The Museum Murder (Epiphany Bloom #2) by Katie Gayle

Published March 31st 2021 by Bookouture

Book Description: 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.

5 Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Museum Murder is the second instalment in the Epiphany Bloom Mysteries series and I loved this one as much or more than the first. Epiphany, aka Pip, is a lovable young woman who just hasn’t found her niche. Her mom, who is quite well off, has refused to help her out anymore and wants her to get a job and make her own way in the world. Pip and her sister Fliss, are a hoot. Pip seems to constantly mess up in whatever job she has. In the last book, she finds a famous actress’s missing son, but she stumbled her way through the case, this book is much the same. Fliss is a well-known blogger who has one vocabulary mishap after another, I just have to laugh at their conversations. In this story, Pip just happens to be in the right place at the right time. She is hired to purchase acquisitions for a vintage fashion museum. When she realizes that the centerpiece of the museum’s collection, Julia Robert’s red gown from Pretty Woman is a knock off, she is tasked to find the original which was stolen. Pip actually has a method to try and track down the gown, but stumbles upon information that changes her path. One of her sources ends up dead and the owner of the museum has been keeping secrets. Never did she believe, even in such a cutthroat, shady world as the collectors and memorabilia market that it would lead to murder. Can Pip find the culprit who stole the garment whilst also getting to the bottom of the brutal murder?

This is a fun and addictive cozy mystery. It has a cast of quirky characters, both main ones and secondary. Pip has a couple of possible relationships brewing, but she likes both men and does not want to ruin their friendships. I will be interested to see where the authors take this storyline. I have to say that this is one funny cozy mystery series, but also has an interesting mystery to be solved. Yes, there was a murder, but that was not the main mystery. I like that the primary plot was about the missing dress, not the murder. The plots and protagonist are unique and the stories are full of drama and action as well as being lighthearted and fun. I really enjoyed this one and recommend it to lovers of cozy mysteries, or fun books that also have a mystery element. Definitely a wonderful break during these stressful times. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book upon request. The rating and opinions shared are my own.

Purchase Links: Amazon – Apple – Kobo – Google

Author Bio: Katie Gayle is the writing partnership of best-selling South African writers, Kate Sidley and Gail Schimmel. Kate and Gail have, between them, written over ten books of various genres, but with Katie Gayle, they both make their debut in the cozy mystery genre. Both Gail and Kate live in Johannesburg, with husbands, children, dogs and cats. Unlike their sleuth Epiphany Bloom, neither of them have ever stolen a cat from the vet.

https://www.facebook.com/KatieGayleWriter
https://twitter.com/KatieGayleBooks