Nell Pratt was overwhelmed when she was promoted to President of the Pennsylvania Antiquarian Society. Nell must not only settle in as the Society's new President, but she must also face inevitable budget cuts, an understaffed team, and an unresolved theft. As if that isn't bad enough, Nell is witness to a terrible accident at the Let's Play Children's Museum. When another man is electrocuted and dies, Nell suspects foul play and is determined to prove the man's death was no accident.

Let's Play Children's Museum is hardly the place to attract hostility, but as Nell begins to sleuth into the life of the museum's president and her family, she discovers a family with a criminal background and long held grudges. Although Nell begins to see Let's Play Children's Museum owner, Arabella Heffernan, as a friend, she discovers that Arabella is a shrewd business woman who worked her way from the gift shop to president of the museum, probably making more than a few enemies along the way. Arabella's daughter, Caitlin, has always blamed her mother for growing up without her father. Nell can easily see Caitlin wanting to create trouble for her mother. When Nell investigates Nell's ex-husband, she discovers a dangerous man with the means and a motive for disrupting Arabella's long awaited exhibit.

Arabella and her family are not the only suspects on Nell's list. The museum's exhibit that injured one man and killed another was based on a book series by author Hadley Eastman. Nell's first encounter with Hadley is anything but cordial. Even Hadley's assistant describes her as the boss from hell. After a few encounters with Hadley, Nell can easily see the bestselling author sabotaging her own exhibit for publicity. As Nell struggles to help her friend save her museum, Nell must also deal with the growing problems at the Pennsylvania Antiquarian Society. Just when Nell thought things couldn't get any worse, she nearly comes undone when she discovers that she can't even trust her own employees.

I never thought a murder mystery at a museum could be so entertaining! One of Sheila Connolly's best qualities as a writer is character development. Readers will fall in love with Nell Pratt's no nonsense way of uncovering the truth. LET'S PLAY DEAD is full of possible suspects. Readers will probably begin guessing the identity of the murderer from page one, but don't count on guessing correctly. Sheila Connolly will prove a better mystery writer than you ever imagined. Impressive writing!