Mrs. Morris and the Vampire - A Review

 Review

MRS. MORRIS AND THE VAMPIRE
The Fifth Salem B&B Mystery

With her B&B full of guests Charlene Morris is happy to be celebrating her second Halloween in Salem. While almost everyone is having fun at the Witch Ball, Charlene's friend, Brandy, is none too happy with her daughter's new boyfriend. The older man claims to be a real vampire and certainly seems to have the young woman enthralled. At midnight, the vampire makes a big show and vanishes. Since moving to Salem Charlene has learned that witches and ghosts are real...but vampires? When the undead reappears completely dead Charlene and her handsome ghost try to figure out who the man really was and what he was doing in Salem that got him killed.

Ghosts, Witches, and Vampires, oh my! The fifth Salem B&B Mystery provides thrills and chills as Mrs. Morris once again searches for a killer.

I like that Charlene is a smart and capable protagonist. She's not afraid to investigate, but she generally knows when to call for back up or even avoid situations she knows may be too dangerous. I like Brandy more and more with each book. She's every bit the modern witch and in MRS. MORRIS AND THE VAMPIRE we get to see her in protective momma mode. While I'm a huge fan of Jack, I'm not sure I like the prolonged romantic triangle. It's certainly unique, considering one of the people involved is a ghost, and I'm not even sure how I'd like to see it played out. I love Jack and Charlene's relationship, but... Meanwhile her relationship with Sam is starting to get annoying.

I truly enjoyed the mystery and gradual discovery of how the vampires cultivated their mystique. There were plenty of suspects for an unlikable victim, several twists, and more than one surprise. What I didn't like was the fact that the killer was described as crazy when this person's behavior was rational and the crime took a lot of cunning and planning.

MRS. MORRIS AND THE VAMPIRE is an atmospheric mystery that captures the fun of Halloween along with its scares.