Tragic Magic

From Publishers WeeklyThe murder of jeweler Melody Mayfeldt, an enthusiast of the supernatural, at Medusa Manor, a New Orleans mansion being converted into a haunted house attraction for an upcoming horror convention, drives Childs's contrived seventh scrapbooking cozy (after 2008's Death Swatch). Scrapbooking diva Carmela Bertrand and her French Quarter sidekick, Ava Gruiex, know it wasn't a ghost who killed their friend by a blow to the head and then pushed her flaming corpse out of a third-floor window of the manor. NOPD Det. Edgar Babcock, Carmela's boyfriend, and the Crescent City Nancy Drews investigate various suspects, including Melody's husband, Garth, who co-owned Fire and Ice Jewelers with Melody, and a real estate developer who wanted to buy Medusa Manor. While Child conjures up the abiding charm of New Orleans with her usual flair, besides providing recipes and scrapbooking tips, the rushed resolution disappoints. (Oct.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Description The next Scrapbooking mystery takes readers back to New Orleans, where there are spookies, foodies-and crafty killers.

Carmela, owner of Memory Mine scrapbook shop, and her best friend, owner of Juju Voodoo, have a big project. Melody Mayfeldt is converting an old mansion in the Faubourg-Marigny district into an unforgettable haunted house for those who flock to New Orleans for a creepy fix. She needs Carmela's crafty touch to make the Medusa Manor come to life in time for the upcoming horror convention.

But Melody takes her house haunting too seriously-especially when her flaming body comes crashing through a tower window to 'welcome' them to the job. Sure there's been an increased trend in murder lately, but someone specifically wanted Carmela's client very dead. Carmela's in some deep gumbo again and needs to crop out a killer from the throngs of people flocking to New Orleans. Then maybe it won't be so hard living in the Big Easy.