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Bed-and-Breakfast Mysteries #18
Silver Scream
Dead at the box office
Filmdom’s most sparkling glitterati have brought their limos and their egos to Judith McMonigle Flynn’s Hillside Manor for a gala preview of the latest epic monstrosity from genius super-producer Bruno Zepf. Hostess Flynn’s Pacific Northwest B&B is a far cry from Hollywood—but then B.Z.’s cinematic spectacular is a far cry from good. Bruno hopes his new film is to die for—and, unfortunately for him, it is. Soon after the less-than-lauded screening, the unfortunate mogul is discovered drowned in the kitchen sink. His demise could have been a bizarre accident caused by a faulty cabinet door that ex-cop hubby Joe Flynn never got around to repairing. And since the only species in Tinseltown more numerous than Oscar seekers is attorneys, Judith could quite possibly lose Hillside Manor in a wrongful death suit. Unless, of course, she can prove it was murder…
Filmdom’s most sparkling glitterati have brought their limos and their egos to Judith McMonigle Flynn’s Hillside Manor for a gala preview of the latest epic monstrosity from genius super-producer Bruno Zepf. Hostess Flynn’s Pacific Northwest B&B is a far cry from Hollywood—but then B.Z.’s cinematic spectacular is a far cry from good. Bruno hopes his new film is to die for—and, unfortunately for him, it is. Soon after the less-than-lauded screening, the unfortunate mogul is discovered drowned in the kitchen sink. His demise could have been a bizarre accident caused by a faulty cabinet door that ex-cop hubby Joe Flynn never got around to repairing. And since the only species in Tinseltown more numerous than Oscar seekers is attorneys, Judith could quite possibly lose Hillside Manor in a wrongful death suit. Unless, of course, she can prove it was murder…
368 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 7, 2002
38 people are currently reading
568 people want to read
About the author
Mary Daheim
94 books441 followersMary Rene Richardson Daheim was an American writer of romance and mystery novels.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
November 1, 2017
Enjoyable entry this time set at Hillside Manor with a bunch of people from Hollywood staying at the B&B due to superstitions by the producer. Judith seemed a little off and not like herself in this entry although she was still sleuthing and figured everything out before I did.
February 22, 2022
Not the best of her books, but I enjoyed the missed clues (obvious in retrospect) and the twist ending. I wish she wouldn't be so self-deprecating with the main character (B&B owner Judith Flynn)...it's OK to depict strong women as strong women. Reading her self concept/dialogue as old, harried, or foggy-brained makes me feel the same...and I get enough of that already! A quick "snow day" read.
December 14, 2019
Hollywood has descended on Hillside Manor. Genius producer, Bruno Zepf is in town for the premier of his latest blockbuster “The Gasman.” He has brought his entourage and his superstitions with him, and they have book Hillside Manor for their stay. Zepf believes that staying in a B&B prior to a premier guarantees a successful movie. He believes spiders are bad luck, too. It seems not all these are true, as his blockbuster turns out to be a bust. And so is his life, when he turns up face down in the B&B’s kitchen sink.
Once more, Judith winds up investigating murder with the help of her sister Renie. Not only because Judith has a knack for it, but also to keep the press from having a heyday and giving the B&B bad publicity.
With a number of characters to keep track of, the plot moves quickly. The Hollywood types and the regular folk, some who turn out to be not that regular, have their own twists and turns to keep this plot moving.
I will say that I did not see the solution coming, but I wasn’t disappointed in it. This series is still an enjoyable cozy read for me.
Once more, Judith winds up investigating murder with the help of her sister Renie. Not only because Judith has a knack for it, but also to keep the press from having a heyday and giving the B&B bad publicity.
With a number of characters to keep track of, the plot moves quickly. The Hollywood types and the regular folk, some who turn out to be not that regular, have their own twists and turns to keep this plot moving.
I will say that I did not see the solution coming, but I wasn’t disappointed in it. This series is still an enjoyable cozy read for me.
November 27, 2018
I always enjoy a romp with Judith and Renie through Mary Daheim's bed and breakfast mysteries. There is cozy comfort as they uncover clues and discover answers to the inevitable murder puzzle that plagues Judith's b & b. This one features a famous movie director and his entourage. It was a slightly cluttered story but kept me well engaged with its clever humor. Always good for an escape from heavier reading and I like trying to figure it out!
