Dim Sum Dead: A Madeline Bean Culinary Mystery [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Jerrilyn Farmer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2003

Mah-Jongg?

Yep. In hip Hollywood, that kitsch old game is fast becoming the next "new" obsession -- and that calls for a party! Madeline Bean and her charming partner Wesley Westcott are determined to throw a gonzo Chinese New Year banquet. But among the hot mah-jongg tiles, the steamy dim sum, and the frosty Singapore slings, no one expects to find one of the players ice-cold dead!

Meanwhile, in one of the historic celebrity mansions that Wesley is restoring as a sideline, a well-aimed crowbar uncovers a stash of precious objects -- including an antique mah-jongg set. As Madeline pieces together how these two events are connected, she must separate the yin from the yang to uncover a killer. It doesn't take a fortune cookie to spell it out. There is always a price to pay...whether gambling at mah-jongg -- or murder.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...A scrumptious offering. No one knows how to serve up a tasty slice of LA life like Jerrilyn Farmer." -- -- Jan Burke

"Farmer ladles on the humor with a fine hand." -- -- Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel

"Fun filled cook's tour of LA...served with a provocative mystery, characters sweet and bitter, salty ripostes, tasty recipes." -- -- The Los Angeles Times

"Jerrilyn Farmer has raised the bar for the amateur sleuth mystery in a most provocative and exciting way." -- -- Sujata Massey, Agatha Award-winning author of The Floating Girl

"Madeline Bean gives great dish in every sense of the word!" -- -- Edgar Award-winning author Laura Lippman

"The author truly hits her stride...an appetizing read for any fan of the modern-day cozy." -- --Charlotte Austin Review

...Farmer offers a charming and fun-filled cook's tour of L.A. It is served with a provocative mystery, characters sweet and bitter, salty ripostes, tasty recipes (including a nifty one for a Singapore sling), and an appealing, humane heroine who will no doubt be whipping up gourmet meals, breaking hearts, and solving crimes for a long time to come. -- Dick Lochte, Los Angeles Times --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Jerrilyn Farmer, the author of seven acclaimed, award-winning Madeline Bean novels, is a TV writer who has written for game shows such as Jeopardy! and Supermarket Sweep, and sketch comedy specials for Dana Carvey, Jon Lovitz, Timothy Stack, Cheri Oteri, Tim Meadows, and others. Farmer also teaches mystery writing at the UCLA Extension's Writers Program. She lives in Southern California.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 396 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Press (June 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786247541
• ISBN-13: 978-0786247547
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,182,446 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dim Sum Delightful, June 6, 2001

By 

Roz Levine - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dim Sum Dead: A Madeline Bean Culinary Mystery (A Madeline Bean Catering Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

Madeline Bean is back and along with her partner, Wesley Wescott, planning a marvelous Chinese New Year party for the Sweet and Sour Mah Jongg Club. It just so happens that earlier that very day, Wes found an antique Chinese mah jongg set in the old house he's renovating. Along with the beautiful hand carved tiles, there's also a red leather-bound book of what he figures are game instructions, that belonged to the previous owner, the now deceased Hollywood movie legend, Dickey McBride, and his last wife, Quita, will be at the party tonight. Wes has decided to give Quita the set, but before he can deliver it, it's stolen. The game is found a few blocks away in a trash can, but the book is missing. Later that evening, Quita is found dead from an apparent fall down the stairs. The police chalk it up to an unfortunate accident probably caused by too much partying, but Madeline isn't so sure. Her instincts tell her there's a lot more going on than meets the eye and she can't let it rest until she knows the whole truth..... Jerrilyn Farmer has written a light, witty whodunit that gives you a birds eye view of life in L.A., from the old Hollywood screen mavens to the hip nouveau riche. Her writing is delicious, full of descriptive laugh out loud scenes and marvelous dialogue and her cast of quirky characters add to the fun. This is a very well researched book and Ms Farmer's expertise in cooking and the kitchen, mah jongg, the ways of Hollywood and the Chinese New Year celebrations adds real credibility to the story. And as the various plot lines wind their way through the story and eventually come together at the end, it all adds up to a great read with an unexpected climax and very satisfying conclusion. Madeline Bean mysteries never disappoint, and they're not starting now. Dim Sum Dead is a winner!

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Chinese treat with a Hollywood spin, April 4, 2001

By 

Doris Ann Norris (Fostoria, OH United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dim Sum Dead: A Madeline Bean Culinary Mystery (A Madeline Bean Catering Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

Jerrilyn Farmer may write like a dream, but her heroine Madeline Bean often faces nightmarish situations in her career as a Los Angeles event planner. She and her partner, Wesley, are planning to cater a mah jongg party, which in Hollywood has become a new fashion borrowed from the past. Wesley, in his other job of restoring houses, has come across a very old mah jongg set which was hidden in the wall of the house of a recently deceased movie star. It also contains a journal. Before Mad has a chance to satisfy her curiosity, the box is stolen. It is found with only the ancient game tiles and no journal. As Madeline tries to figure out the puzzle she meets old Grande Dames of both the silver screen and the small screen, gamblers, and hi-tech nouveau riche. After the widow of the late Hollywood icon is murdered, she also renews her acquaintance with policeman, Honnett. Farmer writes hilarious dialgoue, but the humor of her story arises from situations and the people involved. She looks at the Tinsel Town scene with a somewhat jaundiced and amused point eye, but also with a certain amount of love. This author deserves to be in hardcover and on the top of every best seller list available. DIM SUM DEAD is a treat for discerning readers be they mystery fans or just admirers of well written and entertaining books.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exciting mystery-action never lets up, February 18, 2001

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dim Sum Dead: A Madeline Bean Culinary Mystery (A Madeline Bean Catering Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

In Hollywood, Madeline Bean and Wesley Westcott are good friends and partners in Mad Bean Events, a catering and occasion planning event enterprise. At a Santa Monica Farmer's Market, Wes shows Maddie a box found behind a wall containing a mah-jongg set, a dagger, and a red leather bound book all belonging to the recently deceased star Dickey McBride.

Before Wes can return the items to Dickey's widow Quita, someone mugs her and steals everything. A few blocks away, they find the mah-jongg set, but not the book. Quita is deeply upset to learn the book is stolen. That night Maddie learns that Quita died from a fall down the stairs of her new lover's home. Though she never liked Quita, Maddie feels guilty that she failed to prevent the calamity. Maddie decides to learn what really happened, no knowing how much the truth will crush her emotionally.

DIM SUM DEAD is an entertaining Madeline Bean catering mystery that showcases the abilities of author Jerrilyn Farmer. Cozy fans will enjoy the Christie-like mystery as violence occurs off the pages while amateur sleuth buffs will relish watching the vulnerable but strong heroine conduct her brand of an investigation. Identifying the killer is impossible until the plot provides the answer to a wonderful story line that will delight the audience.

Harriet Klausner