“Chocolate a la Murder” by Kirsten Weiss it's an absolute delight, deserving of a resounding 5-star rating. Weiss Skillfully combines mystery, romance, and delectable culinary delights to create an irresistible Peach Turner. In the charming town of San Benedetto, the vivid descriptions paint a picturesque backdrop for the story. The characters are engaging and well-developed, drawing you into their lives and making you feel like part of the world. The plot is cleverly crafted, with twists and turns that keep you guessing until the very end. And let's not forget the mouth-watering chocolate recipes woven throughout the narrative, which add an extra layer of indulgence to the reading experience. “Chocolate a la Murder” Is it delectable treat for mystery lovers and food enthusiasts alike, and a must-read for anyone craving A captivating and delicious escape.

I really loved this first book in a new to my series and author. I can't wait to read the next one. The characters and location really add to the plot. This book keeps you guessing until the end.

This is my first read by Kristen Weiss and I was interested in trying out this series because of its paranormal aspect. I’ve read quite a few Cozy Mysteries but the majority of them have been Contemporaries. So when I saw that this one had a paranormal twist to it, I was excited to read more.

First off, I really like the concept of this series. It has a paranormal museum as the main location and in addition to the spooky atmosphere, there’s a lot of detail and history with it as well. I thought that this added a lot of intrigue to the series, making it far more unique than other books in its league.

Another thing that I really enjoyed about this book were the characters. I really grew to love Maddie and her friends. Their friendship was so fun to read about and also, I love how the several personalities worked together to create a more well-rounded unit. It just made the book more fun because you have a strong connection to the heroine. That being said, I’m very excited to read the other books in the series.

If you’re a fan of Laura Childs Scrapbooking Mystery series, I think that you might end up liking this one too. There’s a balance of plot and fun antics as well, which I think is hard to come by and why this series makes me very excited for more.

It was nice to return to the paranormal museum after such a long hiatus (mine, not the authors).  It amazes me how Kirsten Weiss comes up with all of these spooky-themed settings for the museum in every book. Who would ever think of a haunted molinillo? To be honest, I didn't even know what a molinillo was until it was explained more than halfway through the book.  I love how the author uses different cultural influences and ideas. It's a refreshing take on a classic cozy mystery.

Maddie once again finds herself finding the local newly deceased in this latest installment.  It's getting to the point where people are going to start thinking she's cursed, because if I lived in her small town, I'd avoid her like the plague.  On top of finding dead people, Maddie continues to have run ins with Laurel.  I'm not sure what constitutes a "good cop", but ignoring leads from a potential witness and then hauling them in for questioning for an entire night is illegal.  I'm really hoping Kirsten takes the plunge and puts Laurel as a potential murderer, even if it just knocks her down to size for one.

I'll admit, I was a bit confused by Maddie's relationship with Jason.  He treats her like a child and basically ignores her for a large part of the book. However, it's been some time since I read the series and I completely forgot about Maddie and Mason's relationship and why it deteriorated.

The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum series is a fantastic cozy mystery with a paranormal undertow that doesn't overwhelm the reader. I enjoy how Maddie is always on the search from the true history of her museum pieces and yet, can't help but get herself spooked from time to time. It's relatable, relaxing and entertaining!

Once again, I jumped into the series in a random order but I don't think it caused any problems. There were no great spoilers that I caught onto. I found the book and it's characters to be a lot of fun and fairly quirky. I really enjoyed the idea of a paranormal museum and it was described so well that I found myself wishing I could visit it. A few scenes had me laughing so hard I had an asthma attack, tears pouring down my cheeks. With a creative flair and quick wit, I was reeled in and now I'm hooked. I'm definitely going to read more of this series and I may even start back at book 1.

Thank you to Midnight Ink, Kirsten Weiss, and NetGalley for the chance to read such a wonderful book and share my honest thoughts and opinions with others.

This was a fun, cute cozy mystery! I love the theme throughout, and I will definitely be continuing with the series.

Wine and Chocolate Days come to San Bernardino and Maddie updates her exhibits at the Paranormal Museum to focus on chocolate. Yum, except the molinillo starts rattling whenever someone tells a lie and then she finds her chocolate purveyor dead and covered in chocolate. And that's just the first murder. Maddie has her boyfriend at her side now as she investigates, but his police partner is not nearly as supportive. Another enjoyable visit to the museum!

Whats not to love about a protagonist who owns a paranormal chocolate meuseum, deals in chocolate themed goodies and comes across a body of a famous chocolatier...

Pros
I really enjoyed how the book revolved around history tid-bits about choclate and the making process. Plus the paranormal aspect of the exhibits and getting a good glimpse of her job rather than just focusing on the crime solving.
The mystery had a decent amout of twists and turns with dark secrets and intriguing background history, and a good work done with misdirection.
We get decent glimpses about her relationshios with friends and family, how their involvement affect her sleuthing.


