Just a few carefully chosen musical notes… that’s all it takes to conjure a haunted vibe. A few words can do the same. The next book in my Pacific Northwest Cozy Mystery series counts down to a Halloween Spooktacular at a “haunted” RV park carved out of blackberry brambles and gooseberry bushes by an aging horror film star.

The excerpt below shows my amateur sleuth, Saffi Graywood, as she enters the Spooktacular, certain that a murderer is among the guests. On that page, and this one, the haunting music sets the scene.

Death in the Haunted Wood pubs on Oct. 2. I’ll share the cover and links as soon as I get them from my publisher, Storm!

Twinkle lights strung along the tent’s ceiling spines and edges cast a ghoulish glow. Speakers in each corner pumped Bach’s haunting toccata and fugue from Phantom of the Opera. The familiar organ intro instantly wiped the “Instant Karma” earworm from her brain.

—excerpted from Death in the Haunted Wood by Kim Griswell