Death at Breakfast

Maggie Detweiler and Hope Babbin #1

by Beth Gutcheon

“[A] sly mystery” featuring friends Maggie Detweiler and Hope Babbin from the New York Times–bestselling author of More Than You Know (Jacquelyn Mitchard). 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 Antippas, his wife, and her actress sister. 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.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.“The masterfully woven tale brings a lot of humor, wit, and suspense to every page.” —San Francisco Book Review

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook, Murder Mystery, Crime

282 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 10, 2016

About the author

Beth Gutcheon grew up in western Pennsylvania. She was educated at Harvard where she took an honors BA in English literature. She has spent most of her adult life in New York City, except for sojourns in San Francisco and on the coast of Maine. In 1978, she wrote the narration for a feature-length documentary on the Kirov ballet school, The Children of Theatre Street, which was nominated for an Academy Award, and she has made her living fulltime as a storyteller (novelist and sometime screenwriter) since then. Her novels have been translated into fourteen languages, if you count the pirate Chinese edition of Still Missing, plus large print and audio format. Still Missing was made into a feature film called Without a Trace, and also published in a Reader’s Digest Condensed version which particularly pleased her mother. Several of her novels have been national bestsellers, including the most recent, Leeway Cottage. All of the novels are available in new uniform paperback editions from HarperPerennial.

Reviews

[Jessica Woodbury · Rating 4 out of 5]

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, unusual clues, complex characters, intricate solution. This isn't melancholy, dark, serial killer stuff that's so popular in crime these days, nor does it go to the sweet end of the spectrum. This is solidly in the middle, with characters who have their fair share of darkness and difficulty, but enough charm and wit are on display that the book leaves you feeling happily along for the ride.

It appears this will be the beginning of a series, and I'm looking forward to it. I can have trouble finding mysteries to recommend to a broad readership and this will definitely be one of them.

[Barb · Rating 1 out of 5]

I chose this book because Beth Gutcheon was the author and I read her novel 'More Than You Know' several years ago and enjoyed it. I was looking forward to her writing and was expecting to be charmed by her characters. I wish I had enjoyed this book as much as 'More Than You Know' but I have to be honest, I didn't.

I admit the kernel of the mystery itself was interesting but I didn't find anything else in the story that was. Neither the setting (a very remote country inn, in Maine) the main protagonists (two women in their fifties) or the victim (a loud, arrogant, selfish, self-centered, pig of a man) held any interest for me or compelled me to care about what happened. There is a thread for foodies worked into the story, the inn is home to an executive chef from San Francisco who holds cooking classes for guests.

There are a lot of secondary characters in this mystery, twenty-three are named and make an appearance. Many have their own mysteries not necessarily related to this particular case, a few are alluded to and one connects to it in a peripheral way. I found I didn't care for any of the secondary characters except for the murderer. I sympathized and identified with the murderer more than any of the other characters and nothing about the two amateur investigators charmed me.

I enjoy reading mysteries but this one was a miss for me. There wasn't enough character development for me to care about any of the main characters and the murder victim was so unlikeable I almost didn't care if they found out who killed him. There was a Dr. Doolittle flavor with a variety pets that live at and visit the inn but I found even that thread did little to add to the charm or appeal of this mystery. If you are looking for a Beth Gutcheon book to read I would recommend 'More Than You Know'.

[Mara · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 stars - honestly, this was just quite dull. The writing style was not engaging, the plot was not original, and the characters were annoying and/or caricatures.

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

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 together but also o enjoy the new cooking class being offered by Oquossoc's much talked about new chef.

But their little vacation turns into something of an adventure when the hotel catches fire and a fellow guest is found dead in his bed. A hotel employee is arrested under suspicion of arson and murder, but the two ladies aren't certain the police are really looking in the right place. Together they decide to launch their own investigation, one that could exonerate a young girl and reveal the killer's true identity and motives.

I'm so at odds with this book! When I dove into it over the weekend, bent on reading straight through in order to distract myself from the yucky weather outside, I was very much looking forward to it. I'd read Gutcheon's Gossip and thoroughly enjoyed it, so I was definitely excited to see that not only did she have a new book due out but that it was to be the first in a new mystery series.

Unfortunately, the start of Death at Breakfast was more than a little rocky and I wasn't sure the two of us would hit it off. The mystery itself seemed silly and the characters weren't really grabbing my attention. What's more, the fluid and vibrant writing I'd so loved in Gossip was missing!

