Purchase:

A beautiful drive amidst fall foliage and a fundraiser for a haunted house. What could go wrong?

Seventy-something sisters, Max and Lil, visit western Pennsylvania, partly to see Lil’s son Terry and his family, and partly to enjoy to colorful fall foliage.

The sisters volunteer to help staff a fund-raiser haunted house. The house has amazing special effects and a haunted garden. It is hugely popular and should bring in a lot of money for the new school auditorium.

What could go wrong?

About Karen Musser Nortman:

Karen Musser Nortman, after previous incarnations as a secondary social studies teacher (22 years) and a test developer (18 years), returned to her childhood dream of writing a novel.

Bats and Bones, a cozy mystery, came out of numerous ’round the campfire’ discussions, making up answers to questions raised by the peephole glimpses one gets into the lives of fellow campers.

Where did those people disappear to for the last two days? What kinds of bones are in this fire pit? Why is that woman wearing heels to the shower house?

Karen and her husband Butch originally tent camped when their children were young and switched to a travel trailer when sleeping on the ground lost its romantic adventure. They take frequent weekend jaunts with friends to parks in Iowa and surrounding states, plus occasional longer trips.

Entertainment on these trips has ranged from geocaching and hiking/biking to barbecue contests, balloon fests, and buck skinners’ rendezvous. Frannie and Larry will no doubt check out some of these options on their future adventures.

Karen has three children and eight grandchildren. She also loves reading, gardening, and knitting, and can recite the 99 counties of Iowa in alphabetical order.

Review by M. Jane Rimmer:

Two lively sisters, in their 70’s, take trips in Max’s restored Studebaker. Max manages to discover a mystery, and she can’t help getting herself and sister Lil involved in solving the crime.

Of course, they getting themselves into dangerous situations, and arguments. Lil’s extended family is involved in this pre-Halloween crime and adventure.

I like the feisty Max and Lil and enjoy their misadventures.