A Case of Bad Taste (A Morning Shade Mystery #1) [Paperback]

Lori Copeland (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 26, 2003

Frustrated author M. K. Diamond is suffering from another bout of writer's block when the perfect plot unfolds in real life: a burglar in Morning Shade is breaking into homes and redecorating, of all things! If only Maude can keep her feisty mother-in-law, Stella, on the case before the trail grows cold and her manuscript freezes up again.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Lori Copeland at her best!"
-- Karen Kingsbury --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Christian romance author Lori Copeland has published more than fifty-five novels since beginning her writing career in 1982. Lori and her husband, Lance, live in Springfield, Missouri, and have enjoyed more than 43 years together in marriage. They have three sons, three daughters-in-law, three grandsons, and one granddaughter (they admit to spoiling the only girl in the family just a little bit).

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.; 1ST edition (June 26, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 084237115X
• ISBN-13: 978-0842371155
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #347,736 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

My husband and I live in the beautiful Ozarks. Our three sons, Randy, Rick and Russ live nearby so we get to enjoy our five grandchildren on a weekly basis. James, Joe, Josh, Gage and Audrey. Naturally I dote on the grandchildren! We also enjoy our many friends from our church and RV club.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Warm-Hearted Far-Fetched Story, December 23, 2003

By 

Louis N. Gruber "Author of Jay" (Lexington, SC United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Case of Bad Taste (A Morning Shade Mystery #1) (Paperback)

Maude Diamond is a struggling novelist who has never made the best seller list. She has recently lost her husband and has a serious case of writer's block. Her elderly mother-in-law moves in with her, followed by her daughter, reeling from a disastrous marriage. So life is looking pretty bleak with nothing to pique Maude's interest until--

Well, you'd never guess. A mysterious burglar is knocking over homes in the little town of Morning Shade, Arkansas--a burglar who never steals anything, but comes in to rearrange the furniture and redecorate. Who could it be? And why is he (or she) doing this?

It is a pretty far-fetched plot, to be sure, and it takes a while for author Copeland to hit her stride. I wasn't sure I could finish this book, but I'm glad I did. It gradually draws you in to the warm-hearted ambience of the little town and its quirky characters. The story takes off and I found myself enjoying it in spite of myself.

Bad Taste is not great literature. The plot is absurd, the dialogue is awkward, the characters are all too quirky and lovable. More serious, the author is not subtle about her Christian faith, and sometimes comes perilously close to preaching. Still, the book was fun and easy to read and I enjoyed it for what it is. Reviewed by Louis N. Gruber.

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ready for a few laughs?? Love Trading Spaces??, July 7, 2003

By 

L. Baldwin (Bremerton, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Case of Bad Taste (A Morning Shade Mystery #1) (Paperback)

In this first of a series (I can't wait to read the rest) Ms. Copeland gives us new friends and some mystery to unfold. The setting is perfect, the characters are great, and the plot is a perfect balance of laughs and reflection. Imagine a break-in artist who...redecorates! And, that, is just the beginning.

Do yourself a favor and pick this one up!!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Great concept completely trashed, June 10, 2009

By 

Rand "Rand" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Case of Bad Taste (A Morning Shade Mystery #1) (Paperback)

This book was so poorly written I had to get to the end to see if it had any redeeming qualities. Unfortunately, what could have been a great concept for a mystery was wasted. The characters spend time moaning about their lives with little or no character development. Interpersonal relationships change spontaneously and unaccountably, surely not as a result of their dull, flat conversations.

As for the mystery, no actual investigation occurs. Developments in the mystery simply happen and are briefly repeated as gossip so the characters can return to moaning. The revelation of the mystery is not accomplished by any of the main characters and occurs mostly by accident because the culprit foolishly gets caught by THE POLICE. The denouement takes a couple of paragraphs at most and the explanation of the perps motive turns out to be infantile, improbable and uninteresting.

About the only thing I can say in it's favor is that it isn't foul. It is just bad writing, bad plot development and bad character development. Too bad, it was a good idea.