When I returned to the book the following day, reading in fits and starts during lulls in an all day dress rehearsal, my experience was somewhat different. I'd discovered that once the story took off, once the murder had taken place and the characters' investigation was under way, I was much more drawn into the tale. Perhaps it was simply because I needed a distraction, but I suspect it was more a matter of an underwhelming beginning and the recovery of the story gaining its footing. It never did wow me, though. Maggie and Hope never really took over as the fabulous leading ladies I'd hoped they would become and I'd figured out the killer and motive quite early on.

I'm glad Death at Breakfast wasn't a total wash but, thanks to my high expectations, it obviously wasn't what I'd hoped for.

[Fran · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was good, but it felt longer than 288 pages. I slogged through this in parts and felt a got a bit muddled at one point in the middle due to the numerous characters. The solution evaded me until the end, though the culprit was on my radar...lol.

[Desirae · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @25%

Absolute drivel.

[Avery Bacon · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️ the 40 different perspectives were hella confusing but the story was still cute a funny! The plot twist was very predictable but I still loved that the 2 main ladies were just nosy older women.

[Anissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 also the small town locale. Maggie and Hope are newly retired BFFs who have decided to travel and this is their maiden trip to see if they travel well with one another. Adding to the sleuthing is Hope's deputy sheriff son, Buster. I watch what is likely far more British mystery television than is advisable, so in my head, Maggie and Hope were Rosemary Boxer and Laura Thyme of Rosemary & Thyme, without the accents. I had Hope's son Buster as Laura's officer son, Matthew too. So, I whisked right away with them but they were pretty much tertiary to the solving of the mystery until pretty much the last couple chapters where this all comes together. This makes practical sense, I grant, but it didn't give the reader a lot of time to get to know Maggie & Hope. Still, the case of who killed Alex Antippas turned out predictably & I wasn't surprised by the reveal or reasons of the murderer. All the threads were tied well and I enjoyed how the other characters were woven into the story. I know it's probably not likely but I hope Maggie & Hope run into Detective Prince sometime in the future (I think the Kleinkramers live in LA). The look in at the Antippas family in all their revolting glory was impressive in that there was humanity on display and it was rendered in such a way that made me feel a certain sympathy for people whose lives have become more habitats than habitable for having sought fame. Let me also raise a glass to Walter and I'll pour one out for Grommet.

I thought this was a standalone when I began but by book's end, I was fairly sure this was the first in a series. I'm looking forward to the next visit with Maggie and Hope. Definitely recommended & not a bad choice for summer reading.

[Kate Baxter · Rating 3 out of 5]

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, one specifically with an ugly attitude, descended upon the front desk girl with high demands and no confirmed reservation. Such folk always ruin a good vacation. At this point the balance tips and you know you're in for a bit of mischief and mayhem.

This mystery is cozy yet not insipidly sweet. Each character is a bit flawed which makes it easier to relate to most of them. But which one of them had it in for that oversized west coast guy insisting on smoking his cigars in this smoke-free inn? Perhaps they all did but one got to him before the others. Tag along for the ride and maybe you'll figure it out before our amateur sleuths do.

I am grateful to publisher WIlliam Morrow and Goodreads First Reads for having provided a free copy of this book. Their generosity, however, did not influence this review - the words of which are mine alone.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

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. Their idyllic vacation is promptly cut short by the arrival of a trio of persnickety social elites (and their little dog, too!) Aroused from sleep by a suspicious fire the ladies join the rankers of their fellow pajama clad inn mates to gawk at the smoldering mess. When the smoke has cleared the charred remains of one, Alexander Antippas, immediately draw suspicion.
With nearly every guest on the list of possible suspects for both murder and arson, Maggie and Hope (unofficially) have their work cut out for them. The amateur sleuths leave no stone unturned and I, left no page unturned, in this well crafted thriller.
My only regret being that I read the sequel, unaware it was part of a series, prior to this first installment. Nonetheless, my enthusiasm was not at all diminished for either novel.

[Heather L · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this one, but was a bit disappointed. Though I normally don't mind a bit of strong language in my books, there was a bit much in this one, particularly at the beginning. While some of the main characters were okay, I had difficulty keeping some of the secondary characters straight, and some were absolutely dreadful. I guessed whodunit as soon as it occurred, though the how and why were left to be explained. It also felt like a couple of threads pursued at the end were left dangling. So, it was an okay read, but not one of the better mysteries I've read.

