Customer Reviews

Bean There, Done That (Severn House Large Print)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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#3 Maggy Thorsen coffee house mystery set in the Milwaukee suburb of Brookhills. Maggy is somewhat aghast when her ex-husband's new wife approaches her with allegations that Ted is cheating on her--and was even cheating on her when he was cheating on Maggy with Rachel! Although she knows she should hate the girl, for some reason she likes her and agrees to help her by checking her calendars from the years involved to see if Ted's whereabouts can be corroborated. However, when Rachel goes missing and then her body turns up in Lake Michigan a couple of days later, Ted goes to the top of the suspect list. Although Maggy could believe Rachel's story of him cheating on her, she doesn't see Ted as a killer, although her sort-of boyfriend Sheriff Jake Pavlik likes him for the deed. Thus, Maggy does some nosing around on her own to see if she can counter that theory, if only for the sake of their college-age son, Eric--and as usual, she ends up in a heap of trouble.

For some reason, I keep being surprised that I like this series. I'm not a cozy fan, but this isn't really cozy...there's a bit more of an edge to it, a bit more of the dark comedy that appeals to me. I like the author's easy-to-read writing style, and in this book I totally didn't see the plot twist coming, although I had an inkling about the baddie. Aside from the usual 'amateur sleuth curse' of needing to work almost against the police while investigating (and thus putting oneself in some really stupid, dangerous situations) I found this to be a very enjoyable, top-notch book and highly recommend it to those who like a lighter mystery with a bit of a dark side.

I have read all three of the Maggie Thorsen Mysteries and enjoyed them. Good writing, good character development, and not too much overkill on the coffee angle.

I REALLY LIKE THE MAGGIE THORSEN BOOKS. THE CHARACTERS ARE VERY REAL AND LIKEABLE. LOOKING FORWARD TO READING MORE BOOKS IN THIS SERIES (SO FAR 3 HAVE BEEN WRITTEN AND I HAVE READ ALL THREE).

"Here's a tip: if your ex-husbands mistress-cum-missus asks for your help in proving that he cheated on her while he was married to you, just say no. And, whatever you do, don't invite her in."

How can you resist a book that begins this way? Hum, now what would I do? Personally, I would have slammed the door, but Maggy Thorsen is just too nice of a woman. If she had only known what she was getting into, she would have slammed the door too. But, Maggie being Maggie, would not have done it before offering her a nice cup of coffee.

The newest Mrs. Thorsen stops by the first Mrs. Thorsen's home wanting to borrow old calendars so she can compare notes and hotel room keys. She just know that Ted was up to no good, but when wife number two - Rachael - disappears and is later found murdered, Maggie, wife number one, is thrown right into the investigation. With a twisted tale of best friends and Brookhills Barbie's, Maggie is trying to tie up all the loose ends of this mystery, in addition to trying to tying up a little Jake Pavlik, the local sheriff.

With this book, number three in the series, you most definitely see a new side to air headed Rachel (wife number two), who knew she was more than Ted's dental assistant. I must have missed something in the previous books, because I didn't see that family history coming.

I like this series, not as much as I like the Cleo Coyle series, but all in all, this is a nice cozy series with fun characters and a twist around every corner.

This is my second Maggy Thorsen mystery, and again I found it to be a pleasant, easy read. The author has a nice writing style. The reader gets to know the characters quickly, and it doesn't matter if you have read the previous novels or not because the author provides the history of the main characters and their relationships without making it tedious for those who have read the earlier novels in the series. Although it is a "cozy mystery", this one had some real surprises at the end. I sure didn't see them coming! In brief, the story line is that Maggy Thorsen is a recent divorcee struggling to make it on her own. She is co-owner of a coffee shop, Uncommon Grounds. Her ex-husband, Ted, is now married to his mistress, Rachel, who is heir to a hotel fortune. Rachel believes that Ted is cheating on her and started to do so while he was still married to Maggy. Rachel enlists Maggy's help in finding the evidence for this so she can limit how much of her fortune he will get when she divorces him. Soon thereafter Rachel disappears and then a body, identified as hers, washes up on a lake shore. Ted is the prime suspect, but Maggy has trouble believing her ex could be a killer. She is dating the sheriff, who is convinced that he is the murderer. For the sake of Ted and Maggy's son, Maggy is determined to find the truth.