Immaculate Reception: A Madeline Bean Catering Mystery (Madeline Bean Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author) "The way the sun filtered through the lace curtains, softening the light as it danced upon the Formica-topped table, was beautiful..." (more)
Key Phrases: amber panels, Brother Frank, Brother Ugo, Monsignor Picca (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The Pope is coming to breakfast, and Madeline Bean's got frittatas on the skillet. What a coup for gourmet caterer Mad Bean and her company, the event-planning wizards, chosen to mastermind L.A.'s official welcoming extravaganza. Pulling off the early morning meal for His Holiness, and two thousand high profile bigwigs, sounds like great fun for the unflappable Ms. Bean.

But things quickly go from serene to sinister when a young priest turns up dead in the bed of an uninhibited Hollywood star, and a yellowed page of Latin scrawl, found tucked in an old book of mouthwatering Church recipes, reveals a mysterious Jesuit Brother's shocking past. Even the course of Madeline's ragged love life gets a jolt as charming Xavier Jones, the man who left her at the alter ten years ago, reappears and still won't explain why he bugged out. With the Pope arriving any day, it's up to Madeline to sort out this unholy mess of burnt brioche, tantalizing treasure, pesky naked starlets, and homicidal caterers-or a party that should go down in history could be history before it even begins.

About the Author

Jerrilyn Farmer is the author of the Madeline Bean mystery series. Sympathy for the Devil was an Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity Award nominee for Best First Mystery and Immaculate Reception debuted at #2 on the Los Angeles Times paperback bestseller list. She lives in Southern California.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Avon (March 9, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380795973
• ISBN-13: 978-0380795970
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #678,549 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 2 in The Madeline Bean Catering Mystery Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Madeline's catering for the Pope.... What Fun!, December 15, 2000

By	Mary Davis (Southern California) - See all my reviews

The title of this book caught my eye and I am glad it did. This is a fun, engaging mystery that involves a wonderful main character, Madeline Bean, and her friends. Madeline has been asked by her long ago former boyfriend, now a priest, to handle the catering for the Pope's upcoming visit to Los Angeles. As if that's not enough... she is also dealing with a on-off boyfriend, a murder of a priest at her sometime boyfriend's TV show set and a very interesting police detective who is interested in Madeline.

It is a well written story, one that you are sure to enjoy. I finished it and went looking for the others in this series. I hope to follow Ms. Bean's adventures for a long time. They are most fun.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent 2nd book!, January 30, 2000

By	Maria Y. Lima "Chickwriter" (Alexandria, VA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

What do you get when you toss in the Pope, two Jesuits and Mad Bean Catering? A fun, sophisticated and well-written second mystery from the author of SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL. Maddy and friends are back and this time they tangle with priests, murders and mayhem as they organize the catering event of their lives - for the Pope. If you like contemporary mysteries and haven't discovered Jerrilyn Farmer - hurry up and buy her books!

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Second Maddie Bean novel is a super tale worth catching, April 6, 1999

By A Customer

For the past few months, the life of former Hollywood Caterer Madeline Bean has stayed quiet. Since selling her business, Madeline has opened up a new one, "Mad Bean Events". Jesuit Brother Xavier Jones provides Maddie with her first assignment, serving breakfast to the people of Los Angeles honoring the Pope. Maddie loved Xavier, but bears the mental scars of her feelings because he chose a different path.

The catering goes smooth, but other events make Maddie realize that something sinister is occurring. A document from the time of the rise of the Nazis appears to have become the catalyst for the killing of two clerics whom she just met. Maddie places herself in danger by investigating the homicides.

Jerrilyn Farmer proves she is no one-hit wonder (see the superb SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL) with her second Madeline Bean amateur detective tale, IMMACULATE RECEPTION, which has nothing to do with the catch. The protagonist is an everyday person, struggling to make a good life for herself. The who-done-it is entertaining and enhanced by learning why Maddie keeps males at arm's length. Fans of amateur sleuth stories will enjoy reading this novel and its prequel.

Harriet Klausner