About
Reviews
Search
Submit
Home

Mystery Books for Sale

[ Home ]
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]


  

MURDER A LA MODE
by G. A. McKevett
Kensington, January 2005
304 pages
$22.00
ISBN: 0758204604


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Savannah Reid has received the birthday present of her dreams -- an opportunity to be a contestant on a 'reality' TV show, Man of My Dreams The prize is a diamond tiara and two weeks at the spa with the man of her dreams, who turns out to be the real man of her dreams, Lance Roman, whose chiseled features gaze at her from the covers of the romance novels she devours.

When Savannah and her fellow contestants arrive at Blackmoor Castle, a Texas millionaire's idea of a medieval castle, for the shooting, they are dismayed at the costumes, which involve confining corsets that they are expected to wear for two weeks, and they are further disillusioned when they arrive for the banquet, where they find that the lush feast is made up of fake food.

To make matters worse, the show's co-producer, Tess Jarvis, is found murdered in the walk-in refrigerator. Speculation is that she was bashed in the head with a tub of ice cream. (It's been a long time since I tried to off someone with a tub of Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey, but imagination says that one might stun someone, even give them a concussion, but that killing would be unlikely.)

Since Alex, Tess's husband, stands to lose a bundle of money if the show is cancelled, events proceed. The show is a combination of The Merchant of Venice and Donald Trump's Apprentice. A trunk is produced for each of the contestants. Lance Roman gives her a key. Two of the keys open trunks with gifts inside; the third will hold the contestant's clothes -- she's fired.

It's taking all of Savannah's PI skills to keep her mind on finding the real weapon, on solving the murder, and off an incipient romance with Lance.

There are a few nits to pick: 1) Breakfast, which Alex insists is authentic, consists of bread and water; at that time, water was rarely drunk. Breakfast began with beer. 2) If the show is being shot as reality, how can they fake a banquet with false food? 3) There's a sword fight among the women. Anyone who's seen Ivanhoe or any other medieval epic knows that the ladies did not joust. They sat in the stands and cheered on their knights. 4) Followers of the series may be a bit weary of Savannah's continued ambivalent relationship with policeman Dirk Coulter.

If you have $22.00 lying around the house, stock up on Chunky Monkey, and wait for the paperback of MURDER A LA MODE.

Reviewed by Mary Elizabeth Devine, April 2005

[ Top ]


QUICK SEARCH:

 

Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
[ Home ]