Cons
As much as I enjoued the mystery I think to took too many detours before finally reaching to the resolution. There were times where I'd to skim through an entire event because it felt to o long and a shorter version would have suufficed.
The relationships were bit of a mess, Maddie had a weird point of view towards danger , and refused to accept reason at times. So this obviosly led to complications with her mom and friends.
We dont get a full closure about how she finally deals with the aftermath of the event, maybe it will be clued in the next installment, just answering the the mystery-oriented questions poised throughout the story.

In a nutshell, its quite an enjoyable mystery with chocolate and paranormal aspects

Chocolate a la Murder by Kirsten Weiss is the fourth book in the Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum Mystery series. Maddie owns a paranormal museum even though she is not convinced any of the paranormal things are real. She features a magic of chocolate exhibit to take advantage of the town's Wine and Chocolate Days. One of the items is a haunted chocolate whisk. She begins to rethink her beliefs when two people at a local chocolate shop are found murdered. The paranormal theme is a background story rather than the entire focus of the book. It is written well and without being gimmicky. The mystery is strong offering several suspects.

Book 4 in the series. I've read a previous one (perhaps no 1?) in the series, and enjoyed it for its unusual setting in a paranormal museum - run by Maddie Kosloski, who doesn't even really believe in the paranormal!

This was chocolate-themed, with Wine & Chocolate Days of San Benedetto drawing tourists to town and Maddie sets up displays of chocolate from the new boutique chocolate shop in town, a haunted molinillo (whisk), and offers readings from a psychic using hot chocolate instead of tea. The molinillo is in her museum because it apparently rattles in its container when someone lies.

When she finds one of the owners of the chocolate shop dead in the kitchen, covered with chocolate, she is drawn into the investigation of what happened and why. Along with her friends, GD the ghost-hunting (and Maddie-hater) cat, and her mom, Maddie starts to look into why someone would want the chocolatier dead.

Although I did figure out who did it (and why), I enjoyed the story overall. It was quite fun and passed the time very well. I'm already looking forward to the next in the series.

It's Wine and Chocolate days in San Benedetto and Maddie is trying to get some business by using chocolate! She has hired a lady to do chocolate readings (kind of like tea leaf readings but with hot chocolate). Her latest piece is a haunted Mexican whisk called a molinillo that rattles if someone lies. She is also selling a local businesses chocolate in her store.When her and her friend from next door's order doesn't come in Maddie goes to the chocolate place and finds the chocolatier dead and laying in a bunch of chocolate. Even though she tries her best to stay out of things because her detective boyfriend would like her too she just can't help herself. There are some things that are not adding up and and she just can't let it go, but someone wants her to stay out of it and she ends up with a pretty big scrap with danger this go around.This is one of those series that grows on me the more I get into the series. I am really liking it and the direction that it's going and all the fun characters. I like Maddie though sometimes I think I could smack her for getting herself in such trouble and I think her new boyfriend Jason has a lot of tolerance for her not being able to leave well enough alone. The side characters are a lot of fun especial Herb (I think that is his name!) who find the haunted things for her to display in her store.I enjoyed the mystery but I also enjoyed the mystery surrounding the haunted molinillo and how she figures out what probably happened to the lady who originally had it.I would recommend this series and think even though it could probably be read as is that starting at the beginning would be best. :)

Thank you very much for allowing me the opportunity to read this book! I appreciate the kindness. <3

This was not a great fit for me. The "paranormal" elements start to skew towards occult (tarot cards, ouija boards, etc.) which is a few steps too far for me. I did find the main character interesting - she is far bolder in her investigations than she is in her personal relationships. I didn't get a great feel for her "best friends." One wasn't around much and the other was so consumed by her own stuff, she wasn't much of a support. I didn't even get a good feel for her business or anything else to round out her character. Since I haven't read the earlier books in the series, this was disappointing. The mystery was standard cozy fare with a solid conclusion. This will be a better fit for cozy readers who like the paranormal elements in this series.

I really enjoy the Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum series. There is enough of a backstory in each book that you can read them as standalone stories, but I don't understand why anyone would not want to read the full series. The trio of Maddie, Adele and Harper are great friends who have reconnected and are there for each other. Maddie and Adele own businesses that are connected by a secret door and are often involved in mysteries together. Maddie's is the paranormal museum, Adele owns a tea shop. San Benedetto is celebrating Chocolate and Wine days and Maddie prepares a Magic of Chocolate exhibit, to take part. When she heads to the local chocolate shop to pick up the chocolate she ordered, she gets more than she bargained for. One of the owners of the store is dead, covered in chocolate. That is not the only mystery in the book for Maddie to solve. Her latest acquisition, a haunted Mexican whisk called a molinillo, rattles if someone lies. Maddie wants to find out the history of this interesting piece.

I always enjoy the mysteries in these stories, the murder investigation, as well as the history of the various museum pieces. Maddie is a great MC and with the help of her boyfriend, Detective Jason and Slate and her ornery cat "GD", a ghost detecting cat, she is able to solve both mysteries. I love the various characters in San Benedetto, many quirky, but all interesting. As Maddie searches for clues as to who would want to kill the chocolatier, the suspects keep adding up. I changed my mind many times regarding the killer with all the red herrings and twists. I like when I can't figure out the killer until the reveal. There is just the right amount of personal storyline to make it interesting and get the reader invested in the characters. This is a series that I will continue to follow. If you enjoy a quirky cozy mystery with a touch of paranormal and great characters, then you will enjoy this one.

