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Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum #1

The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum

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When Maddie Kosloski’s career flatlines, she retreats to her wine-country hometown for solace and cheap rent. Railroaded into managing the local paranormal museum, she’s certain the rumors of its haunting are greatly exaggerated. But a new ghost may be on the loose. A fresh corpse in the museum embroils Maddie in murders past and present.

With her high school bully as one of the officers in charge, Maddie doubts justice will be served. When one of her best friends is arrested, she’s certain it won’t be.

Maddie grapples with ghost hunters, obsessed taxidermists, and the sexy motorcyclist next door as outside forces threaten. And as she juggles spectral shenanigans with the hunt for a killer, she discovers there truly is no place like home.

288 pages, Paperback

First published March 8, 2016

1118 people are currently reading
4259 people want to read

About the author

Kirsten Weiss

110 books1,302 followers
Kirsten Weiss writes laugh-out-loud, page-turning mysteries. Her heroines aren’t perfect, but they’re smart, they struggle, and they succeed. Kirsten writes in a house high on a hill in the Colorado woods and occasionally ventures out for wine and chocolate. Or for a visit to the local pie shop.

She is best known for her cozy and witch mystery novels. So if you like funny, action-packed mysteries with complicated heroines, just turn the page…

Kirsten sends out original short stories of mystery and magic to her mailing list. If you’d like to get them delivered straight to your inbox, make sure to sign up for her newsletter at kirstenweiss.com

Feel free to follow her on Twitter @KirstenWeiss or Bookbub, get in touch on Facebook, post a picture of this book to Instagram and tag her @kirstenweissauthor, or send her an email. She’ll answer you personally…which may be a good or a bad thing, depending on your perspective.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 533 reviews
Profile Image for Carole (Carole's Random Life).
1,938 reviews606 followers
February 25, 2016
This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life.

What a fun book! I am not really sure what it was about the book that first caught my attention. The word "paranormal" in the title automatically made me take a second look but I also really like the cover. I hadn't read a cozy mystery for years before picking up this book so I was also wanting to read something a little different from my normal pick. I am so glad that I decided to read this book because it was an incredibly enjoyable read in the end.

This book ended up being heavy on the cozy and very light on the paranormal. That was fine with me since I read a lot of paranormal and was wanting more of a cozy mystery anyway. The Paranormal Museum that was featured in the book was a fun setting with a lot of interesting exhibits to really set the atmosphere. I am not sure that I would ever want to set foot in the scary doll room.

I really liked the characters a lot. Maddie is trying to figure out what her next move will be when she is pushed into managing the museum for just a little while. When she goes to see the museum with her friend, Adele, they find a body just outside the door. Maddie soon finds herself trying to find out what actually happened to the victim when her friends is accused of the crime.

This book did a lot of things really well. There were times that the book made me chuckle with some of the more outrageous characters. There was more than a few crazy moments. The mystery was interesting and I wasn't quite sure who the culprit was until the end. There was a touch of paranormal which added a bit of fun too. I thought that the book was very well balanced.

I liked the way the book was written. The pacing of the story was well done with enough build up leading to the more exciting moments. I found myself quickly turning pages and never felt that the book dragged at any spot. The characters were all very vivid and unique with a wide range of individuals represented. Even the cat from the museum had a spunky personality.

I would recommend this book to fans of cozy mysteries. This is the first book by Kirsten Weiss that I have read but I wouldn't hesitate to read her work again in the future. I will definitely be sure to read any future books featuring this cast of characters.

I received an advance reader edition of this book from Midnight Ink via NetGalley for the purpose of providing an honest review.

Initial Thoughts
I thought this book was fun with a decent little mystery.
Profile Image for Montzalee Wittmann.
5,214 reviews2,340 followers
January 14, 2023
The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum
By Kirsten Weiss

Maddie ends up back in her home town and enjoying seeing her friends again. She had been in a big paying job but got fired for not taking bribes. She agrees to help her friend out by managing the Paranormal Museum for her friend and it's next door to the Tea Shop her friend is trying to renovate.
But, when they go to look at the shops, there is a dead body in there!

