Let's Play Dead

Museum #2

by Sheila Connolly

The new exhibit at the Philadelphia children's museum, Let's Play, isn't meant to be shocking-but when one of the installers is zapped with a fatal electrical charge, it's up to Nell to put her detective skills on display.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Fiction, Audiobook, Romance, Museums

296 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 7, 2011

About the author

Sheila Connolly taught art history, structured and marketed municipal bonds for major cities, worked as a staff member on two statewide political campaigns, and served as a fundraiser for several non-profit organizations. She also managed her own consulting company providing genealogical research services.

She was a member of Sisters in Crime-New England (president 2011), the national Sisters in Crime, and the fabulous on-line SinC chapter, the Guppies. She also belonged to Romance Writers of America and Mystery Writers of America.

Sheila was Regent of her local DAR chapter, and a member of the Society of Mayflower Descendants. She was also the grandchild of Irish immigrants. In addition to genealogy, Sheila loved restoring old houses, visiting cemeteries, and traveling.

Reviews

[Anissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This time Nell's on the case of a death at the children's museum, Let's Play and sadly, this wasn't the cracking mystery the first in the series was. Funnily enough, the investigation into the death worried me a lot less than Nell's hiring practices. After the terrible experience the Society had in the first book, I'd have thought they've be vetting all new hires up one side and down the other but alas, just about anyone who showed up on their doorstep was hired just on the "good feeling" of Nell. Her recognition of her poor judgement on character and integrity from the first book disappeared here so I wasted a lot of time thinking it'd come into play in the main mystery but it didn't. It didn't even feel like a red herring, it just made Nell look a bit dim. Not great, in your sleuthing heroines. I do think the behind the scenes look at the running of the museum's was still well done here, so that was to the good.

I'm going to say if you're reading the series, you can likely skip this one and continue just fine. There are new hires at the Preservation Society and little movement on Nell's relationship with James so you're not missing anything that'll prevent understanding future books. I'll definitely read the next in the series.

[Deanie Nelder · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the second Museum mystery, all Pennsylvania Antiquarian Society president (and museum curator) Nell Pratt isn't looking to investigate a crime. But when an electrician is killed at the Let's Play children's museum, Nell's relationship with the museum staff results in her constantly being pulled into the middle of the investigation. This is a refreshing change from a lot of cozy mysteries, where the heroine can't help meddling and investigating even with competent police officers on the case. Nell's involvement in the Philadelphia museum scene gives her access to information the cops do not, and she passes that along to her FBI Agent friend/possible boyfriend.

The characters in this book are fun. I love Nell's historian-influenced sarcasm (When she's tempted to cry, she reminds herself "No tears: I couldn’t afford to mar the original, highly polished finish on the piece."). New characters Shelby and Eric add a breath of fresh air to the series, and Nell's new responsibilities as president are both realistic and funny. The first book was good, but this one is even better.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another fun entry in the series. This time Nell is getting involved in the trouble occurring at the children's museum, Let's Play. The story kept me guessing and it was a different situation than you normally find in cozies. Looking forward to reading more in the series.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let's Play Dead by Sheila Connolly

Let's Play Dead is the 2ND in Sheila Connolly's Museum Mystery series.

Nell Pratt is settling in to her new position as president of the Pennsylvania Antiquarian Society when she is called by Arabella Heffernan, president of the Let's Play children's museum. Arabella was putting together a new exhibit highlighting Harriet the Hedgehog for this exhibit. That would include pacifying the author of the Harriet Hedgehog children's books Hadley Eastman and that would prove to be easier said than done.

Some newer characters are introduced to us, the reader, in this installment. Arabella and her daughter Caitlin. Caitlin's romantic interest Jason who are both is working on this exhibit at Let's Play. Arabella's ex-husband,Nolan, has suddenly shown up unannounced from Ireland.

James Morrison, F.B.I. special agent, is back and assisting both the police and Nell in this investigation. And what exactly are they investigating? How did one of the workers get electrocuted while working with this exhibit. Joe Murphy was putting the finishing touches on one of the character exhibits to be sure it was safe to be handled by children when they opened. Was Joe's electrocution due to the exhibit being sabotaged? And if it was sabotaged by who and why?

