Customer Reviews

A Corpse in the Soup

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Well I have to admit, Morgan St. James and Phyllice Bradner's A Corpse in the Soup is definitely a different sort of mystery from the ones I'm used to reading! The style is utterly bizarre, and I think it's one of those things that either you'll enjoy or you won't. For instance, the dueling chefs heading for a cooking competition are outrageously strange. One is a Jewish sushi chef; another is a Polish Cajun chef; and a third is best known for doing aerobics using raw chicken legs as dumbbells while cooking.

The breakneck pace of the story struck me as similar to that of watching a cartoon--everything's at full volume, color and velocity, and utterly bizarre things are thrown out at the reader with hardly a jot of explanation, such as the twins' occasional esp-linked thoughts, the apparent talking dog (sort of), and so on. The similar names drove me a bit crazy: Red and Rudy; Candy, Crystal and Chili; Godiva and Goldie... my head was positively swimming after a while, but that too fits the style and flavor of a cartoon. It also seemed to take the main characters a little time to pick up on some plot threads and twists that seemed a bit obvious.

In essence, this really is a cartoon version of a mystery, but aimed at adults--all of the above would seem perfectly in place if I was watching a cartoon, and I almost expect to see the pages decorated with black-and-white cartoon-style drawings of the characters and their capers. It's fun, it's funny, it's stylish and entertaining. It's silly and diverting. But it definitely won't be everyone's cup of tea. I think the characters could seem either charming and fun or annoying and silly depending on your take on the style. I more or less started from the latter and drifted toward the former during my read; overall I'd have to say that this isn't my style of mystery, but that it definitely has its charms.

Goldie Silver and Godiva Olivia DuBois may be identical twins with the ability to communicate with one another telepathically, but that's where their similarity ends. Fashion-conscious Godiva, living in Beverly Hills, writes an advice column called Ask G.O.D. Free spirit Goldie lives in Juneau, Alaska, where she owns an antique store. Godiva takes Goldie's daughter Chili, a sous chef, to the taping of popular Chef Caesar Romano's show. Romano asks Godiva to sample the food and she passes out from food poisoning. Goldie flies in to help, and at the hospital, Romano confides that someone is sabotaging his show. Romano offers Chili a job as his assistant, and Goldie and Godiva put their heads together to try to figure out who's got it in for Romano. When his nemesis Biff Wellington is found with a knife in his back, Romano's the number one suspect and Godiva, romantically interested in Romano, is out to prove him innocent, along with the help of her sister Goldie and their mother and uncle, two former Vaudeville magicians.

This fun mystery romp will keep the reader guessing while enjoying the antics of Goldie and Godiva, along with their quirky family. The characters are amusing and endearing, and even the dog Waldo has his humorous moments. The plot moves along crisply, offering plenty of red herrings, and is twisty enough to provide a good whodunit. A Corpse in the Soup, first of the Silver Sisters Mystery series written by sisters St. James and Bradner, is a refreshing addition to the mystery world.

Hippies, divas, bimbos, Hollywood has-beens, mumbling dogs and magicians, not to mention psycho-chefs and murderers, inhabit real-life sister-authors Morgan St. James' and Phyllice Bradner's wacky world of the Silver Sisters. This amateur sleuth team is like antique British sports car meets flower-adorned VW bug. Even the ordinary Main Street America characters are flakey and funny...well, it is California, of course...except for the part that's in Alaska, and that's pretty quirky, too. Bottom line: if you can't handle a pun, son, this ain't gonna be your fun...it was for me! I laughed all the way through the book. As a bonus, it had a surprisingly good plot. A Corpse in the Soup

Godiva, a Beverly Hills advice columnist, is poisoned on a TV cooking show. Her twin sister Goldie, an aging hippie from Alaska, quickly comes to town when her daughter Chili calls. Luckily Godiva recovers. Chef Romano from the cooking show begins seeing Godiva and explains that someone is sabotaging his show. He's sure it's Chef Biff Wellington. They'll be going head to head soon in the Gourmet Gladiator's Tournament.

Chef Romano hires Chili as his new assistant. Godiva and Goldie watch the shows being taped out of concern for Chili. And they start looking into Chef Wellington to try to figure out if he really could be the person behind everything.

When Chef Wellington is murdered, Chef Romano is the prime suspect. Godiva is sure he didn't do it and the twins set out to prove it and find out who did.

This new series is off to a great start. The twins Godiva and Goldie are opposites, but when they work together, they're great sleuths. Throw in their quirky family and you've got a real winner. Lots of twists and turns in the plot. I highly recommend this book.

This book was a hoot to read. The blurb on the back cover condenses the story best, "Identical twin sisters Goldie and Godiva take a wild and funny romp through the glitzy world of TV chefs - in search of a killer!"

This debut novel is the introduction to a series involving Goldie Silver, an antique dealer in Juneau, Alaska and her sister, Godiva, an advice columnist that goes by G.O.D. (Godiva Olivia DuBois.) Godiva is flooded with mail and needs help...now. Enlisted to help is the twin's 80yr old Mother, Flossie, and their Uncle Sterling also in his 80's. Godiva decides that if her niece, Chili Pepper could be lured to Southern California, she could help answer the mail also. The bribe? Tickets to the famous cooking show 'Flirting With Food.'

Chili is thrilled and flies down. At the show, Godiva is asked to sample the food and comes down with food poisoning. Goldie flies down to help her twin and they all end up aiding the Chef as he is accused of murdering his rival, the Aerobic Chef!

This book is funny. An easy read and kept my attention. We, the readers, are gently led to the culprit.

This is a book to discover and enjoy!

Morgan St. James and Phyllice Bradner's delightful novel, A Corpse in the Soup, is a delicious cook's tour through what can only be called a smorgasbord of murder and mayhem in the wacky world of professional chef's.

