It all started with a delayed chocolate order. San Benedetto’s Wine and Chocolate days have begun, and Maddie Kosloski ‘s Magic of Chocolate exhibit is prepared in her paranormal museum- except the chocolate hasn’t arrived. How can you have a chocolate exhibit without chocolate? Maddie’s friend, Adele Nakamoto, owns the tea room next door and is also panicking so Maddie agrees to go to the new chocolate shop, Reign, and pick up their delivery. Unfortunately, Maddie stumbles across another dead body and now she’s worried she’s in the crosshairs of a killer.
CHOCOLATE A LA MURDER is the fourth book in the <i>Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum</i> series. Overall, each book in the series stands on its own merits but readers may want to read the prior book, DEJA MOO, for some background history on Maddie’s personal relationship issues. However, Kirsten Weiss does an excellent job at providing a general overview of the town and the other relationships so that readers can jump in and enjoy the mystery.

I love that Kirsten Weiss includes a paranormal mystery within the context of the main mystery! CHOCOLATE A LA MURDER features a haunted molinillo and I love the eerie feel the mystery behind it adds to the paranormal museum. I was a little skeptical as to how Kirsten Weiss could keep a cozy mystery centered around a paranormal museum going, but the ingenuity of the murders coupled with the secondary mysteries featuring various allegedly haunted paraphernalia is a hit!

Chocolate infuses every aspect of this paranormal tinged mystery. Kirsten Weiss crafts realistic and likable characters and puts them in intriguing situations. I amy never think of chocolate making the same way again! If you love cozy mysteries and want something just a tad different, then CHOCOLATE A LA MURDER is exactly your cup of tea!

*review is in the editing queue at Fresh Fiction*

Chocolate a la Murder: A Paranormal Museum Mystery
By Kirsten Weiss
Midnight Ink
March 2019

Review by Cynthia Chow

One wouldn’t think that a Paranormal Museum would have much involvement in a Wine and Chocolate Days festival hosted by the San Benedetto Wind and Visitors Bureau, but Maddie Kosloski believes that rotating exhibits ensures new customers and keeps her business out of the red. That is why she managed to acquire a Haunted Molinillo from Mexico, one that not only traditionally mixes hot chocolate but also rattles when lies are spoken. The latter characteristic has not yet been proven, but Maddie has enough experience with the unexplainable to at least hope it attracts curiosity. To further incorporate the museum with the Chocolate festival, Maddie plans to sell a small supply of gourmet, hand-crafted, very expensive chocolates from Reign Chocolates, but delivery seems to be delayed. That’s a stressor that her teashop neighbor Adele Nakamoto certainly doesn’t need right now, as her wedding plans are making the already detailed-obsessed, control-freak woman a bridezilla pushing the limits of her closest friends. With Adele already frazzled with menu tastings and guest lists, Maddie volunteers to pick up both their orders at the Reign Chocolate store. Nothing in Maddie’s haunted museum collection could have predicted what she would discover, namely a chocolate-coated Reign owner drowned in his exclusive product.

Maddie’s own relationship with Detective Jason Slate is still going very well, but a speed bump looks in store for them when she decides to accept what seems to be her destiny to solve murders. As it is, Detective Laurel Hammer continues to be her lifelong nemesis and thorn in her side; it’s a rivalry not helped by Maddie’s Ghost Detecting cat’s propensity for attacking the abrasive officer. The deceased co-owner and marketer of organic, pure chocolate confections is revealed to have been intertwined in a web of romances, and not even a bomb threat or attempted drowning will prevent Maddie from doing all she can to lift the dark veil that looming over San Benedetto.

