A Few Good Murders (Maggie Mars Mysteries) [Mass Market Paperback]

Cady Kalian (Author)

Book Description

Series: Maggie Mars Mysteries | Publication Date: September 30, 2008

Maggie Mars is a struggling screenwriter whose big break is happening now. Her latest script is being filmed and Maggie's on the set. But Maggie thinks that the lead actress is playing her character all wrong and tells her. A screaming match ensues. 

 

So when said actress is found dead with her head bashed in with her own Oscar, Maggie is viewed as a "person of interest". She tries to keep a low profile and cooperate with the police. Complicating things is the fact that one of the deputies on the case is a former lover of Joe Camanetti, the sometime/longtime love of Maggie's life. 

 

And somewhere out there is a killer who thinks Maggie is just too clever for her own good.

 

Memo #312 to Maggie: Never write murder scenarios too good for a killer to pass up...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The hyper-fab Maggie Mars discovers the dangers of screenwriting in Kalian's snazzy sequel to 2006's As Dead as It Gets. After tantrum-throwing diva Allegra Cort, the star of Maggie's new movie Murder Becomes Her, is bludgeoned to death with her own Oscar, the cops find Maggie's prints on it, making her a prime suspect. Baffling spirit messages from TV psychic Mitzi Elgin, who's Allegra's friend (and Maggie's dad's girlfriend), attempts on Maggie's life and another shocking murder keep Maggie on her toes as she delves into Allegra's past. Maggie is no relation to TV sleuth Veronica, but their similarities don't end at last names and hobbies: Maggie's sticky intermittent relationship with LAPD cop Joe Camenetti is highly reminiscent of Veronica's teen romantic angst. The Hollywood collaborators behind the Kalian signature, veteran TV/film writer/producer Irma Kalish and Naomi Gurian, former executive director of the Writer's Guild of America, West Coast branch, keep things moving at a clip entirely suitable for TV adaptation. Stay tuned! (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“A snazzy sequel to As Dead as It Gets… Maggie Mars is no relation to TV sleuth Veronica, but their similarities don't end at last names and hobbies…The Hollywood collaborators behind the Kalian signature, veteran TV/film writer/producer Irma Kalish and Naomi Gurian, former executive director of the Writer's Guild of America, West Coast branch, keep things moving at a clip entirely suitable for TV adaptation. Stay tuned!”—Publishers Weekly

“Readers looking for a satisfying mystery and an inside look at how Hollywood works will not be disappointed.”--Booklist

“A light-hearted chick lit mystery.”—The Midwest Book Review

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books; First Edition edition (September 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765352273
• ISBN-13: 978-0765352279
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 3.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,092,491 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a light-hearted chick lit mystery, August 11, 2007

By 

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

This review is from: A Few Good Murders (Paperback)

Maggie Mars is the writer for Murder Becomes Her and she is ecstatic to obtain such a good break. The only fly in the ointment is the leading lady, the famous Allegra Cort who wants Maggie to rewrite every little scene and change all the dialogue so that it becomes her script more than it is Maggie's work. Matters come is a head when Allegra demands Maggie cut out the only scene in which Sheri Davis speaks.

Lew, the head of Griffin Studios, forces Maggie to talk to Allegra but when she goes to see her in her luxurious trailer the star says she wants Sheri scene cut out entirely. Maggie refuses and the women get into a fight that is stopped by Allegra's assistant Lisa. The next morning Allegra's body is found with her head bashed in. Maggie becomes a person of interest for the police so she starts investigating Allegra's murder hoping to find the killer so she doesn't end up in jail.

A Few Good Murders is a light-hearted chick lit mystery that focuses on the demanding out of control side of Hollywood stars. The heroine is determined, some might call her pigheaded. Hhe does not rely on anyone except herself to get her out of another mess like what happened to her in AS DEEP AS IT GETS. The who done it has plenty of suspects because there is nobody who liked or cared about the victim which makes the protagonist's job harder and the reader's interest more intense because Maggie is the perfect fall gal.

Harriet Klausner