Customer Reviews

Mumbo Gumbo (Madeline Bean Catering Mysteries #5)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This amusing and absorbing mystery is also well-plotted. I wish the author would have her Madeline Bean character go to work full-time as a television writer, because the setting lends itself to comedy.

Madeline -- who owns a catering company whose business has been suffering in the post 9-11 environment -- accepts a temporary position writing for a hit television game show (based on cooking). The lead writer has mysteriously disappeared and they have been asked by the network to do one more episode. Madeline doesn't set out to try to find the missing writer, but things start happening that force her hand -- like getting attacked. She becomes convinced that there's something very wrong going on in the game show offices or among the game show staff. But which of this bizarre group of characters holds the key to the mystery? Is one of her coworkers a killer, responsible for the missing writer's death? Is the missing writer dead or in hiding or kidnapped or just off on a bender or vacation? And what does the ominous comment about Monica and Heidi dying that Mad finds on written on a post-it mean -- who are these women and are they really in danger?

This is the kind of book you can hardly wait to get back to -- Farmer creates a workplace that's funny but believable, and you get some idea of what lies behind game shows (Farmer herself was a writer for Jeopardy). I highly recommend this book.

Madeline Bean, caterer and events planner to the stars, is a bit concerned as she and her team work on this evening's wrap party for the mega-hit gameshow, Food Freak. The company calendar is empty; the pages are all blank. That's right, this is the last party on the schedule, and until things pick up again, she's going to have to find some part-time work to pay the bills. As luck would have it, work finds her. It seems the network has ordered one more Food Freak show, an over the top, cook-off extravaganza to end its first, number one ratings season, and the head writer, Tim Stock, has disappeared. Who better to fill his culinary shoes than our girl, Maddie Bean? Of course the grateful producer is willing to pay big bucks and big perks for two weeks work, so Maddie finds herself saying yes to the glitz and glamour of T.V. gameshow land. But in no time, it becomes obvious that something very sinister is hard at work behind the scenes, and there's a lot more cooking on Food Freak, than clever contestant questions and new recipes. And as the mysteries and mayhem hit closer and closer to home, Maddie's determined to find answers and head off disaster before the show wraps up, maybe for good..... Jerrilyn Farmer is back with another wonderful gastronomic mystery, and fans of her Madeline Bean series won't be disappointed. The well paced plot is filled with wit and humor, marvelous dialogue, vivid scenes, and a quirky cast of delightful, original characters. Ms Farmer's breezy prose is engaging, and rich in Hollywood history, fun facts, and trivia that not only entertains, but adds real credibility to the story. Add to that her indepth knowledge of game shows and the ins and outs of food preparation and the kitchen, and you have the makings of a delicious treat. Folks new to Ms Farmer's Madeline Bean and company should start at the beginning with Sympathy For The Devil to get the real flavor of this series, and read them all. For those who are already fans, it's time to kick back, open Mumbo Gumbo, and enjoy.

I finished a fun read a week or so ago. It was Mumbo Gumbo by Jerrilyn Farmer. Farmer's books involve a caterer named Madeline Bean who finds herself involved in crime mysteries not of her own choosing. In Mumbo Gumbo, she is called on to do some writing for the final episode of a hit show called Food Freak when the head writer disappears. No one knows where he took off to, but the people who write, produce, and star on the show all seem to have something to hide when it comes to his disappearance. Bean's cop boyfriend is working on some serial killings that appear to be drug-related, and the two stories start to intertwine when a body is found in an arson fire of the head writer's home. I'll stop there to avoid giving away any more of the plot...

The writing is well done and the dialog is fun. The story seemed to get a little muddled in the middle, but I'm not sure if it's because it really was or if it was taking me some time to finish the book and I lost continuity. Regardless, readers of the amateur female detective genre will enjoy this book.

With the downturn in the economy, people just don't want to pay for lavish parties anymore, so Madeline Bean takes a temporary job as a writer for a food quiz TV show. Soon she is embroiled in another mystery - the disappearance of the show's head writer - and caught up in all the glamour, lies, and excesses of Hollywood.

Jerrilyn Farmer's latest book has many of the ingredients that have made her previous novels so enjoyable: quick wit, wildly inventive plot lines, and the truly likeable character of Madeline Bean. Many of the comical moments in Mad's game show romp seem truly inspired; no wonder since Jerrilyn Farmer herself worked many years as a game show writer. Although I confess that I missed the pedantic Wes, who was absent from the majority of the story, and was disappointed by some developments in Madeline's personal life, I certainly recommend this novel to those who enjoyed the previous Mad Bean books.

Hollywood caterer Madeline Bean is looking for a temporary job to tide her over during a lull in her event planning schedule. It seems like a stroke of good luck when Maddie's friend Greta Greene practically begs her to take over as the head writer on the nation's No. 1 culinary game show "Food Freak". The staff of the show thought the show had wrapped for the year, but suddenly the producers have decided to add one last special show to top off the season. The show's head writer, Tim Stock, is nowhere to be found. Gleefully, Maddie learns about writing for the culinary game show and is even given TIm's office to use as her own. However, Maddie's new job quickly becomes complicated when her office is looted, with books, files, and scripts spread everywhere. After the office is ransacked, the final episode must be rescheduled and a new script written. Meanwhile, Maddie and the entire staff becomes more and more concerned as the days turn into weeks, still with no word from missing writer Tim Stock. The plot in this story is a real page-turner, and was a thoroughly enjoyable mystery.

