series. I can’t wait to see where the author takes the next book in the series.

Severn House and Ellen Byron provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. The publication date is currently set for September 3, 2024. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.

In the third Vintage Cookbook mystery, Ricki is still coming to grips with finding her long-lost family and the loss of her husband when her husband's former bestie shows up. After a murder at the property next door, the Bon Vee staff are once again suspects and must clear their names.

Okay, I love a good pun, and naming the haunted house tour the "Bon Veeevil Festival of Fear" was pretty cute. I'll pass on the other puns, though.

While I like Byron's stories, a lot of her characters act like middle schoolers, especially when it comes to romantic relationships, and it gets tedious at times.

Ricki finds out more about her long-lost relatives, and makes strides in building her business. It's kind of a cliche that everyone in the South is related to each other, but it's kind of proving true for Ricki. I would love to see her adoptive parents come to visit and help her solve a case in a future book.

Why you should read this book: It's a cute cozy, and a good addition to the series.

Why you might not want to: There are a lot of characters, which lead to some of them not being as well-developed as others and it makes them feel like placeholders sometimes. Oh, we need someone kinda skeevy who we keep around just because he's related? Got that. Backstory? Eh, he doesn't need a backstory. He just serves to show how much better the other people in the group are.

I received an advance copy from Severn House via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 out of 5 stars, rounded up.

#FrenchQuarterFrightNight #NetGalley is the third book in the series and I liked it a lot. I did read the first book, but I struggled a bit. I wanted to give #FrenchQuarterFrightNight a try and I'm so glad I did. Ricki is a fun character and I enjoyed the storyline. I found the supporting characters to be colorful and quirky, which added to the story.
I'm going to read the first book again as well as the second.
I'd definitely suggest other readers give this series a try, it's definitely worth it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.
Solid 5 star review

Once again, another interesting read from this author. I like the characters. I enjoy the New Orleans setting as well. The mystery kept me guessing.

Thank you to author, publisher, and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 11%. This is the first book I read in the series so I could have missed something . The characters and dialogue just didn’t feel very realistic to me.

Full disclosure, this is book 3 in a series and I haven’t read the first two books. That said, I enjoyed this cozy Halloween themed murder mystery and LOVED that it takes place in NOLA. There were a few things I felt out of the loop on not having read the other books, but enough context clues were provided that I was able to understand the storyline and characters. I definitely think this could be enjoyed as a standalone book! I really enjoyed Ricki and her amateur sleuthing.

This was like if a long-running daytime TV show geared toward older women had a Halloween Special.

While it had a strong sense of place and an autumnal theme, that was about where my enjoyment ended. The characters all behaved like vapid teenagers with dialogue that felt about 20 years out of date. The writing style was perfunctory with some odd work choices, childish self-censored cursing, weak characterization, and lack of hook. Some events and things had distracting, embarrassingly bad names (Bon Veeevil, Chriz-azy, OhNo!La, etc.). I also didn’t vibe with all the film and Hollywood stuff. I also thought Ricki’s involvement in solving the murder was implausible and unbelievable.

I haven’t read the other books in the series and, while this does a reasonable job at brining us up to speed, there’s a lot of duplication, over-explaining, and a general lack of pull into the characters’ worlds. I didn’t really <I>care</I> that Miranda was sabotaging the shop, Ricki’s ancestry thread was just plain boring, the incestuous way that everyone was related was exhausting, and I’m sorry but could the author have picked a more bizarre way to kill Ricki’s husband? It’s so ridiculous, it’s almost funny… like something out of a comedy sketch.

I think this has its audience, particularly in perhaps older readers or those who enjoy low stakes mysteries, but it really wasn’t my thing. 🤷‍♀️

Thanks to Severn House for making this title available to try on NetGalley.

I am such a fan of Ellen Byron's cozy mysteries. They are well-written, humorous, puzzling whodunnits populated by wonderful characters. They have unique settings, and this one is a New Orleans Culinary Museum inside a historic home. Her books are always enjoyable and entertaining. And this one, with all the Fall/Halloween vibes and New Orleans charm, was atmospheric and so much fun to read!

The story revolves around Ricki James-Diaz and her crew at the Bon Vee Culinary House Museum, who are setting up a haunted house on-site. However, a suspicious death staged for dramatic effect disrupts the Halloween festivities. The well-paced mystery, with its good-sized suspect pool, twists, and red herrings, kept me engaged and guessing.

Ricki finds out she has a surprising connection with the victim, which sets off both an investigation and a personal discovery for Ricki. So, we get a bit more of Ricki's backstory in this one. Ricki is likable, intelligent, and surrounded by supporting characters who are as well-developed and witty as she is. There is a warm, found family dynamic between everyone. While the characters feel like old friends, these books also work as stand-alones, so anyone can jump in here and not feel lost. Bryon rounds out the book with recipes from vintage cookbooks, which are interesting to read, too. Cozy mystery lovers and anyone looking for a Halloween-themed book that is pure fun with a dash of deadly shenanigans will want to pick this up!

Thank you to Severn House Publishing and Netgalley for the gifted ARC

It's Halloween in New Orleans and Ricki finds herself working to solve the murder of a man who used her name to get a job with the man she blames for the death of her ex-husband. And she's exploring her own background even as she keeps her cookbook shop, her romantic relationship, and her friendships going. I'd not read the earlier books but that wasn't a problem because it's a cozy in a good setting and the storytelling is fine. Thanks to the publisher for the arc. A good read.

French Quarter Fright Night is the third book in Ellen Byron's Vintage Cookbook Mystery series.

This installment marks the series' transition from Berkley to Severn House and is set during the Halloween season. The main cast remains delightfully over the top, and Ricki continues her quest to uncover the identities of her grandparents and parents—a family mystery that intrigues me just as much as the murder mystery. The murder itself is compelling, with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing until the big reveal. We also meet Blaine, the Hollywood actor Ricki holds responsible for her husband’s death. Additionally, there are at least two new characters likely to join the recurring cast, as well as a kitten Ricki adopts.

I received an e-copy of this book from the publisher and/or author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Vintage cookbooks, Halloween, a murder, and all happening in NOLA. I just knew from the title and description that I needed to read this book. I love the New Orleans vibe of this book and a murder is perfect for the backdrop of this third edition to the series. I am coming in blind as I haven’t read he first two but I really didn’t need to there was enough backstory for most of the characters that I learned all I needed to to enjoy the story.

Ricki and her Bon Vee friends and coworkers are just so great and fit right into that cozy mystery vibe. I wanted to travel to the culinary gift shop and stay there indefinitely. The mystery wasn’t too predictable with enough twists and reveals to keep the pages turning. I loved getting an insight into how those old mansions in NOLA run, at least somewhat. The characters were well developed and very thought out in my opinion. I can’t wait for more of these stories to come and will be going back and reading the first two in this series. Bonus to this great mystery were the recipes that I will be trying out this coming fall.

The staff at Bon Vee Culinary House Museum is planning on celebrating Halloween by running a haunted house tour for their visitors. But the new owner of the adjoining house is filing a bunch of frivolous complaints. Much to her dismay, Ricki James-Diaz learns that movie star Blaine Taggart is the absentee owner. Ricki has a bitter past with Blaine: she blames him for encouraging & filming the stunt that led to the death of her husband Chris. Ricki also has an unpleasant first encounter with Miranda, Blaine's nasty personal assistant.

But no one expects the haunted house tour to end on a deadly note when a real body is found at Bon Vee's prop tomb. Who wanted Miranda dead? The Bon Vee staff must work together to clear their names.

This was another enjoyable book in the Vintage Cookbook mystery series.

I received a digital ARC from Netgalley and Severn House. All opinions are my own.

Ellen Byron is one of my favorite current mystery authors and I will read anything she writes! I loved visiting New Orleans again with the Vintage Cookbook crew. This time, we had the opportunity to learn more about Ricki's previous LA life and her husband as the world's hottest action star moves in next door. This is such a fun fall read and I loved how the whole Miss Vee crew got in on the mystery solving. Lots of twists and turns and while I enjoyed the mystery, I'm just in love with the characters and writing. Highly recommend for all cozy mystery fans!

Thansk to NetGalley for the copy!

It’s Halloween in New Orleans, and Ricky gets the biggest fright when she finds that her husband’s best friend, whom she holds partly responsible for his death, has come to town. Not only has he come to town, he’s brought the mansion next-door to Bon Vee.

While Blaine’s assistant has made life difficult for the folks at Bon Vee, it’s her murder that pushes them over the edge. As suspects, Ricky and the gang need to figure out who killed the young woman and why. Because all things keep making life more difficult for Ricky and the gang. Can they clear their names, or does a killer truly walk among them?

Ellen Byron seems to be the Ann Rice of cozy mysteries. She just dominates the New Orleans scene. I have enjoyed all of her series to date but I particularly enjoy the one set in Cajun country. Oooo eee this author knows her Crescent City!

This book really hooked me in:
New Orleans setting—check!
Cute, vintage, shop—check!
Endearing and fully formed side characters—check!

I could go on and on. Some cozy mystery main characters can really annoy me with their inner thoughts and poor sleuthing choices, but not Ricki. I had so much fun getting to know her, her friends and co-workers of Bon Vee. As far as I’m concerned it’s already the start of spooky season (it’s barely mid-August lol) and so I really appreciated the folks at Bon Vee creating their haunted house tours—it really set the mood.

I felt like the mystery was well-paced and not super predictable and I enjoyed following the path of clues with Ricki. This book had the classic cozy mystery charm and the mystery was fun to figure out. I feel like some cozy mysteries can leave me feeling like the mystery is barely half-baked but that’s not how I felt with this one.

One thing that bugged me and I see this so much in the cozy mystery genre is the fat phobia or comments regarding dieting/food restricting. It bums me out and I don’t feel like it’s ever necessary to move the plot or character development forward. Otherwise, I really did enjoy this book!

I hope to read more from this series!

To celebrate Halloween, the staff at the Bon Vee Museum is setting up a haunted tour for their visitors, but are soon out-staged by their new next-door neighbor, a movie star who used to be one of Ricki’s friends. When a body found in Bon Vee’s stage crypt turns out to be a real dead body and not a prop and the police are overwhelmed with the mischief and mayhem that occurs at Halloween in New Orleans, it’s up to Ricki and the Bon Vee staff to find a killer.

I really like this series and was happy to learn that it would continue with this book. I’ve never visited New Orleans, but it’s on my bucket list, and reading books like this make me want to move the visit up higher on the priority list :) I like Ricki, the MC, and most of her friends and family.

The murder victim here was not a pleasant person, and there were several suspects beyond the Bon Vee staff who topped the police’s list. The motive for each suspect was nearly the same, so that didn’t help cross names off the list. A few characters were consistently at the top of my mental list, and although I wasn’t able to narrow it down to just one person, that culprit was on my short list, and the motive was what I suspected it would be.

I hope this series continues, as I want to read more about what Ricki and her friends get up to next.

Culinary & Literary Cozy Mystery about a Louisiana culinary museum gift shop proprietor turns sleuth after a movie star's assistant is found dead in their haunted house's faux tomb.

5/5 stars: This is Byron's third entry in the Vintage Cookbook Mystery series, which is a Culinary and Literary Cozy Mystery that takes place in Louisiana during Halloween and features the vintage cookbook gift shop proprietor at a Culinary House Museum housed in a historic New Orleans mansion. After a movie star's assistant's found dead in their haunted house's faux tomb, she'll exchange her witch's hat for a deer stalker to sleuth out the killer before they strike again. Byron has masterfully crafted a mystery that deftly balances the suspects, clues and red herrings and will leave you pondering the whodunit until the final reveal. There also an over-arching plot of Ricki's search for her birth family; there were some interesting reveals and I look forward to reading where it goes from here. Additionally, Byron's writing and character work are stellar; the characters are well-rounded and complex while remaining incredibly likable. It's a joy to catch up with Ricki, her friends and the quirky folks at Bon Vee Culinary House Museum. I also appreciate seeing Ricki and Virgil figuring out their relationship, they both have difficult pasts so seeing them working on it is great. And for those who love animals there's a veritable menagerie in this series: Ricki and Virgil's dogs Thor and Princess, the museum's new shop kitten, Red Beans and the museum grounds resident peacocks, Gumbo and Jambalaya. Oh and there are plenty of spooky, cozy autumnal Halloween vibes! I for one love all the vintage cookbooks, gadgets and decor mentioned and you'll so want to try the delicious recipes included. While you could read this as a stand-alone, you'll gain so much more by reading the series from the beginning; so be sure to pick up book one, Bayou Book Thief.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Severn House in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.