While all this sleuthing is going on Nell still finds time to introduce two new staff members to the Antiquarian Society. Later and finding they are able to do everything necessary and then some other questions arise as to their real background. Are they exactly who they claimed to be or are they hiding something?

I enjoyed this story for several reasons. I like the characters and expect to continue reading about their developing relationships and how they interact during the solving of this mystery.
The drama built up towards the end of the story which made for a dramatic and unexpected climax. The author brings the reader through the museum and into the lives of the main characters in a realistic fashion and guess what? I am there with them through this entire book.
I highly recommend sheila Connolly's museum mystery series to cozy lovers. I hope you all consider starting from her first entry in this series.

[Brenda Kirton · Rating 2 out of 5]

SPOILERS I didn't care for this book. I have read the first in the series and liked it, although I don't remember much about it. I found Nell to be stuffy and careless in her business dealings. She seemed very flat in the book. The romance part of it seemed to have no excitement. The solution to the mystery would have been fine if it had been at least guessed at 100 pages early. It was something that at the very least should have been consider and then ruled out.
Spoiler section. First of all they totally ignored the part of why was the victim there when he was. That was an anomaly that stood out but was ignored. When it is discovered how bad the electrician was who did the wiring on the Lets Play exhibit, Nell contacts her electrician friend not to inspect all of it with hos buddies from the union like I thought she was going to but rather just to tell everyone it was safe. At the end Nell finds it questionable that the children's author's house burnt down. They had just finished discovering how bad the wiring was as a major plot point but nobody considers that when you have a power outage and the power is restored, frequently there is power surges. The faulty wiring was ready to overload under those circumstances. Sheila Connolly acknowledged an electrical consultant for her book, but she must have stopped using him by this point. I liked her orchard mystery series but I won't be looking for this series again.

[Doward Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nell Pratt continues to entertain us with behind the scenes looks at how museums operate. In the wake of recent scandals and arrests at her beloved Pennsylvania Antiquarian Society, Nell has assumed the position of President. Struggling to pull the Society back together, find a replacement for her old position of fund raiser and event planner and find herself an assistant to take care of the day to day tasks is keeping her busy. When she is asked to preview a new exhibit at Philadelphia's beloved children's museum, Nell witness's a workman's electrical shock from a faulty animated creature in the exhibit. The next day another workman is killed by another electrical shock from the same creature. The new exhibit is based on a series of beloved children's books by a local author. With the director of the museum asking for her help, Nell works to find a reason and a person behind the faulty wiring. Nell and her new friend, FBI Agent James Morrison, work many leads and suspects to find the culprit behind the sabotage. Seeing museums from the inside view is entertaining. The characters are fun and the mystery is complex and surprising all the way to the conclusion. This is a series to get comfy and enjoy an evening's adventure with.

[Daniele · Rating 2 out of 5]

The entire time I was reading this little mystery, I kept asking myself why all I was reading was bits about being too busy, bits about electricity, and meals. It seemed odd that the whole plot carried forward along these interludes. I was also pretty disappointed with the resolution of the mystery (I will say nothing further so as not to give too much away). I seem to recall liking the first in this series, but this sophomore endeavour left me wanting more.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a perfectly serviceable cozy mystery. I really enjoyed the first book in this series, and while I don't know that this second book was quite as good a read for me, I did enjoy it.

I like the character of Nell. She's a strong, smart and capable woman and unlike many cozy MCs she does not run around doing ridiculously dangerous and stupid things in her attempts to solve crimes she ends up involved in, which is a definite plus for this reader. A good author can find a way to let the protagonist get involve without doing it in eye-rollingly stupid ways.

The plot and the eventual resolution felt a bit overly involved and circuitous for me, but it was well written and nicely paced. As I said, a perfectly serviceable cozy mystery.

[Linda Smatzny · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this story, Nell Pratt, the main character , has recently become the president of the Pennsylvania Antiquarian Society in Philadelphia. Nell is invited to visit a new exhibit at a hands on children's museum where an accident happens. Two days later another accident happens but the person dies. Nell has questions that she wants answers plus the head of the children's museum has asked for her help. The book was an easy quick read. I enjoy the main character because she is confident and wants to help.

