Eleanor 'Nell' Pratt is responsible for keeping the money flowing through the veins of the Pennsylvania Antiquarian Society. Her job duties include media releases, setting up lavish fundraising soirees and even taking care of a drunk board member or two. Until this week, however, it hadn't stretched to dealing with theft or deaths on the premises. Alfred the computer whiz had just passed on his fears that carefully selected artifacts had been stolen from the dusty shelves and sold for thousands and thousands of dollars, then died before he could share anything further. Worse yet, a prominent volunteer and benefactor has discovered some of her families most historically valuable correspondence are no longer among the items donated after the death of her father. If she goes to the media, the Antiquarian Society is doomed. Nell is left holding the bag. The missing items could just be misfiled, as the centuries old artifacts were only loosely organized, but if the worst was true, they could only have been stolen by an employee or member of the society. What a nightmare for any future fundraising.

FUNDRAISING THE DEAD falls firmly into the cozy mystery genre. The peek behind the scenes of an old museum striving to fit into a less trustful modern world is appealing, and the challenge set by the peculiar situation provides a fairly unique setting for this amateur sleuth and her co- workers. Sheila Connolly is better known for her Orchard mystery series, but her real-life background as a fundraiser for non-profits informs this Museum mystery with a strong sense of realism.

Book Summary

At The Society for the Preservation of Pennsylvania Antiques, fundraiser Eleanor "Nell" Pratt solicits donations-and sometimes solves crimes. When a collection of George Washington's letters is lost on the same day that an archivist is found dead, it seems strange that the Society president isn't pushing for an investigation. Nell goes digging herself, and soon uncovers a long, rich history of crime.