Murder A' La Mode (Savannah Reid Mysteries) [Mass Market Paperback]

G.A. McKevett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2006 | Series: Savannah Reid Mysteries

As a special birthday treat, Savannah's friends have arranged for her to compete for Lance's affections on a reality TV show called "Man of My Dreams". She and four other women will be living in a medieval "castle" with Lance, trying to win his heart. Unfortunately, the antics take a sinister turn when one of the show's producers, Tess Jarvis, turns up dead. It appears she was felled by a carton of Killer Fudge ice cream, but Savannah's convinced there's more to the story. Turns out she's right. It seems no one liked Tess...not her unhappy husband, or the scheming contestants, or all the disgruntled employees she so heinously wronged. This show is quickly turning into the worst kind of soap opera - with some footage that'll never make it on the air...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

An overly convoluted plot weighs down McKevett's 10th Savannah Reid mystery, but not sassy amateur sleuth Savannah, who retains her buoyant good humor throughout. As a birthday present, Savannah gets to appear on a TV reality show, Man of My Dreams, in which five contestants live in a faux medieval castle and vie for the affections of gorgeous male model Lance Roman. When Savannah, dissatisfied with the meager food on the set, leads a late-night raid on the castle pantry, a scream from the cellar brings Savannah and Lance running to the deep freeze: one of the other contestants has stumbled on the body of Tess Jarvis, a heartily disliked producer, her head bashed in by a tub of Killer Fudge ice cream. Further "accidents" follow, as Savannah navigates the treacherous labyrinth of intrigues and liaisons among the show's cast and crew. If Savannah comes close to losing her heart, she keeps a cool head in this amusing if contrived entry in this popular cozy series.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"This funny, sexy, page-turning series gets the cop stuff right and more. Delightful."

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Kensington Books (April 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0758204612
• ISBN-13: 978-0758204615
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #269,969 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Since publication of her first novel in 1986, Sonja Massie has authored over fifty published works, including the highly popular and critically acclaimed SAVANNAH REID MYSTERIES under the pseudonym G. A. McKevett.

Sonja's novels range from Irish historicals to contemporary thrillers. Her earthy humor and fast-paced plots delight her fans, while critics applaud her offbeat characterizations and incisive observations on human nature.

Irish by ancestry, Sonja has authored two non-fiction books on the history of Ireland: THE COMPLETE IDIOT'S GUIDE TO IRISH HISTORY AND CULTURE and IRISH PRIDE: 101 REASONS TO BE PROUD YOU'RE IRISH. Both books impart detailed knowledge of the complex and controversial Irish story with a light hand and plenty of humor. Her Irish novels include: DREAM CARVER, CAROUSEL, DAUGHTER OF IRELAND and the bestselling FAR AND AWAY - the novelization of the Ron Howard movie starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.

On nationwide tours, Sonja lectures to published and "pre-published" authors in her workshop, "The Novel Approach," a seminar which covers such topics as: story structure, characterization, plotting, pacing, and marketing manuscripts.

Sonja has taught numerous courses at university and adult continuing education facilities including: general fiction, historical research, and mystery writing. She was managing editor at "Single Living" magazine and has functioned as a manuscript doctor and storyline editor for major publishers. Earlier in her career, she was a prolific ghostwriter, authoring both fictional and non-fictional books for celebrities and professionals.

Having lived in Los Angeles, Toronto, and County Kerry, Ireland, she now resides in New York.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars terrific Savannah Reid who-done-it, February 4, 2005

By 

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

This review is from: Murder A' La Mode (Savannah Reid Mysteries) (Hardcover)

When the sleuthing business or a stakeout is at a lull, private investigator Savannah Reid passes the time reading steamy romance novels. Though she insist she reads the books, her friends believe that she only buys novels to gaze lovingly at the cover picture when Lance Roman is the model. Her friends Ryan Stone and John Gibson know about her fantasy so arrange as a birthday present for Savannah to be a contestant on a reality show in which the prize is Lance.

Savannah wants to win the prize badly and makes every effort to use her southern charm on Lance. However, her endeavor takes a back seat when someone kills a show's producer Tess with fudge ice cream as the murder weapon; the body is left in a freezer that could only have been loaded by a Texan. Savannah begins investigating the homicide even as she continues to play the Georgia peach with Lance.

This is a terrific Savannah Reid who-done-it as the heroine combines her sleuthing skills with her southern charm to impress her fantasy lover. The entertaining story line grips the reader as Savannah cannot resist the lure of a murder investigation or the lure of the cover model. Fans of the series will enjoy her latest binge while newcomers will get a taste of one of the better continuing female private investigators on the market today.

Harriet Klausner

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Savannah meets her romantic kryptonite..., November 18, 2006

By 

Thomas Duff "Duffbert" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Murder A' La Mode (Savannah Reid Mysteries) (Hardcover)

I fell behind on the most recent Savannah Reid murder mysteries, so I picked up a couple at the library the other day. The first one I read was Murder a la Mode by G. A. McKevett. It's like meeting up with an old friend and realizing how much you missed them...

Reid is between investigation gigs, and things are somewhat slow. But life gets infinitely more exciting when she's given a last-second spot on a reality TV show staring her favorite romance novel hunk, Lance Roman. It's a medieval setting where five women are trying to outlast each other to get "The Man Of My Dreams". All the other contestants are the skinny bimbo model types, and Savannah decides that she'll just be herself with her full figure and Southern common sense. But things take an immediate strange turn when the nasty wife of the production team is found murdered in the basement. There's no lack of suspects, as no one much liked her. But the husband's grief is short-lived, as the show must go on. That is, until a gargoyle falls from the castle wall and nearly kills another contestant. Then there's the sword accident that takes out a third... While Savannah is still weak-kneed around Roman, she and Dirk (her former partner back in the cop days) have to try and figure out who is killing everyone, as well as what the motive might be. And the list only gets shorter when someone else ends up injured or dead...

The fun thing about a Savannah Reid novel is the characters. Savannah is a southern belle who is quite comfortable with her body size, but takes no grief from anyone. Dirk, her friend and sometimes partner, is the typical clueless guy who is good at his cop/detective job, but doesn't have much of a life outside of that. The Dirk/Savannah relationship always seems to be on the edge of crossing over from best friends to lovers, but to date it hasn't happened. There's also a nice plot twist thrown in at the end that takes you in a direction you didn't plan on going over the last few pages.

Overall, a nice escape from reality for awhile, and a lot of fun in the process...

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reality TV at it's best., November 15, 2006

By 

Melinda Czyzak "book worm" (Long Island) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Murder A' La Mode (Savannah Reid Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

Murder A La Mode was the first (and certainly not the last) Savannagh Reid books that I have read. I cannot wait to read the rest of the series. A friend turned me onto this series and I am glad that she did. Savannagh is the embodiment of a confident, beautiful, funny and often spunky Southern bell. When she is not running around solving mysteries, you can find her cooking something yummy for her 'bottomless pit' partner Dirk. This book was a fun blend of mystery, colorful characters and reality television gone awry. I thought this book was very clever and I enjoyed the reality television aspect as I am a reality tv junkie. I'm not normally a mystery type person but I had a blast reading this one.