The Museum Murder: An utterly unputdownable cozy mystery

· Bookouture
4.2
5 reviews
Ebook
350
Pages

About this ebook

Readers are totally hooked on The Museum Murder!

‘Addictive.’ Carla Loves to Read ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Absolutely perfect!’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘I was hooked.’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Absolutely unputdownable.’ Bookish Jottings ⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

Dastardly deeds, daring deceptions and a dress to die for… Epiphany Bloom is back on the case!

 

Epiphany ‘Pip’ Bloom, would-be detective and London’s unluckiest woman, finds herself in a real costume drama when she unearths a theft at a fashion museum.

 

The missing dress is a proper piece of Hollywood history, worth a fortune. And as Pip investigates, she finds the museum staff all had reasons to want the garment gone. From fancy boutiques to sketchy back alleys, Pip discovers the fashion world is not all glitz and glamour as she hunts down her prize.

 

As if she doesn’t have enough on her plate, Pip also has her growing feelings for her housemate Tim to contend with, a family of cats to feed and her mother keeps phoning about a shipment of llamas arriving any day now from South America.

 

But there’s no time for distractions because Pip’s not the only one after the dress. And for the most dedicated collectors, a piece like this is worth any price – even murder…

 

A laugh-out-loud, light-hearted cozy mystery for fans of M.C. Beaton, T.E. Kinsey and Joanne Fluke, that will have you reading late into the night.

 

Readers are loving the Epiphany Bloom Mysteries

‘Epiphany Bloom is my new favourite female sleuth!... What a wonderful character… I am looking forward to more from this author!’ Netgalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

‘A great escapism read, funny, entertaining and easy to read. It reminded me of younger Agatha Raisin who I love and Pip is a genuinely warm and comical character… Great fun, I loved it!’ Karen Reads and Recommends

 

‘It’s a giggle a minute joining Pip in her adventures… addictive and amusing… I just loved Epiphany Bloom. She’s a fabulously funny, frivolous character who can make the sun shine even on the most gloomy of days… Fans of cozy mysteries should find this book a sheer delight!’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

‘I laughed out loud over just about every one of Flis and Pip’s conversations. There was extremely clever writing and the plot points that came out of them were unique and interesting. Consider me a fangirl, avidly awaiting additional adventures for Pip.’ Fireflies and Free Kicks

 

‘I really loved this book! Pip is such a likeable character, she is such an accident prone woman but her heart is in the right place… Such a quirky story that keeps you gripped, making you want more and more… Highly highly recommended.’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

‘Refreshing when you discover a new series where you can’t decide which character you adore more’ Books ’n Whatnot ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

‘Tremendous fun!... this book has a proper and thoroughly developed mystery plot… It’s a very definite yes from me for Pip Bloom and her fledgling investigative career – I can’t wait to read more!’ It Takes a Woman ⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

‘What a great read… [Pip] really grew on me and by the end I was a complete fan… The writing style was funny and assured and the storyline moved at a great pace. I can’t wait to read more.’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Ratings and reviews