[Marian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beth Gutcheon has written a smart and entertaining mystery. I liked the characters and I was pleased to see it looks like she might be starting a series around them.

[Ferne (Enthusiastic Reader) · Rating 3 out of 5]

During under-graduate, graduate, and post-graduate studies in library science and in years attending library conferences at the local, state, and national levels I heard the phrase, "Right Book, Right Person, Right Time" countless times and also participated in innumerable discussions as to the phrase meaning and how a librarian puts that philosophy into realistic practice with patrons of every age level every day. I learned that to be a good librarian I also needed to be a good listener. The initial question by a patron was not always the question that they really needed the answer to so a spontaneous stop that there was a book to answer the initial question was not necessarily the book that the patron wanted or needed. Listening with pertinent questions could lead to an assessment that could supply the patron with the "Right Book, Right Time."

I was reminded of "Right Book, Right Person, Right Time" most recently when I was looking through a bag of books that a friend had returned to me. I looked at the cover of "Death at Breakfast" and it reminded me of a scene in an episode of a television mystery series I had watched not long ago. But I couldn’t remember anything about the story and the author’s name didn’t seem familiar which also seemed strange as after I read a novel I generally visit the author’s website and/or Facebook page. I decided to check my reading list on GoodReads and imagine my surprise to see notes as follows:

Started 20-Jul-2018.
Abandoned 21-Jul-2018.
Abandoned 21-Jul-2018 at page 33 – "Otherwise known as Day Three, October 8” - This novel's type of chapter heading. There is a snippet of a review on the front cover that advises, "Everything Beth Gutcheon touches turns into an elixir that says, 'Read Me!' ---Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of "The Deep End of the Ocean." My endorsement would notify readers of "Tedious Redefined."

To be candid, I was shocked at myself by the harsh comment I had written in my private notes. The cover was still intriguing me due to the previous television series I had enjoyed and although a totally different mystery I decided to give "Death at Breakfast" another try.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered that without even thinking twice I read beyond page 33 on the very first night of reading and was looking forward to continuing to read the novel the following night. I delighted in the thought of 2 female friends deciding to enjoy an excursion for a week-long cooking course being given by the inn’s resident chef at the Oquossoc Mountain Inn in Bergen, Maine as a trial run to test that their long-time friendship might also make them compatible travelers before longer trips to explore ancient civilizations. Maggie Detweiler is recently retired as head of a private school in New York and is adjusting to being widowed instead of following the retirement dream that she and her husband had of living in a bedsit in London’s West End. Hope Babbin is a divorcee living in Boston and has not mentioned to Maggie that her son Buster is Bergin’s deputy sheriff. Imagine their surprise when they encounter Buster not as Hope’s son but in his professional role when called to the murder scene at the inn.

It was fun to follow the clues not only to solve the case but to try to determine if the crime would be solved by Deputy Sheriff Buster or new amateur sleuths Hope and Maggie. I hope it goes without saying that I was voting for Hope and Maggie but you’ll have to read the mystery as I cannot divulge the answer.

I still can’t imagine what caused my initial reaction to the novel but I’m glad I followed my secondary curiosity to give the novel another try. Now I am curious to know where Hope and Maggie will travel to next and if they’ll continue using their sleuthing talents.

[L.M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I tend to struggle with books that have a lot of characters. This book has a million characters and we don't get to know any of them beyond the most surface introduction, which makes them even more difficult to remember. I love the idea of an old inn in Maine, closed-room mystery, and two fun senior sleuths that reminded me of Rosemary and Thyme from the British mystery show. But I just didn't get enough of anything to really love this book. I wanted to know more about the characters, more about the setting, and more about the motives. There were also some really good characters who were there for a bit and then disappeared. I didn't dislike the book but I felt it didn't live up to its potential.

[Coleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting mystery which surprisingly reminded me of Agatha Christie. [Big fan here of A.C.] A five day cooking class at a Mountain Inn Resort in Maine, with the participants including a variety of personalities, starts the reader wondering who will be murdered. Or is it murder or is it an accident?

Several subplots work their way into the story, keeping a deep-thinker guessing what one might have to do with the other! A fine, not totally unpredictable ending gives the book a satisfying feeling.

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.

[Theda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gave up after 20 pages of cliché’s and "literary phrases" strung together to describe a gaggle of characters and to try to provide some semblance of a plot. The “good quotes” listed by other reviewers give a good sense of the quality of the writing. Here’s one I found: “it’s driving me crazy not to be able to Google them. It’s like having a phantom limb.” Huh?

