Lindsey Bakewell is perfectly happy with being the owner of a bakery located on the site of a haunted former lighthouse—most of the time anyway. While she’s come to terms with the resident ghost, the start of spooky season inspires several locals to prank the property where she both works and lives. The joke of choice seems to be stringing up effigies of various fictional horror characters in her trees. Lindsey isn’t thrilled about this but figures it’s part of her ongoing initiation into the village community of Beacon Harbor, Michigan.

Her influencer best friend, Kennedy Kapoor, has an even more ghoulishly enthusiastic response to Halloween—much to Lindsey’s chagrin. Kennedy has leveraged her connections to invite a team of paranormal investigators to film their popular show at the lighthouse, with the proceedings to stream live on her podcast as well. Lindsey resigns herself to spending Halloween night with her boyfriend, Rory Campbell, instead of at home while Kennedy and the Ghost Guys are filming. But since Lindsey is a supportive friend, she, Rory, and Kennedy’s boyfriend, Tuck McAllister, all watch the livestream from Rory’s place as the crew investigates the haunted lighthouse.

Lindsey isn’t exactly surprised when spectral lights and noises begin to be captured onscreen, but Kennedy and the Ghost Guys are certainly taken aback if not downright frightened by the dire pronouncements of the lighthouse’s ghost. The investigators scramble away in fear, splitting up in their haste. Kennedy takes the fastest route out of the lighthouse via the kitchen, while the rest go out the front door. This means Kennedy is alone when she runs smack dab into the latest figure strung up on Lindsey’s property. That would be frightening enough, but this figure is no effigy. Hanging from the tree is the actual corpse of a Beacon Harbor resident.

Lindsey, Rory, and Tuck immediately rush over, but they’re not the only people watching the livestream. Soon, it seems like half the town has come out with a quickness to see what’s happened—including many of the people the victim had close contact with. But the victim was well-liked by the community, leaving Lindsey baffled as to any possible motive.

And why, she wonders, was the body hung near her lighthouse? It couldn’t possibly be a warning that Lindsey might be next … could it?

This fourth installment in the Beacon Bakeshop Mystery series was excellently plotted, with clues laced subtly throughout the story. I was genuinely surprised by the identity of the murderer and definitely wondered if any one person had been the real-life inspiration for the killer. But even more than by the mystery, I was moved by Kennedy’s bittersweet decision at the end of the novel and honestly hope she changes her mind.

There were eight recipes for fall-inspired food and drinks included here. Since my mom and aunt are currently staying with me—and since they love scones—I decided to try out this one:

Pumpkin Scones with Maple Glaze

Prep time: 15 minutes. Bake time: 20-25 minutes. Makes 8 servings.

Pumpkin Scones Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup (one stick) cold butter, cubed

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup pumpkin puree

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

⅓ cup heavy cream

½ cup chopped pecans (optional)

Maple Glaze Ingredients

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1 teaspoon maple extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Using a pastry blender or a fork, cut in the cold butter until small pea-sized crumbs form.

In a smaller bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, pumpkin purée, egg, vanilla extract, and heavy cream. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix until the dough is moist, adding pecans if desired. (If the dough is too sticky, add more flour one tablespoon at a time.)

Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface. Shape the dough into a 9-inch circle that is approximately 1-inch thick. Using a floured knife, cut the dough into 8 even pieces. Transfer the scones to the prepared baking sheet, spacing them 2 inches apart. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until done. Scones should be crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. Remove to a cooling rack.

In a small bowl, whisk the glaze ingredients together.

Once the scones have cooled, top each scone with the maple glaze. Let the glaze set, then enjoy!

Aside from my ongoing presentation difficulties—at a glance, my scones could easily substitute for fried chicken breasts topped with gravy—these were the perfect baked treat! Despite being nice and firm on the outside, the pumpkin puree keeps them moist and flavorful on the inside—and that’s even before adding the delicious maple glaze. The scones don’t take too long to put together, and the recipe doubles beautifully if you want to use up as much of your can of pumpkin puree as you’re able to in one go. My family, including my discerning aunt and mother, was definitely impressed by this.

Next week, we head back to the East Coast and bake up a summery teatime treat while investigating what may amount to much, much more than a tempest in a teacup. Do join me!

See also: Cooking the Books: Death of a Clam Digger by Lee Hollis