A FATAL CHAPTER by Lorna Barrett

PRIVY TO THE DEAD by Sheila Connolly

A FATAL CHAPTER 

Book 9 in the Booktown Mystery series 

by Lorna Barrett

New York Times bestselling author Lorna Barrett presents another page-turning chapter in her Booktown Mystery series. This time mystery bookshop owner Tricia Miles is about to find out murder is no walk in the park… 

While out walking Sarge, her sister’s bichon frise, Tricia is led by the agitated dog to a man lying in a gazebo. She’s startled when she recognizes Pete Renquist, the president of the Stoneham Historical Society, who appears to be suffering from cardiac arrest. When Pete later dies in the hospital, the discovery of a suspicious bruise and a puncture mark on his arm suggests he may have been murdered.

Haunted by Pete’s enigmatic last words to her, Tricia begins to consider who had a motive to kill her friend. Did Pete take his flirting too far, only to have a jealous husband teach him a lesson? Or did he discover something in the town’s historical records that his killer wanted kept secret? Tricia is determined to get to the bottom of things before someone else becomes history…

INCLUDES RECIPES

MY REVIEW

I have followed the Booktown Mysteries since the very first book. (Being a reviewer, I sometimes start well into the middle of a series). In my recent review of book 8, BOOK CLUBBED, I declared it to be the best in the Booktown series. It was best. That was before A FATAL CHAPTER blew it out of the water!

The action started almost immediately and only slowed long enough for me to catch a breath before it was back to the edge of my recliner seat reading.

After nine books, the characters in this series feel like old friends, and some them old enemies. ;-). In A FATAL CHAPTER author Lorna Barrett really took all of them and me on an emotional rollercoaster ride. Without giving spoilers let me just say…things have changed for many of the regular characters. Big things. When reading the exciting, action packed reveal, my mouth was literally handing open.

Fans of this series are truly in for a great read!

And remember to keeping reading once the story is done so you don’t miss out on the six delicious recipes at the back of the book!

PRIVY TO THE DEAD

Book 6 in the Museum Mystery series 

by Sheila Connolly

In the latest Museum Mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of Razing the Dead, a suspicious death has Nell Pratt down in the dumps…
 
Nell Pratt, president of the Pennsylvania Antiquarian Society, has something to smile about thanks to a generous donation from a major Philadelphia developer who’s willing to help update their museum. But renovations have barely begun when a man is struck by a car in front of the building and killed.
 
The victim is a construction worker who found a curious metal object while excavating an old privy in the museum’s basement. Nell thinks the death is somehow connected to the Society, and her suspicions are confirmed when an antiques expert reveals a link between the objects from the cellar and a fellow staff member’s family.
 
Now Nell must unearth a mystery with ties to the past and the present. Because when someone is willing to kill over scrap metal, there’s no telling what they’ll do next. 

MY REVIEW

I’m a big fan of author Sheila Connolly’s Orchard Mystery series. I’ve been wanting to start the Museum Mystery series for some time. The only thing holding me back was the setting. The Museum series in set in Philadelphia, rather than a small town. Even being less than two hours from Philly and having been there many, many times, I wasn’t ready for a cozy in a big city. I can admit I was wrong. The size of the city did not take away from so many of the things I enjoy about cozies mysteries. And an added bonus for me was actually knowing the names of some of the streets and places mentioned!

Ms. Connolly’s writing is fantastic. Like the Orchard series, PRIVY TO THE DEAD was very hard to put down. She knows how to pen a story that keeps the reader enthralled. I know I was. It really interesting to learn more about the ins and outs of a historical society and I can see why those involved are so passionate about what they do.

It was just about three chapters in before the main mystery components of the mystery got started, but I for one am okay with that. It’s a good way to get a feeling for the characters and settings before being thrown into the mystery and going into amateur sleuth mode. And what a mystery it was! I really got wrapped up in the story and was so surprised when the truth came out and everything became clear.

If you’re a fan of the series already, you are going to love this installment. If you haven’t read it and are looking for a new series to begin, you’ll be doing yourself a favor to give the Museum Mystery series a try. I will for sure be adding the first five books in this series to my TBR (To be read pile/stack)! 

A FATAL CHAPTER 

and 

PRIVY TO THE DEAD  

are now available for pre-order! 

Both titles release 

Tuesday, June 2!

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let me know what you think!

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SOLUTIONS

1. Bagpipes, Brides, and Homicides

2. Something Borrowed, Someone Dead

3. Antiques Fruitcake

4. Troubled Treats

5. Eggs Benedict Arnold