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Breakfast at Timothy’s
Fresh-out-of-college aspiring novelist Timothy Trousdale can hardly believe his good luck when he lands a job in New York City as a live-in assistant to his all-time favorite showbiz diva, Mercedes Ford. He’s seen all her movies. Spent oodles on tickets to her Broadway shows. And now, he gets to live and work in her swanky Tribeca penthouse. Surely, he’ll be leading the glamorous life rubbing elbows with A-Listers, who may even be able to help him fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming a famous writer. But rats …
after just a few days on the job, Mercedes’ odious manager, Jared Evans, is found dead. Murdered, actually. And Timothy is a suspect!
Timothy had better find the real killer, and fast; otherwise, it’s bye-bye to ever seeing his name on the New York Times Bestsellers List and hello to a stretch of 25-to-life in the slammer. And that great guy he’s just started dating? Who’d ever want to get involved with someone whose address is The New York Penitentiary for Blood-thirsty Killers and Maniacs for crying out loud? Desperate to keep his life from completely shattering into a gazillion shards, Timothy sets out to worm the truth from an oddball cast of characters—including a sourpuss housekeeper, a vindictive former employee, a wacko Brit with delusions of grandeur, and even Mercedes’ unfaithful toy boy husband. Each of them may hold the keys to unlocking the mystery. Timothy is caught in a seemingly inescapable trap and must fight to save himself—and his favorite movie star, too.
after just a few days on the job, Mercedes’ odious manager, Jared Evans, is found dead. Murdered, actually. And Timothy is a suspect!
Timothy had better find the real killer, and fast; otherwise, it’s bye-bye to ever seeing his name on the New York Times Bestsellers List and hello to a stretch of 25-to-life in the slammer. And that great guy he’s just started dating? Who’d ever want to get involved with someone whose address is The New York Penitentiary for Blood-thirsty Killers and Maniacs for crying out loud? Desperate to keep his life from completely shattering into a gazillion shards, Timothy sets out to worm the truth from an oddball cast of characters—including a sourpuss housekeeper, a vindictive former employee, a wacko Brit with delusions of grandeur, and even Mercedes’ unfaithful toy boy husband. Each of them may hold the keys to unlocking the mystery. Timothy is caught in a seemingly inescapable trap and must fight to save himself—and his favorite movie star, too.
311 pages, Paperback
Published September 10, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
November 17, 2023
I really really wanted to like this but nothing about Timothy or any of the secondary characters appealed to me. The murder/mystery aspects of the plot didn't eventuate until nearly the mid-way point; too much excessive detail in setting up the characters to be potential victim and suspects IMO.
One or two (out of several) annoying editing oversights gave rise to amusement inadvertently e.g. "The Tuesday guys are here," she said, giving a raised eyebrow and approving nod to Timothy's shitless, slender torso. Just 2.5 stars tops.
One or two (out of several) annoying editing oversights gave rise to amusement inadvertently e.g. "The Tuesday guys are here," she said, giving a raised eyebrow and approving nod to Timothy's shitless, slender torso. Just 2.5 stars tops.
May 20, 2026
Really enjoyed this book. The depiction of Timothy is kind of stylized so it takes a while to understand what the author is doing. But it is a fun read-I was drawn in watching Timothy flail as an assistant to the assistant with big dreams. Lots of small mysteries surround him as he tries to find his footing. Then we get the big mystery. All in all a really fun book. The narrator was good (I listened to the audio) although it felt like he tried to give Timothy an accent partway through.
Did Not Finish
August 7, 2025It’s just terrible. Timothy doesn’t just make mistakes. He makes bad decisions. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to like about him.
June 22, 2026
Do appreciate a cozy mystery
July 3, 2025
Hmmmm. I'm torn. Surprisingly, there is a good little whodunnit here. There is a reasonable number of suspects, each with potential motives that need consideration, a fairly complicated yet believable murder, and a somewhat satisfying reveal. However, it's surrounded by plot points and characters that made me want to DNF, including a very long beginning that really tested my patience. That's actually a real shame, because a passable mystery isn't easy to pull off, but I feel the author has wasted it on a main character that is so unlikeable and mind-numbingly stupid that I was rooting for the killer to take him out too! I mean, seriously, a guy who doesn't know how to use email is given luxury accommodation and a mass of private information belonging to a high-profile celebrity on day one, and they refuse to fire him after multiple F-ups. Then, he becomes this whiny drama-junkie who keeps talking about being an author but isn't one and hasn't even tried ot be one! Jared was right! Also, the romance is so glossed over that it may as well have been cut entirely. Brad was completely unnecessary. And why didn't MC get an apartment with Beverly? Too much of this book makes no sense, except for the actual murder mystery (barring the bit about the flowers). Anyway, I recommend reading...if you like cosy mysteries...and are willing to skip ahead quite a few chapters after he gets the job. Good narration.
