Thursday, February 16, 2012

Fire Engine Dead-Sheila Connolly

Fire Engine Dead


Sheila Connolly

Berkley, Mar 6 2012, $7.99

ISBN: 9780425246702



In Philadelphia, Nell Pratt is the president of the Pennsylvanian Antiquarian Society, a depository for documents and manuscripts of various people and groups. The fundraising climate sucks so the library like most not for profits lacks money. The city government plans to cut funding for the Fireman's Museum and donations are at their lowest; on the bright side, firefighters voluntarily are renovating the place.



An arsonist torched several warehouses with police and fire investigators clueless as to why and who. One of the fires killed a security guard and destroyed the storage facility where the Fireman’s Museum documents and other items weres located while the renovation was occurring. Among the priceless objects ruined is an old fire truck picture. Nell recognizes something not right with the remains of the picture and shows it to her maybe boyfriend FBI Agent James Morrison explaining she believes a switch occurred and was covered up by the fire. He does not have the cooperation of the museum directors or the fundraising groups so he suggests she chat with them. Nell does that and more, which places her in the crosshairs of a killer.



The third Museum mystery (see Let’s Play Dead and Fundraising The Dead) is an engaging amateur sleuth filled with fascinating characters, interesting museum information, plenty of action including a nice twist and a bit of romance. Readers learn what occurs behind the curtain at a library, but it is Nell’s interrogation of the antiquities circle that makes the storyline fun as she grills people, but none of the responders realize she sliced and diced them with one lethal exception. Though by the sub-genre book with a civilian in a near death experience by risking her life to investigate, Sheila Connolly provides am entertaining whodunit.



Harriet Klaussner

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