Deja Moo

Maddie Kosloski is not a fan of San Benedetto’s Christmas Cow, the thirty-foot straw cow that sits in the town square every December. The cow displaces her paranormal museum as the number one tourist attraction, and she can’t afford to have fewer customers. Plus, every year, despite around-the-clock surveillance, the cow goes up in flames.

This year, there’s more than just a straw cow ablaze in Maddie’s hometown. One of the Christmas Cow guards has been found with an arrow in his chest, and Maddie’s new haunted cowbell exhibit is causing panic. Are the spirits in her museum getting too hot to handle? If Maddie can’t stop the hysteria, and the murderous archer, her holiday plans might not be the only thing full of holes.

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Series: A Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum Mystery – Book 3
Author: Kristen Weiss
Genre: Cozy Mystery/Paranormal
Publisher: Midnight Ink

Rating:

Deja Moo is a fun, and an easy-to-read book filled with quirky humor and twists and turns that will make the reader happy. A straw Christmas Cow is original and an interesting take on the traditional straw man. Although this book has a holiday theme, it isn’t filled with the normal holiday detail.

Ms. Kosloski has developed characters that are long-lasting, relatable, and likable, a combination that can be hard to achieve. This book is the third installment in the “A Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum Mystery” series and is a fitting addition. Characters have evolved with well-rounded personalities and unmistakable oddities that readers will love. Returning characters such as Maddie’s mother and friends are an integral part of the plot, and Maddie couldn’t investigate without them.

Maddie may own a paranormal museum, but she doesn’t believe in the paranormal. At times she wants to shout it from the rooftops, but because it is her livelihood, she must suppress her disbelief and the urge to tell people the truth. It wouldn’t be good for business if her customers found out that the items on display at the museum aren’t really cursed. But when the cursed cowbells cause panic and are blamed for possible deaths, she tries to convince the townspeople that the bells are not and have never been cursed. Unfortunately, no one believes her.

Overall, Deja Moo is a fast-paced, action-filled romp that readers will appreciate. It is funny at times, giving the characters a real-life impression with emotions the reader can experience. It is recommended to anyone who likes a quick read with memorable characters. Unfortunately, there are a few too many questions that were left unanswered after the killer was revealed, and this may cause some readers to be disappointed.