Rating: 
Summary: The Best Bean Book Yet!
Review: Although DIM SUM DEAD has already received many wonderful reviews and continues to place high on Amazon.com's list, I must add my two bits' worth to say that I found DIM SUM DEAD to be the best Madeline Bean mystery to date. All of Ms. Farmer's books are great but there was something special about this one. perhaps it is the unusual use of the game of mah-jongg; I mean, when was the last time you saw a T-shirt that said: "Mah-Jongg Maven" on the front, with "my mother used to play" on the back! It is touches such as this that give Ms. Farmer's books a special edge and a special appeal. Plots and subplots move nicely and the ensemble cast of Wesley and Holly has grown and developed. The research in this book is terrific and thorough as can be seen throughout the book whether the topic be basil, mah-jongg or murder.
Rating:
Summary: fourth in this charming culinary mystery series is delicious
Review: Event planner Madeline Bean and her partner Wesley are again surrounded by mysteries, mayhem and celebrity sightings in this fourth instalment to Farmer's charming series of culinary mysteries.This time Hollywood insiders are enraptured with mah-jongg as the partners prepare a dim sum Chinese New Year feast, and the clues to a murder are scattered among Hollywood's oldest secrets. Along the way, you learn about the origins of dim sum, the significance of particular mah-jongg tiles, how to make an authentic Singapore Sling, and the correct way to greet a star. Madeline's personal life is realistic without detracting from the story, and the story is interesting right away and paced well. The mystery is well-integrated but not transparent. The dialogue is fun, and the characters are likeable. This is a lively mix of Hollywood dish, mouth-watering recipes and the Perils of Pauline. Quite fun. Well-written. Looking forward to the next one.
Rating: 
Summary: Whoah! The Madster finally gets her man!
Review: Fans of this series will need to get this book and will not be disappointed. Farmer is back on form. Lots of cooking going on, lots of devilish deeds and, finally, our heroine finally advances her thang with that good looking cop. This book has everything, it was a totally fab read.
Rating:
Summary: Whoah! The Madster finally gets her man!
Review: Fans of this series will need to get this book and will not be disappointed. Farmer is back on form. Lots of cooking going on, lots of devilish deeds and, finally, our heroine finally advances her thang with that good looking cop. This book has everything, it was a totally fab read.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best this season!
Review: From Mahjongg to dim sum and all points in between, Mad Bean's latest adventure has her ferreting out deeply hidden secrets of old Hollywood, when an antique Mahjongg box leads her to murder and mayhem in style. From the beginning, Jerrilyn Farmer pens another great mystery, skilfully wrapping the mystery in a delicious feast of words. This is probably the best of the Mad Bean series and illustrates how well this author can write. Excellent fare for the mystery lover!
Rating:
Summary: Fresh Ingredients Make This A Cook's Delight
Review: From start to finish, I found this a very entertaining and quick read. California cuisine has long been known for its innovations. In "Dim Sum Dead", we have a caterer who takes great care to appeal to the tastes of all the guests while she's actively snooping and questioning them. What chutzpah! At first, I wanted to read this book solely to see if the Mah Jongg referred to in the description was the Mah Jongg I'm familiar with. I play in a regular weekly game. There are some differences between Farmer's description of how the game is played and how it's actually played but, this didn't diminish my enjoyment of the book. Although I enjoyed the Mah Jongg references, there was so much more here. The menu ideas were terrific. We also have a romantic element as well as a mystery and a murder to be solved. Madeline is sure one sharp cookie and a most persistent sleuth.
Rating:
Summary: Fresh Ingredients Make This A Cook's Delight
Review: From start to finish, I found this a very entertaining and quick read. California cuisine has long been known for its innovations. In "Dim Sum Dead", we have a caterer who takes great care to appeal to the tastes of all the guests while she's actively snooping and questioning them. What chutzpah! At first, I wanted to read this book solely to see if the Mah Jongg referred to in the description was the Mah Jongg I'm familiar with. I play in a regular weekly game. There are some differences between Farmer's description of how the game is played and how it's actually played but, this didn't diminish my enjoyment of the book. Although I enjoyed the Mah Jongg references, there was so much more here. The menu ideas were terrific. We also have a romantic element as well as a mystery and a murder to be solved. Madeline is sure one sharp cookie and a most persistent sleuth.
Rating:
Summary: Yummy Repast
Review: I have read all of the Mad Bean series and think that each, as I am reading it, is the best so far. Well, Dim Sum Dead continues the tradition. Loved it! I devoured this adventure over the weekend and now have a dilema -- do I enjoy Wesley's redoing of homes, the decorations in the homes they visit, or the preparation of the meals. Ms. Farmer delivers even the aromas of the meal for you to enjoy. I add pounds to my hips just reading about her treats. Thank you for another great read.
Rating:
Summary: Exciting mystery-action never lets up
Review: In Hollywood, Madeline Bean and Wesley Westcott are good friends and partners in Mad Bean Events, a catering and occasion planning event enterprise. At a Santa Monica Farmer's Market, Wes shows Maddie a box found behind a wall containing a mah-jongg set, a dagger, and a red leather bound book all belonging to the recently deceased star Dickey McBride. Before Wes can return the items to Dickey's widow Quita, someone mugs her and steals everything. A few blocks away, they find the mah-jongg set, but not the book. Quita is deeply upset to learn the book is stolen. That night Maddie learns that Quita died from a fall down the stairs of her new lover's home. Though she never liked Quita, Maddie feels guilty that she failed to prevent the calamity. Maddie decides to learn what really happened, no knowing how much the truth will crush her emotionally. DIM SUM DEAD is an entertaining Madeline Bean catering mystery that showcases the abilities of author Jerrilyn Farmer. Cozy fans will enjoy the Christie-like mystery as violence occurs off the pages while amateur sleuth buffs will relish watching the vulnerable but strong heroine conduct her brand of an investigation. Identifying the killer is impossible until the plot provides the answer to a wonderful story line that will delight the audience. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: A Chinese treat with a Hollywood spin
Review: Jerrilyn Farmer may write like a dream, but her heroine Madeline Bean often faces nightmarish situations in her career as a Los Angeles event planner. She and her partner, Wesley, are planning to cater a mah jongg party, which in Hollywood has become a new fashion borrowed from the past. Wesley, in his other job of restoring houses, has come across a very old mah jongg set which was hidden in the wall of the house of a recently deceased movie star. It also contains a journal. Before Mad has a chance to satisfy her curiosity, the box is stolen. It is found with only the ancient game tiles and no journal. As Madeline tries to figure out the puzzle she meets old Grande Dames of both the silver screen and the small screen, gamblers, and hi-tech nouveau riche. After the widow of the late Hollywood icon is murdered, she also renews her acquaintance with policeman, Honnett. Farmer writes hilarious dialgoue, but the humor of her story arises from situations and the people involved. She looks at the Tinsel Town scene with a somewhat jaundiced and amused point eye, but also with a certain amount of love. This author deserves to be in hardcover and on the top of every best seller list available. DIM SUM DEAD is a treat for discerning readers be they mystery fans or just admirers of well written and entertaining books.
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