Pressed to Death

Running a paranormal museum is not for everyone, but for Maddie Kosloski, it's right up her alley. In Pressed to Death by Kirsten Weiss, Maddie is the proud owner of a haunted wine press. When Detective Laurel Hammer shows up at Maddie's door and insists the press is stolen property, Maddie is sure she is going to jail. Hammer has taken a huge dislike to Maddie.

As Maddie tries to prove she purchased the press in good faith, her mother and the Ladies Aid Society rope her into helping out at the Harvest Festival's Wine Stomp. As the grapes are being unloaded for the Stomp, the body of winery owner Romeo Paganini tumbles out of the truck.

Her haunted wine press, which had been owned by Paganini, is confiscated by the overzealous police because there appears to be blood on it. Of course the legend behind the press is the story of a murder/suicide from the past.

Romeo's estranged teenage son Leo works for Maddie and he shows little regard for the death of his father. Worried, Maddie thinks she should investigate and her mother and crew pressure her to sole the murder.

With Maddie's friend Dieter taking bets on when she solves the case, there is much pressure on her to find the killer. When the prime suspect is murdered, the case becomes more complicated and puts Maddie in peril.

I enjoyed this book and the characters. Maddie is adventurous without being careless, and her mother and the Ladies Aid Society women are a scream.

For more books by Kirsten Weiss, click here.