Home at night

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

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.