There are a lot of interesting characters in here. A hot guy lives next to the Museum, her high school bully is a cop, a black cat lives in the Museum that is said to see ghosts, and more!
Great world building, I felt I knew the place inside and out. The characters seemed real. Dialogue was fun. Humor scattered throughout the book.

There are mysteries and mysteries! I enjoyed it. A book not too heavy but a little more meat on the bones than a regular cozy. I listened to the audio version and the narration was wonderful!
Profile Image for Angela (Angel's Book Nook).
1,672 reviews973 followers
March 30, 2018
I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this mystery. I’ve been look for a cozy paranormal mystery to dive into and was not having much luck until I ran across Caffeinated Reviews review of book 3 in this series, Deja Moo. That review made the series sound good and so, I went looking for book one at my library and low and behold they had the book.

I had such a delightful time getting to know the characters, the town, and this odd museum that is haunted and full of weird items.

Maddie got fired from her job for standing up for her ethics and now she’s back in her home town, San Benedetto. Her longtime friend soon tricks her into taking over the quirky paranormal museum in town and things soon get interesting with a museum cat, a dead body found in the museum, and a few odd things happening in the museum.

Maddie doesn’t hesitate to help her find out and do some sleuthing to figure out what really happened to a past resident of the town and the current murder. Their’s a closet witch (they don’t want anyone to know they are a witch), a high school bully, the towns uppity ups the Ladies Aid Society that want the museum closed, a strange man who claims to know about the murder, a lawyer with questionable morals, and so much more. The books full of interesting characters that make this cozy mystery a charming read.

Last, I can’t forget about the love interests. Two men are interested in Maddie. We have Lieutenant Slate and Mason the museums neighbor. Either one sounded’s delicious, but our main focus is on the current murder and solving a decades old murder.

As for who the killer is, well I had know idea until it was reveled. I was guessing all wrong along the way through the book.

I had a bewitching time with this cozy paranormal romance that I went out and bought the book plus I’m going to be diving into the next installment. The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum was a lot of fun!

Rated: 4 Stars

angelsgp-seethisreview-blure
Profile Image for Lady Tea.
1,790 reviews126 followers
September 2, 2022
Rating 2.4 / 5

Okay, so...when you read a cozy mystery, though not the edgiest read, you take your experience into your own hands. You take your chances, and hope that the book has all of the following:

1. Good characters that you actually care about
2. A good mystery
3. Good writing

Unfortunately, while The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum does indeed have point 2 down with a good mystery, parts 1 and 3 could really use some work--and yes, they are inter-related.

Basically, the setting and premise of this book is awesome! And a paranormal museum as the setting, with a ghost-seeing cat? SOLD!

Except...that the characters are bland and forgettable and awkward...

...because the WRITING is like that. A lot of tell instead of show, a slow plot progression, and a lot of awkward moments that got me thinking of how people DON'T act the way that the author was making them act and they DON'T say the things that the author was making them say without reason. It all just felt...unnatural, like if a robot was assigned to write a book based on what they thought human interaction was really like.

So...great setting and mystery, in other words, but failure in everything else. Resulted in my reading the first 90 pages or so, and then skimming the rest.

N-E-X-T.
Profile Image for Mystery, She Read.
328 reviews123 followers
August 6, 2025
3.25🌟

Mood/Seasonal Reading: spooky season

This could have been so good but between random plot lines that weren’t concluded to a (frankly) not great reveal or thought out motive…it really went downhill for me. What saved it was decent writing and a few interesting concepts.
Profile Image for Carrie.
3,567 reviews1,694 followers
February 10, 2016
When Maddie Kosloski loses her job overseas she moves back to her hometown to try to find a new career closer to home. After Maddie's friend Adele tries to rope Maddie into taking over the Paranormal Museum, a town tourist attraction that is part of the property Adele bought to open a tea shop, Maddie figures she could at least help her friend while she job hunts.

