The New York Times bestselling author of Dead End Street returns with Nell Pratt discovering one of Philadelphia’s darker buried secrets . . .When a summer intern at the Preservation Society discovers an aged document hidden in the binding of an antique book, Society president Nell Pratt is intrigued by the possibilities: is it a valuable historic document or just a useless scrap of paper? When … When analysis reveals that it’s a hand-drawn map of one of Philadelphia’s oldest neighborhoods, Nell learns that the area is being excavated for a new real estate development and may hold long-buried secrets from the city’s historic heyday.Determined to get to the bottom of the map’s origin and what it might tell her about the mysterious plot of land, Nell will have to contend with a construction company owner who disappears, a former Society board member who’s harbored a dark secret her entire life, and a remarkable discovery that may have the dead turning over in their graves . . .
more
This was the first time I read a book in the “A Museum Mystery” series, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Even though I hadn’t read the previous books I had no trouble following along, it can totally be read as a stand alone.
When a summer intern at the Preservation Society discovers an aged document hidden in the binding of an antique book, Society president Nell Pratt is intrigued by the possibilities: is it a valuable historic document or just a useless scrap of paper? When analysis reveals that it’s a hand-drawn map of one of Philadelphia’s oldest neighborhoods, Nell learns that the area is being excavated for a new real estate development and may hold long-buried secrets from the city’s historic heyday.
Determined to get to the bottom of the map’s origin and what it might tell her about the mysterious plot of land, Nell will have to contend with a construction company owner who disappears, a former Society board member who’s harbored a dark secret her entire life, and a remarkable discovery that may have the dead turning over in their graves . . .
I found myself engrossed in the story and reading it in one sitting. It was entertaining, full of twists and turns as well as a few surprises. I even learnt something about Philadelphia and american history.
The Protagonist Nell is a strong, educated woman, and the side characters are realistic too. The characters are well rounded. I look forward to reading the next installment in this series.
I requested and received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Beyond the Page Publishing and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my OWN.
This is a great series.
While I usually enjoy this author’s books, I found this one to be slow and rather boring. There is no action in it and no mystery in the traditional who-done-it sense. The author spends most of the book recounting the rather tedious research procedures she and her friends follow to track down the story behind an abandoned and forgotten graveyard.
Enjoyed the Philadelphia setting with interesting tidbits from history sprinkled throughout. A quick and good read.
Enjoy Connolly’s titles very much
I really like Sheila Connolly’s style and her backgrounds are so interesting
Good read mixing facts in fictional setting.
If you are a fan of historical fiction this is a good read. The characters could use more development, but overall, it is interesting.
Good read.
I found the information and process used in the book quite informative. However, the narrative tended to drag.
Usually I enjoy reading Shelia Connolly books, but this has got to be one of her worst. It is like she is turning out books just for the money. This is not be one of my favorite story lines, but I am a fan so I try to read them. I’m sorry to say that this one was incredibly boring. I just finished reading the book and I hate to say, the end should have been the beginning. She repeated every new finding, in detail so many times that she must feel that her readers must be not very observant, plus, the book would have half as long. Sorry, but I can’t recommend this book. Very disappointed.
When an intern at the Preservation Society discovers an old document hidden in the binding of an antique book, the possibilities of what it is are endless. Upon closer examination, the document appears to be a hand-drawn map. When they learn that this area is being excavation for new construction they had to check it out; only to find another mystery.
Although this is book 8 in the series, it is my first. I had no problems understanding the storyline so you can definitely enjoy this book as a stand-alone mystery. This was a fun interesting read. The storyline was well-plotted and quick pace. I read this book in one day. There were several twists and turns along the way which surprised me in the end. The characters are well developed, personable, smart, and well rounded. I really enjoyed this book and learned a little bit about the history of Philadelphia too. I recommend this book and I plan on reading more of this series.
I voluntarily agreed to read a copy of this book supplied by Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own and in no way have been influenced.
A mystery to the end.
Digging Up History by Sheila Connolly is number eight in the Museum Mysteries cozy mystery series. Nell is the Executive Director of the Society for the Preservation of Pennsylvania Antiquities in Philadelphia. She lives with her partner, James, with whom she has recently purchased a home. He is an FBI agent. A summer intern, Dylan, has been tasked with cataloging a recent donation of several thousand books, bequeathed by a deceased patron. While he is working on that he comes across an old document that had been hidden in to cover of a rebound book that was part of the collection. Unable to read the faded ink, Nell calls on James, to see if his lab can help. Luckily the technician may be looking for genealogical assistance so is happy to trade skills. Even enhanced, the document is difficult to read. A past board member and friend, Marty, recognizes it as a map and just happens to know what the subject of the map is. At about the same time, an acquaintance of hers, Barney, calls and asks for her to meet him at his building site. He has something to share. The something to share turns out to be hundreds of skeletons found under a parking lot, and a mystery first discovered when Marty was a child, in the building next door.
