One of the many things I enjoy about Kathi Daley’s Zoe Donovan Mystery series is her use of holidays to center the story around. I was happy to catch back up with Zak and Zoe in COSTUME CATASTROPHE, just in time for Halloween!
Synopsis
Ashton Falls is preparing for their annual Haunted Hamlet festival and Zoe is in the middle of it, determined to create an amazing haunted house this year. The past couple of years, tragedy had struck and the haunted house could never open. Zoe is also trying to help her best friend, Ellie, shop for a costume but that isn’t going well either. Emotions are high and Ellie is hiding a huge secret that is burdening her down.
The night before Zoe is supposed to start decorating the haunted house, she receives an anonymous message predicting a death. Shaken, she tries to convince herself it’s a prank and moves forward with the haunted house plans. But when Zoe and Zach show up at the creepy house in the woods to meet some of their friends, they find one of them dead, shot to death. After a second cryptic message is received, Zoe feels pressure to find the killer before they strike again. Zoe must figure out who is leaving her the messages and why her friends are being targeted. Can she untangle the sticky web of clues before it’s too late?
My Review
COSTUME CATASTROPHE is a fun story with good Halloween ambiance, great characters, and some unexpected twists in the plot! If you haven’t read any of this series you’re in for a treat as this book is easily read as a standalone. The author provides just enough information so you can understand their background but not so much that it confuses the story. If you have followed Zoe and Zak through the series then you will appreciate what wonderful characters they are! One of the things that stands out to me is that Zoe and Zak are simply very nice people. They’re the kind of people you’d want to have as your friends…other than a murder always taking place around them 🙂 Their kindness to each other and to others who need rescuing, be they human or animal, is inspiring.
The story has a nice flow with plenty of suspects that kept me guessing until the reveal. The subplots added to the pace of the book and kept me turning pages. I love the small town setting of Ashton Falls, which is based on Lake Tahoe. Kathi’s descriptions have me wanting to plan a trip for a long overdue visit! And then there are the recipes…Kathi provides some of her own and offers her readers a chance to contribute recipes. She has included numerous autumn inspired dishes in this book and I’m pleased to share the recipe for Pumpkin Rolls submitted by Nancy Farris. Using refrigerated crescent rolls as the crust, no-fuss pumpkin cheesecake style batter is poured on top, then sandwiched with another layer of crescent rolls before being topped with butter, cinnamon, and sugar. Baking creates a crunchy, flaky topping which is the perfect accompaniment to the luscious creamy filling. Yum!
A huge thank you to Kathi Daley for providing winner’s choice of print or an e-book copy of COSTUME CATASTROPHE to one winner. Print limited to U.S. residents only. Contest ends Monday, October 24, 2016 at 11:59 pm PST. Please use the Rafflecopter box located below the recipe to enter. Winner will be announced on this page and on Cinnamon & Sugar’s Facebook page, as well as notified by email (so check your spam folder!)
Ingredients
- 1 8-ounce package refrigerated crescent rolls
- 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup cinnamon sugar (1/4 cup sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon cinnamon)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).
- Unroll crescent rolls and put half in the bottom of an 8x8-inch pan. Flatten and press any seams together.
- Mix together the cream cheese, pumpkin, 1/2 cup sugar, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice either by hand or with a hand-held mixer.
- Spread over the crescent rolls.
- Place the remaining half of the crescent rolls on top of the cream cheese mixture.
- Melt the butter and pour over the top of the crescent rolls.
- Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
- Allow to cool before slicing and serving.
- Refrigerate leftovers.
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Be sure to check out Kathi Daley’s brand new Zoe Donovan Cozy Mystery, CANDY CANE CAPER!
In Candy Cane Caper things go from crazy to insane in the Zimmerman household when Scooter’s dad comes to town, Zoe tries to find the perfect gift for Zak while helping out with Hometown Christmas, and Levi finds the body of bakeshop owner Candy Kane dead in the pantry.
It’s funny, it’s family, it’s a Zak and Zoe Christmas mystery.
The twenty-second installment in the Zoe Donovan Story is broken into two parts. Part one is a full length cozy mystery titled Candy Cane Caper. Part two is a free reprint of the novella Zimmerman Academy New Beginnings which is no longer in print.
Our Halloween tradition is going to our granddaughters’ home where we have Mummy Dogs for dinner then tag along with the girls trick-or-treating for an hour or so. They both know I get to claim a few of the Snickers bars they receive too 🙂
My tradition is I have an annual Halloween party because as you get older it’s still fun to dress up and laugh.
I don’t really have a Halloween tradition.
Favorite Halloween tradition is fixing a big pot of Chili then taking my babies trick or treating ?
Halloween movies.
We don’t have a Halloween tradition. Well maybe? every year for Halloween we make pumpkin breads, We add orange lights in the windows too. The recipe sounds good thank you, loved the review.
Penney
Don’t have a favorite Halloween tradition. But I like to buy candy, especially chocolate! Thanks!
i don’t have one.
My son is grown and no grandchildren, so we don’t do anything for Halloween now. There aren’t even any kids in our neighborhood anymore.
Oh my goodness, these pumpkin rolls look amazing!!! And so does the book! 😉
My husband and I don’t just send cards to grandkids with $ inside as we get no treaters so we put that $ in the kids cards then we send cards to friends and a few authors . I also put Halloween flags down my driveway the small ones so we look a little festive when the usp and mailman come up and we always give them candy and water and they love it. Thank you for the print giveaway would love to ready and review this.
I am one of those rare people who don’t like pumpkin flavored anything. But, I love Kathi Daley’s books! My kids are older, no trick or treating, so I decorate my house. I have since they were little and will continue to do so because it is my favorite holiday.
My small town ‘s downtown opens every business for trick or treaters after schools gets out early and many of the kids are still in costume. Later on a small local church does a bonfire and hot chocolate. Early in the week a local pumpkin patch hosts classroom visits and free pumpkin It’s so much fun to such happy kids.
We live in Florida so my niece and I go to Universal studios in Orlando for Halloween Horror nights. It is sooo scary and so much fun!
I put up some decorations in the house, on the front door and a lighted pumpkin in a window. Pass out candy to the kids.
My Halloween tradition is to always buy chocolate candy and to make sure that I have enough that there will be leftovers!
We do not have any traditions, per se, but the kids dress up and we give out candy. This year, we are doing fun baking with their grandmother. So excited, and the pumpkin roll looks delicious!!!!
Halloween is so much fun. We have a haunted village at our local historical society—-and I can eat lots of candy corn.
I think my favorite Halloween tradition is our family Halloween party. We all dress up, fix a great Halloween inspired meal and desserts and take tons of pictures. It’s been a lot of fun and it’s even more precious now that my parents health is failing.
No Halloween traditions except for eating candy in October and watching scary movies. I wouldn’t mind eating some pumpkin pie or cake.
no specific tradition but I do go to Trader Joe’s and get all the pumpkin items I can find!
No Halloween traditions. I like giving out candy to the trick or treaters and to see their costumes.
I make either a big pot of stew or soup so the kiddos have full tummies before they leave to trick or treat. They’re less likely to gorge themselves on candy and it helps keep them warmed up longer.
This year and last included a Samhain celebration commemorating the dead. Quite nice and meaningful.
But I do love to see the local kids in their costumes!
Our Halloween tradition is to take the grandkids to a haunted house.
For Halloween I like to go to a dinner party full of old College Friends where we can be silly and catch up on each others lives. I also like to hang pumpkins around my house everywhere and sheaves of corn… Thank you for the Contest and chance to enter.
Marilyn ewatvess@yahoo.com
It is a fairly new tradition but we now take part in Trunk or Treat at our church. Members of our congregation gather in the church parking lot and hand out candy to area children. This provides them with a safe envirobment.
Nice recipe but I don’t have much room in the kitchen to really make anything. Live in an Attic Apt. & we have no oven only hot plates & toaster oven.
Yes, buying candy and dressing up!
My whole family gets together and we carve pumpkins
Favorite party of Halloween decorating and costumes
I don’t have a favorite Halloween tradition. But I would love a print copy of Costume Catastrophe. Thank you for a chance to win one.
I guess you could call it a tradition, we hand out pens or pencils instead of candy. This started because we didn’t want leftover candy sitting around our house and has continued because we have found most kids and their parents are delighted to get something different. Thanks for the chance.
Love pumpkin spice food desserts and latte would enjoy the book also while drinking and eating pie
My aunt always has a Halloween party at her home. Everyone, young and old, dresses up. We play games – dress the mummy for one. Have the classic Halloween food – mummy dogs and chili. Then we all go on hayride. Fun for all ages!
Reading It’s Halloween by Jack Prelutsky with the kids. Thanks for the chance.
We pass out treats to the children who stop by our house. I put up some Halloween decorations inside my house and also outside my house. I’d like a print copy if I’d win.
No Halloween traditions, but I like eating leftover candy!
Our tradition is going to the church and helping out with the games etc that night. Love to watch the kids get excited when you give them candy. The costumes are always so cute.
No favorite Halloween traditions. I’m not even sure we had Halloween Traditions when our children were young. Perhaps our granddaughter will develop Traditions with our great grandson who is turning 2 on Wednesday.
Now that my son is an adult, we don’t have any Halloween traditions.
No traditions now. My boys are all grown. We go down town and watch all the little kids go trick or treating to all of the stores…
Really don’t do anything on Halloween!!!!
Since moving 210 miles 2 1/2 years ago I love hosting my two daughters’ families for chili and grilled cheese when my 5 grandkids avail themselves of my subdivision’s Saturday before Halloween Trick or Treating.