Unfortunately, when Maddie and Adele go to inspect the museum they stumble upon a murder and find the victim is the woman Adele's ex-fiancee had an affair with. When Adele is arrested for the murder Maddie is sure that her friend is innocent.

The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum is actually a very nice little cozy mystery that has Maddie not only involved in the investigation of the current murder but she also gets caught up in an old case from one of the artifacts in the museum. Both were intriguing to follow and kept me guessing until the end.

There's not a whole lot of paranormal in the story but just a touch to make this a bit different than your normal cozy mystery. The museum and it's creepy contents was quite the original concept that gave the story just a touch of a creepy vibe here and there that just added to the story. Who wouldn't jump a bit when alone in a building surrounded by those supposedly haunted objects?

There was one little detail that I questioned that I won't specifically mention to not add a spoiler but I believe was added to expand the paranormal feel but was ignored in the end so I took a half star off my overall rating so 4.5 stars for this lovely read. Otherwise, I completely enjoyed the story, characters and setting and would recommend checking this one out.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....
Profile Image for Elke.
1,896 reviews42 followers
December 21, 2015
Of course I was lured to this book by the "Paranormal" themed museum the main character gets to manage when coming back to her home town. However, the book turned out to be a very lightweight women's whodunit mystery, whereas the paranormal museum served only as an unusual setting. So, apart from the obvious murder, there is the GD (ghost detecting) cat and an unsolved historical murder case that our heroine gets intrigued with and starts to investigate. Also, some mysterious sounds, temperature drops and the like may hint at ghost activity, but unfortunately that's all there is to it.

The museum's paranormal exhibits - creepy dolls, a ghost cabinet (loved that one, never heard of such a thing before), an ouija board and other strange stuff - would have made excellent raw material for a supernatural story, but other than to throw them in for good measure the author seemed to have no use for them, which is a shame and definitely a missed opportunity. As is, I wouldn't have minded if the story played in a boutique, a jewelery or any other store. Those may even have been more fitting, considering the recurring detailed descriptions of the women's clothing style.

Overall, this is a perfectly proper murder mystery - nothing to say against that, but just not what I expected. So don't let yourself be fooled (as I did) to think the adjective "Paranormal" has any deeper meaning - like the museum's exhibits it seems to be there for decoration purposes only. However, I do like the cover image.

A relaxing easy read recommended for lazy beach days or boring train rides.

(I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review)
Profile Image for Icy-Cobwebs-Crossing-SpaceTime.
5,640 reviews329 followers
March 12, 2016
REVIEW: A PERFECTLY PARANORMAL MUSEUM by Kirsten Weiss

A "perfectly" delicious cozy mystery with an endearing undertone of recognizing self-identity and life purpose, A PERFECTLY PARANORMAL MUSEUM was a one-sitting, I-can't-stop read. Truly delightful! I would love to see this extended to a series_especially as our heroine Madelyn comes to term with her paranormal experiences, and expands her mind
6,211 reviews80 followers
February 25, 2023
After the usual life changing events, Maddi Kosloski returns to her home town and is more or less coerced into taking over the local paranormal museum. Then a murder happens and her best friend is the prime suspect.

There may or may not be actual paranormal things going on.

Humorous, but not lamely so.
Profile Image for Katie (hiding in the pages).
3,515 reviews328 followers
March 22, 2017
First of all...just a minor mention: notice the cover? The author's name is spelled wrong. I did some research and yes, it really is spelled wrong. I borrowed a copy from the library and the physical book has the right spelling, but the digital one is wrong.

Moving on...I love a good cozy mystery, especially when I'm figuring out the mystery right along with the characters. This one has a lot of quirks and interesting situations that sets it apart. I mean, one of the town's main attractions is a paranormal museum.

Maddie "buys" this museum from her friend for a dollar, but can't decide if she really wants it or not. She definitely doesn't believe in the paranormal, but the discovery of a dead body leads to a mystery begging to be solved.

With a parade of shady characters, including GD the cat (Ghost Detector), a motorcyclist next door, a hottie detective, and a museum full of wacky props, this story is pure entertainment and fun.

