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Breakfast at Madeline’s |
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| Breakfast at Madeline’s by Matt Witten Signet Mystery Books 244 pages, 1999 ISBN 0451196813 Reviewed by PJ Nunn Read our author interview Read our review of Strange Bedfellows (2000) What writer hasn’t dreamed of that long-awaited big break that puts dollars in the bank and an agent on the phone with more offers? Jacob Burns stumbled into that scenario, took full advantage of it, then promptly developed a full-blown case of writer’s block. Wagging his laptop to Madeline’s diner, a comfortable daily custom, his routine was severely interrupted by the death of another writer, Donald Penn, literally at his feet. The man’s dying act was to thrust a safe deposit key into Jason’s hand. What else can he do but set out on a quest to discover what the dying writer intended? Jacob’s investigation immediately hits snags, one after another. Penn’s writing stinks. In fact, it appears, once Jacob gains entrance to the coveted safe deposit box, that Penn wrote and rewrote the very same Prologue again and again for some thirty years. Jacob’s missing something, but before he can figure it out, he notices there are several citizens, including the mayor, who are extremely concerned about what Penn has written. Concerned enough to break into Jacob’s house, and even to set fire to an office he’s in at the time. Jacob better solve this puzzle before someone else winds up dead. Witten’s caustic wit is the springboard for this mystery. In fact, it sometimes supercedes the story. A seasoned television scriptwriter, Witten is no amateur, yet perhaps the fiction mystery genre is not the best showcase for his talents. Breakfast at Madeline’s is a valiant first, yet both the characters and the plot seem a little too sensationalized to be truly engaging. Even so, there is some excellent writing contained within the book, with snappy repartee and potential for more to come. |
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