Home at night

"Beware the blackbirds... It's Halloween in Vermont, winter is coming, and five humans, two dogs, and a cat are a crowd in Mercy Carr's small cabin. She needs more room--and she knows just the place: Grackle Tree Farm, with thirty acres of woods and wetlands and a Victorian manor to die for. They say it's haunted by the ghosts of missing children and lost poets and a murderer or two, but Mercy loves it anyway. Even when Elvis finds a dead body in the library. There's something about Grackle Tree Farm that people are willing to kill for--and Mercy needs to figure out what before they move in. A coded letter found on the victim points to a hidden treasure that may be worth a fortune--if it's real. She and Captain Thrasher conduct a search of the old place--and end up at the wrong end of a Glock. A masked man shoots Thrasher, and she and Elvis must take him down before he murders them all. Under fire, she and Elvis manage to run the guy off, but not before they are wounded, leaving Thrasher fighting for his life in the hospital, Mercy on crutches, and Elvis on the mend. Now it's up to Mercy and Troy and the dogs to track down the masked murderer in a county overflowing with leaf peepers, Halloween revelers, and treasure hunters and bring him to justice before he strikes again and the treasure is lost forever, along with the good name of Grackle Tree Farm..."--

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Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Hardwood Creek Library (Forest Lake)	MYSTERY MUN	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Park Grove Library (Cottage Grove)	MYSTERY MUN	Searching... Unknown
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury)	MYSTERY MUN	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

Beware the blackbirds...

It's Halloween in Vermont, winter is coming, and five humans, two dogs, and a cat are a crowd in Mercy Carr's small cabin. She needs more room--and she knows just the place: Grackle Tree Farm, with thirty acres of woods and wetlands and a Victorian manor to die for. They say it's haunted by the ghosts of missing children and lost poets and a murderer or two, but Mercy loves it anyway. Even when Elvis finds a dead body in the library.

There's something about Grackle Tree Farm that people are willing to kill for--and Mercy needs to figure out what before they move in. A coded letter found on the victim points to a hidden treasure that may be worth a fortune--if it's real. She and Captain Thrasher conduct a search of the old place--and end up at the wrong end of a Glock. A masked man shoots Thrasher, and she and Elvis must take him down before he murders them all. Under fire, she and Elvis manage to run the guy off, but not before they are wounded, leaving Thrasher fighting for his life in the hospital, Mercy on crutches, and Elvis on the mend.

Now it's up to Mercy and Troy and the dogs to track down the masked murderer in a county overflowing with leaf peepers, Halloween revelers, and treasure hunters and bring him to justice before he strikes again and the treasure is lost forever, along with the good name of Grackle Tree Farm....

Author Notes

PAULA MUNIER is the USA TODAY bestselling author of the Mercy Carr mysteries. A Borrowing of Bones , the first in the series, was nominated for the Mary Higgins Clark Award and named the Dogwise Book of the Year. Blind Search also won a Dogwise Award. The Hiding Place and The Wedding Plot both appeared on several "Best Of" lists. HOME AT NIGHT, the fifth book in the series, was inspired by her volunteer work as a Natural Resources Steward of New Hampshire. Along with her love of nature, Paula credits the hero dogs of Mission K9 Rescue, her own rescue dogs, and a deep affection for New England as her series' major influences. A literary agent by day, she's also written three popular books on writing: Plot Perfect, The Writer's Guide to Beginnings, and Writing with Quiet Hands , as well as Happier Every Day and the memoir Fixing Freddie: The True Story of a Boy, a Mom, and a Very, Very Bad Beagle . She lives in New England with her family and Bear the Newfoundland-retriever rescue, Bliss the Great Pyrenees-Australian cattle dog rescue, pandemic puppy Blondie, a Malinois rescue (much like Elvis in her books), and Ursula The Cat, a rescue torbie tabby who does not think much of the dogs. For more, check out www.paulamunier.com.

Reviews (2)

Kirkus Review

A haunted house, poachers, and murder threaten a house-hunting couple in Vermont. Former soldier Mercy Carr and her husband, game warden Troy Warner, have had plenty of experience with murder. When a deal for a larger house falls through, they're packed into a tiny cabin along with their dogs, Elvis and Susie Bear; Amy, a teen mother Mercy met on a case and took in; her baby, Helena; and her boyfriend, Brodie, who's there most of the time. Luckily, the house of Mercy's dreams comes on the market, but getting it will be a death-defying experience. Grackle Tree Farm, a beautiful piece of property with a decrepit Victorian haunted mansion, is perfect for their needs. Once owned by famous poet Euphemia "Effie" Whitney-Jones and her longtime companion, both deceased, it's finally going on the market. Undeterred by the amount of work the place needs, they put in a bid. Meanwhile, Troy and his park ranger friend search for poachers who are stealing animals from endangered species, and Mercy's great uncle Hugo Fleury, a retired military veteran and intelligence officer, and Daniel Feinberg, a wealthy neighbor for whom she's done several security jobs, want Mercy to find something Effie hid at the farm, providing only a cryptic clue. Hugo, who knew Effie, also knows that a private detective and others are searching for whatever was hidden by the puzzle-loving poet. Accompanied by Troy's boss, who provides official cover, Mercy finds not only the hiding place but the body of the private detective. More deaths will follow before Mercy can unravel the puzzle that involves both her case and Troy's. A thrilling combination of physical and mental feats by human and beast. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Library Journal Review

Mercy Carr's recent marriage to game warden Troy Warner means she's now trying to squeeze five people, two large dogs, and a cat into her small cabin. When she hears that the larger Grackle Tree Farm is going on the market, she's eager to tour the property. The Victorian manor has always been considered haunted by the locals, including Mercy, who accepted a dare to spend the night there when she was in middle school and the house was owned by poet Euphemia Whitney-Jones, whose secrets have been protected by a caretaker for 50 years. When Mercy and Troy tour the property, they find a dead man in one of the rooms. Mercy returns with her dog Elvis and Troy's mentor, but the trio is ambushed, leaving Captain Thrasher in critical condition, and Mercy on crutches. She's still determined to find secrets, despite threats from poets and local druids, who claim an interest in the mysterious property. VERDICT The fifth Mercy Carr mystery (following The Wedding Plot) combines Halloween, a gothic house, two working dogs, and environmental issues in a superb mystery that emphasizes the search for home.--Lesa Holstine

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