Author: Linnea West
Overall Series Rating: 4 of 5 stars
1. Title: Potion Problem
My Rating:3 of 5 stars
Synopsis: Can a non-magical witch and her witch-in-training niece solve a murder at a coven?
It’s October 1st, Vinnie Daggerwood’s first day on the job as a Halloween Helper. Along with her twin sister Lavender and niece Diggy, their job is to help the paranormal world with problems, big and small.
But their first case isn’t small. The leader of a coven has been murdered and it is up to them to solve it.
Just as they are easing into the case, Lavender is kidnapped and Vinnie and Diggy are left to solve the case on their own. The only problem is that Vinnie is a non-magical witch and Diggy is only part way through witch training.
Will they be able to solve the case and look for Lavender at the same time?
Read Potion Problem, the first book in the four book Halloween Helper’s Cozy Mystery series as Vinnie and Diggy work to get Lavender back while helping the paranormal world.
2. Title: Skull Screw Up
My Rating:4 of 5 stars
Synopsis:
First a coven of witches, now a household of vampires?
In the second book of the Halloween Helper’s Cozy Mystery Series, the story continues with non-magical witch Vinnie Daggerwood and her witch-in-training niece Diggy back to solve their next case. After bumbling through their first investigation, Vinnie is relieved to find that her second case is not so high stakes. A pack of vampires have somehow misplaced their ceremonial skull and it is up to Vinnie and Diggy to find it.
But during their search, something goes terribly wrong and the head vampire turns up dead in the ceremony room. Now the Halloween Helpers are faced with solving a murder and finding the skull.
Then their boss Norhand shows up with the second puzzle for them to solve to get Vinnie’s sister back. Vinnie is convinced he is setting them up to fail, but she isn’t sure why. Diggy manages to solve the clue fairly easily, but when the answer to the puzzle isn’t where it is supposed to be, Vinnie has to add one more thing to her to-do list.
Can Vinnie and Diggy find the killer, the skull, and the answer to the puzzle?
Make sure to read Potion Problem first before continuing the story in Skull Screw Up.
My Rating:4 of 5 stars
Synopsis:
Zombies and werewolves are going head to head in a turf war and it’s up to the Halloween Helpers to settle it.
In the third book of the Halloween Helper’s Cozy Mystery series, non-magical Vinnie and her witch-in-training niece Diggy Daggerwood have been called to Louisiana where they are tasked with settling a turf war between a group of zombies and a pack of werewolves. Neither group wants to cooperate, but at least there isn’t a murder involved.
That is, until they stumble across a murder scene and everything starts to unravel more. Facing a bayou war, Vinnie and Diggy rush to figure out who is killing both zombies and werewolves. Complicating matters more, a swamp fairy named Delphine insists sticking her nose into everything.
Add in the fact that Vinnie and Diggy are working on solving the third clue that Norhand has given them and it seems that Norhand is becoming sneakier and sneakier in his quest to keep Lavender all to himself.
Can Vinnie and Diggy figure out which group can stay in the bayou and stop Norhand’s underhanded tricks all at the same time?
Find out in Book 3: VooDoo Vexation
My Rating:4 of 5 stars
Synopsis:
Time is running out. Can Vinnie and Diggy figure out how to rescue Lavender?
In the fourth book of the Halloween Helper’s Cozy Mystery series, non-magical Vinnie and her witch-in-training niece Diggy Daggerwood are given another case just three days before their Halloween deadline. A paranormal family has a dispute with their resident ghost, but both feel like they have a rightful claim to the house.
Vinnie doesn’t really care because for once, they actually have an easy case to solve. It should take hardly any time at all while they wait for the last clue to solve before they get Lavender back.
But the case isn’t as easy as it looked to be on the surface. And every time they figure out a plan to get Lavender, things get more complicated. At last, Norhand sends the last clue to solve and this one might actually help the witches.
Can Vinnie and Diggy solve the case and the clue to find Lavender before Halloween is over?
Read the end of the saga in Book 4: Talisman Trouble.
My Review:
I recently discovered this series and decided to try it. I found it intriguing and fun. The characters are fun and quirky. I loved that the Halloween Helpers are like a mix of detectives and problem solvers. The gadgets they use to solve the mysteries were fun and unique. Each investigation included new paranormals to help. Norhand's clues for the witches are very cheeky and easy to solve but fit perfectly with the quirkiness of the books.
I was disappointed that Lavender get to be involved much in the series. The reader gets to know her sister, Vinnie, and daughter, Diggy, but don't really get to know her too well. They are all three supposed to be running Halloween Helpers but only two of them get spotlighted in the book. Yeah, Lavender is part of a story line stretched over all four books but it seems that this is the end of the series. It just seems to me that a series about Halloween Helpers should include all the Halloween Helpers and center on how they help various paranormals. However, it seems that the kidnapping was the main focus of this series despite the series name. It just seems a bit short-sighted to me.
Overall, it was a fun series. I do think it could have been developed into a longer series. However, I did enjoy it and give the series a solid 4 stars.
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