Content: mild language; mild violence; very mild romantic elements.
Profile Image for Les.
2,911 reviews1 follower
April 18, 2018
This is a perfectly proper cozy mystery. Maddie has returned to her home town in disgrace, in her mind, having been f..f....fi...fired from her high power job in European banking. Everyone in her family is an overachiever and her friends are rich, brilliant or both. In some ways that really got on my last nerve; everyone in the book is sort of a diametric opposite of say a Janet Evanovich Trenton character. Even the 'bad boy' is a college graduate motorcycle mechanic.
In her hometown there is a Paranormal museum which has ended up as the property of a friend; since she merely wants to open an upscale tea room she offers Maddie the museum for $1. For that $ Maddie gets more than some scary dolls she also gets a very current dead body; a women who broke up her friend and fiance. When the police arrive Maddie finds that her high school bully is a detective and still holding a grudge.

There are an appropriate number of odd characters, mysterious occurrences and dead bodies. But there was just something about the book that failed to enchant me.

This is one of those books that I am clueless as to how it ended up on my wish list. I vaguely remembered the opening chapter so I must have read the sample. I don't think I'll be continuing on with the series
Profile Image for Cheryl .
2,397 reviews80 followers
November 13, 2021
This is a 4.5 star read.

One of the best cosy mysteries I have read.
Profile Image for JoAn.
2,460 reviews1 follower
June 12, 2019
Emily Durante did a great job of defining each character throughout this audio book. I enjoyed meeting Maddie, Harper and Adele and getting to know them in this first book of the series. The mystery was quite complex and the secondary mystery involving a ghost just added to the fun. This was an excellent companion for me as I walked.
Profile Image for Stewart Tame.
2,476 reviews120 followers
June 12, 2018
Fired from her most recent job, Maddie Kosloski returns to her hometown of San Benedetto, CA. A friend of hers, who owns the town’s paranormal museum, offers Maddie a chance to buy it from her. She refuses, but reluctantly agrees to manage it for a while as a favor. The museum comes complete with ghost-detecting cat, vintage spirit cabinet, and creepy doll room … and newly acquired dead body. And there's more murder to come, as Maddie finds herself drawn into the investigation …

This is a nice, spirited (ha ha) read in the cozy tradition. The small town setting rings true, and Maddie is a highly likeable character. There's a tasteful whiff of the supernatural, but nothing so overt as to dismay the skeptics in the audience. This is a highly promising beginning to what looks like an enjoyable series. Recommended!
1,690 reviews29 followers
December 1, 2020
I admit I picked this up because I liked the title. And it was free. I've read other books by this author before. They're generally enjoyable. In the end, this world may be one I like more than some of the others. I like the idea of the museum. I like some of the characters (notably the owner of the motorcycle shop next door). I could have done with a better set-up. Mostly, I found the extreme dichotomy between the protagonist who has just gotten fired from her international job (for obviously the most noble reason ever) who is now somehow unhireable, and her uber-successful siblings whom she is now jealous of for half the book. (I'm not opposed to a series that starts with someone having to deal with a major life set-back, but it was the extremes that annoyed me). I also could have done without the local detective who has a high school grudge/bullying relationship with the protagonist. By the end there's an indication that there's at least some blame on both sides, but it's fairly unbalanced, especially given there's a definite physical element on the part of the local detective, which carries forward into the present day with significant abuse of power connotations. Did not like.

Why are the only two options for the local cop in a cozy mystery to be either be the love interest or the mortal enemy of the protagonist? I'm fine with the first, but the second is just uncomfortable, especially in the current context. It's also not something I ant to have to deal with in a cozy mystery - this isn't a gritty detective story. That and the weird family dynamic definitely reduced my enjoyment.