April 8, 2026
Timothy gets a job as a personal, LIVE-IN assistant to his movie icon. There's an odd housekeeper who doesn't seem to do any actually cleaning, or cooking for that matter, and a very intrusive, abusive boss. Timothy lives in constant fear of being fired and having to find another apartment to live in. But you know what makes it all better? Brad. The piano man. Oh, and then there's a murder that Timothy just HASSSSSSS to solve, Queen!
OK...
--I kept waiting for it to get better. It didn't.
--I kept wanting to like it. I didn't.
--I kept hoping to be surprised by a plot twist. I wasn't.
--I kept praying that someone would get murdered. They did, but not until the book was 46% over, which is way too long to wait for a murder in a MURDER mystery novel.
Timothy keeps complaining throughout the book about how his bosses seem to pile up on him unfairly, but let's be real, he does a lot of really stupid shit that would get most people fired, like drafting very sarcastic, highly rude email responses to fans, and then actually sending them...accidentally. One time? Fine, but he keeps doing it. Sorry, I just don't have sympathy for you.
Why two stars instead of one? I absolutely love the narrator. This is the third book by Braden Wright that I've listened to.
OK...
--I kept waiting for it to get better. It didn't.
--I kept wanting to like it. I didn't.
--I kept hoping to be surprised by a plot twist. I wasn't.
--I kept praying that someone would get murdered. They did, but not until the book was 46% over, which is way too long to wait for a murder in a MURDER mystery novel.
Timothy keeps complaining throughout the book about how his bosses seem to pile up on him unfairly, but let's be real, he does a lot of really stupid shit that would get most people fired, like drafting very sarcastic, highly rude email responses to fans, and then actually sending them...accidentally. One time? Fine, but he keeps doing it. Sorry, I just don't have sympathy for you.
Why two stars instead of one? I absolutely love the narrator. This is the third book by Braden Wright that I've listened to.
October 10, 2023
Poor Timothy. That man tried so hard.
His inner musings and slightly sarcastic sense of humor just made him that much more endearing
He thought he had found his golden ticket in life. Turns out it was 10-carat fool-plated, and he was the fool.
This was strangely addicting, despite how long it took to get to the good stuff.
I wanted:
To know if Timothy would still be standing in the end (if there was a road bump somehow he found it)
What was in the folders? (I would have opened them the first day lol)
Who Fabiola really was?
The story and the characters were a blast.
Again, my reason for just liking and not loving it was the abundance of details that at times bogged the story down.
The characters made this story like
Timothy with a heart of gold
The housekeeper/space holder Fabiola was a snarky ball of fun
Jared the self-proclaimed man of importance who was nothing but hot air
Mr. Slater the adoring younger husband (or not)
Mercedes, the living angel amongst mere mortals
And so many more, like Max
Everyone has an agenda
Well except Jared - he had an agenda
Can Timothy prove that his agenda was not murder?
His inner musings and slightly sarcastic sense of humor just made him that much more endearing
He thought he had found his golden ticket in life. Turns out it was 10-carat fool-plated, and he was the fool.
This was strangely addicting, despite how long it took to get to the good stuff.
I wanted:
To know if Timothy would still be standing in the end (if there was a road bump somehow he found it)
What was in the folders? (I would have opened them the first day lol)
Who Fabiola really was?
The story and the characters were a blast.
Again, my reason for just liking and not loving it was the abundance of details that at times bogged the story down.
The characters made this story like
Timothy with a heart of gold
The housekeeper/space holder Fabiola was a snarky ball of fun
Jared the self-proclaimed man of importance who was nothing but hot air
Mr. Slater the adoring younger husband (or not)
Mercedes, the living angel amongst mere mortals
And so many more, like Max
Everyone has an agenda
Well except Jared - he had an agenda
Can Timothy prove that his agenda was not murder?
October 23, 2023
A Joyfully Jay review.
2.75 stars
I found this story just okay. The blurb described a cozy mystery, but the execution didn’t quite match up, for me. The pace is really slow, and Timothy, who is admittedly young, naive, and broke, doesn’t read as his supposed age at all. I’m not sure I’ve read any cozies with 23-year-old sleuths, but Timothy’s so hapless and self-oriented, I was kind of shocked he had any awareness to be suspicious of Jared’s death, at all. It took him more than a week to “discover” that his roommate in the penthouse isn’t a live-in housekeeper at all. His turns of phrase and metaphors gave off a vibe of someone two decades older than he is purported to be, and that continually drew me away from the story.