February 3, 2018
The last time I read this B&B series was 10 years ago. This was entertaining but a bit silly. Some of the characters are very tiresome and predictable. A movie producer is murdered in kitchen of B&B, the actors are made to stay until cleared of being suspects. Judith, Joe and Renie solve the murder, but not without plenty of blunders.
April 5, 2019
Love all the Bed and Breakfast mysteries! Movie stars and a superstar producer come to stay at the Bed and Breakfast due to the superstitions of Bruno Zepf, the producer. But when Bruno is found drowned in the kitchen sink, Judith tries to find out what happened or the Bed and Breakfast could be lost in a wrongful death suit.
March 8, 2021
This series never gets old
Judith Flynn is a terrific character. She always makes me laugh, and I always want to stay at her b & b. Her mom and cousin are genuine goof balls, but they add a great twist to each book.
Judith Flynn is a terrific character. She always makes me laugh, and I always want to stay at her b & b. Her mom and cousin are genuine goof balls, but they add a great twist to each book.
January 11, 2018
Loved this book!!!!
As awesome as all the ones before. I love this series and the characters. Great plot and a lot of twists and turns. I’m on to the next one!!
As awesome as all the ones before. I love this series and the characters. Great plot and a lot of twists and turns. I’m on to the next one!!
March 15, 2018
It wasn't bad, although not too funny and slow at moments.
July 20, 2019
A great written book with lots of twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat guessing to the very end of the Book.
Read
August 27, 2019Not one of my favorite reads and I could not wait to finish the book and be done.
May 2, 2020
First book I have read by this author. Pleasant light reading, but not I series that I would seek out again based on this book.
September 16, 2020
A lot of these books depend on exaggerated personality types. Which is fine, really, but sometimes the depictions are so far flung they aggravate me instead of play into the story.
February 12, 2022
Great as always!
December 21, 2022
Library find!
Good read with a twisted ending!
Contained a few unnecessary cuss words!
Interesting characters!
Fun!
Nice diversion for a rainy day!
Good read with a twisted ending!
Contained a few unnecessary cuss words!
Interesting characters!
Fun!
Nice diversion for a rainy day!
November 7, 2023
I could not get into this book at all. I haven't read the others in the series but I don't think I would. Far to many characters to keep up with. I honestly couldn't wait to finish this book and move on.
July 24, 2016
I have an affinity for cozy mysteries. They generally aren't written in pursuit of a spot on the bestseller list; rather, cozies are written to give the reader a sense of comfort and calm (ironically, by way of murder).
My mom read cozies to escape her three eccentric young daughters and grumpy husband: one daughter, the artist, painted five-foot tall green flowers on the side of the freshly painted rental when she was four; the adventurous daughter asked which way north was, and was found by neighbors five hours later walking up the beach, wearing a backpack, in pursuit of Santa in the North Pole (we lived on an island--she wasn't the brightest of the three of us); and the oldest daughter (that would be I) caused her first-year kindergarten teacher to quit by demanding that all classroom toy soldiers and toy weapons be removed from the classroom so that her classmates would not become violent adults, and that the teacher immediately stop smoking on her breaks because she would surely die of lung cancer. As to my mother's husband, he had some strange notion that feeding 40 stray cats, a stray goat, a duck, and 4 turtles (not stray) out of a 2-bedroom apartment was odd. He also became irrationally upset when the cat gave birth in his shoe. So you see, for my mother, it was either read a cozy or drink (or possibly dispose of the children and husband).
Years later, when my grandmother came to live with us (bigger house, different country, revolving pet door, dad retired and usually lost in Best Buy, girls now goth, theater geek, and raver) we slowly replaced her true crime books with cozies in order to keep her from roaming the house at night after taking her pain pills, looking for the Son of Sam whilst armed with a shoe horn.
And all this is how I came to read cozies myself, because they were always there to help me escape my crazy family, you could carry on a screaming match with a sibling and not miss much in the book, and thanks to grandma's Dahmer intervention, there were always a shitload in the house. (Serious reading was done away from the insane people.)
My mom read cozies to escape her three eccentric young daughters and grumpy husband: one daughter, the artist, painted five-foot tall green flowers on the side of the freshly painted rental when she was four; the adventurous daughter asked which way north was, and was found by neighbors five hours later walking up the beach, wearing a backpack, in pursuit of Santa in the North Pole (we lived on an island--she wasn't the brightest of the three of us); and the oldest daughter (that would be I) caused her first-year kindergarten teacher to quit by demanding that all classroom toy soldiers and toy weapons be removed from the classroom so that her classmates would not become violent adults, and that the teacher immediately stop smoking on her breaks because she would surely die of lung cancer. As to my mother's husband, he had some strange notion that feeding 40 stray cats, a stray goat, a duck, and 4 turtles (not stray) out of a 2-bedroom apartment was odd. He also became irrationally upset when the cat gave birth in his shoe. So you see, for my mother, it was either read a cozy or drink (or possibly dispose of the children and husband).