The once-reluctant owner of a haunted museum fully embraces her town and her quirky business, and that affection is what motivates her to find justice for the victims. Maddie does her best to stay out of the way of the official investigation while keeping the detectives informed, but the combative Laurel Hammer never makes that easy. A fascinating detour into the history of the Haunted Molinillo adds additional layers to the novel, and it’s a plot skillfully balanced by the very grounded interactions between Maddie and her conservative, very protective mother. What with Adele’s bride-brain demanding everyone’s complete attention, Maddie barely has time to deal with whatever weirdness is going on with her neighboring ex-boyfriend. The banter between Maddie’s friends, a compelling glimpse into the world of chocolate production, and Maddie’s belief that social media is the devil’s cocaine, ensure that this continues to be a unique and exuberantly fun mystery series.

I really did enjoy this mystery book. I believe this is the first one in this series that I have read. Maddie is a enjoyable heroine who is very relatable as a character. The writing was very good and the plot kept my interest. Will be looking forward to reading more from this author.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

Paranormal museum owner Maddie Kosloski is thrilled to participate in San Benedetto's Wine and Chocolate Days. Her latest addition to the museum is a haunted Mexican whisk called a molinillo that rattles if someone lies.

When Maddie goes to Reign to pick up chocolate for her exhibit she finds one of the owners dead and covered in melted chocolate. Despite being warned off by the lead detective, and her detective boyfriend Jason, Maddie starts investigating. Unfortunately it could end up with her being murdered, too.

If you found a body covered in chocolate, would it kill you love of the sweet treat? I asked myself that question a lot while I was reading this book. Maddie had that problem, too, and it hit me that I would probably think the same thing.

That question added to this series, which I love because of its quirkiness. The paranormal museum is what first drew me to this series, and I've kept going with it because of the well drawn characters and the interesting plots. I can honestly say I've never seen a haunted molinillo in a book, and I loved watching the way Maddie recovered information about its past, and how it fit into the story.

The characters grow with each book, and that keeps me interested. In this one, there is a lot of tension between Maddie and her former boyfriend, Mason, and her current boyfriend, Jason. Adele's upcoming wedding also added to the tension, sometimes making Maddie want to pull her hair out. All of these things add great emotion to this book, and made the characters come to life

Although I figured out whodunit about halfway through the book, I enjoyed the trip to the reveal very much. I love this series, and look forward to Maddie's next adventure.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

I jumped at the chance to read this delightful little mystery as I have come to adore cozy novels in recent months. This is the fourth book in the ‘A Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum’ series by Kirsten Weiss, the first book being ‘The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum,’ followed by ‘Pressed to Death’ and ‘Deja Moo.’

The setting for the story is a town called San Benedetto in the California wine country. In “Chocolate a la Murder,” owner, Maddie Kosloski, of the Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum, is preparing for The Wine and Chocolate Days Festival in San Benedetto. Maddie 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 their next target?

Although I haven’t any read of the first three books of the series, Kirsten Weiss, provides plenty of back-stories, so “Chocolate a la Murder” works well as a stand-alone novel. Written in the first person, the characters in this novel were a real laugh and I especially liked Maddie’s feistiness. I even found myself asking the same questions and thinking along the same lines as Maddie when trying to work out the identity of the perpetrator. I really enjoyed the easy-to-read writing style, the plot and the pace of the book. The paranormal element helped to add intrigue to the tale, whilst making it a little different to some of the other books in the genre.

All in all, “Chocolate a la Murder” is a light-hearted, lovely read, that combines mystery, thrills and murder and mayhem and I'm looking forward to reading the first three books of the series.

[Thanks to #NetGalley and Midnight Ink Publishing for the free ARC of #ChocolateAlaMurder in exchange for an honest review]

This book was OK. I still really like Maddie, and her friends, and the mystery was enjoyable. However, I am SO over Mason and Belle being injected into every book. I hated that storyline from the beginning because it was too "romance" angsty, and honestly...Mason was/is a douche IMO. Although I am glad Maddie has a new love interest, Jason is about as exciting as milk toast and kind of an a$$hole. And don't get me started on Laurel. She is a complete caricature at this point and there is NO way someone that treats another human being as she does Maddie would ever be a detective on a police force. Her a$$ should have been canned AGES ago, and Jason defending her...NO. So obviously this was a mixed bag for me. I may give the next book a try, but I still undecided as of now.

