A Masquerade of Muertos (Wisteria Tearoom Mysteries Book 5)

Fifth in a series of cozy mysteries set in the Wisteria Tearoom in Santa Fe, this one is set around a Halloween masquerade.
This is actually the first book in the series that I've read and I did not find that any barrier to figuring out who was who and what was going on with the story, there were a few pieces of history I'm sure I didn't fully get but the writing and characters are so strong it stood well on its own.

I like the setting of Santa Fe, for me it is not a part of the country I've read many books in and the mix of Hispanic and Anglo cultures is one I'm enjoying. I also liked the non-stereotypical representation of the Goth subculture and the art scene, from what I read in this book I get a strong sense of the authors ability show more to represent various groups respectfully and not make them into caricatures.

As for the characters, I really enjoyed meeting everyone in this book, from the nice ones to the annoying ones to the ones you can tell were just going to be making an appearance in this book. They felt like real people, with histories and their own motivations and even after one book I already feel attached to several of them.

The mystery was solid and the conclusion was not quite what I was expecting, which was a nice surprise and I also liked the hints at the deeper ongoing mystery of Captain Dusenberry and am really looking forward to going back to the first book and finding out more about him and his story.

The main recipes mentioned are included at the end of the book, and I especially appreciated the photos, those were an unusual and very nice touch.

A fun book, a genuine page-turner for me, I had a very hard time stopping reading when responsibilities or sleep called. I am very happy to find a new cozy series to enjoy. show less

A Masquerade of Muertos – Patrice Greenwood – 4.5*

This is the fifth entry in Greenwood’s Wisteria Tearoom mystery series, set in a Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The primary action of the stories centers around a private Halloween party that tearoom’s Goth business manager, Kris, has booked for her friends that will turn the tea house into the setting for a reenactment of Poe’s famous short story, “The Masque of the Red Death”. The leader of the group, and Kris’s love interest, is an up and coming local artist with considerable artistic flair and personal attraction. Appropriate mayhem ensues.
This was by far my favorite Halloween read this year. Greenwood deftly balances the mystery with the ghostly elements without sliding into show more the ridiculous. And this entry further explores the touch relationship between the main character, tearoom owner Ellen, and Tony, the tough Hispanic cop.
It’s a great series, careful not to stray either to the side of zany antics or excessive gore. I’m looking forward to the next entry.
I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. show less

A Masquerade of Muertos by Patrice Greenwood is the fifth in the Wisteria Tearoom Mysteries. I haven't read the previous books, so this was all new to me. The first part of the book is very slow. It may have relevance to those that have read the earlier books, but for me it bogged down the prose, and I kept wondering when the mystery was actually going to start. The twists were all good. The ending was a bit of a let down. The atmosphere was well represented.

Another solid entry to the series. It's much the same as the others some delicious food, and the tearoom proprietor gets mixed up in yet another murder investigation, she's still not sure about her house ghost, and doesn't know to cope with her policeman-boyfriend.

It's Halloween at the Wisteria tearooms, and in addition to all the usual tourists coming to gawp at where there may have been bodies in the past, the local group of goth friends are having a more artistic than usual party. One of their number hopes to re-stage Poe's Masque of the Red Death. There's quite a lot of failing to understand a lot of things, teenagers, how anyone could be different to the author, and the individuality of members within a group, but mostly it isn't show more too offensive. The mystery itself is well done, and as with all such long running series' the actual interest is the gradual accumulation and trickle of details through the characters' backstory. This is working well and the trials of tearoom life remain interesting. show less

If your ideal day is relaxing with a good cup of tea while watching back to back Miss Marple and Nigella Lawson , boy, are you in for a treat :)
Ellen is the theoretical offspring of this pair. She runs haunted tea rooms in Santa Fe serving buns and fancy teas in between suspicious deaths.

In all Seriousness, I did enjoy the book, The whole celebration of death in south America culture is fascinating to someone from a very different background. The Characters are well painted and the Goths are represented without ridiculous stereotypes.

This is the Fifth book in the series and haven't read the first four. I did struggle to keep track of who was who in the early chapters and I imagine that jumping into Ellen's world in book five is partly show more responsible. I don't have a clear image of what Ellen looks like in my head which is strange for the main character. Normally that's one of the first things your imagination paints. The other thing that struck me about the book was that the "main event" for want of a better term (trying to avoid any spoilers) comes very late in the book. Up until then its all about tea, munchies, developing characters and setting the stage. Then at around "tea time" in the life of the book (ironically), wham, bam, thank you mam and it's all over. Very little is left to sleuthing? The ending also is not quite what you would typically get in a mystery.

Despite my gripes I did enjoy it. If I was stuck somewhere without a read and one of the other books in the series were at hand, I would be delighted.

P.S. Disclaimer: I received a free e-copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. show less

I received this book for free, with a request for a review. I haven't read this author before but mostly enjoyed it. The story was good, I loved all of the references to Tolkien. My only problem with the story is that the characters could have been fleshed out a little more. I found it difficult at times to keep all of them straight.. but the concept was interesting, having a masquerade party themed after Masque of the Red Death, so I am sure I will be looking for more by this author.

ARC provided by Early Readers and Book View Cafe. I think coming into this series in the 5th book made it harder to relate to the characters, as it's not, I would say, a standalone book. I read the first chapter provided at the end for the first book, and I would definitely recommend starting from the beginning. That said, it was still an interesting read, I just didn't feed I connected very well emotionally with the characters. I liked the idea of the story, creating a theme party based on the Edgar Allan Poe story "The Masque of the Red Death." I also liked the detail the chef, Julio, went into preparing the food (I also liked the recipes provided at the end of the book). I'm not used to reading cozy mysteries where it's fairly easy show more to figure out what happened. The relationship between Ellen and Tony seemed a bit tenuous, especially five books in. I did enjoy that she met his sister, however. There were some memorable characters, but the whole "Goth" idea didn't seem fully realized--sort of wannabe Goths. I know that it was a book about a tea room, but the descriptions of the smell of the tea did get a bit repetitive. I did enjoy reading it, I just think that it would help to read the series from the beginning would be a help. The descriptions of the scenes for the rooms was well done, and did help set the mood for the Masque. show less