Having read some of Connolly’s other works, it did not come as a surprise that this was quite the entertaining book. Particularly enjoyable was the research portion of solving the mystery. It was also a nice change that the mystery was not a murder, at least not a current one. The FBI working with the Society was a nice change of pace, even if it was a little under-the-table. In big cities, things like this happen. We probably don’t hear much of it, possibly because it is never discovered, which is a shame. I found this to be a totally enjoyable and engrossing book. I seriously recommend it for American History fans as well as cozy mystery fans. You can’t go wrong.
I was given a free ARC of Digging Up History. All opinions expressed herein are solely my own. #netgalley #digginguphistory
This is a wonderful book! It is the 8th mystery in this series and it is still going strong. It can be read as a standalone so no worries there. Nell Pratt is a fun character very well written story with a clear built world around her. This time around her Intern Dylan finds a parchment hidden in a old book and they set about finding what it all means. The story is set in Philidelphia and brings in past happenings and old relics. Really kept my attention no too much history just enough to make it really interesting. Will go back and read the other books in this series.
When a summer intern discovers a document in the binding of a book that he is working on Nell is happy to try and find out its history. The document could be nothing or it could turn out to be a true find in the world of history. Nell soon learns that the hidden gem is a map of one of Philadelphia’s oldest neighborhoods. She can’t wait to investigate the area that the map includes and soon comes to find out that the exact place she is looking for is under development and will soon be turned into some pricey real estate. Not to be deterred, Nell plans to chat with the head of the construction company and find a way to stop his work on the site so that she will have time to figure out just what the map is all about. Things begin to take a dark turn when the construction owner disappears, leaving Nell to think what else bad can happen. She soon learns that there are ominous secrets being held by those involved in her new mystery. Follow along as Nell tries discover the truth before it is bulldozed and covered up. This is such a wonderful series that is filled with great tidbits of history, I think it is always a fun thing to learn while you read.
historical-places-events, historical-research, historical-setting, law-enforcement, museum, mystery, Philadelphia
I thought that minor archaeology in Philadelphia would be interesting in a mystery. Imagine my absolute delight in finding more than just a paved over cemetery (think of the discovery of King Richard under a British car park) but a pair of bodies and a host of beautiful brass canons commissioned by King George but never used in the American Revolution! Excellent story based in my other addiction (museums/books). The plot is ingenious and involves museum professionals, a construction manager, an FBI agent, and local law enforcement! The characters are all interesting and well developed, the imagery clear. I devoured it in one sitting! What else would you expect from a former Rev War reenactor?
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Beyond the Page Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you!
Digging Up History is the eight book(plus one novella). in the A Museum Mystery series.
I am so excited that this informative series has found a new publisher. I love historical mysteries and even though this isn’t a historical series the author skillfully weaves in historical events in and around Philadelphia into the stories.
Nell is busy putting together the financial spreadsheets for the upcoming board of directors meeting of the Society for the Preservation of Pennsylvania Antiquities when her summer intern, Dylan Robertson, presents her with an interesting project. While cataloging the recent collection of books from the estate of Harriet Featherstone, he finds a book from the 18th century that has been rebound and a piece of paper was used as stuffing when it was rebound. The paper is carefully removed and it appears to be a map with some writing but with its age when much of the ink has faded. Nell asks her partner, James, an FBI agent, if his office could enhance the page so that they will be able to read what is on the page. It turns out to be a map showing piers near the Delaware River which they speculate was drawn in the mid-1700s. A former member of the board and a friend of Nell’s, Marty, familiar with the area as she had family that lived in the area. Marty relates to Nell that when she was a child, she and one of her playmates had crawled into a hole in one of the houses and saw a dead body and they made a quick retreat and never told anyone of their find. As Nell, Marty, and Dylan are about to visit the area depicted on the map when Marty get a call from a family friend and developer, Barney. As Barney’s company was preparing to develop the property they start turning over bones and parts of coffins. Before it is all over, Nell and her team have found a cemetery that has been forgotten for nearly two centuries. They also find the house that Marty remembered from her childhood and find that there are actually two bodies and cache of British brass cannons in the basement of the house. With what they have found, Nell is sure that the Society will be able to get some great publicity from the find if they can learn more about the cemetery and what was found in the long-abandoned house.
Another well-plotted and told story from Ms. Connolly. There are plenty of twists and turns and I was kept guessing till the end.
I’m anxiously awaiting the next book in the series.