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Book Reviews of How to Host a Killer Party (Party Planning, Bk 1)

How to Host a Killer Party (Party Planning, Bk 1)
How to Host a Killer Party - Party Planning, Bk 1
Author: Penny Warner
PBS Market Price: $8.09 or $4.19+1 credit
ISBN-13: 9780451229304
ISBN-10: 0451229304
Publication Date: 2/2/2010
Pages: 298
Rating:
  • Currently 3.6/5 Stars.
 44

3.6 stars, based on 44 ratings
Publisher: Signet
Book Type: Paperback
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

2 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

myhotstylist avatar reviewed How to Host a Killer Party (Party Planning, Bk 1) on
Helpful Score: 4
What a breath of fresh air for the cozy mystery genre!

It was such a pleasure getting to know Presley Parker, Event Planner and owner of Killer Parties, in San Fransisco.

When the mayor hires Presley to host a suprise wedding for his fiance, Ikea Takeda, things go wrong when the bride to be washes up dead in the bay.

Having had numerous people attending the party, Presley turns into the number one suspect, so she uses her party planning skills to catch the murderer. Things dont always go well for Presley, and she finds herself in some sticky situations to catch the real killer.

Bottom line: I really enjoyed this book! Presley is a very cute character. Shes surrounded by an eccentric group of friends and co-workers that help her out along the way. Its fun how Presley pre-thinks her current situations by remembering scenes from old movies. Even though I guessed the killer extremely early on, (hey im getting pretty good at this) the plot moved quickly, and the reveal scene was action packed. I liked how the clues were sprinkled throughout the book, which helped me confirm my guess.

I am eagerly awaiting the next book in this series, and hope the author contiues to write them!
ra7 avatar reviewed How to Host a Killer Party (Party Planning, Bk 1) on + 1026 more book reviews
Presley is a party planner (I mean event coordinator!) who also has ADHD. She was laid off at her prior job in the psych department at the U of San Fran. She has a habit of diagnosing people. Her mom, who now has dementia, was a successful party planner, so Presley hopes to take up the reins. She gets a chance hosting the mayor's surprise wedding....at Alcatraz. Things don't go as planned and there are 2 dead bodies and Presley is considered a suspect.
I did like this. I was interested and the who-done-it was good, as was the motivations behind it. But, Presley came off as a ditz. Did I mention she has ADHD & she taught psych? Sometimes when a character says something stupid/wrong/pick your poison, it makes them more relate-able. Not so much with Presley. The secondary characters were fun.
Will I read the next and rest in series? Nah. (And did you know Presley was a psych major..... and has ADHD? The reminders constantly got old. Fast.)