Chaos at the Lazy Bones Bookshop, the first book in the Halloween Bookshop Mystery series, is the latest release from Emmeline Duncan. Set to release on July 23, 2024, it takes readers to a small town in Oregon that celebrates Halloween year-round. Bailey Briggs runs the family bookshop and loves Halloween. She’s such a fan of both books and the spooky season that she has decided to run the Spooky Season Literary Festival. Bailey has a run-in with a TV film crew that leaves her with a bad feeling. What happens when she finds a body in the maze of hay bales?
I want to thank Kensington Cozies and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Chaos at the Lazy Bones Bookshop. All opinions presented here are my own.
Synopsis from Goodreads
Normally, spooky season is Bailey Briggs’ favorite time of year and her Halloween-themed small town’s time to shine. But between managing Lazy Bones Books, working on her graphic novel-in-progress, and running the Spooky Season Literary Festival, Bailey hardly has a moment to enjoy Elyan Hollow’s spot-on seasonal vibes. Not to mention, at every turn, she seems to be tripping over the contentious crew of Gone Ghouls, a ghost-hunting reality TV show currently filming around town. Bailey tries to stay focused on the Lit Festival, which is supposed to kick off Elyan Hollow’s annual Halloween Fair; instead, this year’s festival begins with a murder . . .
It’s bad enough Bailey discovered the victim, but now, as a lead suspect with some (admittedly) damning evidence pointing her way, she’s got to clear her name! With the help of her librarian friend, Colby, and Jack Skeleton, her world-class bookshop dog (and the absolute bestest boy ever), Bailey sets out to solve a murder . . .
As her investigation weaves through family secrets, professional rivalries, and town feuds, the list of suspects is growing fast . . . and unfortunately, so is the list of victims. If Bailey doesn’t find the killer soon, Elyan Hollow’s haunted reputation will get a little too real . . .
Positives
- It is a quick and easy read.
- Full of cheesy Halloween puns.
- Small-town vibes.
Negatives
- The excess of family secrets.
My Opinion
Chaos at the Lazy Bones Bookshop is the perfect blend of cozy mystery and Halloween!
Elyan Hollow is a town that was used to film an iconic Halloween movie. The movie has such a huge fanbase that people come from all over to see the filming sites. What’s a town to do when that happens? They lean into it and celebrate what has made them famous. Several businesses in town have Halloween-themed names, and there’s a month-long Halloween festival. The new Spooky Season Literary Festival kicks off this year’s Halloween festival.
Elyan Hollow is a small town where everyone seems to know everyone else. Bailey lives in the house her mom grew up in and runs the bookshop that her grandfather first opened. Several of her friends are either people she went to school with or people who watched her grow up. It’s that kind of small town!
My biggest issue with the book, even if it does help drive the mystery, is the depth and seriousness of family secrets. Bailey and her grandfather are keeping a secret from her uncle. And Liz, Bailey’s mom, has kept a secret from Bailey her whole life. One of the family secrets is revealed in the book, but there are still a few aspects of the family dynamic I’m not a fan of.
If you are a fan of movies like Hocus Pocus and Halloweentown, you probably would love to visit the towns where they were filmed—a town much like Elyan Hollow. While waiting to take that trip, why not give Chaos at the Lazy Bones Bookshop a read?
Are you looking for some more books to read? Check out my bookish lists, book reviews, and monthly reading wrap-ups.
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This sounds really cute! Though the family secrets would probably annoy me a lot, too. It looks like there’s a lot of fun stuff in this book to balance it out, though!
It’s such a fun read. I hope the author continues the series, especially as it’s set in a town that gives off Halloweentown vibes.
Pam
I love that there’s a reason for having Halloween all the time! And I can honestly see a real-life small town leaning into their history like that.