[Hilary (A Wytch's Book Review) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nell is settling into her new role as the head of the museum/society after the shock of a couple of months ago - she (and HR) are still trying to fill the empty staff roles and it looks as though they are lucky with two, Nell's old position and Nell's assistant. Whilst all this is going on she nips across to the Children's Museum to see the new exhibit before it opens to the public - and whilst there someone has an electric shock then lands them in hospital - then another shock kills someone ... Nell needs to find out why!

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Museum Mystery series combines some of my favorite things - mystery, museums and history - in the wonderful setting of Philadelphia. In Let's Play Dead Nell Pratt investigates an electrical accident and subsequent death at the local children's museum. I was very satisfied with this second installment in the series.

[David Szatkowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is shaping up to be a fun series. I quite enjoyed the first and so was happy to read the second in the series. It has all the good elements of a cozy series, this one set in Philadelphia and the museum is a historical society. Clearly the author knows the city in which the series is based.

[Susan Moxley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book with lots of mystery and will keep you on the edge of your seat with all of it's twist and turns.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I much preferred this sequel to the original book, "Fundraising the Dead," in this series

The first part of the story felt much more light-hearted, with the mystery taking place in a children's museum. I couldn't help but think of the children's museum that our own kids had loved during their younger years, and the museum president felt like our kids' grade school principal.

Our children's museum didn't have any exhibits with children's book connections, but there were some similar setups at a local bookstore.

There had been a funny story about one exhibit at our children's museum involving electricity, however. It was a giant firefly with a seat, and when the kids sat on it, the firefly would light up. The kids were supposed to ooh and ahh at themselves in the mirror, but the museum wasn't prepared for our middle child, who at age 4, immediately hopped off the firefly and took the casing off of the firefly's tail to see how it worked. The poor lady running the exhibit seemed astonished and frightened speechless, so I calmly took the casing from the child and reattached it to the firefly, telling her they didn't want us to do that.

Needless to say, I appreciated that in "Let's Play Dead," they tried to make the electrical creatures sturdy enough to stand up to exploring or rough-housing children.

So most of this story felt like very familiar territory, and the whole story just seemed more family friendly somehow, although I realize that, yes, this book is for grownups. After the incidents of the first book, the main character has decided to be more cautious in her dating life.

I thought the answer to the whodunit was a cute ending, not one usually done in the genre, and not one I expected. The second mystery, though, at the end of the book, went unsolved, and they don't seem to be eager to solve it.

It seemed odd to me that the children at the museum were supposed to twist the nose of the misbehaving, misunderstood character's statue. That's a violent thing to teach them to do. I just can't envision a children's museum doing that.

It's kind of funny how quickly Arabella latches onto Nell, the main character, asking her for extreme amounts of help even though they hardly know each other. To a much lesser extent, I had that happen to me recently as well - so that does happen in real life. I was happy to help, but I just feel like there should've been somebody else more appropriate to do it. My only prior conversation with her had been just to ask how she pronounced her name, so it was not even that personal of a conversation. But I can tell she is a good soul, well worth helping, and plenty of people have helped me in the past. It just felt odd.

I liked how Arabella kept thanking Nell with those large cookie baskets. It was kind of funny, but also sweet, too, and Nell appreciated them. No, I am not asking for a cookie basket from the person I helped.

One reviewer felt that Nell had gained some self-awareness in the first book, that she wasn't a very good judge of character, but here she's once again trusting her gut feeling on hiring people rather than truly vetting them. Good point made.

In the last book, some readers thought that Alfred was autistic, but I didn't think there was enough evidence. He could've just been extremely introverted. ...SPOILER... But this time, with Caitlin, I did recognize beforehand that she's autistic.

My middle child (now an adult) would say that this book feeds negative stereotypes of autistic people as being dangerous, when the vast majority of them are not. In fact, she had to do a college paper about how people with certain conditions are misrepresented in media, and this book would've fit right in.

However, it's fair to say, as one other reviewer did, that the author pointed out the positive benefits of being autistic in that job as well.

About the electrical aspects of the story:

The main character had it exactly, oppositely wrong. When a circuit switch is closed, the electricity flows. When it's open, the electricity's not flowing.

The descriptions of the workings of electricity were painful to read. Just don't rely on them as any sort of learning material.

I knew what portion of the setup would have the electricity flowing through it to reach the person.

Yes, there are ways to determine how much of a shock it would give a person. You could adjust the ... no, I'm not going to say it.