I read a lot if quirky cozy mystery series but I think this one just might be the quirkiest. Between the paranormal museum itself and Maddie's own distinct level of hot messness there's a lot of craziness going on. Most of that is a lot of fun though sometimes Maddie does drift a bit into too stupid to live and her friend Adele's uptightness can drive me crazy. Both are fairly minor though.



The mystery was definitely different. I've read a death by drone mystery recently and thought that was unique but I must say death by chocolate literally might be even stranger. I enjoyed the mystery and all the mayhem - connected or otherwise - that occurred around it. I enjoyed catching up with Maddie, Leo, Adele, Harper, and everyone else in Maddie's life and seeing what was happening at the museum this time.



This is a really fun series and a thoroughly enjoyable mystery. And for once a mystery involving chocolate didn't make me crave chocolate!

Oh my, the question may be is chocolate good for you or bad for you? It certainly plays an interesting part in this story. Maddie’s group of friends seem like some folks I would like to hang out with. Will Adele get the wedding she wants? Is something going on with Harper? What’s with Mason? Have you ever been friends with an ex? Wine and Chocolate Days sounds like a fun way to spend some time. I would like a reading from Ursula. You get to drink hot chocolate and then get a reading. Sounds good to me. Maddie’s museum certainly has some interesting items and I think would be fun to visit. Now I’ll have to wait to see what happens with Maddie and Jason. I think things will only get better. I received this book from NetGalley, but my opinion is my own.

Chocolate a la Murder by Kirsten Weiss is book four in A Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum series. This was the first in the series I have read. Ms Weiss does a great job of getting new readers up to speed.
There are likeable characters, plenty of twists and turns, and romance. There was paranormal activity but for me, I would have liked a little more.
I really thought after reading the lead in to the book I was going to love it but it did seem a bit slow.
You may want to have a little chocolate available as the book will leave you craving chocolate.
I was given an ARC by Netgalley for an honest review.

Maddie Kosloski is the owner of a paranormal museum in San Bendetto. She is busy preparing for her Magic of Chocolate exhibit at the museum when she accidently finds the body of one of the owners of the chocolate store Reign dead, smothered in chocolate.

In the meantime her latest haunted museum piece is keeping her very "rattled".

As Maddie searches for clues as to who would want to kill the chocolatier, the suspects keep adding up. As for her newest paranormal find, she needs to investigate its history to figure out why (and if) it is haunted.

She has assistance from her friends Adele and Harper as well as her boyfriend Detective Jason Slate. She perhaps gets her "extra sensory" help from her cat GD who keeps her on her toes.

This book 4 of the series and although there were references to the previous books (naturally) which went over my head, it was not a problem in understanding the story.

Chocolate a la Murder is a funny, cozy read on a snowy day (which I did) with a nice cup of hot chocolate!

The book has just come out. Thank you #NetGalley #Midnight Ink #Chocolate a la Murder #Kristen Weiss for the advanced copy.

This fun paranormal cozy was just as much fun as the other books I’ve read in the series. Maddie can’t help but get involved in murders in her town, and she now has a reputation. And, yes, she is really a little too nosy. However, I do love her quirky personality and store, but sometime she does come across as a little flighty. This book, though, was a great, fun whodunit, and I will definitely read more in the series. When will she figure out there is more to her cat than she realizes? I hope soon…or maybe it’s all just my imagination! This was a good way to while away an afternoon. I recommend this book! I was provided the e-book which I voluntarily reviewed.

I always loved this series but I found this installment a bit boring and slow paced.
There were all the elements for a good mystery but it seems that Maddie suddenly developed a death wish and could do a lot of stupid thing.
The initial part of the book was entertaining and engaging then things went downhill.
The cast of characters was as lovely and usual and it was good to meet them again.
The mystery was ok and it kept me guessing.
I hope there will be another installment in this series.
Many thanks to Midnight Ink and Netgalley for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book, all opinions are mine.

My rating: 2 of 5 stars, it was okay.

Book 4, and possibly last book, in the series as the publisher has closed.

I've read all of the books in this series, and I had high hopes for it, I mean a Paranormal Museum sounds fun! I had a hard time getting in to this one, it felt a bit slow, despite the fact that Maddie stumbles over another body almost immediately. And Maddie is really just a nosy busy-body, snooping where she doesn't always belong, and doesn't seem to really think things through. Makes it hard to like her sometimes.

Chocolate a la Murder by Kirsten Weiss is the fourth book in A Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum Mystery series. This is the first in this series that I have read.
Maddie Kosloski who owns the Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum in San Benedetto. The museum is a local town tourist attraction that exhibits artifacts that have a paranormal or haunted history attached to them. Maddie’s latest artifact is a haunted Mexican whisk called a molinillo that rattles if someone significantly lies.
As Maddie gets involved in Wine and Chocolate Days, she finds that she is missing a key component to make her Magic of Chocolate exhibit a success, the chocolate. Maddie decides to just head over to the local chocolate shop and pick up her overdue delivery herself. After crossing a picket line of one, she walks into a quiet business only to discover one of the owners is in the back covered in chocolate.
So, did he die by accident, natural causes or was it something else?
I found that this can be read as a standalone book. I liked the humor, the plot, and the profession of Maddie Kosloski. She owns a paranormal museum which isn’t a common profession. I did peg the killer early on but there were plot twists.

I would read more in this series. This was a fun and entertaining read.

The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum series just keeps getting better and better. In the first book, Maddie was tricked into buying the paranormal museum. Since then, she's fully embraced her role as a local businesswoman and is doing everything she can to make the popular attraction grow. Book three had haunted cowbells. This time it's a haunted molillino, an antique wooden chocolate whisk that supposedly rattles when someone tells a lie in its presence. The museum is set up for Wine and Chocolate Days, complete with a psychic who reads the drippings left in hot chocolate mugs.



When Maddie visits a local chocolate shop to pick up her order and finds one of the owners lying dead in a pool of his own chocolate, she finds herself plunged into another murder investigation. (I've got to admit, that was one of the creepiest murder scenes I've come across in years of reading cozy mysteries.) The molillino rattles and serves its purpose, but the story behind it is less interesting than some of the other exhbits in past books. The murder mystery kept me entertained and guessing until the end. It's a fun series that I highly recommend.

As Maddie prepares for San Benedetto's Wine and Chocolate Days, she realizes that she's missing a key ingredient for one of her recipes. When she goes to the chocolate shop to get it, she discovers a body covered in melted chocolate. With the help of a new addition to her museum, a Mexican molinillo (a whisk for stirring chocolate) that rattles when someone lies, she's determined to figure out who is responsible for the death.

This is the fourth book in the Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum series, one of two series I enjoy by this author. I enjoy the setting and would love to visit Maddie's museum, especially if it meant I could meet GD, the museum's resident ghost-detecting cat. The characters seem typical of a small town, and Maddie's best friends are woman I'd love to spend time with. I had a few suspects in mind, most of whom were crossed off my list as the story progressed, but I still wasn't sure about the identity of the villain until it was revealed in the book. Even though this was, in my opinion, the weakest book of the series, I look forward to reading the next installment when it's available.

Its 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 owner’s dead covered in melted cocoa. Maddie's determined to catch the killer. She soon uncovers deadly dealings in the world of artisan chocolate. 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?
--

Series: A Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum Mystery Book 4
Author: Kirsten Weiss
Genre: Cozy Mystery/Paranormal
Publisher: Midnight Ink

Maddie isn’t your average shopkeeper. In Chocolate a la Murder running a paranormal museum is not for the faint of heart. Keeping customers coming through the doors is vital. So, when Wine and Chocolate days start in San Benedetto, Maddie jumps into the fray to give her customers something special. Then she finds a body covered in chocolate and everything changes.

