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The Legend of Sleepy Mayfair: A Marcia Banks and Buddy Mystery (The Marcia Banks and Buddy Mysteries) Paperback – November 18, 2018

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 166 ratings

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A Halloween romp with a seriously scary twist! Her adopted town is once again driving service dog trainer Marcia Banks a little nuts. No sooner has she moved her horse into the new Mayfair Riding Stable than its octogenarian, muumuu-wearing owner decides to turn the barn into a haunted house for Halloween. Meanwhile, an anonymous prankster is haunting Mayfair, disrupting its small-town tranquility, and the local postmistress has a strange request for Marcia. All this, along with her new role of godmother to adorable twins, is a bit overwhelming. But it’s nothing compared to what’s coming. As Halloween approaches, the evil lurking in the shadows will threaten what is most precious to Marcia and her beloved town.
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Editorial Reviews

Review

I'm a fan of Kassandra Lamb's cozy mysteries, and this one has so many elements I love--two intriguing mysteries, a haunted barn, creepy dolls, a plucky sleuth, and a cute cop. The perfect Halloween story! GG Andrew, author of the Crazy, Sexy, Ghoulish Halloween Romances and the Love and Lawbreakers romance series.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ misterio press LLC (November 18, 2018)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 178 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 194728701X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1947287013
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.41 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 166 ratings

About the author

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Kassandra Lamb
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In her youth, Kassandra Lamb had two great passions—psychology and writing. Advised that writers need day jobs—and being partial to eating—she studied psychology. Her career as a psychotherapist and college professor taught her much about the dark side of human nature, but also much about resilience, perseverance, and the healing power of laughter. Now retired, she spends most of her time in an alternate universe populated by her fictional characters. The portal to this universe (aka her computer) is located in North Central Florida where her husband and dog catch occasional glimpses of her.

Her first series, set in her native Maryland, stars psychotherapist and amateur sleuth, Kate Huntington. In her newer cozy mystery series set in Florida, Marcia (pronounced Mar-see-a, not Marsha) Banks trains service dogs for combat veterans and solves mysteries in her spare time, with the assistance of her Black Labrador sidekick, Buddy.

Kassandra is now contemplating another series, a police procedural, with a spinoff character from the Kate Huntington mysteries, police lieutenant Judith Anderson.

Kassandra was born in Baltimore and lived in Maryland for the first 50 years of her life. Like Kate Huntington, she was a specialist in trauma recovery for two decades. She also taught psychology at Towson University.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
166 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2019
    She writes good stories, lots of human interest and twists and turns in the investigations. I began reading this author because the stories are set in central Florida where I used to live. I enjoy picturing the locales as I read. I recommend her books for the descriptions and for the stories.
  • Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2022
    I enjoyed this story. A mystery with Hallowe'en as part of the story. This is a quick read with good characters, and twists in the plot. Hallowe'en plays a part in the mystery. This is the first book of read in this series. I will be reading more of it.
  • Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2020
    Animals rule, and books with a bit of mystery without endangering the animals are even better. Good mystery and interesting characters make this a very satisfactory read.
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2019
    Oh my goodness! The books just keep getting better and better! It is a good thing my heart is strong, because those last few chapters made it race! I can’t wait to read the next one!!!
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2019
    I like mysteries that seem plausible and true to life. A teenager vandalising property in a small town is very real and probably happens in every small town in the country. Too many mysteries have fantastic plots that require a real suspension of disbelief. And I like the dogs too!
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2018
    This book would be a lot shorter if the writer decided to end the book sooner. Glad I can get it on unlimited because after reading I would not buy it
  • Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2018
    In her books, Kassandra Lamb uses her background as a psychotherapist—both in private practice and as a university professor—to give layers and depth to her character-driven stories. One of her most effective tools is her use of book series, in which her characters grow, interact, and change, usually while dodging murderers, of course.