SPOILER ... Even a very bad electrician would have the power to a system off before working on it. I can't fathom that a even sloppy one would fail to do such a thing, because even a sloppy electrician would care about living. I also can't believe this wasn't obvious if it was what happened. Where were his tools or the partially completed wiring to indicate that he was in the middle of something?

One of the other reviewers also pointed out that ... SPOILER ... if the home wiring was already stressed and at the breaking point as the electrician said it was, then restoring power could have enough of a surge and slight overshoot to cause the electrical fire. I can see that as plausible. I hadn't given it much thought. But Hadley might be exonerated from that one as well.

Last time, with "Fundraising the Dead," instead of rating it the 2-stars it felt like, I rated it 3-stars hoping for better things to come. This time around, I enjoyed it much more, and it probably should've been a 4-stars, but I am rating it 3-stars because of the negative stereotype of the autistic person. So they ended up with the same rating, but that's a misrepresentation since I enjoyed this book so much more than the last. My own fault, I realize, having too much variation within a single rating level.

[William Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good mystery, lots of surprising twist among the characters. I love the setting of museums and all the history that goes with them. Look forward to more in this series.

[R · Rating 3 out of 5]

**MINOR SPOILERS**
This book is part of the Museum Mystery series. It can be read as a standalone.
Nell is the president of a small antiquitarian society museum that was the setting of the first book of the series. In this one, she visits a children’s museum that is the setting for the murder. While she is getting a tour, a worker receives a serious shock while touching one of the exhibits and has to go to the hospital. It is thought to be an accident until it happens again and, this time, someone dies.
Because of the random nature of the possible victim, it is initially hard to tell if someone was targeted, if it was meant to make the museum look bad, or if there is another purpose behind what happened. It was a bit of a reach for Nell to get involved in solving the murder and a few things fell into her lap.
The children’s author whose books were the inspiration for the exhibit seems to be an unlikely character. She is domineering and unpleasant with little redeeming value. There are people like that but it was just on the edge of being a caricature.
The writing was a bit bumpy and could have used a few more descriptors for what people were conveying with their words. This can be done with limited italics, a description of their tone, or body language. In addition, in places where I thought the author was trying to be witty, it did not always work.
When you find out what happened, it was an anticlimax. I do not want to give spoilers but I was surprised about how the mystery concluded. Also, in the circumstances surrounding the revelation, it was unlikely that someone would not use their cell phones to make a phone call.
I did not really connect with Nell and the story is told from her first person point of view. The book lost a star when the author’s personal assistant, Chloe, came to the museum after being fired. Chloe is understandably upset and relates what happened and the author writes “I was getting impatient. Was I supposed to take care of all of the local orphans and strays?” I know this was hyperbole, but there is no indication anywhere that Nell takes care of any orphans and strays. But, more importantly, she does not seem to have any empathy for Chloe. I was not sure why Chloe came to the museum as she had only met everyone briefly and this was an example of things falling into Nell’s lap. There are other similar examples.
Nell begins a relationship with an FBI agent who is related to a board member for the antiquarian society, Marty. She also hires some staff for a few positions and, as they are new, you are not sure if they will turn out to be good guys or villains. One thing that was unrealistic is that her assistant is not immediately given a computer for work use. It is improbable that any one in this day and age could get anything done without one.
I do not plan to continue reading the series. The book lost a star for the issue mentioned above and another for general overall writing. About 2/3 of the way through, I was ready for the end of the book and just kept reading in order to write a review.

[Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second installment in the Museum series featuring Nell Pratt. This has become an annual tradition for my family as on our annual vacation we listened to the first and now this one and have enjoyed the characters and setting. This time around Nell is the newly appointed President of the Antiquarian Society and in over her head. Desperate for an assistant and a new fundraiser she hires a southern lady Shelby who then introduces her to Eric a young man looking for work, to become Nell's assistant. While they settle in and seem to be doing well Nell receives an invitation to Let's Play a children's museum by their head Arabella Heffernan. While there she is invited to see their latest exhibit a collection of interactive animals based on children's books by local author Hadley Eastman. Something goes wrong and a young man is badly electrocuted. He survives but days later the electrician on that project is killed by the same exhibit. Despite not wanting to be involved Nell is soon dragged into the investigation. She is dealing with an arrogant author, a mother and daughter whose relationship isn't as great as it seems, a messy divorce and people with deep hidden secrets. The story eventually comes to a head during a blackout in an ice storm with an ending that for me was a bit anti climatic. But it was another wonderful installment and I look forever to listening to the 3rd installment in probably another year or so.

[Jennifer Robb · Rating 3 out of 5]

A friend (AC) sent me a number of books from this series. I am glad to see that the author is not keeping all the mysteries to the same museum. It also seems a nice way to spotlight various Philadelphia museums (even if making up a name for one for the book, there could be a dedication page or a large notation somewhere in the book encouraging visitors to go to a real life similar museum in Philadelphia--the tourism board should thank her!)

I was trying to remember if I'd ever been to a museum like Let's Play where touching the exhibits was encouraged. Perhaps some of the science museums but I don't remember a kid's museum like this in my past.

Hadley's situation with her publisher seems realistic from what I've heard of the contemporary publishing world--it reminds me a bit of the academic saying "publish or perish", though in this case it would more likely be "sell books and make us a profit" rather than publish.

I did not guess how the crime came about or who might have done it. I agree with another reviewer that the explanations of electricity and how it works might have been misleading enough to confuse the how--also I don't think they gave us enough information on what the Willy the Weasel exhibit was supposed to be set up to do early on enough in the book that it might have made more sense.

Overall though I enjoyed reading the story and will continue on with the series.

[Sherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Museum #2 Nell Pratt has got more than enough on her plate after becoming President of the Pennsylvania Antiquarian Society two months earlier, trying to fi d and hire people to fill three vital jobs and learn the ropes delegating and directing her staff. When Children’s museum “Let’s Play” Director Arabella Heffernan invites Nell to come take a peek at their soon to be opened interactive exhibit featuring the characters in local author, Hadley Eastman’s Harriet the Hedgehog books, Nell is there to witness the accidental electrical shocking of Arabella’s daughter, Caitlin Treacy’s fiancé Jason sending him to the hospital. If that weren’t enough, the next night another man is killed by an electrical jolt.
Nell feels personally involved and in sympathy to Arabella, another single museum Director with a bad situation on her hands, and can’t keep her nose out of the police investigation even with friend, FBI agent, James Morrison, telling her to stay clear. Add baseball league fans, Irish IRA suspects, electricians union, new hires that didn’t quite tell the exact truth, a temperamental author, and the plot is filled with suspects.

It all is just abut over the top, though I loved the children’s lit and museum angle to the book.

[Pamela Mclaren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nell Pratt, the recently appointed president of the Philadelphia Antiquarian Society, is feeling overwhelmed with the new responsibilities and vacancies in staff. The former society fundraiser must move the society forward with new funding, new acquisition and a positive attitude.

She also can't hide in her office. So she accepts an invitation to a preview tour of a new exhibit soon to open at the city's children's museum, Let's Play. But there is a shocking accident that occurs and now Nell is advising someone else how to live through the incident and its affect on the institution. She knows what she had to do.

But then it gets worse, there's a death. And like the situation Nell dealt with in Fundraising the Dead, Nell seems to be roped into carrying on her investigation in the shadow of the police efforts. Can she find the what really happened, why and how in time for the opening?

This is very much of a cozy mystery — simple, sweet and straightforward. Its a bit of sweetness at the end of the day. The mystery is not much of a challenge but a good break between more serious, complex tales.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first book of this series I wasn't entirely sold on. But because I love history museums, I think I'm a sucker for these stories. I liked how this book worked with another museum, and the problems sort of overlapped. Whether poor writing or foreshadowing, I knew the father was going to come back in the picture from very early on. I originally suspected him for the murder but quickly realized he was not the culprit. I was a bit surprised by the ending; I'd like to say it was a twist, but it wasn't entirely shocking. I just didn't feel that "nice guy Joe" would have ended up in the middle of this mess with the author. The whole accidental thing was a fine ending, but, it didn't "feel" right, and it was also a bit anticlimactic at the same time.

Overall I read the book in just 5 days apparently (though I read about half in one day because I was determined as heck). So I did like it. I'm just not sure how I feel about the ending. Onto the next book in the series, for me!

