Life of the party or death of the party? One never knows which they will end up when Presley Parker plans your party!

That is exactly the case, in How to Crash a Killer Bash, for philanthropist Mary Lee Miller when she asks Presley to plan a fundraiser for the de Young Museum in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Mary Lee doesn’t want just any fund-raising event, she wants a murder mystery party, with herself starring as the victim. What Mary Lee doesn’t plan on, however, is being a real-life murder victim.

When Presley’s best friend, Delicia, is overheard threatening Mary Lee before her murder, along with evidence pointing her way, she is automatically thought guilty and arrested. Presley knows that it is up to her to prove the cops wrong, so with the help of a fellow office mate, Brad, she sets out to do whatever it takes to prove her friend’s innocence.

How to Crash a Killer Bash is the second installment in Penny Warner’s A Party-Planning Mystery with Tips series. I found it to be tons of fun and I absolutely adored the main character of Presley Parker. Her sarcasm and smart-mouth reminded me a lot of Stephanie Plum from Janet Evanovich’s Plum series. Presley is smart, hilarious, caring and just a wonderful character all-around. Her devotion and cleverness in solving murders is creative and innovative. The character of Presley’s mother, is delightful and with her onset of Alzheimer’s, heart-warming. Then, of course, there is Brad, the marshmallow man, his career is a Crime Scene Cleaner, so his outfit of white jumpsuit makes him often referred to as the “marshmallow man” by Presley. The sizzle between Presley and Brad is tingling and constant. Though they don’t have an official relationship - beyond friendship - there is that lingering desire that transpires between them throughout the story.

I wanted to share a couple of excerpts to show the delightful humor of Penny Warner in her writing. The first comes while Presley is concentrating on her investigating and putting together a list of suspects, when Brad comes up behind her. (pg. 63)

Apparently Jason wasn’t a fan. I wondered what their relationship status was today.

I had just added his name to my notes when someone tapped me on the shoulder, startling me. I spun around to find a giant marshmallow man standing behind me. I slapped my chest in relief.

“You’ve got to stop sneaking up on me,” I said to Brad, who looked like an alien, if not a marshmallow man, in his white Crime Scene Cleaners jumpsuit.

This next excerpt comes after Presley awakens from a rather pleasant dream of Brad. (pg. 160)

Naturally I dreamed about a romantic crime scene cleaner.

Brad was just about to rescue me from a museum mummy who had come to life when my cat alarm went off. Cairo was kneading my stomach digging in with his sharp little claws, while Fatman licked my cheek. Only Thursby slept in; he still lay across my ankles. Snoring. I knew cats purred, but I never knew they snored. Maybe he had a deviated septum. Maybe he needed rhinoplasty. Maybe I needed to get up.

Of course the story isn’t all filled with humor. There is plenty of mystery strewn throughout as Presley tries to solve the murder of Mary Lee Miller. When two more dead bodies turn up, the plot thickens even deeper. I do have to admit that I had the murderer figured out early on, however that did not deter me from loving the story and wanting to read until the very end.

Also worth mentioning, in my opinion, are the delightful party planning tips that begin each chapter. They are sure to bring a smile to readers’ faces, as they did to mine. Such examples are:

Party Planning Tip #9: Hire extra help for your Murder Mystery Party. You’ll need assistance when serving refreshments, keeping suspects from over imbibing, and cleaning up any unexpected blood. You might even have your attorney stand by.

Party Planning Tip #18: If the guests have no idea whodunit after reviewing all the clues at your Murder Mystery Party, suggest they just choose someone with shifty eyes, a long facial scar, or a missing ear. That’s what Nancy Drew would do.

There are several mentions of ADHD throughout How to Crash a Killer Bash because Presley suffers from this disorder. This did not bother me, however I did notice the disorder was thrown in quite often and perhaps, on occasion, overly so. Again, this did not take away from my overall enjoyment of the story, it was just perhaps a bit much.

The next installment in the A Party-Planning Mystery with Tips series is due to release March 2011 and is titled How to Survive a Killer Séance. I truly cannot wait to read this and find out what adventures Presley gets into next, as well as how the relationship between her an Brad continues to play out. ~ April