To be honest, I'm only giving this three stars because it got better. I read this over several days, because the start was not idea.
Profile Image for Betty.
2,004 reviews73 followers
March 8, 2016
Maddie Kosloski has returned to her hometown after being "fire" her job for refusing to pay a bribe. She has sent out resumes but all she gets back are rejection answers. To aid a friend accused of a murder she takes over a Paranormal Museum. She meets some weird people including GD Cat, a Ghost Detecting cat, a motorcycle neighbor, a bookie, a witch and an old school friend who is now a cop. The murder occurred between an open partition between a tea room being remodel and the museum. Strange sounds occur at night. A cold breeze occurs during the day. Maddie is obsessed with a murder that occurred 150 years ago.. The convicted killer's picture keeps dropping on the counter and GD reacts each time.when cold takes over the museum. It is necessary for Maddie to find an answer before she becomes the next victim.

Disclosure: I received a free copy from Midnight Ink through NetGalley fo an honest review. I would like to thank them for this opportunity to read and review the book. The opinions are my own.
Profile Image for Ann.
6,016 reviews82 followers
January 7, 2016
I hope this is book one of a new cozy mystery series. Maddie has returned to her small hometown and is roped into running the Paranormal Museum connected to her best friend, Adele's new tea shop. When they discover a dead body inside the police decide Adele is the killer and it's up to Maddie to prove her innocence. With GD cat as her helper Maddie flushes out the killer while catching the attention of the motorcycle mechanic next door. I see that Kirsten Weiss has several other series published and I'll be checking them out.
Profile Image for Laura Thomas.
1,552 reviews108 followers
March 11, 2016
I read Kirsten’s Riga Hayworth: The Metaphysical Detective series and her science fiction/ steampunk book, Steam and Sensibility, and enjoyed them very much. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read her paranormal cozy mystery.

Maddie Kosloski got canned for standing by with her ethics and now she’s back in her home town, San Bendetto, wine country.

She’s soon tricked into taking over the quirky paranormal museum. It’s purported to be haunted. Now, Maddie doesn’t buy into that. But the museum cat, GD, (stands for ghost detection), has her wondering when he reacts to things she can’t see.

When a dead body is found in the museum and Maddie’s friend is arrested for murder, she doesn’t hesitate to do a little sleuthing of her own. Who knows, maybe one of the museum’s ghosts will lend a hand.

That’s just a taste of what lies in these pages.

There’s a closet witch, I mean someone who doesn’t want others to know she’s a witch. A high school bully who keeps putting the screws to Maddie. The town uppity ups of the Ladies Aid Society want the museum closed. A strange man claims he knows something about the murder, but then disappears. A lawyer with questionable morals who gives Maddie the heebie jeebies. These are just some of the eclectic characters that make this cozy such a lively romp.

Mustn’t forget the romance. There are two men interested in Maddie. The tall drink of water, Lieutenant Slate, and the man with the muscles neighbor, Mason. Either one sounded good to me. I do like a man in uniform. But I also like a rugged hunk who rides a motorcycle. What’s a girl to do?

It took me some time to choose who I thought the killer was as I was having such fun I forgot to try to figure it out. I recalled a few tiny crumbs the author had sprinkled around. Talked it over with my son. Was pretty sure I knew. And when I got to the end I was….right.

There’s a scene in the book that really tickled me. The character, Maddie, is reading a book, and it’s one by this very author. I even remember the pie scene she was reading. I thought that was so funny.

Enough gushing. This review is getting too long.

Cozy up with a copy for yourself and have a spooky good time. I guarantee, when you reach the end, you’ll feel like me. Hoping this will be a series.

I received a copy for my honest review.
Profile Image for Carrie Schmidt.
Author 1 book507 followers
March 9, 2016
This was another fun find in the cozy mystery genre! And since it’s the first in a new series, there is the promise of more fun on the way :)

While I normally avoid the paranormal genre, I do love a good ghost story. Emphasis on good. The story and the ghost. I’m not into evil or creepy paranormal beings, thank you. I very much enjoyed both the story and the ghost in The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum. It always helps when there is a compelling historic mystery surrounding the ghost, in addition to the present-day mystery plaguing our main characters. But not to worry – if you aren’t into ghosts at all, this book is definitely more cozy mystery than paranormal suspense.