When Beverly Hills advice to the lovelorn columnist, Godiva Dubois, is nearly killed by poison mushrooms on the set of famous chef, Caesar Romano's TV show, her twin sister, Goldie, flies in from Alaska to see what's going on. What the aging hippie from the boonies finds is a world very different from her quiet life up north. Then her daughter, Chili, gets a job on the very show that produced the near-fatal fungus.

The heat is really turned up when rival chefs vie for the coveted Gourmet Gladiator award. Chef Romano is waging a war of words with handsome aerobic chef, Biff Wellington. But there are lots of axes to grind in this plot, so when one of the chef's turns up dead, Godiva and Goldie use their skills to help solve the crime.

To add to the sweet concoction, Godiva and Goldie's mother and uncle do their best to find out who dunnit. These cool cats are in their 80s, but they don't let that stop them.

This is a fun ride through TV land and even to the wine country of California. The two great gals are fun to be with and you're with them all the way to the nail-biting end.

A good summer read with sassy dialog between the sisters. Interesting story line about chefs and TV cooking shows, and a punchy ending.

Some one is sabotaging the cooking show of America's favorite Chef. Food testers are coming down with food poisoning, the Baked Alaska is blowing up and the paprika is as hot as Hades. But who would do this and why?

When I was young I enjoyed playing the board game "Clue." What made this game so much fun were the characters. So now I want to introduce you to the characters of A Corpse in the Soup. Let's see if you can determine "who done it" in this story of colorful characters.

Godiva Olivia Duboise - writes a syndicated column titled Ask G.O.D. Resides in L. A. And loves to solve other people's problems. Married, widowed, left very rich.

Goldie Silver - identical twin of Godiva. Owns and operates the Silver Spoon Antiques in Juneau, Alaska. Even though she is identical in looks to Godiva she is actually a "mirror" twin. While Godiva's clothes come straight from the designers, Goldie's come straight from the Salvation Army. Godiva has a fleet of expensive cars in her garage while Goldie drives an old clunker.

Chili Pepper - Daughter of Goldie and Red Pepper (Goldie kept her maiden name for the shop). Sous-Chef on her father's Alaskan cruise ship the Aurora Borealis. Gets a call from Godiva inviting her to attend the taping of "Flirting with Food" where Godiva is chosen to be a food tester and ends up in the hospital with food poisoning.

Flossie Silver - Mother of Godiva and Goldie. Sterling Silver - Uncle of Godiva and Goldie. Both Flossie and Sterling are retired vaudeville magicians. And they, like Godiva love to solve other people's problems.

Chef Caesar Romano - Star of "Flirting with Food." Cooked and served the shrimp that put Godiva in the hospital with food poisoning. Swears someone is sabotaging his food. Ends up becoming Godiva's biggest fan and admirer.

Chef Biff Wellington - star of his own cooking show and known as the "Aerobic Chef". Will be competing against Caesar Romano in the annual competition of "Gourmet Gladiators". Hates his competition and swears that he will be this year's winner.

Candy Vanderloop - ex-assistant to Chef Caesar Romano, now working with Chef Biff Wellington. Has a big crush on Romano. Finds out that Wellington is a real pain to work with and for.

Chris Cross - office assistant to Chef Biff Wellington. Has his own problems working with and for Wellington. Teams up with Candy to create their own show.

Now, with names like these you know this is going to be a very funny, entertaining book. But this is also a murder mystery so one of these characters must die. In fact the victim is murdered and found face down in a bowl of soup.

Goldie sums it up quite well with her words... "All I wanted was a quiet buying trip. Instead, my sister gets poisoned, then dates the guy who poisoned her, who hires my daughter, then he gets arrested for killing his rival, we try to help out and almost get carved up by a wacko writer and our savior is a sweet little girl who turns out to be a kamikaze Black Belt. This could only happen in L.A."

I won't waste time telling you a plot to the book that has been done above by other reviewers.

The family in this book is absolutely wacky yet loveable. The story plot is interesting and keeps you reading and I really have to say, I wasn't sure about the "who dunnit" until the end. The twins with the aid of their aging yet dynamo mother and uncle manage to make a great sleuthing team.

Anyone who likes LA-land people with some flair-extrordinaire and a touch of likeable wierdness will enjoy this book for its characters alone. The pun on names was obvious and the writers must have had a ball making them up. The book was interesting and the cook off idea was fun, like in Iron Chef goes wacky and pulls out all the plugs as far as the unique combination of chefs. The dog, Waldo, stole my heart.

The zany Silver Sisters have a new publisher. A Corpse in the Soup, a wacky chase through the glitzy world of TV chefs in search of a killer, has been reissued by L&L Dreamspell, as they are the new publishers of the series.

Goldie, an over-the-hill hippie who owns an antique shop in Juneau, Alaska, and her twin, Beverly Hills advice columnist Godiva Olivia DuBois, find themselves in some pretty hot water in this debut novel in the series.

Godiva is accidentally poisoned on a TV cooking show, "Flirting With Food", and her Mae West lookalike twin, Goldie, rushes to her side. But there's more to it than that. Godiva begins to date the handsome chef and learns that some pretty bad things have been happening on the show. The chef, Caesar Romano, is the favored competitor in the upcoming Greatest Gourmet Gladiators Tournament, and someone is trying to keep him from capturing the title.

In a turn of events, one of the competing chefs is found face down in a bowl of Bouillabaisse and Caesar is arrested. The police won't look any farther, so Goldie and Godiva and their eighty-year-old mother and uncle, former vaudeville magicians, set out to prove he didn't do it.

Schemes backfire, trails lead nowhere, but in a hilarious ending they discover whodunit.