Death at Breakfast, Beth Gutcheon
Death at Breakfast, Beth Gutcheon
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
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Death at Breakfast
A Novel

Author: Beth Gutcheon

Narrator: Cynthia Darlow

Unabridged: 8 hr 51 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HarperAudio

Published: 05/10/2016


Synopsis

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.

About Beth Gutcheon

Beth Gutcheon is the critically acclaimed author of the novels, The New Girls, Still Missing, Domestic Pleasures, Saying Grace, Five Fortunes, More Than You Know, Leeway Cottage, and Good-bye and Amen. She is the writer of several film scripts, including the Academy-Award nominee The Children of Theatre Street. She lives in New York City.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Jessica on November 22, 2015

I love Agatha Christie but have never cared much for the modern Cozy Mystery. Dead at Breakfast sounds like it might be cozy--there are two older women investigating a case, it's set at an inn in Maine--but it's exactly the kind of thing Christie would write if she were around today. Tight plot, unu......more

Goodreads review by Becky on May 16, 2016

Maggie Detweiler has finally retired and she and her friend Hope are planning to do some traveling to celebrate. Their first trip is to the famed Oquossoc Mountain Inn - a small resort inn located in the tiny village of Oquossoc, Maine. The trip is in part to see how well the two of them will do tog......more

Goodreads review by Anissa on May 25, 2016

I liked the summary of this from the first so I was glad to get to reading it this week. It was a pretty absorbing and quick read. The murder actually takes place about 40% of the way in. The beginning is a set up for the our main sleuths, Maggie and Hope, the other characters staying at the Inn and......more

Goodreads review by Kate on June 03, 2017

A story set in the fall within a remote village in Maine, is balm to this New England girl's soul. The route from the airport to the inn was familiar and I was quickly transported back to scarlet maple tree-lined roads leading up to the mountain country. That is until the west coast personalities, o......more

Goodreads review by Sarah on November 15, 2017

Throughly enjoyed this murder mystery set at a failing inn on the coast of Maine. Former teacher and school head Maggie Detweiler and her instantly likable friend, Hope Babbin check into the Oquossoc Mountain Inn expecting rest, relaxation, and a few cooking classes taught by a professional chef. Th......more