[.ca] Immaculate Reception: A Madeline Bean Catering Mystery (ISBN 0380795973)

entertaining and funny mystery -- with the Pope too!:
This is the second of the Madeline Bean Culinary Mystery series, and this one is just as engaging as the first. Madeline and her colleagues have been slated to prepare a 2000-person breakfast for the pontiff, but they are nothing if not ambitious, managing to take on a murderer, an exhibitionist star, a parchment that may be a confession to murder, and even go out on the town a few times! The characters are very entertaining -- problem-solving Madeline, her omniscient partner Wes, their goofy employee Holly and her Donald (who has just written a successful screenplay), and Maddie's part-time beau Arlo. There is a lot of activity here, a bit of Hollywood name-dropping, colorful portraits of the star lifestyle we love to ridicule, and even a decent mystery. Do yourself a favor and check out this delightful series by talented author Jerrilyn Farmer.

Super second book!:
I was afraid I wouldn't like this book from the back synopsis. But, after a friend encouraged me to try it, I'm glad I did! The story was very different from the first book of the series but equally engaging. Ms. Farmer is very knowledgeable about her subject matter and the story is very, very fascinating as well as believeable! Thanks, Ms. Farmer, for a great read!

Madeline's catering for the Pope.... What Fun!:
The title of this book caught my eye and I am glad it did. This is a fun, engaging mystery that involves a wonderful main character, Madeline Bean, and her friends. Madeline has been asked by her long ago former boyfriend, now a priest, to handle the catering for the Pope's upcoming visit to Los Angeles. As if that's not enough... she is also dealing with a on-off boyfriend, a murder of a priest at her sometime boyfriend's TV show set and a very interesting police detective who is interested in Madeline. It is a well written story, one that you are sure to enjoy. I finished it and went looking for the others in this series. I hope to follow Ms. Bean's adventures for a long time. They are most fun.

Feeding the Pope is the Least of Her Worries:
Madeline Bean has just been given the event of the year to cater - the official Los Angeles welcome breakfast for the Pope's visit. Still, this is the least of her worries. First, she's struggling with her feelings for ex-fiancé Xavier Jones who left her to become a Jesuit Brother. Then there's the old letter she finds that seems to be a confession to murder. But who's confessing, when, and why? Then a priest, a friend of Xavier's, is murdered in a TV star's trailer, and things really start to heat up. Madeline is going to have to dig up some old secrets to figure this out before the Pope must cancel his visit to LA. This is a thoroughly entertaining read from start to finish. The characters are charming and easy to like. The plot flows well with just the right mix of mystery and humor culminating in a perfectly logical and surprising ending. I can't recommend this series highly enough. Start with the first, Sympathy for the Devil. You will enjoy this entertaining mystery series immensely.

Excellent 2nd book!:
What do you get when you toss in the Pope, two Jesuits and Mad Bean Catering? A fun, sophisticated and well-written second mystery from the author of SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL. Maddy and friends are back and this time they tangle with priests, murders and mayhem as they organize the catering event of their lives - for the Pope. If you like contemporary mysteries and haven't discovered Jerrilyn Farmer - hurry up and buy her books!