Read Veronica’s review in its entirety here.
2.75 stars
I found this story just okay. The blurb described a cozy mystery, but the execution didn’t quite match up, for me. The pace is really slow, and Timothy, who is admittedly young, naive, and broke, doesn’t read as his supposed age at all. I’m not sure I’ve read any cozies with 23-year-old sleuths, but Timothy’s so hapless and self-oriented, I was kind of shocked he had any awareness to be suspicious of Jared’s death, at all. It took him more than a week to “discover” that his roommate in the penthouse isn’t a live-in housekeeper at all. His turns of phrase and metaphors gave off a vibe of someone two decades older than he is purported to be, and that continually drew me away from the story.
Read Veronica’s review in its entirety here.
June 27, 2025
This is a new to me author. I really wanted to like this book, but UGH! I despised the narration and all of the characters. I could barely finish this! No, just, no.
June 28, 2025
When Timothy Trousdale lands a live-in job as PA to a world famous actress in NYC, it seems like a dream come true—for about 5 seconds. The household is full of secrets, the apartment cook / cleaner appears to do nothing, and Jared, Timothy’s boss, is a totally aggressive nightmare: he finds fault in everything Timothy does, he berates him constantly, and he make unreasonable demands of Timothy at any time of the day. Jared appears to be hated by everyone he deals with so it’s no great surprise when he winds up dead. Timothy and his cute piano tuning boyfriend don’t believe it’s an accident and they set out to find Jared’s killer if only to clear Timothy’s name.
I liked the humour in this cozy mystery, although I was appalled by Timothy’s terrible working conditions. Timothy is young and immature, full of self-doubt, and he keeps screwing up. But his heart is in the right place and he improves as a person over the story. Romance readers may be a little unsatisfied: while there is a PG romance arc, the mystery takes up most of the story. I hope this will become a series because I like Timothy and hope to see more of him. 🎧 Braden Wright is a new narrator to me and I really enjoyed his performance in the audio!
I liked the humour in this cozy mystery, although I was appalled by Timothy’s terrible working conditions. Timothy is young and immature, full of self-doubt, and he keeps screwing up. But his heart is in the right place and he improves as a person over the story. Romance readers may be a little unsatisfied: while there is a PG romance arc, the mystery takes up most of the story. I hope this will become a series because I like Timothy and hope to see more of him. 🎧 Braden Wright is a new narrator to me and I really enjoyed his performance in the audio!
December 11, 2025
where do I begin?
I DNFed at around 70%
The book has a lot of potential but that is not a romance so I have no idea why it was advertised as such. We have 4 scenes with the love interest in the 70% I read, one of which was a date with no idea what they talked about. a second date with a kiss? then glimpses of "we made out". I have no idea why they're attracted to each other, i have no idea as to why they're dating and both have the personnality of a cardboard, the only thing we know about the love interest is that he's a piano tuner. Hell, even Timothy's roommate has a backstory.
Now about the intrigue, I have no idea how we got here. How they didn't smell a dead body, how a dead body didn't decompose, in the blurb the author says Timothy is a suspect except he's a suspect for exactly 3 sentences before the death is ruled an accident. He decides to investigate a man he hates (well technically everyone hates him). Then apparently that man has a soft side because he sometimes gave umbrellas to homeless people... what? the whole thing is nonsensical so I decided to cut my losses and preserve the little grey matter that I still have in my brain.
I DNFed at around 70%
The book has a lot of potential but that is not a romance so I have no idea why it was advertised as such. We have 4 scenes with the love interest in the 70% I read, one of which was a date with no idea what they talked about. a second date with a kiss? then glimpses of "we made out". I have no idea why they're attracted to each other, i have no idea as to why they're dating and both have the personnality of a cardboard, the only thing we know about the love interest is that he's a piano tuner. Hell, even Timothy's roommate has a backstory.
Now about the intrigue, I have no idea how we got here. How they didn't smell a dead body, how a dead body didn't decompose, in the blurb the author says Timothy is a suspect except he's a suspect for exactly 3 sentences before the death is ruled an accident. He decides to investigate a man he hates (well technically everyone hates him). Then apparently that man has a soft side because he sometimes gave umbrellas to homeless people... what? the whole thing is nonsensical so I decided to cut my losses and preserve the little grey matter that I still have in my brain.
October 12, 2023
I was in the mood for a mystery that focused on an amateur detective tossed into a murder, in a world they didn't understand all the nuances of and full of characters that were just that little bit over the top and quirky but still believable as murderers. Putting new graduate and aspiring writer Timothy into this mix of actors, writers and big money folks where he initially desperately wants to belong then letting him see that all that glitters isn't gold made for a fun read that just hit the spot.
