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Fundraising the Dead by Sheila Connolly

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


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I finished reading Fundraising the Dead by Sheila Connolly last night. It’s the first book in her cozy “Museum” mystery series, starring museum fundraiser, Eleanor “Nell” Pratt.

As the fundraiser for the Society for the Preservation of Pennsylvania Antiques, Nell is busy organizing a grand gala that will hopefully woo more patrons to donate money. With only hours to go before the event, one of the board members contacts Nell, claiming that some items donated by her family have gone missing. Nell is certain the letters have merely been misplaced, but when she checks in with the archivist who has been logging the Society’s vast collections into the computer, she learns that other items are also unaccounted for. Nell vows to investigate further but she is hampered in her efforts when the archivist dies under mysterious circumstances the night of the gala. Worse, when Nell alerts the president of the society (the man with whom she’s been carrying on a discreet affair), Charles would rather keep things quiet than notify the authorities. As Nell digs into the disappearances, she finds more questions than answers.

Nell is a mature, sensible, and smart main character, if a bit naive. The plot was slow and methodical, not exactly exciting, but interesting. Nell’s “amateur investigation” had more to do with the missing items from the Society than the murder, which was a refreshing take on things. Characters were portrayed well. I’m not really sure how I feel about the book. I almost think that Martha “Marty” Terwilliger (the woman who first notified Nell of missing items) would have been a more compelling main character.

Favorite lines:
♦ “If I weren’t such a lady, I’d say we were in deep shit.”
♦ “You’ll never guess who’s downstairs.” // “I have no clue. The mayor? The head of the Philadelphia Museum? Brad Pitt?”

A good story, but not exactly entertaining. Average score of three.

( Trope Test )

Rotten to the Core by Sheila Connolly

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Very early this morning (like, last night!) I finished reading Rotten to the Core, which is book #2 in Sheila Connolly's "Orchard Mystery" series. The main character is Meg Corey, a Boston transplant who's trying to make a go of her ancestors' apple orchard.

As Spring comes to her new home, Meg is excited to see her orchard bloom. Her pleasure is dashed, however, when she discovers a dead man in her springhouse. No one knows if Jason was murdered or if he committed suicide. That fact that he died on her property puts Meg in the sights of the police, causing her to work to clear her name. She questions people who knew him, only to learn that Jason had few friends but enemies aplenty. In the meantime, Meg is working on renovating her home, familiarizing herself with the workings of an apple orchard, and even taking a college class. The situation reaches a boiling point when the killer strikes far too close to home.

I was a bit ambivalent about the first book in this series, but this one I enjoyed. Meg was more relatable and other characters were portrayed well. Meg spent a good portion of her time not investigating or asking questions, which I always appreciate too. I guessed the perpetrator fairly early, although it was merely a guess and I wouldn't not have been shocked had I been wrong. Pacing was good throughout.

Favorite lines:
♦ "You stockpile food for murders?"
♦ "Peculiar situation, don't you agree? Not covered by any etiquette books, if such things still exist. 'Proper condolences for those who discover corpses.'"

Good story, four stars.