Drop Dead Delicious: A Maggie and Odessa Mystery
Author
Jill Brock
Publisher
BookSurge Publishing
No Review Copies Left
Drop Dead Delicious
Best friends since high school, Maggie Swift and Odessa Wilkes are working hard at their new careers, Maggie as a P.I. in-training and Odessa as a dessert chef. A pixie redhead, with more curiosity than common sense, Maggie wants to do more than the dishes and coaching her son’s soccer team. Once, Odessa wanted to be as rich as Oprah, now she dreams of winning first place on a televised Bake Off, if she can just find a killer cake recipe.
As a mother and wife, Maggie’s knack for finding things and people motivates her to try her hand at sleuthing. Armed with a certificate from her Adult Education Class, Private Investigation for Idiots, and a job working for a retired New York City police detective’s failing P.I. business, she wants to give it a go. Despite, protests from her husband, a hyperactive eight year old son and an inscrutable family dog. In between PTA meetings and doing the laundry, Maggie thinks she could be the next Sam Spade,
For Odessa, after a tumultuous year, finally she is back on track, with her growing cake making business. Despite having to work with her demanding sister, Candace at their family restaurant The Blue Moon, things are looking good. Until her embezzling ex-boss comes back to town.
Burke Peterson was a nightmare Odessa would sooner forget, but he won’t let her. His return to New York City brings back really bad memories. Especially the one where Odessa gets tossed out of her high paying job, dumped by her ‘perfect’ boyfriend on a crowded Manhattan street and stuck in a subway fire all on the same day. The incident left her with an anxiety disorder and little blue pills to manage it.
With Peterson’s return, Odessa has to contend with her overwhelming desire to kill him with a poison pie, dealing with her new boyfriend’s sudden jealousy and finding the recipe for the perfect cake! While Maggie tries to help her best friend, she has problems of her own. Her first stake out brings her too close for comfort to a deranged oversexed mistress and her accident prone husband’s penchant for power tools.
Despite all their efforts, Peterson drags Odessa and Maggie reluctantly into dirty money, hidden codes, the FBI, Las Vegas and murder.
Reviews
Drop Dead Delicious opens with Odessa tagging along with Maggie to meet her part-time boss, Frank. Maggie is a part-time investigator. Odessa had been working at an advertising agency in New York City, but Burke Peterson ruined her. (Since this is the second book in the series, we don’t know the back story on that, but it is still possible to read this book without reading book one. Which is titled Pennywise.) But now she is the owner of O So Sweet Cakes. Frank is teaching the girls to do a stakeout. They are investigating a suspected cheating husband (Mr. Portman). When they barge into his hotel room, he claims no wrong doing. So rather than give the pictures to Frank, Maggie steals the memory card. Maggie drops Odessa off at Blue Moon, Candace (Odessa’s sister) restaurant. Her boyfriend Lee picks her up and tries to get her mind off of Burke Peterson’s sudden return. Burke calls her that evening wanting to meet at his hotel. Odessa refuses. When the FBI shows up at her front door, she knows that something is wrong. Odessa almost has to force them out of her home when they accuse her of helping Burke embezzle money. Maggie promises that if Odessa will help her on the Portman job, she will help Odessa get rid of the FBI. The FBI will be harder to get away from than either of them thought, because one of the partners from Odessa and Burke’s former firm turns up dead and Burke is accused of murdering him…
This was a good mystery. It was really cool to see part of the mystery taking place somewhere where the character isn’t in familiar territory. Maggie and Odessa take a trip to Las Vegas to get clues to help clear Burkes name. If you enjoy cooking (especially cakes) then this series is for you. I would recommend that a person read Pennywise first, but you don’t need to read it to make sense of this book. Another reason why I liked this book! And I especially like how Odessa finds her aunt’s famous recipes in the quilts she was given.
Reviewed on 03/24/2010 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Arianna Grainey
Odessa Wilkes and her best friend, Maggie Swift, are back in another hilarious mystery. Odessa has recovered from her anxiety attacks and started a new life. Comfortably baking desserts at her family’s restaurant, The Blue Moon, and settled into her new romantic relationship, all seems well and calm. Then Odessa’s embezzling ex-boss from Eastman & Kendrick, Burke Peterson, comes back. Did he make some kind of deal? Why is Burke back in town? Is Odessa going to kill him like she always planned?
Much to everyone’s surprise, Odessa has the opposite reaction. She greets Burke Peterson with a huge warm hug. Maggie is confused. Lee goes into crazy boyfriend mode and shows a jealous streak. Candace just wants everyone to stop making a scene in front of the customers. Burke soon obliges the crowd and makes an exit, leaving behind his wallet. Its not long before Maggie & Odessa try to find out why Burke has returned and if he’s really guilty of embezzlement.
Meanwhile, Odessa has entered a Bake Off contest. She needs to determine the best recipe ever in order to win. If only her Aunt left behind the recipes to her delicious cakes like she left behind handmade quilts.
This book is filled with comedic adventures of the amateur detectives. Author Jill Brock’s sequel is a fast, great weekend read. The plot has multiple storylines, but very easy to keep up with. The characters are just as memorable and hilarious as when we first met them in PENNYWISE. I look forward to more adventures with Maggie & Odessa.
November 30, 2009
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Reviewed on 12/16/2009 by ReviewTheBook.com Member L Marie Harris
Odessa Wilkes has it all, a prominent job, a charming boyfriend, and the world’s most amazing job. Then one day her world came crashing down upon her. When the companies golden boy Burke Peterson is accused of embezzling from the company and flees town the only place left to place the blame is upon his chosen girl Odessa. With her life spinning out of control, she is forced from the company, and on the same day dumped by her boyfriend. Finally when things start to improve for her Burke reappears in her life. He pleads for her help in clearing his name, Odessa reluctantly agrees to help putting her new relationship with Lee in jeopardy. Enlisting the help of her best friend soon to be private eye, Maggie Swift the two are now in the middle of a murder case when the owner of the company ends up murdered. Taking the trail that Burke has led them down the two end up in Las Vegas face to face with member of the mafia. When they finally come back to New York the case takes a completely different turn. Will Maggie and Odessa be able to help the FBI find the real murder, or will Burke pay for a crime he did not commit? “Drop Dead Delicious”, is truly a delicious novel that will have you coming back for seconds. With something to offers everyone from mysterious coded quilts, the FBI, a cake baking contest, love triangles and so many more juicy subjects one must read this book. Jill Brock has created a cast of characters that are a diverse as the spices in my cabinet, although when blended together bake up a masterpiece. “Drop Dead Delicious”, is the perfect book to sink your teeth into.
Reviewed on 10/23/2009 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Angela Simmons
Cake maker/dessert chef Odessa Wilkes is infuriated when Burke Peterson, her former boss at Manhattan advertising agency Eastman/Hendrick, returns to New York City after embezzling charges against him are dropped. Odessa lost her job due to her business relationship with him and is still carrying a grudge.
When the head of Eastman/Kendrick is found murdered, fingers point to Burke as the killer. Burke maintains his innocence and enlists the help of Odessa and her friend Maggie, a mother and private investigator in training.
Odessa must juggle a jealous boyfriend, a former boyfriend, a menacing sister, two FBI agents, a bake-off and more in her attempt at vindicating Burke.
Jill Brock's "Drop Dead Delicious" is a fun who-done-it. Odessa and Maggie are colorful and engaging characters with a lot of chutzpah. I especially enjoyed their escapades in Las Vegas. I would recommend this to anyone who loves a humorous mystery. However, the book would benefit from a round of copy editing.
Reviewed on 10/04/2009 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Darcy Odden