It’s probably redundant to say that I don’t recommend this book.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

What happens when two old friends both retired decide to head to a Bed Breakfast Inn for a cooking class and encounter a family of celebrities who disrupt the quiet immediately from the moment they arrive. There is of course a murder but who did the deed and why. The two begin to ask questions to help out the sherriff who happens o be one of the ladies son's.

[Nic · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this mystery even as I found it a bit scattered. The amateur sleuths, Hope and Maggie, don't seem like they actually do much sleuthing, and the point of view hops all over the place, often stopping to give us the family histories of characters we've just met.

Hope and Maggie are interesting characters, but I feel like we see far too little of them! Hope's son, Buster - the deputy sheriff who does a lot of the actual investigating in the case - looks on both of the women as unstoppable forces of nature. I want to see more of that! Maggie is a retired school headmistress, and Hope is a quirky rich widow (former socialite?), and I love that combination in theory, but in practice they often blend together. I wish we spent more time with them and that their personalities were more distinct from each other.

(Um, also, I don't like how everyone seems to conflate the fact that the murder victim was a selfish jerk with the fact that he was fat. Many characters act grossed out by his fatness or say judgey things about it. Could have done without that stuff.)

I might read more of the series, if I'm in the mood for a good-enough, comfortable book that I won't get worked up over (which, honestly, happens a lot lately).

[Kaitlyn Pierce · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just can't get into it. There are too many characters to keep track of, honestly. I don't like to not finish a book, but I need to move on.

[Harvee Lau · Rating 5 out of 5]

An unusual duo call on their former friends and coworkers for help to solve a death at a New England inn. Entertaining characters, unusual plot.

[Laurel-Rain · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Maggie Detweiler and Hope Babbin arrive at the Oquossoc Mountain Inn set in Bergen, Maine, they are eager to begin the master cooking class offered.

Maggie had recently retired from her position as the head of a private school, and Hope was financially secure.

Almost immediately, we meet staff, guests, and assorted individuals that populate the town and work the inn, so it felt as though the reader has joined the melee surrounding a busy, yet charming retreat.

When a wealthy and imposing man, his wife, and his sister-in-law arrive, the setting turns chaotic. Alexander Antippas is one of those annoying people who expects to be waited upon and kowtowed to, as this has apparently been his experience for many years. Further, he is famous by virtue of his daughter Artemis, and basks in the glow of her celebrity. Right away, however, some staff react against his behavior, thus earning the label “rude,” and one of them, a young girl named Cherry, is fired shortly afterwards.

An inn swarming with guests, some of whom are unpleasant, and a few accompanied by yapping dogs, seems to be the perfect cauldron for brewing up disaster. A middle of the night fire turns deadly, and within hours, the state police, brushing aside the assistance of local law enforcement, including Buster Babbin, Hope’s son, rush in and hurry to judgment.

Why is Shep Gordon, the blustering state police officer in such a hurry to make his arrest, ignoring anything but the conclusions he has reached, partially due to his own feelings about the individual? What do Maggie and Hope do to bring some real evidence forward? How does Alexander Antippas’s past figure into what happened to him?

Death at Breakfast is the first in a series of new mysteries that will feature the two women stirring up the clues they find wherever they go. I always enjoy books by Gutcheon, and this one is a delightful new beginning. My only complaint: there were so many characters that I had a hard time sifting through them by the end. 4 stars.

[DJ Sakata · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favorite Quotes:

“When your picture's being taken, don't you always wonder if it's the one that will run with your obituary?"

"His mother was one of those women with the impact of a battleship; you could see her coming like the prow of the USS Nimitz... It mattered little that he knew the objects of his terror thought of themselves as good-natured middle-aged women, salt of the earth and beloved of the young."

"Some of us are content and at ease in the worlds we are born to, and some of us know we've been raised by wolves and take decades to find our true native landscapes. There is no point in trying to explain this to the wolves."

My Review:

I was captivated by this story and adored the author's smartly written and ingenious plot from start to finish. The genre is a bit of a hybrid - part women's fiction, part cozy mystery that wasn't so cozy, and it could also fall into literary fiction. I personally classify it as superb and a total treat to read. The story was clever, enthralling, and highly entertaining. I reveled in the dry and sneaky humor and frequently smirked, snorted, and barked aloud. It was deftly written, well paced, and keenly detailed with amusing and insightful tidbits that presented a veritable smorgasbord of information, which either had me chortling with glee or was tugging at my heartstrings. There was a large cast of varied characters with no one being quite what they seemed. Each character had either a rather difficult or quirky personality, with even the lesser appealing or limited characters being rather complex at their core once they had been fully fleshed out. I was fascinated as the layers were peeled back, and while I was completely satisfied by the conclusion, I am typically greedy with excellent writing, so I still wanted more.