"Mumbo Gumbo" includes a lot of interesting Hollywood studio history, as well as details involved in producing a reality TV show. Each Madeline Bean mystery is set in a different "world" of Hollywood, which helps make each book in the series so fresh. Ms. Farmer does a good job of developing the supporting characters in the story, most of whom are staffers on the game show. Madeline and her friend Holly slways seen to have a sassy comeback. The hilarious dialogue in this book rivals a Stephanie Plum movel. Particularly hysterical are Maddie and Holly's "men troubles". Maddie is trying to make sense of her on-again, off-again relationship with LA policeman Chuck Honnett.

Whether you are an old friend of the Madeline Bean series or not, I highly recommend this fun mystery.

Mad Bean Events is getting ready for the wrap party for this season's newest TV sensation, Food Freak. In the middle of their preparations, they get the news that the network has decided to extend the show by one episode. However, Tim, the head writer, has mysteriously vanished off the face of the earth. With a tight schedule to be met, producer Greta asks Madeline to help out writing the script for the final show. Soon, Madeline is finding more danger and mystery then she knows what to do with. Who searched Tim's office? What do the weird notes Madeline finds on Tim's desk mean? And can Madeline survive the office politics to finish the script and find out what happened to Tim? Working on a hit television show is turning out to be anything but easy.

However, it's plenty of fun for us. Jerrilyn Farmer has worked on numerous game shows over the years, so she brings realism to this book's setting that adds to the story. And this book is just as much fun as the previous ones have been. The plot is wild and twisty, but somehow works when Madeline is investigating. All my favorite characters are back, and it's always nice to check in and see what's happening with them.

A brief word about the plot. A couple small details are unclear, and it left me a little confused. I was able to talk to the author about them, and she cleared up the problem for me. She also said she'd fix the problem for future editions. Even so, it's really only worth noting in passing, is fairly easy to figure out on your own (I had reached the same conclusion before I talked to her), and shouldn't effect the overall enjoyment of the book.

Fans of this fun series can rejoice in another adventure for Madeline and her friends. If you have yet to try this series, I'm jealous. I'd love to have these books to look forward to reading for the first time. It's best to start at the beginning, so pick up SYMAPTHY FOR THE DEVIL and hang on for the fun ride.

Madeline Bean, LA caterer/party planner to the stars, & all her cohorts are back, & so is the humor in MUMBO GUMBO by Jerrilyn Farmer. Bean's catering business is down, (like everyone else's) & she needs to do something to earn money. Her partner Wesley Westcott is fixing up old homes & reselling them, so he is covered, but what can Bean & their full time assistant Holly do? Bean's prayers are answered when the wrap party they are catering for Food Freak, the gourmet, cook-off game show is cancelled. Her friend, producer of the show Greta Greene, informs her that this show will not be a wrap, there will be one more show; however she will still get paid for the catering. She would like Bean to be one of the writers for the next show since head writer Tim Stock can't be found. (Bean is known for her food tidbit knowledge & recipes.) They assume that since Stock thought the show was ended, he is just on vacation & unreachable. Find out how a TV game show is put on, along with the pecking order of the staff, their desires, jealousies, power, & secrets as Bean does her stint as a writer. She's not comfortable with the idea that Stock is just on vacation since no one can get a hold of him. There are questions she would like to have answered & since she is good at puzzles hopefully she will be able to figure them out: 1. Where is Stock? 2. Bean finds a hidden post-it note in Stock's desk that says Heidi & Monica may have to die, Who are they? 3 Why did Stock's office get trashed? (When his office is trashed, the big worry is that someone stole the new script & will show it to the contestants creating a new game show scandal. Since Greene didn't want anyone to know about the trashing, she hired Holly to help Bean clean up the mess.) 4. Is Chef Howie (who EVERYONE must call CHEF Howie) really ... around like his wife believes he is? (Bean thinks his wife looks old enough to be his mother.) & 5 Who died in the fire at Stock's home? Not everything seems kosher on the show. Since this is a gourmet food show, Bean can't understand how recipes ingredients can get messed up. For those of you who are romantics, there is something for you. Holly comes across her ex-boyfriend Donald, & Bean & her cop friend Chuck Honnett meet at a crime scene weeks after he says he'll call. There are twists & turns, but to find a "real" killer, you need to get to the end-it's not over till the fat lady sings. Not only is MUMBO GUMBO a good read, it is Farmer's first book in the series that has come out in hardback.

I sure came away from reading this book with a clearer picture of what it's like on the set of television game shows. Ms. Farmer knows what she is writing about in this crazy world. Madeline finds herself working as a writer on a temporary gig for a culinary game show. As much as she is enjoying this new experience, inexplicable things keep happening. One of the writers has disappeared, people keep leaving the show, her and Holly find a secret room, and people are dying inexpicably around Las Angelos on a certain day of the week. Madeline needs to find out whether or not all these things are connected. The linking thread among all these strange happens is a tenuous one at best, but she manages to figure it out. This is another strong entry in a strong series. I love reading to find out what Madeline and her friends are getting up to.

So far I've only read this and The Flaming Luau of Death, but I have to say that I'm eager to read whatever Jerrilyn Farmer writes. Her books are carefully plotted with just enough whimsy and unexpected twists to make a wonderful read. The characters are nicely drawn and all in all, highly recommended.

To get the full enjoyment from this book, you should really start at the beginning of the series with Sympathy for the Devil, and read the books in order. Maddie's life of food and friends will make more sense when you know its history.

I can't wait for the next book to come out, but I hope that if Honnett is out of the picture, that someone intelligent steps in since I preferred reading about Maddie's relationship with Honnett more than her one with Arlo.