Maddie is struggling to keep her business open and her bills paid. Things have gotten better at the museum, but she is always looking for ways to improve business and her income. As much as she likes to pretend that she doesn’t believe in ghosts, haunting’s and so forth, she finds herself needing to make everyone else believe. Bringing in a haunted molinillo that makes noise every time someone tells a lie is a great start, and before long she begins to believe it really is haunted.

Characters in this series are always amusing. They bring reality to an otherwise fantastical story. Friends Adele and Harper are busy with their own lives, one is obsessed with her wedding and the other is too busy most of the time to be of any help. When things suddenly get topsy-turvy in Maddie’s life they are of little help. Even her wonderful boyfriend, Jason is of little use in solving this crime as he isn’t on the case because of her involvement.

Finding a killer before they strike again becomes her number one priority, even over chocolate. The murderer thinks she has evidence or knows who they are and has decided that Maddie is the next target. Eventually the killer is unmasked, and justice is served after Maddie realizes who the killer is. However, the motive leaves her baffled and is fitting in today’s world.

This story is a bit slow longer than is needed. If readers have not read the other books in the series, Chocolate a la Murder will make little sense and the characters will not be distinguishable. Although this book may keep some readers guessing as to the identity of the killer, the clues are all there to uncover the villain quickly. I would have been happier if the haunted molinillo had played a bigger part over all to the investigation and outcome. I do recommend this series to readers who enjoy a unique plot and characters that have room to grow.

"Maddie gets rattled by a candy-coated murder.

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?"

I love my cozies with a little bit of magic. Here's hoping that the demise of Midnight Ink doesn't mean then end of this series!

Maddie has a new magic chocolate exhibit just in time for the Wine and Chocolate Days being held in her hometown of San Benedetto. She was able to purchase a whisk that is said to be haunted and has the ability to tell when someone is lying. The whisk rattles when someone lies, Maddie doesn't know everything about it though and hopes to do more research so that she can share with her patrons. When her chocolate order doesn't arrive when it is suppose to and she can't get through with a phone call Maddie decides to drive to the chocolate shop to find out what is going on. She comes across a disgruntled former employee outside but doesn't let that stop her from going in. Things don't get any better when she goes inside, not being able to find anyone she heads to the back of the store and come across a body covered in chocolate. The dead man happens to be one of the owners of the store, but who would have wanted him dead and why? Could it have been an accident? Maddie decides she must look into things herself even though there are so many people against the idea of her doing just that. Along the way she is almost run over by a crazy driver and then later someone tries to drown her. Is she getting to close to the truth? Follow along and see just what all Maddie gets into and the different ways she beats death in this fun mystery series. If you like things that are a little wacky, a touch magical, and a bit haunted this is truly the series for you. I love the characters and the different things that Maddie brings to her museum, I can't wait to see what she brings in next.

This is the 4th book in the "A Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum Mystery Series". This series is the perfect cozy mystery with all the right elements of a proper sleuth, a fun Museum setting and great charcters. i have read the entire series and highly recommend the entire series. It has a bit of the paranormal which adds to the fun of reading this series. Each book can be read as a stand alone however I recommend the entire series. Its fun for the reader to experience The Paranormal Museum from the beginning. The Museum features new interesting paranormal items in each book .
In this next in series our intrepid protagonist Maddie who owns the Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum in San Benedetto is busy getting ready for The Wine and Chocolate Days Festival in San Benedetto. . When she goes to the local chocolate shop to pick up a order that has not arrived, she finds the owner face down and murdered covered in chocolate. its quite a shock for her as he was well liked and everyone loved his shop. As the police arrive Maddie is determined to find out what happened and bring the murderer to justice. She is once again on the case and soon finds many clues with help from the local shop keepers and friends of hers..
The Wine and Chocolate Festival will bring new clues and suspicions to help her solve the case.

I enjoy this series for its well crafted sleuth, the fun descriptions of the museum and the well rounded charcters that all add to the story. This addition had some wonderful quirky chocolate facts included. Its always a fun cozy read and I look forward to the next in series. Thank you for the ARC which does not influence my review.