A haunted house turns into reality when hairstylist Marla Vail finds a dead body on the estate grounds in this spooky Halloween cozy mystery novella.

When history teacher Bill Ripari offers his property for a Halloween school haunted house project, hairstylist Marla Vail volunteers to help put the scare factor into the place. She joins her stepdaughter along with other students, parents, and teachers to transform the wooded estate into a creepy attraction. She’s busy creating decorations when a splash of red on the estate grounds catches her eye. Upon a closer look, she realizes the dark stain isn’t fake blood meant to be part of the scene. The trail leads to the history teacher’s dead body.

Worried about the kids, Marla puts on her sleuthing hat to investigate. She discovers that every one of the volunteers present that night had a possible motive. Between slacker students, helicopter parents, unexpected heirs, and a stonewalling school administration, Marla has her hands full in solving the murder and keeping her stepdaughter safe. Can she sift through the suspects and unmask the killer before Halloween fright night turns into reality?

Third Place Winner in the IDA Contest in the Suspense Short category

Finalist in the IAN Book of the Year Awards in the Novella category

Murder on the Beach Mystery Bookstore Bestseller List

“I enjoyed this Halloween cozy mystery set in South Florida. Between the scary ‘gifts’ left for Marla's family and the mysterious murder at the school’s haunted house, you are bound to get some chills. Grab some hot apple cider and read this Halloween tale!” Ms. Loves to Read