[Lelia Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I nearly always enjoy a cozy mystery series that features senior sleuths so Death at Breakfast had a head start with me from the beginning. I also enjoyed the setting in a bed and breakfast because such a location allows for a diverse cast of characters rather than the usual somebody-in-this-small-town-must-be-the-killer scenario and it accommodates a group of people who are mostly strangers to each other. Those points open up the solution to the crime to a wide range of possibilities.

Another aspect of the story that works well is that the murder doesn't occur until well into the book. Normally, I prefer it to happen early on but, in this case, the delay gives the reader the opportunity to get to know the B&B guests and staff as well as a few townspeople so I really didn't mind.

Maggie Detweiler and Hope Babbin are a pair of sleuths I'm happy to have met. Intelligent and friendly, they're using this trip to Maine to see if they can stand each other well enough to do some traveling together, a terrific idea. They're not snoopy, either, just well-suited to think about various potential clues and come to a rational conclusion. Very appealing sleuths, indeed. I also liked deputy sheriff Buster Babbin, Hope's son, who's definitely conflicted in his feelings about his mother and who suffers from a lack of self-confidence; watching some of those issues get worked out was a worthy side trail.

I have to admit that I figured out the general solution to who hated the obnoxious Alexander enough to kill him in a rather gruesome manner fairly early but not the details so the actual denouement held some surprises for me. I suspect each succeeding entry in the series will be tighter and I'm hoping this will become a long run.

[Carol Evans · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fine, but not outstanding. It's not exactly a waste of time, but if you have something you're dying to read, skip this and pick that one up instead. On the other hand, the choice of murder weapons is semi-unique.

I guess my main problem with the book is that the character I found most interesting is the one who ends up dead. And he was interesting because of his thoughts, his way of seeing the world, things that we no longer see once he's dead.

Maggie and Hope are nice and smart, but I didn't connect with either of them. There are a lot of characters in the book, hotel employees and permanent residents, cooking class guests, townspeople, the deputy sheriff and other cops, Maggie and Hope's friends who help with the investigation. To be honest, they all just kind of blurred together and I had trouble keeping track of who was who and why they were there.

The mystery portion worked well. The clues were woven into the story; the cops were sufficiently focussed on the wrong person to make the interference of Maggie and Hope necessary. Several of the characters were potential suspects, although some motives were stronger than others. I did find the murder weapon noteable and slightly terrifying.

[Jennie Rosenblum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pure pleasure read. Honesty disclosure - I got this book as an uncorrected proof back in April and it has been living in my night stand since then. I thought the cover looked spooky and so I had been moving it down in the pile - I WAS WRONG. I have never read this author before but now I will be looking for her other books. This was an entertaining mystery. Not in the cozy genre but leaning in that direction but with more substance in the plot and characters. Oh and a winner - two of the main characters are women who are older than 30! While you never see their age you can guess late 50's to early 60's and what a refreshing change to have strong intelligent women of this age in the book! Final note- it's not spooky at all.

[Kathleen Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gutcheon is an old fashioned story teller= and I was happy to receive this ARC from edelweiss to get a look at her new novel. She's done a boffo job with the characters and the story does not descend into the more traditional sweet cozy scenario, largely because the are so well written and mature. I really enjoyed this one. The Maine setting is nice (especially if you've vacationed there). Thumbs up!

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good start out of the gate for a promising new series. The two heroines and the large supporting cast were a very pleasant surprise in that they were fully developed 3-D people who could easily have been stock characters or stereotypes in the hands of a lazier or less skillful writer. I look forward to reading about Hope's and Maggie's next adventures.

[CLM · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two friends attend a master cooking class in Maine where they become embroiled in a murder.

Here is a link to my review:
http://perfectretort.blogspot.com/201...

[Janet Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice mystery with a full cast of well drawn characters, good dialog, bits of humor, and a few surprises. Gutcheon is a fine writer and I look forward to more of this series.

[Ted Hinkle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Death at Breakfast is a light, whimsical mystery that finally comes together in the last two chapters.