September 29, 2023
The premise here drew me in from the start: how does one not want to watch an aspiring novelist/new college grad with big dreams’ brush with glamor turn into a murder mystery? The characters are super interesting, the pacing is slow enough to appreciate each development as it emerges, and the overall effect is one is a book that’s really hard to put down– well worth checking out.
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
September 23, 2023
On the Fence
Ok so the overall story was ok but it takes nearly half the book to get to Timothy's issues pointed out in the blurb. It was just a bit long getting there for me. I am glad I read it though.
I received an ARC and this is my unbiased opinion
Ok so the overall story was ok but it takes nearly half the book to get to Timothy's issues pointed out in the blurb. It was just a bit long getting there for me. I am glad I read it though.
I received an ARC and this is my unbiased opinion
April 5, 2026
I’d give this 2.5 stars. Really not for me. The romance was confusing, the mystery was also confusing, and I just did not warm to it or find it compelling. It was nice to have a gay lead but apart from that there was nothing that really spoke to me. Not my cup of tea unfortunately.
August 12, 2025
safe for work
September 25, 2026
2.5 stars
June 28, 2025
When Timothy Trousdale lands a live-in job as PA to a world famous actress in NYC, it seems like a dream come true—for about 5 seconds. The household is full of secrets, the apartment cook / cleaner appears to do nothing, and Jared, Timothy’s boss, is a totally aggressive nightmare: he finds fault in everything Timothy does, he berates him constantly, and he make unreasonable demands of Timothy at any time of the day. Jared appears to be hated by everyone he deals with so it’s no great surprise when he winds up dead. Timothy and his cute piano tuning boyfriend don’t believe it’s an accident and they set out to find Jared’s killer if only to clear Timothy’s name.
I liked the humour in this cozy mystery, although I was appalled by Timothy’s terrible working conditions. Timothy is young and immature, full of self-doubt, and he keeps screwing up. But his heart is in the right place and he improves as a person over the story. Romance readers may be a little unsatisfied: while there is a PG romance arc, the mystery takes up most of the story. I hope this will become a series because I like Timothy and hope to see more of him. 🎧 Braden Wright is a new narrator to me and I really enjoyed his performance in the audio!
I liked the humour in this cozy mystery, although I was appalled by Timothy’s terrible working conditions. Timothy is young and immature, full of self-doubt, and he keeps screwing up. But his heart is in the right place and he improves as a person over the story. Romance readers may be a little unsatisfied: while there is a PG romance arc, the mystery takes up most of the story. I hope this will become a series because I like Timothy and hope to see more of him. 🎧 Braden Wright is a new narrator to me and I really enjoyed his performance in the audio!
July 16, 2025
Until the death of Jared, the book is quite slow. Everything is driven by your empathy for the main character, Timothy, who doesn’t really have much going for him except a few fun scenes of humor. I honestly echoed Jared’s words given that Timothy never actively worked towards his writing dreams.
Without giving away the ending, let’s just say that the book didn’t have any twists or even any good romance scenes. In fact, the main love interest, Brad, feels persona-less. He has nothing to define him or make him more human and the insta-love just because he wears rainbow underwear, plays the piano, and knows obscure songs.
Sure, there are a few instances where Timothy’s sarcastic humor is interesting, but for the most part, you have to put up with a man who just skirts through life.
Without giving away the ending, let’s just say that the book didn’t have any twists or even any good romance scenes. In fact, the main love interest, Brad, feels persona-less. He has nothing to define him or make him more human and the insta-love just because he wears rainbow underwear, plays the piano, and knows obscure songs.
Sure, there are a few instances where Timothy’s sarcastic humor is interesting, but for the most part, you have to put up with a man who just skirts through life.
June 30, 2026
2.5 stars
I tried. I did. I just didn’t get sucked into this one at all. It took so long to get going. The nastiness in the first 60 pages was a real turn off. By the time we got to the mystery I didn’t care. I wanted it to end. I honestly don’t know if I care enough to read more to see if the series gets better.
I tried. I did. I just didn’t get sucked into this one at all. It took so long to get going. The nastiness in the first 60 pages was a real turn off. By the time we got to the mystery I didn’t care. I wanted it to end. I honestly don’t know if I care enough to read more to see if the series gets better.
July 27, 2025
Love the story. And super love the narrator’s voice.
November 12, 2025
The narrator (Braden Wright) was phenomenal. That was essentially the only thing I enjoyed about this audiobook. How I managed to power through without DNF’ing is a mystery even to me.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews