Perfect Sax: A Madeline Bean Novel - Hardcover

Farmer, Jerrilyn

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0380978903 ISBN 13: 9780380978908

Publisher: William Morrow, 2004

Synopsis

Number one Los Angeles Times bestselling author, multiple-award nominee and winner, and peerless purveyor of the most scrumptiously delicious mysteries ever to please a discriminating palate, the incomparable Jerrilyn Farmer returns with another Mad Bean event -- where murder, mayhem, and madcap doings simmer together in a tempting ragout.

The dazzling Jazz Ball for the prestigious Woodburn School of Music promises to be event planner Madeline Bean's greatest triumph to date -- both professionally and personally. All the rich and mighty of L.A. society's fund-raising crowd seem to be seriously enjoying the festivities, not to mention the black-and-white-themed menu Mad and company have whipped up in their kitchen. And there may even be a replacement here for her ex-beau LAPD Detective Chuck Honnett -- who turned out to be not as completely divorced as he'd implied -- although charming trust-fund hunk Dexter Delano Wyatt's past may be a bit too shady for Ms. Bean's good.

Of course, then everything goes straight to hell. Having to contend with a heap of celebrity trash, a ranting vocal coach, his rabid bitch of a girlfriend, and dueling preteen music prodigies is bad enough. But when the furious bidding war for the prize item to be auctioned off—a one-of-a-kind, sterling silver Selmer Mark VI tenor saxophone -- almost results in bloodshed, and the perfect sax subsequently vanishes, Madeline can't help but wonder what else could possibly go wrong.

Well ... she could arrive home to discover a dead body in her bedroom. Detective Honnett could start making insistent "take me back" noises. The man Mad is considering as a candidate to fill the void in her sex life could have been involved in a multimillion-dollar art theft and insurance fraud and maybe much worse. And then there's the red-haired stranger who seems to be stalking her.

All in all, the lethal looniness surrounding the theft of a priceless instrument is threatening to drive Mad quite mad. With the jazz cool, the sax "hot," and the martinis smoking, it may drive her quite dead.

About this title

About the Author

Jerrilyn Farmer, the author of seven acclaimed, award-winning Madeline Bean novels, is a TV writer who has written for game shows such as Jeopardy! and Supermarket Sweep, and sketch comedy specials for Dana Carvey, Jon Lovitz, Timothy Stack, Cheri Oteri, Tim Meadows, and others. Farmer also teaches mystery writing at the UCLA Extension's Writers Program. She lives in Southern California.

Reviews

TV writer Farmer's seventh breezy culinary mystery (after 2003's Mumbo Gumbo) smoothly blends all the right ingredients - Beverly Hills money mania, tart humor, romance and, of course, murder. The Woodburn School of Music's fund-raising soiree, the Jazz Ball, catered by party planner Madeline Bean and her Mad Bean Events, looks to be a great success, until someone steals the silver saxophone that went for $100,000 at the charity auction. Later that night, one of the waitresses at the event turns up dead in Maddie's own bed - now how in the heck could that happen? Enter a flickering old flame and a brand new sparkler. A former boyfriend of Maddie's, police lieutenant Chuck Honnett, steps in to work the whodunit and to put some kindling on their relationship's embers. Dexter Delano Wyatt, a trust-fund cutie, is hoping for more immediate fireworks. Cheating hearts, insurance fraud, art theft and a second dead body have Madeline unsure whom to trust and certain that her own life is in danger. She's followed, spied on, shot at and pursued by the good, the bad and the ugly, but comes through with a taste or two of justice, and perhaps a whole new lease on her muddled love life. Farmer's menus and decorating descriptions, glimpses into the high-end Hollywood lifestyle and warmly conversational tone will delight fans of lighter crime capers.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Madeline Bean, Los Angeles party planner for the rich and famous, outdoes herself catering the Black and White Ball, a fund-raiser for the prestigious Woodburn School of Music's Young Artists Program. After the ball, she lends her car to a desperate employee and catches a ride with Woodburn committee cochair, Zenya Knight, whose husband leaves her stranded downtown, late at night. Finally arriving home after being rescued by Zenya' s brother, Dexter, Madeline finds a woman has been murdered in her bed, and she may herself be in danger. A missing saxophone, a neighbor's personal papers, and possible fraud complicate Madeline's hunt for the killer. While solving the mystery, Madeline must also come to terms with her feelings for Dexter and with the fall-out from her breakup with a married police officer. A lively pace, sympathetic characters, a glimpse into the lives of the very rich, and some tempting descriptions of food add to the story line in this sixth in a series. Sue O'Brien
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: William Morrow
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0380978903
• ISBN 13: 9780380978908
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 304