{"id":1127,"date":"2013-09-29T21:28:41","date_gmt":"2013-09-30T03:28:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/auntagathas.com\/aa\/?p=1127"},"modified":"2013-09-29T21:28:41","modified_gmt":"2013-09-30T03:28:41","slug":"sheila-connolly-monument-to-the-dead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/auntagathas.com\/aa\/sheila-connolly-monument-to-the-dead\/","title":{"rendered":"Sheila Connolly: Monument to the Dead"},"content":{"rendered":"<form style=\"float: left; margin-right: 10px;\" action=\"http:\/\/www.cartserver.com\/sc\/cart.cgi\" method=\"post\"><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"item2\" value=\"s-6313^^Monument to the Dead by Sheila Connolly^7.99^1\" \/> <input type=\"image\" name=\"add\" src=\"http:\/\/www.auntagathas.com\/americart\/sl-add.gif\" \/><\/form>\n<p>Sheila Connelly is one of the Energizer bunnies of the cozy universe, writing three series as well as a couple stand alones.\u00a0 She\u2019s one of our best selling authors.\u00a0 Each series ties to an actual passion or interest of hers \u2013 this one is centers on the head of an historical museum in Philadelphia, Nell Pratt, a former fundraiser who is now in charge of things.\u00a0 Since many of our customers and many mystery readers are academics and\/or librarians, this particular series should have serious appeal.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"\/aa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/monument-dead.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-1128\" alt=\"monument-dead\" src=\"\/aa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/monument-dead.jpg\" width=\"150\" height=\"242\" \/><\/a>The detective work is done through archival research and good old fashioned Sherlock Holmes-style deductive reasoning.\u00a0 When one of Nell\u2019s most generous board members dies suddenly, it\u2019s not unexpected, just sad.\u00a0 But when Nell asks her assistant, Shelby, to put together a database of city wide donors so \u201casks\u201d won\u2019t be doubled (what a great idea) they stumble across a suspicious cluster of deaths of older board members.\u00a0 With the help of Nell\u2019s FBI boyfriend James and an energetic board member named Marty, they search for connections in the deaths that may or may not exist.<\/p>\n<p>Connolly is able to get across a real feel of Philadelphia upper crust, the way non profits function, and the interconnectedness of high society, using the character of Marty as a perfect illustration.\u00a0 Marty is on the older side with time on her hands, smarts, and lots of energy.\u00a0 She\u2019s also related to almost everyone in Philadelphia, including James (who she calls \u201cJimmy\u201d), and she often proves to be Nell\u2019s ace in the hole.<\/p>\n<p>One of the interesting bits of this novel is the collection held by the museum of a famous 19<sup>th<\/sup> century actor, Edwin Forrest.\u00a0 I was sure he was a figment of Connelly\u2019s imagination, but he was a real person, and his story and his connection to the museum prove to be fascinating.\u00a0 I always like to learn a little something with my mystery reading.<\/p>\n<p>The novel is a crisp read and as it turns out to be actually the fourth novel in this series, there are some developments between Nell and James that I imagine Connelly has been laying out since the first book.\u00a0 I won\u2019t spoil things for readers who haven\u2019t gotten to this installment yet, but I will say Connelly has a deft hand with her characters, making you care about them and believe in them.\u00a0 They felt real.\u00a0 This is a pleasant, brisk read, and I\u2019d recommend it to anyone who enjoys a little archival detection.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sheila Connelly is one of the Energizer bunnies of the cozy universe, writing three series as well as a couple stand alones.\u00a0 She\u2019s one of our best selling authors.\u00a0 Each series ties to an actual passion or interest of hers \u2013 this one is centers on the head of an historical museum in Philadelphia, Nell &#8230; 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