Death on All Hallows Eve by Rita Mistry

Death on All Hallows Eve

by Rita Mistry

My Thanks to Rita and Leadless Pencil Publishing

 for sending me a copy to review and to 

Rachel's Random Resources for inviting me onto the tour.

‘Bridget and Eileen sit like two old friends, except that one is dreaming while the other is dead.’

But when Eileen introduces her new dead friend, Bridget’s dream is in danger of becoming a nightmare.

Life is simpler when Omisha is just grieving for the tragic loss of her father, Harish. Yes, she is hiding away in a dingy coffee shop instead of going back to university. And she is using her best friend’s brother because she is too young for commitment. Oh, and there is the disgusting possibility that her uncle has been getting up close and personal with her mum. 

She wishes she could go back to those halcyon days because now, her dad has sent her a message from beyond the grave. A message delivered by complete strangers who she has no reason to trust: ‘He was murdered! "

My Thoughts 

Death on All Hallows Eve is a cosy mystery that won’t scare the “Heebie Jeebies” out of you on a cold, dark winter evening. It is however the first in a four part series that promises to keep us glued to our books for a while.

I personally liked the fact that, before you even get into the book, there is a quote from Hamlet Act 3 Scene 1;

“For in that sleep of death what dreams may come

When we have shuffled off this mortal coil.

May give us pause.”

This quote, for me sets the scene for the whole book and how the messages from beyond the grave are key to solving a potential murder. 

Rita uses her characters, one alive and one dead, to add a different spin to the usual cosy mysteries and it certainly adds another dimension that, if possible, would certainly make the work of our police force a lot easier along with a higher conviction rate !!!!!!!

Once Bridget meets Eileen the story moves along at a pace, though I have to be honest I did think it was a tad slow up to that point. However , once the characters are developed they really do spark well off each other and introduce new storylines into the plot.

I will be interested to see what the rest of the series is about and what the two “Friends” solve moving forwards as I really do like this unusual pairing.  

About Rita

Rita Mistry has been living on the Wirral for a little over a decade, having been drawn to the ‘dark side’ from Liverpool by her wife, Anne. She has had a number of jobs over the years, such as door-handle packing, stationery selling and burger flipping, but she has mainly spent her working days computer programming which is a small departure from her first degree in English Literature.

Having always wanted to ‘be a writer’ and doing nothing about it until beginning perimenopause, she completed her Masters in Creative Writing with The Open University in 2023. With inspiration from the Bard of Avon, she has finally completed – and is excited to share – her debut work.

Social Media Links –

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