I love murder mysteries, however with this particular book I feel there was just snooping that the main character shouldn’t have been doing. It seemed a tad bit as doing to much. Overall the book as not bad. I just was not a huge fan. It was very cliched and “mystery” was quite obvious. The story line was ok and the plot twist were ok as well.

This is a cosy mystery with all it's typical cliches and "quirky" characters. The storyline is ok with some interesting plot points but I just could not get engaged and the mystery was too obvious. The protagonist is a paranormal museum owner who is agnostic, too curious for her own good ( in an annoying way) and everyone in her life seems to talk over each other and her without paying attention to her obvious obsession with mysteries. Was tempted not to finish but was a short enough mindless read.

Although this series is solid in terms of a mystery story, there are very little paranormal elements to the mystery. The museum is a paranormal one, but it does not really play a factor in the mystery itself.

Thanks to NetGalley and Midnight Ink for providing me an advanced digital read copy of Chocolate a la Murder by Kirsten Weiss in exchange for an honest review. This is the fourth book in A Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum Mystery series and my first read in the series. While there are some relationships between Maddie Kosloski, museum owner and central protagonist, the mystery is self-contained and there is no requirement to have read the earlier books to follow the action in this novel.
In this book, Maddie has obtained a haunted Mexican molinillo that rattles whenever a lie is told. There are some references to this effect, however this doesn’t play a role in Maddie’s unmasking the murderer in this case. There were some opportunities when the phenomenon could have been incorporated into the action, however that wasn’t done. Instead, there was a brief reference to some action that was possibly caused by the ghost of the former owner of the molinillo which is resolved when Maddie intuits the correct answer to who killed this woman. However, that was not a central part of the mystery, and played no part in solving the main murder.
The primary focus is Maddie being drawn into who killed the chocolate co-owner in his chocolate shop. She meets resistance from her mother and her boyfriend, who is a police officer, as they both want her to stop her investigations. Although she implies she is walking away from the investigation when talking with them, she is constantly drawn back into it, voicing her rationalizations for what she is doing until she finally decides she needs to be honest with them and with herself about her decision to continue investigating.
Secondary stories include a former boyfriend who keeps dropping by the museum, a contentious relationship between Maddie and her boyfriend’s police partner, and her best friend’s upcoming wedding. While these side stories are woven throughout the story, they didn’t add much interest or depth to the story itself.
There are some clues given throughout, as well as some misdirection, however the primary information for the armchair detective may actually be the personalities of those involved. I found Maddie somewhat irritating, in that she came across as fairly shallow with no solid reason for feeling compelled to solve the murder. The secondary characters also seemed to have little depth to them, so it was difficult to ever feel part of the action or the community. That may be a result of not having read the earlier books in the series.
If you are looking for a book with a strong paranormal element, this is probably not going to provide what you want. If, however, you are looking for a light read with some opportunity to solve the mystery on your own, this might be a book you will enjoy. It is easy to pick up and put down, so may be the perfect read for a plane ride, a beach trip or something similar.

Chocolate coated murder!

I really enjoy this quirky series. from he paranormal museum to wine country, what could be better? Wine and chocolate! That’s what!

As part of Wine and Chocolate Days, Maddie Kosloski has set up a haunted chocolate exhibit at the Paranormal Museum. She has secured a haunted molinillo (a Mexican chocolate whisk) that rattles when someone lies. Now she just needs the local speciality chocolate and she’s set. But when the order doesn’t arrive, she heads to the chocolate shop to find out what the delay is, only to find one of the partners dead..and covered in chocolate.

While Maddie promises both her mother and boyfriend, a local police detective, that she won’t investigate, she just can’t help herself. When another chocolate shop employee is found murdered after calling Maddie, is she getting too close to uncovering the murdered, or will Maddie be the next victim? Or is the molinillo cursed, as some are starting to say?

Set in Wine Country, this series is fun and quirky. It’s always fun to see what exhibit Maddie’s finds next for her paranormal museum and how these tie into the local murders. The characters all bring living in San Benedetto to life for the reader and shares a story that spans the books in the series without leaving a new reader out of the loop. Enjoyable on all levels.

Great cozy-mystery
Love how you can immerse yourself in the story from the very first start.
The author achieves to reflect real interactions between friends, like talking about your stuff while the other is talking about hers.
The plot of this murder mystery is entangled with many incidents that will make think twice about who the culprit really is, making it fun to follow.