[Brigid · Rating 3 out of 5]

An electrician dies of an electric shock at a children’s museum. The victim is almost nonexistent: A handsome electrician who dies early on and is fleshed out just a little bit toward the end. So this book is a vehicle for Nell to settle into her new job, hire an assistant and a fundraiser (who literally walk in off the street and turn out to be perfect), and hang out with a motley group of people: Annabelle, the director of a small children’s museum; her daughter Caitlin, who, it is revealed late in the book, has Asperger’s; and Annabelle’s ex-husband Nolan, a former IRA fan who left Annabelle and moved back to Ireland when Caitlin was six. There’s a lot of sitting around and talking over coffee or tea, a few trips to restaurants, not a lot of suspense. More of a slice-of-life story with a few red herrings (Is Eric a criminal? Nope. Is Nolan a terrorist? Nope. Is Caitlin mentally ill? Nope.) and lots of gossip.

[Gwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading the story totally out of order (so I know already whether relationships develop or not, if new hires will stick or not), the story still charms. Happily, things are relatively stable at the Philadelphia museum of Nell Pratt's employ. As she begins to think about reaching out to other museum directors --her community -- the head of "Let's Play," an interactive children's museum, reaches out to her. When a near-death, and then a death, occur, Nell is pulled into the fray by the museum's director. This is all enough to make me want to visit some local museums, appreciate all of the behind the scenes work (including electrical and other maintenance!), and give them some money!

[Dennis Fischman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the first book in this series back in 2014, and then I absent-mindedly picked up the fifth book in which Nell and James are already a tight couple moving in together in 2020. What's consistent in the series is that Nell's voice is funny and engaging and her ethics are just what I would hope for in a nonprofit.

The mysteries vary. At least in this one, the solution I thought I had all along turned out to be just ninety degrees off from the real solution, neither totally expected nor ridiculous: a real twist. Mostly, though, Nell is stocking her staff with new characters for the next book in the series.

[Deborah Almada · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am really enjoying this series, I like Sheila Connolly's books because it is obvious she does her homework and the background and basis for her mysteries add so much to the story. I really enjoy history and to visit different types of museums as backdrops for these mysteries are joy. In this volume it is a children's museum and Nell feels compelled to help a friend after the Society's own recent problems, and the solution to the mystery was unique. Definitely worth your time !!!!!!!!

[Jeanie Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book starts slowly, but, in defense of the book, I believe it starts slowly since it is introducing new characters.

It becomes very interesting when a young man takes an electric shock off a children's display that is being set up. This occurs while it is being demonstrated to Nell, during a discussion of a joint display between the two museums.

When a second individual gets shocked, fatally, it becomes more involved and faster moving.

While looking into the electrocutions, the FBI agent Jim, continues to try to find the artifacts stolen from Nell's museum. Very good read.

[Mia♫ · Rating 3 out of 5]

- I got sucked into Nell’s world. And gave me a glimpse of what it’s like to work in museums, of course, with some added drama.
- I likes the tie to Philadelphia and I’ve heard positive things of the real-life museum
- Not super satisfied with the way the mystery ended…felt very anticlimactic and, unfortunately, we didn’t see any justice get served with Hadley
- An easy read and nice to pick up even without having read the first one
- Nell’s not my favorite but she’s alright! Has that passion for what she does. But…idk, I’m left wanting a little more. More of what exactly, I’m not sure

[Sunsettowers · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun cozy mystery, with the protagonist a woman who works for a historical society, who gets drawn into a mysterious death at a local children's museum. The characters were all interesting, as was the setting, and I especially loved the inclusion of the children's museum and children's books. The solution to the mystery wasn't the best I've ever read, but it was satisfying, and the book as a whole was a fun and quick read.

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first book in this series so I got this, the second book, from the library. Although I enjoyed reading about the main character, Nell Pratt, and her friends and associates, the actual solution to the mysterious death was a bit of a disappointment to me. After that, the novel continued for another twenty pages, which seemed anti-climactic. Nevertheless, I will request the third book from the library - hopefully the ending will be more satisfactory next time.

[Marti · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book got off to a bit of a slow start but then picked up. I enjoyed the Philadelphia setting. I also liked that one of the characters had Asperger's. In describing that character, Ms. Connolly described the character's challenges but also her strengths. She also worked in a little Phillies baseball history. The story centered around a children's museum and difficulties encountered related to a new interactive display.