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A DEADLY BREW is the latest Tourist Trap Mystery novella by Lynn Cahoon and is already a USA Today Best Seller! This fun, quick read definitely got me in the mood for Halloween with a ghost story as the central theme. I enjoyed how it started with the author’s dedication to her mother and their shared love of Dark Shadows. It brought back memories of my childhood when I would sneak over to my best friend’s house to watch that scary fun program! It wasn’t allowed in my home but I was intrigued by the peek into the supernatural and looked forward to the program each week.
Protagonist Jill Gardner, along with her boyfriend (the handsome detective Greg King) and 3 other couples are participating in a haunted house lock-in. The owner of the house disappeared fifteen years previously and had never been found. One of the friends participating is Esmerelda, who purportedly has psychic abilities and hopes to contact the owner from the “other side” to find out what happened. Most of the group is skeptical but when Jill starts experiencing strange things in the house, she finds her beliefs are challenged. Ms. Cahoon weaves in a tight tale of the cold case concerning the missing woman who was a supposed witch, a ghost searching for a lost child, and things that go bump in the night! Even though it is a short novella, I felt the story contained all the necessary elements to make it a delightful read: good characters, a mystery or two to be solved, clues sprinkled around, and an exciting conclusion. You’ll definitely want to curl up with a cup of hot cocoa with marshmallows and a plate of Sadie’s Cheesecake Brownies while reading this “spirited” book!
While A DEADLY BREW does not contain recipes, Sadie’s Cheesecake Brownies are served during the lock-in and Ms. Cahoon was kind enough to develop a recipe for me to share. The base is rich, moist chocolately brownies that mix up quickly. Tangy cream cheese, egg, and sugar mixes together to top the brownie base and is then swirled a bit to marble. The resulting dessert is devilishly yummy and sure to please all your ghouls and goblins!
Amazon Synopsis
As Halloween approaches South Cove, California, four couples get into the spirit of the holiday by conjuring up spirits. . .
The house has sat empty for fifteen years, taking up prime real estate along the picturesque coastline. Built by one of the founders of South Cove, its last known owner, Maryanne Demerit, vanished without a trace. Now her home will be demolished for a condo development, but until then, it’s the perfect spot for a Halloween haunted house.
Jill Gardner, owner of Coffee, Books, and More, her boyfriend, and three other couples are spending the weekend in the Demerit home. But what begins as an all-in-good-fun fright fest turns into a mystery begging to be solved as Jill is contacted by the ghost of Maryanne . . .
A special thanks to Lynn Cahoon for providing a winner with an e-book copy of A DEADLY BREW. Contest ends Sunday, September 23, 2018 at 11:59 pm PST. Please use the Rafflecopter box located below to enter. The 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!)
Author's Note: You can use a box for the brownie section if you're short on time, but I love making brownies from scratch. This is a recipe I developed in high school and it has never failed me...
- 1/2 cup butter
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup cocoa
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup sugar
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).
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Cream the sugar into the butter then add the vanilla and eggs.
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Once combined, stir the dry ingredients into the mix. Spread batter into a greased 9- x 9-inch pan and make your topping.
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Mix all the topping ingredients together until creamy.
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Spread over the top of the brownie batter. You can also marble this by running a knife through the top, mixing the brownie and cheesecake mixture together. Do not overmix.
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Bake at 350 degrees for 35 - 40 minutes. Check at 30 minutes to see if brownies are done by putting a toothpick in the middle to see if brownies have set.
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Allow brownies to completely cool before cutting into squares and serving.
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I was provided an advance copy with the hopes I would review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I remember my mom watching Dark Shadows on our little black & white TV 🙂
Lol, I always see the comment question after I’ve commented already. My Halloween tradition used to be eating my kid’s Halloween candy, but she’s almost an adult now so I guess my only tradition is our Halloween party 🙂
I can’t wait to read this novella! And I think my husband will love those brownies. Thanks for the chance to win.
I missed the comment question too Amy. My Halloween tradition is to make Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake.
Such a great recipe reminding me once again of how long it’s been since I made my
Cream cheese brownies. Thank you so much. Congratulations to the author on this release.
Cynthia
Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies
My Halloween tradition is to only give out chocolate candy!
Yum these all look good. I love to do ghost walks on Halloween as well as go to friends Parties..
Thank you for the chance,
Marilyn ewatvess@yahoo.com
Oh boy…I have got to try these. I used to do ghost walks, etc., but not anymore. Thank you.
I always go out with my niece and nephew for Halloween
I always go out with my niece on Halloween
I always take my niece out on Halloween and give out chocolate cookies
I love Halloween. We decorate (friendly decorations) and love handing out treats. The little one’s are so adorable in their
costumes and the bright little eyes looking for treats. The recipe for brownies is mouthwatering.
We always watched The Wizard of Oz.
Listen to War of the Worlds – either the original or the rock version with Justin Hayward.
We don’t have any special Halloween traditions. Thank you for the chance to win a e-book copy of A Deadly Brew.
We watch it’s the great pumpkin Charlie Brown. Thanks for the chance.
I love to make homemade treats for the local children whose parents know me. I just moved to a new town so I don’t know what this Halloween will be like but I will decorate my front porch with pumpkins and leaves.
With a 2 year old granddaughter in the house the challenge is finding the perfect costume.
Last year we found a one piece Stitch (from Lilo and Stitch) that was absolutely perfect. So cute, your teeth hurt!
I don’t have any special traditions other than enjoying watching the kids in their costumes. My son and his family always do family costumes.
No, I don’t have any special Halloween traditions. I just hand out the candy.
I love anything Halloween and try to change up traditions every year and do something different
Thanks for sharing the recipe,I can’t wait to try it.
Every year in October my kiddos and do a month long of Halloween Themed things.Some of things we do, are attend a yearly event at our local library ,a pumpkin carving party. We also each pick out Autumn themed recipes, to each make during October.
We don’t have any Halloween traditions. We do decorate with a few Halloween items and give out candy to trick-or-treaters.
We decorate, carve pumpkins and of course Trick or Treat. I stay home to pass out the candy. I love seeing all the costumes.
I like making sloppy joe dip in the crock pot on Halloween. When we come back in from trick-or-treating and are chilly, it’s nice to have the warm dip ready to eat.
I always watch ‘It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown’. I have a daughter and her son that were born on Halloween, so there is always a birthday party.
Thank you for the recipe.
My daughter is still young enough that we go trick or treating every year…but leading up to Halloween we always watch our favorite Halloween movies (Hocus Pocus and Nightmare Before Christmas), go to the pumpkin patch and bake tons of pumpkin treats! It’s our favorite time of year!
When my kids were younger, we would decorate the house for Halloween. Not really any traditions now that they’re older. Thanks for the recipe and the chance to win!
When the kids were younger we would decorate the house inside and out for Halloween. Thanks for the recipe and the chance to win!
When my daughter was younger we went trick or treating with the church and then on our on. Now I have candy available just in case I have some kids come to the house.
When my kids were little, their dad decorated and dressed up and sat out on the porch to give out candy while I dressed up and went out with the kids trick or treating.
We read Jack Prelutsky’s It’s Halloween together every year.
Not really that’s not one we decorate for or do anything special besides T or T’ing
I don’t know if I’d call it tradition, but Halloween is my favorite holiday for decorating. I also believe in making costumes, not buying them. Oh, & buying my favorite candy so if anythings left……
Make lighted pumpkins or tissue paper glued to glass with fall themes
No, now that there aren’t kids in the house, that’s all finished.