Along with the mystery – full of suspects that kept me guessing (my prime one was killed off early on… so much for my amateur sleuthing abilities lol) – a very light hint of romance threads through the plot. And when I say “hint”, I do mean that. The hint solidifies into something more viable toward the end, but remains just out of reach & sets the stage nicely for further development potential in future books.

I’m not sure yet if there are one or two possible romantic interests for Maddie. The clear frontrunner is hunky Mason. But there’s definitely some sort of electric connection between Maddie and Slate. I just can’t tell if it’s romantic or something else. Perhaps some paranormally-type connection yet to be revealed.

Bottom Line: The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum is unique, well-written, and fun! The quirky museum, the array of likable characters, a curiously intuitive cat, and a ghost who may have been wrongly accused – these elements all give a creative twist to the usual cozy mystery formula. With enough romantic potential to satisfy people like me, it also is the perfect choice for people who prefer more mystery than kisses. If you liked the TV shows Ghost Whisperer or Ghost Hunters, you’ll enjoy Kirsten Weiss’ new series!

(I received a copy of this book in exchange for only my honest review.)
Profile Image for Heather.
257 reviews17 followers
December 28, 2015
My cozy mystery trend continues with another soon-to-be-published offering by Midnight Ink, and thankfully, this one is miles apart from the last one I read, To Catch a Treat. I wasn't thrilled with that particular title, so I was a bit unsure about picking up another Midnight Ink. But I'm glad I gave them another chance. I really, really liked this one.

One of the reasons I enjoyed this book was the leading lady, Maddie. She is a smart, charming, yet very human. She doesn't try to be a Mary Sue, adorkable, or a manic pixie. She's just a normal person. And I love her for that. The other characters are equally believable and even, mostly, likable. Even the "villain" in Maddie's life (former high-school bully turned bully-with-a-badge, Laurel) is believable. Heck, even the cat was a great character. This book gets an all round A+ for characterization.

The mystery also played out well. It didn't drag or seem too rushed. All the characters made logical decisions based on the story and at no time did I feel the author trying to forcibly move the plot along via the characters. Best of all, I had no idea who the murderer was until the big reveal. The story had me guessing the whole time, yet once we knew the truth, you could see that there were clues that clearly pointed to the murderer. That's Agatha Christie-level storytelling. No easy feat.

GoodReads seems to indicate that this is the first in a series and, if that is true, I will definitely be picking up the next books, NetGalley or no. I highly recommend this for all cozy mystery lovers.

**I received this copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**
Profile Image for Leslie aka StoreyBook Reviews.
2,901 reviews214 followers
March 11, 2016
Loved this book and the quirky Paranormal Museum - after all, who wouldn't want to see a room called the Creepy Doll Room? But don't think that because Paranormal is in the title that it means this is a book heavy on paranormal characters/sightings/etc. Sure all the artifacts in the museum supposedly have a spirit or something attached, it isn't like there are ghosts and such flying around.

There is an interesting cast of characters - Maddie, who is back home after being fired for not paying a bribe; Adele, Maddie's good friend and owns the building the museum is located; Harper, rounds out the trio of friends and is a financial advisor with her own secrets. There are many other characters that play into this book that round out the support nicely...including a nemesis of Maddie's from high school that is now a police sergeant - Laura Hammer. And let's not forget the cat - GD for Ghost Detecting, and he was on track some of the time.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it made me chuckle in many places. I didn't have a clue who the killer was and was a bit surprised, but it made sense once it was laid out for the reader. I liked how Maddie was trying to come to terms with her employment status; and while she may have been roped into to helping Adele with the museum, she was coming up with many ways to make it a success and even involving others in town.

I think this is going to be a good series and can't wait to see what the next book holds.

