Tragic Magic

The murder of jeweler Melody Mayfeldt, an enthusiast of the supernatural, at Medusa Manor, a New Orleans mansion being converted into a haunted house attraction for an upcoming horror convention, drives Childs's contrived seventh scrapbooking cozy (after 2008's Death Swatch ). Scrapbooking diva Carmela Bertrand and her French Quarter sidekick, Ava Gruiex, know it wasn't a ghost who killed their friend by a blow to the head and then pushed her flaming corpse out of a third-floor window of the manor. NOPD Det. Edgar Babcock, Carmela's boyfriend, and the Crescent City Nancy Drews investigate various suspects, including Melody's husband, Garth, who co-owned Fire and Ice Jewelers with Melody, and a real estate developer who wanted to buy Medusa Manor. While Child conjures up the abiding charm of New Orleans with her usual flair, besides providing recipes and scrapbooking tips, the rushed resolution disappoints. (Oct.)