Years later, when my grandmother came to live with us (bigger house, different country, revolving pet door, dad retired and usually lost in Best Buy, girls now goth, theater geek, and raver) we slowly replaced her true crime books with cozies in order to keep her from roaming the house at night after taking her pain pills, looking for the Son of Sam whilst armed with a shoe horn.
And all this is how I came to read cozies myself, because they were always there to help me escape my crazy family, you could carry on a screaming match with a sibling and not miss much in the book, and thanks to grandma's Dahmer intervention, there were always a shitload in the house. (Serious reading was done away from the insane people.)
May 31, 2014
In Daheim's 18th zany and satisfying B&B adventure, cousins Renie and Judith must face off against a slew of Hollywood quirky personalities with bad attitudes and secrets to hide.
Booking rooms at Hillside Manor over a Halloween weekend, Bruno Zepf and his ego-driven entourage bring more than glitter and star power to Judith McMonigle's inn. When Zepf is found slouched in Judith's kitchen sink, apparently dead, a spider hanging from the ceiling above him (one of Zepf's phobias), Judith believes that her broken cupboard door is not the real culprit. On close inspection, she stumbles upon an empty aspirin bottle beside the sink. And well aware of Zepf's alcohol problem, she thinks maybe the producer has committed suicide. But as the satisfying plot unravels, she soon learns that someone had a bone to pick with Bruno Zepf, a long list of suspects.
During the commotion, and later on, a fire inside the inn, Judith and Joe are forced to close the inn by the local police.
One quibble: too many characters may put out some readers who are not familiar with Daheim's stories. But that should not deter you from reading this fun book. If you are unfamiliar with Daheim's novels, you may want to start at the beginning. Except for the long list of characters, I do not think reading the B&B books out of order will detract a reader from understanding or enjoying the book.
One of the strong entries in B&B series, "Silver Scream" is a fun romp with excellent cast of characters and solid storytelling. Daheim writes with charm, wit and a deft hand. Recommended for avid mystery readers.
Booking rooms at Hillside Manor over a Halloween weekend, Bruno Zepf and his ego-driven entourage bring more than glitter and star power to Judith McMonigle's inn. When Zepf is found slouched in Judith's kitchen sink, apparently dead, a spider hanging from the ceiling above him (one of Zepf's phobias), Judith believes that her broken cupboard door is not the real culprit. On close inspection, she stumbles upon an empty aspirin bottle beside the sink. And well aware of Zepf's alcohol problem, she thinks maybe the producer has committed suicide. But as the satisfying plot unravels, she soon learns that someone had a bone to pick with Bruno Zepf, a long list of suspects.
During the commotion, and later on, a fire inside the inn, Judith and Joe are forced to close the inn by the local police.
One quibble: too many characters may put out some readers who are not familiar with Daheim's stories. But that should not deter you from reading this fun book. If you are unfamiliar with Daheim's novels, you may want to start at the beginning. Except for the long list of characters, I do not think reading the B&B books out of order will detract a reader from understanding or enjoying the book.
One of the strong entries in B&B series, "Silver Scream" is a fun romp with excellent cast of characters and solid storytelling. Daheim writes with charm, wit and a deft hand. Recommended for avid mystery readers.
January 13, 2015
Did I just walk into Series Assumption Disease? SAD: what happens when the reader tackles a book about mid-series and is swamped with characters, briefly mentioned or minimally introduced, then dismissed presumably because all the Old Hand Readers know entire history, Volumes I through X, of accumulated back stories.
So, I struggled through this title but stopped about a third of the way through. Compelled to reach for a pencil and start charting the cast identities and relationships so I could keep track, I thought, "Wait, this isn't Middlemarch or Nicholas Nickleby and you are no longer reading for your literature degree." Flipped to the end and voila: there emerged an out-of-left-field perp so obscured by the cast of thousands that I felt cheated.
So I just put it down.
Perhaps I should start at the first one? Nope. Checked a few reviews on that title and the same issue jumps out.
I might give this author one more try...she was recommended by a family member, whose name and relationship I won't bother recording here because like much of Daheim's dramatis personae, that information is irrelevant.
