Halloween is Murder Review

I’ve read quite a bit by Josh Lanyon during the last few weeks (I’ve been reading a lot recently, full stop) and while I love the series I’ve read (Holmes & Moriarity and The Art of Murder), I want to write a review for the shortest, but also most entertaining story by her I’ve read so far. That one is the short novella “Halloween is Murder.”

Until I stumbled over this small gem, all stories by Lanyon which incorporated a supernatural element explained it perfectly naturally in the end. Even the seemingly supernatural threat in “The Curse of the Blue Scarab” and the apparition in “A Ghost of a Chance” had perfectly natural explanations. “Halloween is Murder” does not and it revels in its supernatural themes, because Barry Fitzgerald, the main and viewpoint character, does not believe in the supernatural - until it literally tries to kill him. His friend (and mostly unrequited love) Mike on the other hand is very familiar with supernatural creatures from Irish/Gaelic mythology. Which is another reason why I really enjoyed the novella - vampires based on Dracula have been done a lot, but this novella was the second time I heard a mythical vampire from Gaelic mythology mentioned (including the fact that the guy was on the short side).

Lanyon can write several different styles, if she puts her mind to it. I’ve seen that before in “The Curse of the Blue Scarab,” which does a good job at posing as a Victorian novel. For “Halloween is Murder,” she worked with the 1950s/1960s hard-boiled noir style and she did so very well. The story doesn’t get too grim, though, because of the underlying humour of the situation and the many references to horror creatures and suchlike. Among others, the story features a Sleepy Hollow Drive (where Barry’s sister and brother-in-law live) and a Bela-Lugosi-lookalike going by the name of ‘Collins’ (as in Barnabas Collins).

Like all of her stories, “Halloween is Murder” includes a male-male romance, in this case between the viewpoint character Barry and his friend and almost partner (at the Bell, Book and Cannon agency) Mike. Three years ago, Barry saved Mike from suicide (by tackling him and dragging him off to feed him), since then Mike has saved him several times as well (two times at the beginning of the story - three times, if you follow Mike’s arguments). This year, Mike has asked Barry to come with him to a fishing trip at Crowley Lake and Barry wanted to come, but did nevertheless not do it, claiming he needed to work. The true reason is he’s not sure whether to advance or not - whether to breach the topic of a possible romantic/sexual relationship or not. Mike is taller and stronger than Barry, so in hindsight, while sitting in his office on Halloween, Barry thinks he should have come along, because he could have nursed the black eye or two in peace somewhere far from civilisation, if he’d misinterpreted Mike’s actions so far.

For me, the story was a quick and very enjoyable read both times I’ve read it so far. It’s the shortest story from Lanyon I’ve read (including any of the three “I Spy…” novellas), but it’s fun and it feels complete - there’s no reason why it should have been longer than it is. The story is very nice, playing with the reader as much as with its characters (both female characters - the ‘dame’ who hires Barry and his own sister - have the same two first names, only switched, for instance). The supernatural elements are done very well - which makes me wonder whether or not one of the other stories of Lanyon’s I haven’t read yet is just as well done with real supernatural elements. The final coming together (nope, not in that way - first of her stories I’ve read which doesn’t include a sex scene) doesn’t seem contrived, even if Barry is very surprised at Mike suddenly turning up in time to save his life for a third (or fourth) time. And, as mentioned, I love the big vampire (big in power, but not in body). The character comes from Gaelic mythology, as does Mike’s ancestor whose blood makes Mike a good person to fight off supernatural threats. It’s much nicer than the hundreds of variation of the classic vampire based on Dracula (or even the much rarer lesbian vampire based on Carmilla). It’s new, it’s fun (the fact that Barry can’t pronounce the man’s name is especially fun), and it’s a nice addition to vampire lore. I hope to see that guy around a little more often in the future. So far, I’ve heard/read the name only twice - once in a very good documentary on Dracula and Stoker (who, as an Irishman who spent the first seven years of his life in bed with a severe illness, was well versed in the mythology of his ancestors) and once in “Halloween is Murder.”

If you want a story which, despite its topic, is a fun and light-hearted read, I can only recommend “Halloween is Murder.” It’s not expensive and well-written with an interesting story.