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marlynb's review
4.0
Presley Parker's party planning business is doing pretty well. Her latest gig is a wrap party for a vampire movie, which is to be held in a cemetery.
The day before the party, as Presley is setting up, she meets some young adults who practice parkour. She warns them that they're trespassing, but they don't seem to care.
The next morning, they learn that one of them, known as "Spidey" is dead. At first it's assumed that he had fallen while running, but it's soon determined that he was murdered. The suspect list is long: any of the movie's cast and crew, some paparazzi, and the cemetery's creepy caretaker, Otto.
As usual, Presley doesn't think that the police are working quickly enough to find the killer, and puts herself in jeopardy by investigating on her own.
Presley is a charming protagonist, if a bit headstrong. Like many amateur sleuths, she walks into dangerous situations quite certain that she'll be able to defend herself. Often she's right, but occasionally she's wrong.
This is a light, quick read; occasionally funny but not at all frightening, despite the title.
Each chapter begins with a hint for planning the perfect vampire-themed party, and there are more ideas in an appendix.
The book concludes with a chapter of the next, as yet untitled Party-Planning Mystery, due in September of 2012.
Many thanks to the publisher for the review copy.
The day before the party, as Presley is setting up, she meets some young adults who practice parkour. She warns them that they're trespassing, but they don't seem to care.
The next morning, they learn that one of them, known as "Spidey" is dead. At first it's assumed that he had fallen while running, but it's soon determined that he was murdered. The suspect list is long: any of the movie's cast and crew, some paparazzi, and the cemetery's creepy caretaker, Otto.
As usual, Presley doesn't think that the police are working quickly enough to find the killer, and puts herself in jeopardy by investigating on her own.
Presley is a charming protagonist, if a bit headstrong. Like many amateur sleuths, she walks into dangerous situations quite certain that she'll be able to defend herself. Often she's right, but occasionally she's wrong.
This is a light, quick read; occasionally funny but not at all frightening, despite the title.
Each chapter begins with a hint for planning the perfect vampire-themed party, and there are more ideas in an appendix.
The book concludes with a chapter of the next, as yet untitled Party-Planning Mystery, due in September of 2012.
Many thanks to the publisher for the review copy.
dollycas's review
5.0
We are back on Treasure Island, home of Presley Parker’s event planning business. Her newest event is a wrap party for a vampire parody movie being produced by Lucas Cruz. He has requested the extravagant affair be held in an actual graveyard. Nothing is too daunting for Presley, she will decorate and accessorize and turn the usually solemn place into the perfect Killer Party venue.
She never planned on adding to the number of dead bodies in the cemetery. But even before the party can even get started a body is found. With her company’s reputation at ”stake” she has no choice but to investigate. She has to work fast and also be careful not to get “bit” by the killer herself.
MY THOUGHTS
I learned a lot from this book. First don’t invite vampires and werewolves to the same party they don’t get along.
Seriously this book is fang-tastic delight!!
Penny Warner is an expert in party planning and cozy mystery novels. She wraps together the perfect amounts of mystery, a wild setting, crazy characters plus the characters we love, with a good dose of humor and a little romance that keeps us coming back for more. She even throws in real party tips as a bonus.
This edition will have you planning your next Halloween party at the local cemetery with all the guests dressing up as Dracula, Edward from Twilight or Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. Except for a couple of dead bodies, some deep dark secrets, and the paparazzi the party was awesome.
Presley is a busy woman, juggling several balls in the air, include finding murders, but she can always find time for her mother. Her mother’s memories of the past are vast but the she struggles with more current ones. Presley never gets upset, she is so patient with her mom and will listen to the same stories she has heard time and again with hardly a sigh. That is why I love this character. Real, down to earth and caring. She is definitely the treasure of Treasure Island. I highly recommend this book and the entire series. They are fun and entertaining. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Obsidian. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
She never planned on adding to the number of dead bodies in the cemetery. But even before the party can even get started a body is found. With her company’s reputation at ”stake” she has no choice but to investigate. She has to work fast and also be careful not to get “bit” by the killer herself.
MY THOUGHTS
I learned a lot from this book. First don’t invite vampires and werewolves to the same party they don’t get along.
Seriously this book is fang-tastic delight!!
Penny Warner is an expert in party planning and cozy mystery novels. She wraps together the perfect amounts of mystery, a wild setting, crazy characters plus the characters we love, with a good dose of humor and a little romance that keeps us coming back for more. She even throws in real party tips as a bonus.
This edition will have you planning your next Halloween party at the local cemetery with all the guests dressing up as Dracula, Edward from Twilight or Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. Except for a couple of dead bodies, some deep dark secrets, and the paparazzi the party was awesome.
Presley is a busy woman, juggling several balls in the air, include finding murders, but she can always find time for her mother. Her mother’s memories of the past are vast but the she struggles with more current ones. Presley never gets upset, she is so patient with her mom and will listen to the same stories she has heard time and again with hardly a sigh. That is why I love this character. Real, down to earth and caring. She is definitely the treasure of Treasure Island. I highly recommend this book and the entire series. They are fun and entertaining. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Obsidian. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
pussreboots's review
4.0
How to Party with a Killer Vampire by Penny Warneris the fourth of the Party Planner mysteries. Presley Parker is hosting the wrap up party for Cee Gee studios in a Colma cemetery. Things go wrong when a tabloid journalist is murdered.
Mixed in with the vampire horror film wrap up, is the art of parkour. Three local experts had been brought on as stunt doubles and now they are wrapped up in the aftermath of the journalist's murder.
Strange characters with San Francisco stylings are the usual fair for the Party Planner. The location often plays a big role as a character in its own right. This time, though, Colma didn't come off as convincing as previous locations had. It felt more like a generic cemetery location, than the actual one — being conveniently far from anything, dark, and of course populated by crazy ground keepers.
Although Colma isn't in San Francisco, and at one time was in the middle of no where, it no longer is. Colma sits nestled between Daly City, San Bruno mountain and South San Francisco. While cemeteries are its primary business, it also houses car dealerships, a couple strip malls, restaurants and a pub. It's not the dead place as described in the book. Some of the streets even go right through cemeteries, so it was hard to believe that Presley has as alone as she often says she is.
Mixed in with the vampire horror film wrap up, is the art of parkour. Three local experts had been brought on as stunt doubles and now they are wrapped up in the aftermath of the journalist's murder.
Strange characters with San Francisco stylings are the usual fair for the Party Planner. The location often plays a big role as a character in its own right. This time, though, Colma didn't come off as convincing as previous locations had. It felt more like a generic cemetery location, than the actual one — being conveniently far from anything, dark, and of course populated by crazy ground keepers.
Although Colma isn't in San Francisco, and at one time was in the middle of no where, it no longer is. Colma sits nestled between Daly City, San Bruno mountain and South San Francisco. While cemeteries are its primary business, it also houses car dealerships, a couple strip malls, restaurants and a pub. It's not the dead place as described in the book. Some of the streets even go right through cemeteries, so it was hard to believe that Presley has as alone as she often says she is.
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