Novella Review: Hallowed Out by Barbara Ross (Maine Clambake Mysteries #7.5)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Fun Halloween themed novella

Cons: None, as long as you remember it’s a novella

The Bottom Line:

Reenactor shot

Makes for a fun novella

You’ll enjoy reading

Haunted Tour Ends in Mystery

I love the Maine Clambake Mysteries, so I am always thrilled to take any visit I can get.  That’s why I grab the holiday novella anthologies that include stories in this series.  “Hallowed Out” originally appeared in one of them, and if you’ve missed it, you are in for a treat.

Julia Snowden has gotten roped into an effort to bring some tourists to town during October via a haunted homes tour.  One of the stops is Gus’s restaurant where a rumrunner was killed by gangsters during Prohibition.  An actor has been brought in to help with the reenactment, but the night of the first tour, he is shot when the lights go out.  Who did it?

It truly is wonderful to revisit the characters, no matter how briefly it might be.  The plot is strong, and the characters we meet along the way are just as strong.  I didn’t see the twists of the mystery coming, and the ending caught me by surprise.  There is a delightful sub-plot as well that kept me grinning.  And there’s a recipe or two at the end.

This story was originally part of the Haunted House Murder anthology.  It’s only about 100 pages, so it’s a quick read.  If you’ve already read the original collection, there’s no need to buy the story again, but if you’ve missed it, you’ll definitely want to pick it up.

I can’t get enough visits with Julia.  If you are like me and you haven’t read this story yet, you’ll be happy to pick up “Hallowed Out.”

Enjoy the rest of the Maine Clambake Mysteries.

NOTE: I received an ARC of the original anthology.