Killing Time - Cozy Mystery Review

Goodreads:  Killing Time (Dodie O'Dell Mystery #6) by Suzanne Trauth

Rating: Liked It!
Source: Author

Description:  With Halloween just around the corner, Dodie O'Dell is making preparations to transform the Windjammer Restaurant on the Jersey Shore into a haunted house, while the Etonville Little Theatre is staging Dracula. But casting the titular Transylvanian is proving challenging. The amateur actors in the company are not shy about chewing the scenery, but who among them can convincingly sink their fangs into a victim's neck? When a mysterious newcomer with a transfixing Eastern European accent lands the part, rumors that he might be an actual vampire start to take flight--not unlike the bat who's recently been spotted in the town park.

But everyone's blood really runs cold when a stranger is found in the cemetery with a real stake in his heart. Dodie decides to put her Halloween theme menu on the back burner and stick her neck out to bring the killer into the light of day. She'd better keep her wits about her, though--or Dodie may be the next one to go down for the Count . . .

Genre: Mystery - Cozy

Why I Picked This Book:  I enjoyed the previous book in this series and I absolutely loved the cover.  I never can resist a Halloween cozy!

My Impression:  While this is the 2nd book in the Dodie O'Dell series this is the 1st book I've read that's set in Dodie's hometown of Etonville.  I had liked her and the various side characters previously but I really enjoyed seeing them all in their usual places.  

Things are quite dramatic when this book opens.  The Etonville Little Theatre (aka ELT) is putting on the perfect Halloween production - Dracula.  And the lead, a newcomer to the town names Carlos, just happens to be incredible at the role.  So good in fact that some of the townspeople start to wonder if the reason he's so good at the role is because he can relate to it a little too much.  And so Vampire fever is sweeping Etonville.  A dead body being found in the cemetery dressed as the Grim Reaper with a stake through the heart does not help matters.   

Dodie is trying to respect her fiance's wishes and stay out of the police investigation but she can't turn down her friend's desperate plea and starts digging into the Carlos' past.   I'm always up for a deep dive into someone's history and really enjoyed this one.  Especially when more mysteries seem to spring from every answer and the danger gets a little closer to home with every turn.

 This was a fun read and I really enjoyed the mix of Halloween, theater drama, and restaurant time.  Dodie plans specials to coordinate with the theater's play and I kind of like that not all of her ideas are a win.  There were a few clues that Dodie didn't pick up on that seemed so obvious that it got a bit frustrating and slightly slowed down the pacing at time.  Despite those minor issues I really enjoyed my time on the Jersey shore and am looking forward to seeing where the series goes!

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Definitely!  I need to go back and read the earlier books in the series and I'll be looking for the next book. 

Would I Recommend this Book?  If you enjoy cozies this is a good choice to pick up.  The mystery is solid, the cast is entertaining, and the theater/foodie aspect is really fun.

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *