Customer Reviews

Maggie Needs An Alibi

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Atypical writer meets her creation.

Maggie, a bestselling author of Regency detective novels, gets a nasty surprise when her fictional creations spring to life and plague her apartment. The debonair and not-quite-so-cool-in-the-modern-world hero and his bumbling but kind sidekick have multiple adventures and keep Maggie on her toes.

An amusing peek into the publishing world, never to be taken as more than tounge in cheek.

Bouncy little story and jolly surmise, I happily whiled away the hours reading.

Kotori 2005

If I could, I'd arrange it so that Ms. Michaels wrote nothing but Maggie's adventures. This series combines several of my favorite genres: Regency romance, romantic-comedy, and mystery. (Granted, I rarely read straight mysteries.)

Maggie (other than her smoking habit) is who I want to grow up to be: a successful author with several good friends and a place she is happy living. I can't get enough of her, or Sterling, or Bernie, or any reoccuring character in this series!

I'm generally better with reviews - but it's like trying to review a friend. You forget which qualities to point out because you think everyone should realize how amazing they are.

Even though this is not exactly an original plotline, I was interested when I read the description on the back cover. I had a really hard time getting into this book. She spends way too much time setting up the story. Over a hundred pages into the book there was still no murder or romance. I did like the characters, and I will probably give the sequel a try before I completely give up. I just felt this book had too much background and not enough action and plot.

Six years ago, Toland Publishing fired midlist romance writers including Maggie Kelly better known as historical author Alica Tate Evans. Rather than cry in her tea, Maggie switches genres trying her word processing on the Regency mystery sub-genre. Creating amateur sleuth hero Viscount Saint Just and his sidekick Balder, Maggie uses the "O" filled pen name of Cleo Dooley. She quickly becomes a New York Times best selling author.

Maggie begins to wonder what is in her tea when Saint Just and Balder appear in her Manhattan apartment. As they drive her crazy, Maggie feels responsibility for the duo even though they adjust to modern life like ducks to water. When Maggie's publisher Kirk Toland dies after dining at her home, the police suspect the author killed him, as they were former lovers. Naturally Saint Just reverts to character and investigates the homicide in his nineteenth century aristocratic manner that skewers urbane urbanites.

Renowned writer Kasey Michaels takes the trendy dive from romance to mystery with MAGGIE NEEDS AN ALIBI, but does not just add a lot of suspense to a tale of love as commonly done with the switch. Unlike Maggie, Ms. Michaels needs no alibis as she satirizes the publishing industry where small success mean downsizing. The amusing story line contains an entertaining who-done-it starring a wonderful heroine and her now living Regency characters learning the uses of plastic faster than solving the case. This cast humorously skewers anyone in its path while making this novel into a deserving sure shot bestseller.

Harriet Klausner

Great book, great characters, and great plot!! Maggie and Alex grind on eachothers nerves, but are a good team. Sterling is as funny as ever and I'm glad to see that Michaels's has included Sock's more throughout the book this time. Mare & Jay(ne) are great additions to the cast!

I'm still hung up on Maggie and Alex's relationship (or lack there of). I'm pulled between wanting Maggie & Alex together and wanting Maggie & Steve togther. Alex is a jerk most of the time but he makes Maggie think. He can also evoke feelings of love/hate very quickly in her, which is something Steve doesn't do.

Oh well Michael's will probably keep us geussing till the very end. I'll just have to buy the next book :-)

I have such mixed emotions over this book. I loved the idea of the regency hero coming to life and how he actually fared in today's world. It reminded me of KATE & LEOPOLD. I laughed my way through the first half of the book. 5 stars!!! HOWEVER...
the romance I was looking for never developed, and the things that were so funny in the first half of the book got old by the second half. Down to 3 stars (which averages to a generous 4 stars). I am always so disappointed when a promising book fizzles out at the end. I seriously thought about giving it 3 stars overall. The story ended rather abruptly for the main characters, and I (along with other readers) wonder if there is to be a sequel. If so, one hopes that Ms. Michaels can pull it off a little better.

I almost gave up on this and didn't finish it. I'm glad I kept reading. I had a tough time buying into the "characters" coming to life - but as their personalities developed and Saint Just's wit was revealed - I actually enjoyed it!

Maggie has made a successful career for herself telling the stories of the finest Regency detective since Holmes, Alexandre Saint Just and his trusty sidekick Sterling. Until now, she has not had to worry about out of control characters or writer's block. Then, one day she opens her eyes to find that Sterling and Saint Just have gone out of her head, literally. They are in her living room, bodily, and she is short a couple of cats.

If the fact that her star characters are now her roommates wasn't enough to deal with, her ex boyfriend is making a pest of himself. Though she might like to kill Kirk the Jerk, Maggie never intended to do so. She just has to convince the police of that, when he winds up dead after eating poison mushrooms she served. Maybe having Saint Just around is a good thing after all.

***** Maggie and her two "friends" will quickly win your heart. The situation is completely unique and fresh, and the humor fast paced. Maggie is easy to like, and while Alex and Sterling might get on your nerves, it's in the way that loved ones can. You love them for the irratations. I look forward to their further exploits. *****

I got this at the library, reading the summary, back cover, and the first page. I thought I would give it a try, because I liked the plot; it was interesting and held my interest. However, when I got back home and started reading it, I put it down. It didn't meet the my expectations. I was bored, didn't understand the characters (the 2nd guy wasn't even introduced...he barged in and with no background), and I thought her story within the story was bad. The humor was blunt; I didn't laugh once. Partially, I went for this too because of the humor. I write it, I read it, and I want to enjoy it.

This book disappointed me. It could have been better, but it wasn't. Don't be misleaded by the summary.

This book (and its sequel, Maggie By the Book) do not belong hidden amongst the Harlequins and Silhouettes. The series is witty, well-written entertainment that anyone can enjoy. Imagine Anthony Edwards in full Scarlet Pimpernel glory appearing in your Manhattan living room, along with a charming Watson-like sidekick, and you're off to the races. I haven't laughed this hard with a book in a long time. Not to mention - the mystery itself is a decent who-dunit.

If you are looking for a light read without sacrificing writing quality - look no further. Snatch these two up and you'll soon be holding your breath for a new one!