So, I struggled through this title but stopped about a third of the way through. Compelled to reach for a pencil and start charting the cast identities and relationships so I could keep track, I thought, "Wait, this isn't Middlemarch or Nicholas Nickleby and you are no longer reading for your literature degree." Flipped to the end and voila: there emerged an out-of-left-field perp so obscured by the cast of thousands that I felt cheated.
So I just put it down.
Perhaps I should start at the first one? Nope. Checked a few reviews on that title and the same issue jumps out.
I might give this author one more try...she was recommended by a family member, whose name and relationship I won't bother recording here because like much of Daheim's dramatis personae, that information is irrelevant.
February 7, 2021
This book is about a lady named Judith and her husband Joe who run a bed and breakfast. Halloween weekend some movie stars roll into town for a premiere and the producer of the movie winds up dead in the B&B kitchen sink. Next to the sink there is a faulty cupboard that pops at open at random times and has hit Joe in the head before. Judith must prove that someone had a motive to kill the movie producer or she can get sued for negligence for not fixing the cupboard, if they prove that it's what actually killed this man.
I liked this story well enough. I got lost during some of the stories, there are a lot of players to keep track of. But there was a huge plot twist at the very end of the book that i definitely didn't see coming and it really surprised me.
Apparently Judith and her B&B are featured in other books, but I haven't read any of them.
I liked this story well enough. I got lost during some of the stories, there are a lot of players to keep track of. But there was a huge plot twist at the very end of the book that i definitely didn't see coming and it really surprised me.
Apparently Judith and her B&B are featured in other books, but I haven't read any of them.
February 23, 2015
I happened upon a few books in this series in the discard pile at my local library, and thought I'd give the series a try. This was the first book of the lot that I tried.
This was a brainless read, kind of like what you'd read on an airplane or by the pool on vacation. The characters were very flat and stereotypical, and the plot progressed slowly.
I didn't hate the book, but it wasn't spectacular, either. I'll probably read the other books in the series that I rescued from the garbage, but I'm glad I didn't spend money on them.
This was a brainless read, kind of like what you'd read on an airplane or by the pool on vacation. The characters were very flat and stereotypical, and the plot progressed slowly.
I didn't hate the book, but it wasn't spectacular, either. I'll probably read the other books in the series that I rescued from the garbage, but I'm glad I didn't spend money on them.
March 15, 2011
I zipped through this book, and Wed and Buried, since they are ILL books borrowed from the Humboldt Co Library in Winnemucca NV - gotta get 'em back toot sweet. I'm enjoying this series more with each book I read, which is something of a miracle since I generally lose interest after a few books - well maybe not mystery series come to think of it. I liked that Renie's husband Bill played a bigger role in this book and earlier ones.
October 14, 2013
This was a very fun read. A group of Hollywood folks in town for a movie premiere stay at Judith Flynn's bed-and-breakfast. After a disastrous premiere, the film's producer is found dead in Judith's kitchen. The set-up is classic- all suspects sleeping under the same roof as Judith once again plays sleuth. I didn't guess the murderer's identity until Judith herself figured it out. I look forward to reading more of Mary Daheim's series.
September 14, 2015
This was a fun read. An out of left field character ended up as the murderer, which disappointed me after trying to keep track of the many characters mentioned and wondering why any one of them would have done it.
This was my first book from this B&B series and I felt that the characters were developed enough to not be missing out on what happened in the first 17 books.
This was my first book from this B&B series and I felt that the characters were developed enough to not be missing out on what happened in the first 17 books.
November 28, 2022
While these books are moving much more quickly and this one focused far less on the two most obnoxious characters ever written (Sweetums and Gertrude), it still bogged down with way too many characters. Plus I always feel like having someone who's basically not even a character in the story be the killer is cheating. A decent read but not a great mystery.
October 22, 2011
This book was very good from the beggining and as i kept reading it got better and better!!! the way that Mary Daheim keeps the readers not wanting to put the book down is AWESOME!! makes you think twice about different stuff and how people can hold grudges...
September 15, 2012
This book was somewhat funny......the characters are a bit over the top but it's a good series for escapism and just fun....The Moher of the Main chaacter is a hoot...although she gets a bit overbearing at times......This is a fun series.....
September 30, 2007
I have read quite a few of this series. This one was just so-so.
Read
July 26, 2008fun light murder mysteries...hum, murder and fun in the same sentence, odd I've read a handful of hers
July 7, 2009
Mary Daheim is hilarious as always.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews