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Death at Breakfast

A Novel

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

From the acclaimed New York Times bestselling author of Still Missing, More Than You Know, and Gossip comes the first entry in a stylish and witty mystery series featuring a pair of unlikely investigators—a shrewd novel of manners with a dark heart of murder at its center, set in small-town New England.

Indulging their pleasure in travel and new experiences, recently retired private school head Maggie Detweiler and her old friend, socialite Hope Babbin, are heading to Maine. The trip—to attend a weeklong master cooking class at the picturesque Victorian-era Oquossoc Mountain Inn—is an experiment to test their compatibility for future expeditions.

Hope and Maggie have barely finished their first aperitifs when the inn's tranquility is shattered by the arrival of Alexander and Lisa Antippas and Lisa's actress sister, Glory. Imperious and rude, these Hollywood one-percenters quickly turn the inn upside-down with their demanding behavior, igniting a flurry of speculation and gossip among staff and guests alike.

But the disruption soon turns deadly. After a suspicious late-night fire is brought under control, Alex's charred body is found in the ashes. Enter the town's deputy sheriff, Buster Babbin, Hope's long-estranged son and Maggie's former student. A man who's finally found his footing in life, Buster needs a win. But he's quickly pushed aside by the "big boys," senior law enforcement and high-powered state's attorneys who swoop in to make a quick arrest.

Maggie knows that Buster has his deficits and his strengths. She also knows that justice does not always prevail—and that the difference between conviction and exoneration too often depends on lazy police work and the ambitions of prosecutors. She knows too, after a lifetime of observing human nature, that you have a great advantage in doing the right thing if you don't care who gets the credit or whom you annoy.

Feeling that justice could use a helping hand—as could the deputy sheriff—Maggie and Hope decide that two women of experience equipped with healthy curiosity, plenty of common sense, and a cheerfully cynical sense of humor have a useful role to play in uncovering the truth.

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    • AudioFile Magazine
      Cozy mystery fans, take note of Beth Gutcheon's series debut featuring two retirees who set out on a travel adventure but soon find themselves embroiled in a murder investigation. Maggie Detweiler and Hope Babbin are attending a cooking seminar at a remote Maine inn when a suspicious fire leaves a celebrity guest dead. Cynthia Darlow performs this whodunit with confidence and ease. She skillfully delivers a New England accent and moves gracefully between the aging protagonists and a cast of characters as colorful as the region's fall foliage. Darlow is attuned to Gutcheon's gentle humor, and she expertly emphasizes the audiobook's rich atmosphere--from aromas in the kitchen to the peaceful small-town setting. It's a fun listen, especially for those who enjoy a good puzzle. J.F. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      March 28, 2016
      This convivial if contrived series launch from Gutcheon (Gossip) introduces Maggie Detweiler, a newly retired school head, and her friend Hope Babbin, who book a stay at the Oquossoc Mountain Inn in Bergen, Maine, the home of Hope’s deputy sheriff son, Buster Babbin. Among the inn’s guests are the demanding Alex Antippas, a “megarich developer of shopping malls and suburban office parks,” and his wife, Lisa. Alex, who’s the father of the troubled pop star Artemis by his first wife, immediately bullies Cherry Weaver, the front desk clerk, and offends Gabriel Gurrell, the inn’s owner. Lisa’s yappy dog later causes more trouble. When Alex dies in a suspicious fire, Det. Shep Gordon fastens on Cherry as his chief suspect. Maggie and Hope shift into amateur-sleuth mode and find plenty of others at the inn with reason to kill Alex. At the women’s prodding, the amiable Buster assists in the search for the real culprit. Cozy fans who don’t mind gapping plot holes will be satisfied. Agent: Emma Sweeney, Emma Sweeney Agency.

    • Kirkus

      Two old friends decide to try vacationing together with a trip to Maine and find themselves jump-starting their amateur sleuthing careers. In Gutcheon's (Gossip, 2012, etc.) start to a new series, Maggie Detweiler and Hope Babbin head to the Oquossoc Mountain Inn for a cooking course, a retreat for Maggie after her husband's death. For Hope, it's a chance to spy on her estranged son, Buster, who happens to be the resident deputy sheriff. Buster wants to stay far away from the pair, but this proves impossible when the wealthy Antippas family shows up at the inn. Patriarch Alexander treats owner Gabriel Gurrell with disdain and continues to make enemies as he insults Chef Sarah's food and gets Cherry Weaver, the front desk girl, fired. Alexander is revealed as the father of pop sensation Artemis when news hits that she's killed herself after being arrested. Tragedy strikes again just days later when a fire breaks out and Alexander dies in the blaze. Sure, he was known to smoke in his room, but evidence at the scene suggests foul play is likely. With all the enemies he's made, there's a wealth of motivation to go around. Alternating between solving a jigsaw puzzle and digging into their fellow lodgers' back stories, Hope and Maggie put the pieces together in more ways than one, fulfilling Buster's worst fears of meddling: he "thought about telling them he couldn't discuss it, but into his head flashed the image of...torture." Besides our sleuths (who are themselves hard to tell apart), characters as well as certain plot points fade into obscurity. Tension does build in the final pages, paving the way for future installments--though readers might be fine with saying goodbye to these characters here. You might fall pleasantly into Gutcheon's narrative rhythm, but don't expect this story to stay with you long. COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • Booklist

      Starred review from May 1, 2016
      Critically acclaimed New York Times best-selling author Gutcheon (Gossip, 2012) tries her hand at crime fiction and brings all of her talent for creating engaging characters to the task. Two retirees investigate the gruesome death of the obnoxious father of an out-of-control teen pop star in a fire at the Maine inn where they are attending a weeklong master cooking class. Hope Babbin and Maggie Detweiler have a lifetime's worth of circumspection and acquaintances between them, especially Maggie, who has the advantage of those extra eyes she grew in the back of her head as a school principal. They form an uneasy alliance with Hope's long-estranged son and Maggie's former student, Buster, the local deputy sheriff. The dialogue is witty and crisp, and the story moves at a good clip, punctuated with mouth-watering dining intervals. A sequel is set up nicely at the end. The delicious prose and exploration of the intricacies of human nature recommend this series to fans of Alexander McCall Smith, Louise Penny, and the late master of the form, Ruth Rendell.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

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  • English

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