I love a good cozy mystery, and this paranormal one was right up my alley. I very much liked the main character and thought the mystery was well thought out. My only wish is that I'd read the previous books in the series first because I think I'd have gotten more out of the story. I will definitely read more of this series.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Chocolate covered anything is good perhaps with the exception of a dead body. When Maddie discovers one of the owners of an artisan chocolate company covered in his own product. It is almost enough to turn a girl off chocolate. Almost. Talk about bad timing too. It happens in the middle of the town’s Wine and Chocolate Festival.
Things are really shaking around town including the haunted whisk that rattles when someone lies. Maddie discovers there are enough lies and deceptions to keep the things moving all the time. Plus she discovers the world of artisan chocolate is not all sweet and delicious. And the killer is dead serious about keeping Maddie from uncovering the truth.
I enjoy this series as there are some quirky characters, as the reader might expect, in books that centre around a paranormal museum. It is a good thing it has a responsible feline caretaker. Things would really go amiss if it was left to the humans.
Four purrs and two paws up.

Chocolate a la Murder is the fourth book in the Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum series by Kirsten Weiss. I highly recommend reading the books in order to fully understand the characters and their relationships.

It’s Wine and Chocolate Days in San Benedetto, and paranormal museum owner Maddie Kosloski has sweet dreams about her new Magic of Chocolate exhibit. Her latest attraction is a haunted Mexican whisk called a molinillo that rattles if someone lies. When Maddie visits the town’s new boutique chocolate shop, she finds one of the owners dead and covered in melted cocoa. Maddie’s determined to catch the killer, and she soon uncovers deadly dealings in the world of artisan chocolate. But the deception surrounding those dealings are enough to make the molinillo rattle all night. Will Maddie have to temper her passion for sleuthing before a killer makes her fate bittersweet?

Chocolate a la Murder is a fun read, with plenty of twists and turns to keep readers on their toes. I could completely relate to Maddie's love of chocolate, and how quickly that could fade after finding her latest dead body. I think the mystery was very well designed and executed- and while I have some suspicions along the way, I had not guessed the full picture until it was revealed. I loved Maddie's curiosity, as always, and could sympathize with her curiosity being at war with not wanting to hurt or lie to the people around her. AS always, the character growth of Maddie and the development of the relationships and characters around her keep the series fresh and realistic. I also found the secondary mystery of the molinillo and the little hints of the paranormal keep readers engaged and guessing about what could happen next. I look forward to seeing just what that is myself.

Chocolate a la Murder is a entertaining and engaging read, and I think I will continue on with this series as long as I can.

This is book 4 in the Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum series and it's a good one. With a wine and chocolate festival in town, Maddie decides to have a haunted chocolate display. When she discovers the chocolate maker dead it becomes important to solve the crime . Her latest attraction is a haunted Mexican whisk called a molinillo that rattles if someone lies and it's shaking up a storm in the museum. Can be read as a stand alone. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Wine and chocolate are great together but not so pleasant when murder is added. Poor Maddie finds out the hard way - will she ever enjoy chocolate again? Here she is, in the 4th entry to this satisfying, quirky series and life is complicated as she tries to pull things together to participate in the San Bendetto, California Wine and Chocolate days festivities. Her newest addition to her Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum fits in well - it's a haunted Mexican chocolate whisk, known as a molinillo, it rattles when someone lies and has pride of place in her Magic of Chocolate exhibit. Down to the wire, the festivities almost upon her and the delivery of fine, hand crafted local chocolates have not arrived as promised. While Maddie might be able to deal with the glitch, her friend, Adele - who has the tea room next door and is also waiting for her shipment of the aforementioned chocolate - not a chance. Three months until her wedding and she is fast becoming a bridezilla. Maddie should have stayed away but she decides to go get the chocolate but finds one of the chocolatiers stone cold dead, covered in melted chocolate. She may never, ever enjoy chocolate again. I sure wouldn't want it anymore.
Life is sure complicated for Maddie way beyond her comfort zone. Running her museum with its paranormal slant is one thing and growing her romance with her cop boyfriend, Jason - all good. Add her mother, still fine. But then one of the investigating officers is Maddie's high school nemesis - the girl who bullied her and made her life miserable - now that's too much. The police want her to stay out of the investigation but Maddie ends up doing her own investigating but, in the process, will the killer come after her, as well?
This entry can be read out of order but be prepared to add the other three books to your TBR list. Maddie, her Mom, her friend, Adele, Jason and, last, but not least her cat, GD ( a cat with a major attitude, especially towards certain cops) are all well worth spending more time with. I'm ready for book #5.

This book was feisty and delightful, I love this series, because it has a great sleuth and I love the Paranormal Museum. This book has more than one mystery and they are all very intriguing and hard to figure out until the end. I highly recommend this book ands this series