4.2
5 reviews
Mrs WJ Reads
March 31, 2021
Earlier this month, I finished reading an advanced reader copy of `The Museum Murder’ by Katie Gayle provided by the publisher and NetGalley. Katie Gayle is actually two writers who’ve worked together to write the Epiphany Bloom Mysteries and this is the 2nd novel in the series. Synopsis: Epiphany Bloom, better known as Pip, has just gotten a new job at a fashion museum. Not only is she expected to do her job of curating new items for the collection, but she must also track down a missing iconic 90's Hollywood dress to keep her job secure. Join Pip as she navigates her love life, balances all aspects of her new job and tries to figure out what to do with a llama shipment her mother plans to send from South America! What you can expect: - A fun and easy mystery with some laugh-out-loud moments - A heroine whose character gets more and more appealing as the book progresses - Two “will they or won’t they” love interests - Family Drama What I liked: - The short back-stories sprinkled throughout about Pip’s previous jobs - Pip’s eccentric family members - The development of Pip’s character The unexpected: A murder doesn’t occur until more than halfway through the book. So it’s more of a mystery book than a murder mystery book. Thus, the title feels unsuitable; however, this doesn’t take away much from the overall story, which I would say moves at a good pace and piques enough interest.
M.K. Daure
March 31, 2021
{Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for gifting me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.} Epiphany Bloom is a walking disaster. She has trouble keeping a job because she keeps making mistakes she justifies by saying they could have happened to anyone. She was successful in her previous job at a firm of private investigators, until she made a crucial spelling mistake on a background check, which got her fired. When she arrives at a job interview at a fashion museum specializing in film, television, and celebrity items, she notices that the centrepiece of the exhibition, the red dress worn by Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, is a fake. Because of her experience as a private investigator, she is hired to find the real dress before the owner returns and learns it is missing. This book is completely delightful. I usually associate cosy mysteries with small villages, not bustling cities like London, but this has all the trappings of a true cosy mystery: the quirky cast of characters, the bloodless murder, and the amateur detective. The tone is one of heightened realism, where the people and events are just a bit too eccentric to be quite real, which is one of the greatest charms of the book. Epiphany “Pip” Bloom is a great main character. It is hard to describe her because she is a grown woman (I think the story says she is thirty-five), and from hints she drops here and there she has led quite the eventful life, but in many ways she has the guilelessness of a twelve-year-old. She reminded me strongly of Alexis Rose of Schitt’s Creek, especially the way in that she’s always saying (thinking) “when this thing happened” followed by some outlandish detail, yet the story is never mentioned again. The secondary characters who form the pool of suspects are endearing, I’m almost sad that if there is another book in this series Pip will likely have lost this job and we will not see them again. The mystery is pretty straightforward, but there are enough red herrings and twists to keep things interesting, not to mention the death that Pip suspects was a murder, which ups the stakes considerably. There is a hint of romance, but that portion of the plot is not resolved in this book, so it is likely to be a very slow burn across multiple books. The Museum Murder was the second book in this series, it is very likely that I will go back and read the first one, and I am very interested in reading the next adventure of Epiphany Bloom.
Linda Strong
April 2, 2021
I knew when I read the first book of this series, I would be back for more. My preferred genre is usually not a cozy mystery ... but I found myself laughing out loud and not only at the first book. I was so hoping THE MUSEUM MURDER would be just as entertaining as the first ... and I was not disappointed. This is easily read as a stand alone, however, I highly recommend reading in order. Epiphany (Pip) is such a unique character and just plain hilarious as she gets in and out of trouble. You cannot dislike anyone who would steal a cat from the vet's office where she worked. Pip is still looking for work. It seems most things she's tried have not had the desired results. Her last temp post was working with a private investigator. I won't give it all away .. but let's just say that didn't work out well. The temporary office placement won't even take her calls anymore. Just by luck, her sister drags her into a fashion museum where a well-known dress from a movie is on display. But Pip knows her stuff and this is not the dress it is said to be. It's a fake! The manager of the museum confesses that the dress in not the original.... someone had stolen the original and she had bought a knock-off until the original could be found. And that's how Pip found herself employed once again. So who would steal this dress? As Pip investigates, she finds the museum staff all had reasons to want the garment gone. And she's not the only one hunting for the dress. This is another laugh-out-loud cozy featuring a lovable woman who blunders her way through job after job trying to find where she fits in the big scheme of things. Her cat has a litter of kittens that she takes care of ... she has kind of a crush on her roommate .. but he's more intent on Pip going to work so she can pay her share of the rent.. and then there's mom who says she's shipping a load of llamas to her. And now there's someone who has eyes on her .. especially when her investigation is close to revealing who the dress-napper is. Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / Netgalley for the amusing cozy mystery. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

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