Profile Image for Terrance Zepke.
Author 88 books65 followers
April 23, 2018
This is one of the best cozy mysteries I've ever read. It was just a fun read! I loved the storyline and protagonist. Maddie Kosloski is brilliant and on the fast track with her career, when she loses her job. While she is trying to find a job and get her life back on track, she returns home and gets sucked into running the local tourist attraction, Paranormal Museum. Can life get any worse, she wonders? Yes, it can and it does. Right away she discovers a dead body in the museum one night and then another corpse! Of course, she is at odds with local law enforcement and definitely a person of interest. But by the end of the book she has solved both murders and realizes she wants nothing more than to continue to run the Paranormal Museum. Colorful characters that add to the fun include her hunky motorcycle neighbor, a ghost-seeing cat, a local ghost hunting club, and the Ladies Aid Society. Oh, and did I mention that her best friend is a secret witch? I look forward to reading more stories by Weiss!
Profile Image for Jennifer.
3,193 reviews67 followers
January 22, 2021
Eh, I just don't think that I was in the mood for this. I tempted fate by reading too many cozies in a row. I also don't think that the sub subgenre of cozy mystery that takes place in a paranormal museum was for me. It's just a personal preference that I tend to enjoy cozy mysteries that are about food, hotels/B&Bs, or a supernatural bent. This wasn't bad, but it didn't stand out for me. There are some, unfortunately typical of the genre, comments throughout the book about the character bemoaning gaining weight and eating too many calories. One interesting thing about this book was the fact that one of the lead detectives is actually the main character's former (woman!) childhood bully, and the two still hold grudges against each other. One of the more interesting things to me about this series would probably be finding out how the main character and bully detective resolve their relationship.
Profile Image for Yvonne.
1,338 reviews266 followers
March 19, 2016
The concept of this cozy mystery intrigued me from the start. A paranormal museum complete with a ghost detecting cat (appropriately named GD Cat), what could be more fun than that?

The story has a wonderful cast of characters from loyal friends to bitter enemies with a couple of quirky ones thrown in. Together, it makes for an enchanting story. It’s actually two stories in one – a current day murder mystery with the backdrop of a long ago murder.

This is a whimsical, light cozy mystery that will give readers an escape for a few hours. It’s a good start to a new series.



FTC Disclosure: The publisher and NetGalley provided me with a copy of this book to review for this blog tour. This did not influence my thoughts and opinions in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.
Profile Image for Amber.
607 reviews48 followers
December 27, 2015
I would rate this between 3 1/2 to 4 stars. I received this book in exchange for an honest review from net galley. I think this was a solid effort from the author and that the series has lot of promise. I like the main character, the ghost and the mystery aspect. I am curious to see how the rest of the series plays out.
Profile Image for Sophia.
Author 5 books399 followers
September 6, 2018
Audiobook Review

It was the title. I couldn't help myself and had to see what that was all about. This was a new to me author and a new cozy mystery series that may have a spooky element.

The story opens with Maddie back in town and meeting up with her best friends. She's a bit sensitive about returning to her home town because she got fired for not doing an unethical thing and she feels that with such talented brother and sister that there is pressure on her to find something in her career field. Unfortunately, all she has as a possibility is Adele's request for a favor that she run the town paranormal museum which is next door to the future tea shop that Adele is renovating. Soon, a job isn't the only issue because a dead body turns up in the tea shop and Adele is the number one suspect.

I enjoyed getting to know Maddie and her friends, other people around them, the quirky Central Californian small town, and the mystery. But, as I suspected, that paranormal museum held my interest the most. There were some proper chilling moments and I loved the secondary murder mystery involving one of the historical artifacts in the museum.

Maddie really struggled to overcome her jealousy of her siblings because they have successful, bright careers, her 'left out' feelings occasionally with her friends, and the attitude she had about her small home town. This gave me a slight women's fic feel to this one and expanded the story, slowing the tempo. I liked seeing her get her get things straightened out, but I confess that I got tired of her whining and getting crabby at her family who said and did nothing to deserve it. I found this wallowing not matching up with the portrait of a woman operating as a manager in a foreign country for an international business.