    In Halloween-themed Book 6 of her Marcia Banks and Buddy cozy mystery series, adorable and hard working service dogs, best dog-pal Buddy, and crime-solving trainer Marcia—that’s “Mar-SEE-a” and never “Mar-sha”—face several challenges at once. First there’s the rash of vandalism plaguing Marcia’s neighbors, an escalating spree that moves from annoying to dangerous when pets and then people are threatened.

    Then there’s Marcia’s own evolving relationship with police detective Will, her sexy (if long-suffering) boyfriend. Despite the ongoing construction projects linking their two houses as they now officially live together, Marcia’s issues around committing to a future that includes marriage and children makes her stumble on relationship phrases from “our” house to the big “I love you.”

    But these issues are sidelined by her friends’ problems. For a community fundraiser, the owner of the barn where Marcia plans to keep her beloved new horse decides to turn it into a Halloween haunted house. But the barn is the target of repeated acts of vandalism, escalating to threats to both animals and people.

    Another Mayfield resident asks for Marcia’s help to look into the background of a young man she introduces as her nephew. And Marcia’s best friend Becky comes to her for protection from an unknown stalker making racially-based threats against Becky and her young family.

    Slowly Marcia and her neighbors face the fact that someone they see every day may be threatening their families, homes, and lives. When vandalism turns to violence, Marcia and her adopted little town must face the threats and emotions hidden by their everyday lives.

    But while the story explores relationships and how they affect the characters, it does so with humor and understanding, projecting the affection and years of history that have defined those relationships. Take Marcia’s running conversation with her internal alter ego, Ms. Snark.

    QUOTE:
    Will has the patience of Job. My mother’s cryptic voice.

    Beyond Job, Ms. Snark commented.

    I rolled my eyes, just as Jess approached with a steaming plate. She wrinkled her brow at me.

    Crapola. Now my inner voices were getting me funny looks.
    END QUOTE

    Author Lamb also lets the reader gradually become aware of the dark side of some of those relationships, and especially as it becomes increasingly clear that the villain is living among them.

    While Marcia and her friends cope with the growing horror of realizing that someone in their midst wouldn’t hesitate to harm friends and neighbors, she realizes they are dealing with someone who is very clever at lying and manipulation, who doesn’t respect rights or regulations, and who shows no remorse or guilt while projecting a completely different image—the very definition of a sociopath or psychopath.

    What’s the difference? According to Chris Weller on Medical Daily,

    QUOTE: Both tend to be charming, despite being unable to empathize normally with others. "They offer convincing systems of fear and disgust, but tend to lack both. Here’s the crux, though: Psychopaths cross the line. Sociopaths may hole up in their houses and remove themselves from society, while a psychopath is busy in his basement rigging shackles to his furnace." END QUOTE

    Psychopaths can be charming and witty, they can mimic social and emotional ties they are actually incapable of feeling, but most of all, they are careful, meticulous planners. Of course, what they are planning often involves self-gratification via unspeakable acts of violence and cruelty.

    They don’t have a moral compass, but they know how to project one. This lack of the ability to separate right from wrong makes them fearless. Some real life examples include serial killers Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy, and Ted Bundy. Historical figures would include Adolf Hitler, Ivan the Terrible, and the Spanish Inquisition’s Tomás de Torquemada. In popular culture, they might include TV’s Dexter, or Hollywood’s American Psycho.

    Normally, psychopaths don’t make for great villains—unless you have no idea they are out there or who they are. And that’s where Kassandra Lamb excels. In Marcia’s adopted small town of Mayfair, where ties go back generations, we start to wonder about every character and whether their facade is hiding a monster.

    This is a slightly darker, edgier, less “cozy” mystery, but that definitely makes it appropriate for Halloween. I loved the way Marcia had to overcome so many obstacles, shedding both internal and external stumbling blocks, to find solutions to so many problems. This is definitely a great addition to a terrific series!

    *I received this book for free from the publisher or author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.*
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  • Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2018
    She kept in suspense the whole time. I had no idea who the perp was. I would definitely recommend this book.

Top reviews from other countries

  • lee-ann shortt
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful.
    Reviewed in Canada on July 24, 2019
    Once again loved this story. Marcia and Buddy are the best.