For Teeny Templeton life has often been very hard. She thinks the worst is behind her as this first week in June finds the aspiring chef engaged and happy in Charleston, South Carolina. Her wealthy finance, Bing Jackson, has even splurged for a special cooking class so that she can make their wedding cake for their nuptials in August. It means she will be busy every Thursday evening from seven to ten for the next ten weeks and will finish just in time to create something non-traditional for their wedding as Bing wants.
After the first class is unexpectedly canceled, Teeny returns home to find that Bing has company at their home. If the license plate on the white BMW convertible is any indication, SOSEX-E, the company is female kind. That is quickly confirmed as Teeny hears someone laugh from around the back of the house and goes to investigate. Teeny is in for a shock as Bing does have female company. Two lovely ladies, one a brunette and the other one is a redhead, are in the backyard playing badminton with Bing.
And everyone is naked.
After seeing her bulldog, Sir, get kicked by one of the female visitors, Teeny becomes involved in a confrontation with everyone. Before it is over words as well as unripened peaches have been thrown, the naked badminton players have suffered a few injuries from flying peaches, a peach tree has been cut down, and the cops have arrested and taken Teeny to jail. Needless to say, the engagement and wedding is off.
It isn't surprising when that Bing is found dead a few days later and Teeny is the suspect. Of course, the fact that she is in the house with the body, she has blood on her, and is violation of a court order to stay away from Bing does not help her case one bit. Teeny is a world of trouble and when her first love comes back into her life, he just might be the only one that can save her.
Clearly designed to be the first installment of a series as the matters in this book are resolved before a cliff hanger ending is tacked on for the next book, the overall read is a good one. Plenty of mystery along with eccentric characters, some romance that does not slow down the pace of the book, and lots of humor propel this fun read steadily forward.
Humor is a major part of this book in both obvious and unexpected ways. Michael Lee West is clearly having fun with the idea of cozy style mystery novels that feature recipes. In addition to the real recipes in the book, there the recipes that many of us have thought of at different times. Recipes such as “you'll get yours peach icing” or “bye-bye bitch” are twistedly funny and provide numerous laugh out loud moments in the book.
This very funny read is just plain fun and a perfect antidote to the world around us. It does not take itself too seriously and you should not either. Enjoy.
Gone With A Handsomer Man
Michael Lee West
Minotaur Books
April 2011
ISBN# 978-0-312-57122-1
Hardback
352 Pages
$24.99
Review copy was an ARC provided by
Anne Staszalek, Marketing Associate, AuthorsOnTheWeb A Division of TheBookReportNetwork.com
THE CONTEST---Anne has graciously offered a copy of GONE WITH A HANDSOMER MAN by Michael Lee West for a lucky reader. I hate contests with lots of hoops for folks to jump through so we are going to keep this very simple. You have to be a resident of the UNITED STATES or CANADA. To enter---You must leave a comment here on the blog by midnight Texas time. If you comment, unless you tell me otherwise, you have entered the contest.
Monday morning or so, all the names will be tossed into my 2005 TEXAS NATIONAL CHAMPIONS baseball cap (hey, I would use a Dallas Mavericks hat right about now but don’t have one---GO MAVS!) where they will be shaken, stirred, etc. before one name is pulled out.
I will inform said winner of their winning status and put him or her in contact with Anne. The winner will need to provide Anne with a mailing address for the book.
That is it!
Please feel free to spread the word.
Kevin R. Tipple © 2011
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