Even though I haven't read the first three books in this series, I didn't have a problem following along in this book, though I would suggest starting at the beginning of this series simply because I found this mystery to be well-written and the characters engaging. As a chocolate lover I must admit to eating chocolate while reading, though instead of See's chocolate I prefer Ethel M. I would definitely recommend this series. I received an e-book from NetGalley in return for an unbiased review.

Chocolate à la Murder is part of the Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum Mystery series. Maddie runs a paranormal museum in the wine country area of California, so of course there’s always a new attraction or event to attract tourists, this one features wine and chocolate. There’s even a new gourmet chocolate shop in town, at least until one of the owners is killed. Good mystery, with lots of chocolate making information, and of course the history of the museum’s haunted molinillo, which will rattle if someone tells a lie. Fast paced and fun, the characters are enjoyable, and the chocolate tarot readings sounded interesting.

Chocolate Days are here and Paranormal Museum owner, Maddie, has a haunted molinillo on display that rattles whenever a lie is told. Someone is definitely lying about something when the new chocolate shop's owner is found dead by Maddie when she goes to check on an order. She finds herself in a sticky sweet mess trying to determine if it was his disgruntled ex-employee, his business partner or someone even closer to home.

If a murder wasn't enough to keep her occupied, Maddie finds herself wondering if her former biker boyfriend is trying to win her back. Not that she's interested since she has a new relationship with a handsome policeman.

This is a great series and one of my new favorite indulgences. Weiss does a great job combining small bits of comedic relief with the paranormal underpinnings without stepping over the line. The mystery portion is believable and I love the interplay between Maddie and her two best friends.

Recommend to readers of cozy mysteries who enjoy a quirky twist to the main character.

While I was intrigued a little by the storyline, I felt the book was a typical cozy read with typical characters.

Kirsten Weiss has written another enjoyable mystery full of humour, quirkiness, and great characters. I could only wish to live in a book like she writes and be the main character. Her books are great and everyone should read them.

As the proprietor of San Benedetto’s Paranormal Museum, Maddie Kosloski is always in need of ways to generate extra income so she can move out of her aunt’s garage apartment. The cities current Wine and Chocolate Days event is pulling in the customers and the addition of the haunted Mexican whisk called a molinillo, used to create a special chocolate drink that rattles when someone tells a lie, is a hit. However, the late delivery of purchased chocolate from the exclusive Reign chocolate shop leads Maddie to the discovery of one of the partner’s body, covered in chocolate. Her best friend’s wedding stress adding to Maddie’s woes along with her former beau, Mason popping in and out of the museum and acting suspicious. I mean, seriously? How ‘normal’ can things be when you run a paranormal museum?

In this fourth installment of this series, Weiss packs in a detailed filled mystery. She’s not heavy handed with the details of how the murder takes place but gives us just enough detail that you really need to pay attention as you read. The series is filled with realistic characters and fun items that make you wish you had a paranormal museum in your town. I often wonder how she discovers the items Maddie adds to her museum collection and Herb, her supplier, is a laugh out loud character. Weiss’s series is sprinkled with situations that lighten up the darker moments and Maddie’s curiosity and conscience often lead her to trouble. This is a great addition to this mystery series and I can’t wait to see what kind of trouble Maddie gets into next time.
#ChocolatealaMurder #PerfectlyParanormalMuseumMystery #NetGalley

This series is so unique and each installment just adds more and more. I love how the author just adds upon the small town and all its quirks without anything seeming to get overplayed. This mystery was so different and the little bonus mystery just added to it. Every time I think this series cannot top itself, the author blows me away.

I really need to stick with this series more as I enjoy it when I read it, but I haven't read all of it yet.. The combination of a haunting with the various attractions is so fun, and I enjoy learning the history behind it. With her quirky characters, interesting settings, and well done plots, the author achieves a wonderful, clever combination. Enjoyed quite a bit.

Maddie, owner of the Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum, gets a terrible shock when she finds the owner of a chocolate shop dead and covered in chocolate. Could Maddie’s new exhibit, a haunted Mexican whisk that rattles when someone lies help solve her newest murder mystery? Readers can expect the usual fun and hijinks from Weiss’s series