Candy Corn and Cobwebs (Familiar Kitten Mysteries #27; Mysteries of Meri)

The Midnight Madness Carnival rolls into Coventry with great fanfare, but as soon as the trucks open and the rides start to assemble, it becomes clear that this isn't the cheerful Halloween attraction the town was expecting.

The carnival grounds are set up in an old, overgrown field on the outskirts of town. Rusted, creaking rides loom against the sky, their chipped paint barely visible under layers of grime. The Ferris wheel groans ominously as it turns, its cabins swaying more than they should.

Tattered tents in faded oranges and blacks dot the grounds, housing games with impossible odds and unsettling prizes. The funhouse mirrors are cracked, distorting reflections in disturbing ways.

The carnies themselves add to the unsettling atmosphere. They're a motley crew of weathered, tattooed individuals with haunted eyes and crooked smiles. Their barker's calls sound more like threats than invitations.

At night, the carnival is lit by flickering, unreliable generators that cast long, dancing shadows. The air is thick with the sickly-sweet smell of cotton candy mixed with something less pleasant - perhaps a hint of decay.

Despite its rundown appearance and creepy atmosphere, the townspeople of Coventry find themselves strangely drawn to the Midnight Madness Carnival. There's something hypnotic about its vintage horror aesthetic, something that keeps people coming back night after night, even as their dread grows.

And that's before you even get to the murder...