Another thing, I wasn't sure about is how the police handled the murder. Now, granted the focus was on Maddie and her friends, but the little I did see didn't seem to fit with how proper investigation would be done. There was not enough evidence to make an arrest and what was there was mostly circumstantial, yet they got one and got a terribly high bail set for Adele. What really had my brows raised high was the unprofessionalism and the one act of police brutality coming from the female detective who used to bully Maddie and other kids in high school. I couldn't believe her partner just let it go or that the lawyers weren't all over it. She threw Maddie on the ground and held her roughly when Maddie waved her cell phone in front of her. Let's just say that this is fiction and not realistic for the police procedural part.

The narration work was done by the excellent Emily Durante. She voiced Maddie well and the other characters. There was some frogginess to a few of the male characters, but that was probably on purpose. She was steady and calm and I enjoyed getting lost in her storytelling.

Beyond my niggles about Maddie and the police. I thought this was a delightful start to a new series. I enjoyed the setting of small town, the cast of characters that I hope are recurring, the spooky moments and the dual mystery set up of a historical cold case one from the museum and a contemporary one. Those who enjoy paranormal cozy mysteries should definitely give this one a go.

My thanks to Tantor Audio for the opportunity to listen to this book in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Ashleigh Stevens.
Author 12 books22 followers
May 12, 2021
When Maddie gave up her international career to return to her California hometown, she didn't realize she would still be job-hunting nine months later. A temporary job as curator of the Paranormal Museum wasn't exactly what she had in mind. But, when a dead body is found before her first day and her best friend is arrested, Maddie knows she needs to help figure out what happened to clear her friend's name.

The more cozy mysteries I read, the more obsessed I become with when the murder takes place. In this book, the murder is at the end of the first chapter and, given the description, I was pretty sure it was a character that the reader had yet to meet. However, because this character had at least been mentioned in the first chapter, I was pretty sure I knew who the victim was. (I was right!)

The book started a little slow. There was a lot of background information in the first chapter, but by the end I knew who the main characters were and what the story was about. As the story progressed, I could really picture the story and follow the multiple storylines. I found the story engaging and didn't want to put down the book. I thought I knew whodunit and was a little surprised that it was someone else.

Although I had some issues with the formatting and the editing, as well as some inconsistencies in both the point of view and tense, I enjoyed the story overall. One of my favorite lines in the book was "I returned to my sprawl on the couch and finished reading my self-help book. My self did not feel helped."

Overall, I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more in the series.
Profile Image for Susan Ferguson.
1,086 reviews21 followers
January 8, 2021
Maddie was fired from her international job because she refused to pay a bribe to get some work done. Now, she can't find a job and has returned home to the place she grew up. Her friend, Adele, wants her to take over the paranormal museum in the other part of the tea room she is planning on opening. The museum is supposed to be haunted with GD cat (Ghost Detecting Cat) in residence. There are odd things happening, but then someone keeps breaking into the museum. When Adele and Maddie go to check out the museum, they find a body on the floor. The body is Christy Huntington who stole Maddie's fiancee. Immediately Adele and Maddie are suspects. The Detective is an old enemy of Maddie's from high school when she stuffed Maddie into a gym locker, so she's not very receptive to any of Adele's or Maddie's defenses. Then there's other Detective, the one with golden glints in his eyes that fascinate Maddie. But she's got to find out who killed Christie to save Adele. While Adele is in jail, someone kills Adele's ex- and Christy's current fiancee. And Maddie is suspected as an accomplice.......
Profile Image for Pam.
2,203 reviews32 followers
October 8, 2020
AUTHOR Weiss, Kirsten
TITLE The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum
DATE READ 4/B 10/08/20
RATING
FIRST SENTENCE
GENRE/ PUB DATE/Format / Length Cozy Mystery/2016/Hoopla Audio/8 hr 14 min
SERIES/STAND-ALONE #1
CHALLENGE Good Reads 2020 Reading Goal 172/120;
GROUP READ
TIME/PLACE 2016/CA
CHARACTERS Maddie Kosloski
COMMENTS Maddie Kosloski has returned to San Benedetto, CA and is offered the job of manager of the Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum. Nothing she would ever have thought about but.. she falls into it. Discovers the mystery behind an historical crime and does some amateur sleuthing to current criminal activities. Good enough start to a series.
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