Murder, She Reads

Pressed to Death is the second in the Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum mystery series and I really liked it. It took me a little bit to refresh my mind of the characters but soon as it came rolling back I really got into the story.

It starts off with Laurel, the local cop who pretty much despises Maddie, asking about her haunted grape press that she had purchased from her collector, Herb. She is told that the owner is saying that it was stolen and that she stole it but she has a receipt that she bought it from the owners wife. Maddie is using the grape press as part of her display at the harvest festival and if she has to give it up then she will have nothing to display.

Then while helping her mom get things ready for the festival she finds a man dead in the grape stomping vat, and it happens to be Romeo the man who was accusing her of stealing the grape press. It also messes up her mother and the Ladies Aid's grape stomping event. It seems something has happened with the Ladies aid and they have had a split in the ranks and her mother wants her to help as she knows the new president will ask for her help. Something is brewing with her mother but she doesn't know what nor figures it out till the end.

Because her helper at the Museum is Romeo's son she figures she should go back to the Museum to let him go home and grieve but needs someone to watch her booth, so she makes a deal with the Visitor's center that she would help them decorate their room in the haunted house not knowing exactly what she got herself into! :)

Asking questions around town gets her into lots of trouble as normal and it also frustrates Laurel, but it seems Maddie is getting a little closer to Detective Slate which I didn't see coming. Although her relationship with Mason did take a very different turn that I didn't see coming, so not sure what I think of this development yet.

I did guess the killer but I wasn't sure of the motive till the end, so I enjoyed the mystery. I do love all the characters even Laurel!

It's a fun series with a slight paranormal element so if you don't mind that then go grab book one!