The cast is embroiled in petty, off–stage jealousies, ego trips and power struggles, all of which are further fueled by the clueless, blowhard director. Even the presence of two aging professional thespians––a lecherous old boozer and his genteel, seriously gifted wife––fails to bring a sense of decorum to this train wreck of a production. And the plot takes a decidedly darker turn when a particularly rebellious young performer exits stage left––permanently––courtesy of a head–bashing killer! Now Jane and Shelly have their own roles to play in this twisted, true life theatrical where each member of the dramatis personae has a make–up case full of secrets, masks and motives.
prose, and nothing interesting ever happens. I wasn't merely bored by this book, I was insulted. And there isn't enough money in the universe that would make me read anything else by this author.
Catering to a Murderer.......2006-08-03
In the 15th book in the Jane Jeffry mystery series, Jane and her best friend, Shelley, are out to find the perfect caterer. Shelley is looking for a new caterer to provide employee dinners for her husband's successful restaurant business, and decides to cater the rehearsals for the new local theatre. Shelley feels particularly close to this theatre since her husband purchased and donated the building to the local college for its use in putting on productions. This will be the first play for the theatre, and Shelley wants to be involved in the process. She convinces Jane to help her sample the caterers' food, and to watch the rehearsals with her. Jane reluctantly agrees as she dislikes amateur theatre, and only goes for the free food and camaraderie with Shelley. The play is as awful as Jane feared, and when one of the cast members is murdered, Jane is ashamed to admit that the murder perked up a completely boring production. But when the janitor is found critically injured, Jane begins to investigate and helps her detective boyfriend, Mel, solve yet another case.
Even though I agree with many of the reviewers, I enjoyed this latest installment in this long running series. The premise was a little improbable regarding the free catering for the rehearsals, but offered Jane and Shelley the chance to get involved in the production without being a part of the cast. And I found it a little odd how much Mel spoke to Jane about the details of the case, and even asked for her feedback. I was glad that he didn't nag her about investigating the case as in previous books, but still found it odd how much he told her. The parts about Jane's book were interesting, and I look forward to watching her go through the publishing process. Overall, I will continue to read this series, and hope that the strength of Jane's character returns in future installments.
The first book in the series is called "Grime and Punishment". Enjoy!
From Bad To Worse.......2006-03-16
Jane Jeffry's friend, Shelley Nowack, has agreed to find caterers to provide meals for participants in a play the local community college is putting on and asks Jane to help her. Jane agrees, figuring she can work on her latest hobby, needlepoint, while watching the rehearsal. She also hopes to get some ideas for a new book that she is writing. But Jane gets more than she bargained for when an actor in the play is murdered and the janitor at the theater is attacked. Jane's longtime boyfriend, police Detective Mel van Dyne, in investigating the case and asks for Jane's help as she knows the cast and crew quite well. Jane has plenty of suspects for Mel, including the director-playwright, Steven Imry and all the cast members.
Jill Churchill's last Jane Jeffrey mystery "Bell, Book, and Scandal" was pretty bad but I had hoped that was just a one-time thing. Unfortunately, "A Midsummer Night's Scream" is almost as bad, if not worse. Outside of Jane's success as a novelist, there is no character development and the only new interesting character is Gloria Bunting. The writing is stiff and some passages, such as the needlepoint class instructions seem like they are quoted from books. The dialogue is awkward and artificial and at least once Churchill loses track of which character is speaking. Even cozy bits, such as Jane's cat catching a mole are badly written and feel forced.
The Jane Jeffry mystery series used to be a light, cozy, pleasant read and it's a shame to see the series go downhill so fast. I recommend reading the other books in the series and skipping the last two. Hopefully that the next one will be better and puts the series back on track.
Silly.......2005-12-21
I don't know what's happened to this series or this author.
The book was horrible. The mystery was very lame, the characters didn't interest me at all, and I felt like I was reading a copy of "Needlepoint For Dummies." If those classes were supposed to be a backdrop for the story, someone needs to tell the author that it was way too overpowering.
While reading a book, Jane comments on how she likes the way the author "buried her clues" and how she hoped to do the same. Yet I counted at least three instances where the clues weren't buried -- they just weren't given, such as when Mel "gave Imry the information he needed." How is the reader supposed to figure out what's going on when the author is holding back?
The dialog between characters was also stupid. Shelley and Jane discuss Shelly's husband's "chain of fast food Greek restaurants." They've been best friends for years...do they really have to specify what type of business Shelley's husband is in when they talk to each other? I also felt that there was a lot of useless, inane stuff filling the book -- such as where all the needlepointers went after class and what everyone ate for lunch at a restaurant. Was the author trying to fill a word count quota?
I really hope the author gets this series back on track or I'm done with it.
A One Day Wonder.......2005-12-19
I am amazed by previous reviews which claim this book is slow reading, unrealistic, etc. It is FICTION, so how Jane gets her book accepted is not necessarily the way it happens in true life, but perhaps a plot vehicle.
Ms. Churchill, please keep writing Jane Jeffrey mysteries and I will keep buying them and enjoying them. I read this one in under a day, on a 3 hour car trip and then because I could not put it down, wanted to finish it, and yet it was good enough, I regret having read it so fast! I enjoy being a part of Jane's life and like the lack of shock value and suspense so many authors feel they must include. I like "cozies" and Jill Churchill is at the top of my list!
My only dismay is that I now have to wait for the next one!
Keep up the great work!
Average customer rating:
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A Midsummer Night's Scream (Jane Jeffry Mystery Series #15)
Jill Churchill
Manufacturer: Sound Library
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ASIN: 079273369X |
Customer Reviews:
Catering to a Murderer!.......2006-08-03
In the 15th book in the Jane Jeffry mystery series, Jane and her best friend, Shelley, are out to find the perfect caterer. Shelley is looking for a new caterer to provide employee dinners for her husband's successful restaurant business, and decides to cater the rehearsals for the new local theatre. Shelley feels particularly close to this theatre since her husband purchased and donated the building to the local college for its use in putting on productions. This will be the first play for the theatre, and Shelley wants to be involved in the process. She convinces Jane to help her sample the caterers' food, and to watch the rehearsals with her. Jane reluctantly agrees as she dislikes amateur theatre, and only goes for the free food and camaraderie with Shelley. The play is as awful as Jane feared, and when one of the cast members is murdered, Jane is ashamed to admit that the murder perked up a completely boring production. But when the janitor is found critically injured, Jane begins to investigate and helps her detective boyfriend, Mel, solve yet another case.
Even though I agree with many of the reviewers, I enjoyed this latest installment in this long running series. The premise was a little improbable regarding the free catering for the rehearsals, but offered Jane and Shelley the chance to get involved in the production without being a part of the cast. And I found it a little odd how much Mel spoke to Jane about the details of the case, and even asked for her feedback. I was glad that he didn't nag her about investigating the case as in previous books, but still found it odd how much he told her. The parts about Jane's book were interesting, and I look forward to watching her go through the publishing process. Overall, I will continue to read this series, and hope that the strength of Jane's character returns in future installments.
The first book in the series is called "Grime and Punishment". Enjoy!
Customer Reviews:
Yeah, Surprisingly Good.......2004-12-03
I'll admit, I stole this book. I saw it on the bookshelf at my Dormitory and thought, "Hey, I'm kinda board, this looks interesting." I never thought that this book would be so great. I've never read any Shadowrun books before, and all I know about it is that it was an old RPG campaign setting that never really took of. (That doesn't mean anything, Planescape is the best campaign setting ever, but they discontinued it for quite some time) It is supposed to be a blend of Sci-Fi and Fantasy... yeah I know their pretty much the same thing, but still, it's refreshing to see that if there were once elves and orcs and other creatures, what would happen if they were still living with us throughout the future?
What's cool is the multi-genreness of this book. It's a basic hard-boiled detective novel, set in a dark future (i.e Bladerunner), with fantasy creatures and characters, (i.e Lord of the Rings). What else could you ask for? Character.
Character is the most important part of the story, and if anybody's taken a writing class they would know this, that the characters are what mak the story. You have to care for the character, actualy care if they die or not, if they fall in love or not, if they make it out of this with sanity intact or not.
Dirk Montgomery is a great character. From the mold of those Film Noir, Detectectives, which was then super injected with a tough, street smart, morally upright, drinker substatce, and painted with a broad spectrum of emotions.
The Minor Characters are great, and I don't want any spoilers, but you will care when they die... or not die... or something.
Yeah, pick up this book. It's a real good read that will have ou thinking afterwards, and looking for more.
Yeah this one is great.......2003-07-17
You gotta read it, 5 stars, it goes really fast and it's so exciting. Big conspiracy in this one. A little scary in places, even. The author-to-reader dialogue of Findley is precious. Unfortunately, Findley died in his early 30s of a heart attack. Don't be mistaken -- his novels, placed in this "mass market series" are real art.
A book unlike any other in Shadowrun.......2002-02-01
This is by far the absolute best of the Shadowrun novels. Non-stop action, adventure and a plot so full of twists and turns that it'll have you backing up a few chapters to try and find out where you've "heard that somewhere before".
Every chapter of this book gives you a glimpse into the life of the most unusual shadowrunner to hit the streets yet. A man of complex history and complex ideals. The most amazing thing is that as the book continues, nothing happens that shouldn't. No cheap cop-outs to solve a complex situation. No easy victory. No characters begin to act in a way that is unlike their established demeanor. Everything is so well thought out and planned and executed perfectly. When you turn the last page, you'll know the smell of the every allyway and the sound of an HK Assault rifle fired from a moving vehicle. And you will miss reading about characters who are gone.
I'm going to check to see if the follow up book, " House of the Sun" or something, is in stock. I've been told that it is almost just as good. If you can find a copy of 2XS, you will have found the best of a great thing.
Yeeha!!!.......2000-08-23
Woah Dirk Montgomery is the best shadowrun heros. If you like action mysterious plots and investigations, this book's for you. And you'll laught too. Nigel Findley is a real clown heh heh.
Wow! a real excess!.......1999-04-05
This bokk has it all: tough heroes, monstrous enemies, and an unpredictable plot, all in the fantastic world of Shadowrun.
Average customer rating:
- Gritty Shadowrun detective novel
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Shadowrun. 2XS.
Nigel Findley
Manufacturer: Heyne
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 3453062116 |
Customer Reviews:
Gritty Shadowrun detective novel.......2007-05-05
Derek "Dirk" Montgomery has been hired to investigate the murder of an old girlfiend by her sister after she tries to waste him. The investigation leads to the dark side of town and links to his sister, famous newscasters, a new medical service and even a corp.
The hard thing about books written around game systems is that there are a bunch of rules you have to somewhat adhere to and lots of pre-existing slang and settings you have to write around. So you have to be familiar with the game system to come up with a good book.
Nigel does a great job incorporating game slang, settings, and characters to come up with a pretty entertaining book.
In this case, imagine a detective novel. The hero almost getting slagged, contacts within Lone Star (police) and the city morgue. Friends in low places as he finds connections between clients, friends and family. Add in Shadowrun rules system info with Orks, Trolls, and Elves, Go-gangs, street punks and smokey bars and mix well.
Average customer rating:
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2Xs
Nazareth Cdpham 39612
Manufacturer: PHANTOM SOUND & VISION
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD
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ASIN: 6304308833 |
Average customer rating:
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2Xs
Nigel findley
Manufacturer: Fanpro
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000THL51C |
Customer Reviews:
Don't miss reading Help I'm Trapped In a Vampires Body Body.......2007-04-13
Help I'm trapped in a Vampires Body by Todd Strasser is a horrible book for kids older than 10 that I would recommend for kids younger than 10. At the beginning of the story Jake's parents go to chicago so jake decides to throw a party. He does not want anyone to crash the party so he only tells a couple of people. All the action started when jake and his friends bump into vlad the so called janitor. After that every thing comes apart at the seam. Vlad and Jake switch body's, the party gets crashed, and Vlad and Jake switch back. On a scale of one to ten this would be a five.
Jake is a mischievous character. In the beginning he is described as mischievous, outgoing, and a trouble maker. He seems to only have a few friends but many enemies. He is a dull boy that maintains a c- average who's parents are going to chicago for halloween. My favorite part of the book is when the d.i.t.s switches Vlad and Jake. Jake is also somewhat of a scaredy cat. One thing I learned about Jake is that he never thinks things through.
You should read Help I'm Trapped In a Vampires Body because it is surely great for kids.
Help I'm in a vampires body.......2006-02-10
Jake and his friends accidentallly ease drop on one of thier science teachers conversations and over hear about theis machine he had built. So they decide to put into use on one of the school bullies, Barry. This machine is called DITS it is supposed to shrink things. So on Holloween night Andy meets barry at the school because thier going to give him a really big squirt gun Barry was wanting But of just giving it him the gun Andy decides to shrink his head but that could kill him. So when they go to stop him, the janitor catches them and the janitor is supposidy a vampire, when the janitor comes into the room every one goes and hides behind the DITS. When the janitor starts mopping the floor one of the boyes watches sstarts beeping and the janitor herd it, so he goes over to the DITS and the boys start to run but not before Jake trips on a wire and the water from the mop zapped the wires and switched jake and the vampires bodies.
13 year old advanced reader........2002-08-26
I personally thought this book STUNK! My older brother who is 15 (and in my opinion should by now be reading more advanced books) enjoyed this book ver much and has the whole series. But if your more like me you should probably stick with Lord of the rings and such. The author is deffinaly generated towards people around the age of 7 and 10!
THIS BOOK CAN REALLY GET YOU BIT!!!!!!!!!.......2002-06-28
This book rocked. A Must see. The part were Jake and Vald swicth body's it a cool part. Will Jake stay a vampire and have to drink V8 jucie or will he be a human agian? Read and Find out.
Jake has now switched bodies with a vampire..........2001-11-05
Everyone is suspicious of Vlad, the new, pale, custodian. The DITS (Dirksen Intelligence Transfer System [It makes people switch bodies, but it's supposed to just transfer their intelligence levels; created by a guy with the last name of Dirksen]) malfunctions near Vlad, and when Jake's wakes up the next day- he's got a pale face and fangs. Jake uses a sunscreen to make his face look noraml. How will he ever fix this mess?
Book Description
We all deserve a little cake now and then. But with today's cramped kitchens and even more cramped schedules, making a big threelayer cake can be a monumental undertaking. And unless you're baking for an army, you risk having much of it go to waste. How about a small cake with big flavor?
Little Cakes is here to liberate us from the toobig, tooboring tyranny of boxed cake mixes and the traditional layercake recipes. Betty Crocker has fooled us into thinking that "yellow" and "white" are the only flavors available. We've forgotten about the imaginative range of cakes that our grandmothers made. Little Cakes brings back the creativity of those lost classics but updates them for today's smaller households.
Illustrated with original watercolors, Little Cakes makes a charming gift. But it's also an essential addition to any baker's bookshelf, with more modestsized cake recipes than any other cookbook. Rediscover the simple pleasures of baking and enrich any occasion with just the right amount of sweetness.
Customer Reviews:
great basic recipes that hold up to creative impulses.......2007-08-15
I love this book. I've made several recipes from this cookbook, and have really been pleased. What impresses me most is that these recipes hold up well when you substitute ingredients, don't exactly measure precisely, or take half of one recipe and combine it with another. The author did her research well, so if you read through a couple of recipes, you can replicate almost anything that you'll find in a fancy cake shop at home with what you have in your cupboard. And the best part? Most recipes make exactly 12 cupcakes - perfect for a midnight snack, and so much better than from-a-box. Yum!
Best friends gift.......2005-09-10
I love this book because everything I have made turned out very good. It is a splendid idea because nobody gets sick of the cake before it is all gone. I am buying these books as gifts for my friends to enjoy, because this is what I would like as a gift.
Good manual on scratch cake baking. Highly Recommended........2004-10-19
`Little Cakes' by professional writer and `cookbook archeologist' Susan Waggoner is a very pleasant discovery I am happy to recommend to all, especially occasional bakers who want to go just one step beyond the Duncan Hines and Betty Crocker packages to make cakes from scratch. In spite of the delightful watercolor illustrations dotting the dust jacket, I was expecting a weak effort on petit fours and other less than useful preparations. This especially in light of my recently having reviewed expert baker and baking writer Flo Braker's reissued `Sweet Miniatures'. I was very pleasantly surprised with what I found.
For starters `little cakes' in this book means primarily single layer cakes baked in an 8-inch square or round pan, with icing. There are plenty of recipes which can be adapted to two or three layers, and the author gives many suggestions for same, but the heart of the matter is cakes baked with a relatively small amount of batter for a relatively short time. Within those constraints, the variety of cakes presented in this delightful book is wide indeed. The basic types include silver cake, white cake, white chocolate cake, yellow cake, gold cake, genoise (French sponge cake), whipped cream cake, chocolate cakes, devils food cake, marble cakes, `German' chocolate cake, flourless chocolate cake, red velvet cake, pound cake, marble pound cake, butter pecan loaf, lemon pudding cake, orange cake, banana cake, grapefruit cake, pineapple upside-down cake, raisin spice cake, oatmeal cake, pumpkin cake, gingerbread, carrot cake, walnut cake, spice cakes, sandwich cakes, tea cakes, ginger buttons, petit fours, icebox cakes, ladyfingers, and cheesecakes. I will be happy to forgive the author for including cheesecake (a cheese custard pie) and other non-caky desserts such as trifles and tiramisu, as she has successfully created a highly accessible source of good recipes for quick reference when you do not want to wade through a 600 page tome to find something quick for a last minute baking need.
The litany of cake types above is multiplied by pairing each type of `crumb' with an appropriate icing, of which Ms. Waggoner gives several such as whipped creams, lady Baltimore frosting, white decorator icing, basic vanilla icing, basic chocolate frosting, lavish fudge frosting, chocolate ganache, white chocolate buttercream, white chocolate meringue, basic cream cheese frosting, grapefruit frosting, powdered sugar glaze, quick-set fondant, browned butter frosting, peanut butter frosting, penuche frosting, and caramel icing. On top of these are recipes for fillings and syrups for `kicking things up a notch' to borrow a phrase from someone.
While Ms. Waggoner does not have the professional baking credentials of Flo Braker or Nick Malgieri or Gayle Ortiz or Gail Gand, she is no slouch when it comes to starting one out with excellent advice on how to go about baking a good, simple cake. As far as I can tell, she touches all the right bases and gives absolutely no spurious advice. Some practical folk may object to her ward against using an oil spray from an aerosol can to lubricate a pan. I suggest those folk go and read the ingredients on those little cans and realize that the `no fat added' advertising claim is based on a fuzziness in the labeling law which says that if the amount is less than 1%, it can be deemed zero. The wrapper or a stub end of a stick of butter will give no more fat and probably be a lot healthier. A huzzah for Ms. Waggoner on this point.
For those of us who bake cakes only about three or four times a year, I still recommend Ms. Waggoner's book, as it is a very entertaining read for foodies as well as being an exceptionally good quick reference for a wide variety of basic cake types. The very short biography on the dust jacket says Ms. Waggoner enjoys rummaging through old magazines and newspapers for recipes. Well, she has really put all that rummaging to good use. Before the recipe for each major classic recipe, there is a little story on the source and age of the recipe and where it has been between the time it was created and its appearance in this little book. There are even some references to that greatest of pastry chefs Antonin Careme who is credited with the invention of the strawberry charlotte russe.
It is a small point for a book of such high quality recipes, technique, and stories, but the book is also exceptionally well designed to be both pleasant to read and easy to follow when you are doing recipes. The watercolor illustrations contribute little to the appreciation of the end result, but they succeed in being very decorative.
I compared some of Ms. Waggoner's recipes to my favorites and I will not give up my Nick Malgieri recipes for carrot cake or gingerbread and I will not stop referring to Rose Levy Beranbaum or Shirley Corriher for advice on what went wrong with my genoise, and I will definitely go to Maida Heatter when I want a seriously impressive production, but I will definitely turn to Ms. Waggoner the next time I need something I can make quickly from the pantry of a very short trip to the local grocery store.
Highly recommended to all foodies, occasional bakers, and readers in general.
Books:
- A Nose for Murder
- A Stained White Radiance
- A Traitor to Memory
- American Tabloid: A Novel
- An Unsuitable Job for a Woman
- Beyond Suspicion
- Bone Island Mambo: An Alex Rutledge Mystery (Alex Rutledge Mysteries)
- Bound for Murder (Scrapbooking Mystery Series)
- Breach of Duty: A J.P. Beaumont Mystery
- Cat Fear No Evil (Joe Grey Mysteries)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
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- History: Fiction or Science
- Marketing Channels
- Jane and the Man of the Cloth: Being the Second Jane Austen Mystery
- A House of Straw: A Natural Building Odyssey
- Frank Lloyd Wright: The Interactive Portfolio
- Traveling on One Leg
Bell, Book, and Scandal (Jane Jeffry Mystery Series #14)
The House of Seven Mabels (Jane Jeffry Mystery Series #13)
A Groom with a View (Jane Jeffry Mystery Series #11)
The Merchant of Menace (Jane Jeffry Mystery Series #10)
Mulch Ado About Nothing (Jane Jeffry Mystery Series #12)
