Sheila Connolly | Do You Know What Privy Means?

You know what a privy is, right? Actually there are three definitions: as an adjective it means “sharing in the knowledge of something secret or private;” and as a noun it can be either “a person having an interest in any matter” or “a toilet located in a small shed outside a house.”

In PRIVY TO THE DEAD, all three fit.

Philadelphia is an old city, and there’s a lot of history buried beneath the surface. Nell Pratt, President of the Pennsylvania Antiquarian Society, discovers that when the Society undertakes a much needed renovation—and uncovers a deep hole in the basement floor. That could have been no more than a footnote to the building’s history, until Nell asks that one of the workman check if there’s anything in the hole (don’t worry, it’s been dry for a century). What that man finds down there sets off a chain of events that includes a murder.

Years ago I worked at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, which is the model for my fictional Society. Don’t worry—they know. I still have friends there, and in fact, the current president is a college classmate. I stop in to chat whenever I’m in Philadelphia. On one of those trips, I was talking to the staff historian, who mentioned the pit in the basement—and a story was born.

After that “aha!” moment, the next question was, what should I put in that mysterious pit? (I have no idea what was actually there, if anything.) The Society has been a collecting institution for over a century, so I had a wide array of choices. The original date of construction of the building limited the window of opportunity to dump something there, and also limited the number of people who would have had access to the pit before it was covered up again. Did someone drop something in by accident or was it deliberate? Did that person want to hide something, assuming no one would ever look in the pit again? And what would have been important enough to warrant killing someone over it now?

It shouldn’t surprise anyone who has been following this series to find out that the items that were found there (you didn’t think I was going to spoil the surprise, did you?) are linked to some familiar characters and a uniquely local family history. Along the way, somehow Nell manages to solve three crimes, past and present.

The Museum Mystery series is so much fun to write, because I get the chance to mingle (or muddle?) Philadelphia history and real personal tales to tell a fictional story. And the city offers so many opportunities!

About Sheila Connolly

Sheila Connolly, Anthony and Agatha Award–nominated author, writes three bestselling cozy mystery series for Berkley Prime Crime. Her Museum Mysteries are based in Philadelphia, her Orchard Mysteries take place in rural Massachusetts, and her County Cork Mysteries are set in Ireland, and include BURIED IN A BOG and SCANDAL IN SKIBBEREEN, both New York Times bestsellers.

In addition, she writes an paranormal romance series, which began with RELATIVELY DEAD in 2013. She has also published ONCE SHE KNEW, a romantic suspense, and REUNION WITH DEATH, a traditional mystery set in Tuscany, as well as a number of short stories. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and three cats, and visits Ireland as often as she can.

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About PRIVY TO THE DEAD

In the latest Museum Mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of RAZING THE DEAD, a suspicious death has Nell Pratt down in the dumps…

Nell Pratt, president of the Pennsylvania Antiquarian Society, has something to smile about thanks to a generous donation from a major Philadelphia developer who’s willing to help update their museum. But renovations have barely begun when a man is struck by a car in front of the building and killed.

The victim is a construction worker who found a curious metal object while excavating an old privy in the museum’s basement. Nell thinks the death is somehow connected to the Society, and her suspicions are confirmed when an antiques expert reveals a link between the objects from the cellar and a fellow staff member’s family.

Now Nell must unearth a mystery with ties to the past and the present. Because when someone is willing to kill over scrap metal, there’s no telling what they’ll do next…