Rating: 
Summary: Mystery behind the Scenes of a Hollywood Game Show
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Mystery behind the Scenes of a Hollywood Game Show
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: A great amateur female detective novel...
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: A great amateur female detective novel...
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Great series
Review: I have read all of her books and look forward to more. Ms. Bean is an interesting character who does dumb down for the story. This series is definitely worth a look!
Rating:
Summary: Great series
Review: I have read all of her books and look forward to more. Ms. Bean is an interesting character who does dumb down for the story. This series is definitely worth a look!
Rating: 
Summary: Mediocre book in a mediocre series.
Review: in my store, this will only be recommended for hardcore food mystery fans, readers who enjoy celebrity name dropping and mystery fans who don't mind holes in the plot too much. i'll tell everyone else to wait until it comes out in paperback. meanwhile, could someone suggest the editorial copywriter tone it down a notch: great literature this is not and the author's main claim to fame is writing for game shows. you'd think she was Tolstoy from the write-up. it is not only silly to get so breathless about this book, it's not very helpful to those of us who must read through as many new titles as we can so we can recommend them to readers. it makes it even harder to find and recommend truly good books when the descriptions are so over-the-top.
Rating:
Summary: Madeline Makes Her Hardcover Debut
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: delightful amateur sleuth
Review: Mad Bean Events is one of the industry's most well known event planners but with the economy in a downward spiral and the international scene so frightening, business is hurting. Co-owner Madeline Bean has only one more affair to cater before she faces an empty calendar. Greta Greene, the producer of the famous quiz show Food Freak, offers her a temporary job as a writer for the production because the head writer Tim Stock is missing. At first Madeline enjoys the research needed for the show but when her office is ransacked, the taping has to be delayed because the script and the answers were there. When Madeline starts fixing up the room, an unknown assailant conks her over the head and she comes to the conclusion that someone is looking for something. Maddie goes over to Tim's home to see if he is there but what she finds is a burning building and a body that might be Tim. She's determined to get answers to all the questions surrounding the people associated with Food Freak and Madeline always get her answers, even the unpleasant ones. Jerrilyn Farmer has developed a first rate series starring a strong heroine. The story line moves along at warp speed so that readers became quickly involved in the plot. The audience will be fascinated by the hard work it takes to get one segment of a game show into production. Madeline is a very credible amateur sleuth who solves crimes by persistently asking questions and usually getting the answers so she can put the pieces of the puzzle together leading in the case of MUMBO GUMBO to a scrumptious treat. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: delightful amateur sleuth
Review: Mad Bean Events is one of the industry's most well known event planners but with the economy in a downward spiral and the international scene so frightening, business is hurting. Co-owner Madeline Bean has only one more affair to cater before she faces an empty calendar. Greta Greene, the producer of the famous quiz show Food Freak, offers her a temporary job as a writer for the production because the head writer Tim Stock is missing. At first Madeline enjoys the research needed for the show but when her office is ransacked, the taping has to be delayed because the script and the answers were there. When Madeline starts fixing up the room, an unknown assailant conks her over the head and she comes to the conclusion that someone is looking for something. Maddie goes over to Tim's home to see if he is there but what she finds is a burning building and a body that might be Tim. She's determined to get answers to all the questions surrounding the people associated with Food Freak and Madeline always get her answers, even the unpleasant ones. Jerrilyn Farmer has developed a first rate series starring a strong heroine. The story line moves along at warp speed so that readers became quickly involved in the plot. The audience will be fascinated by the hard work it takes to get one segment of a game show into production. Madeline is a very credible amateur sleuth who solves crimes by persistently asking questions and usually getting the answers so she can put the pieces of the puzzle together leading in the case of MUMBO GUMBO to a scrumptious treat. Harriet Klausner
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