A Case of Bad Taste

Diamonds in the Rough #1

by Lori Copeland

Frustrated author M. K. Diamond is suffering from another bout of writer's block when the perfect plot unfolds in real a burglar in Morning Shade is breaking into homes and redecorating, of all things! If only Maude can keep her feisty mother-in-law, Stella, on the case before the trail grows cold and her manuscript freezes up again.

Genres: Mystery, Christian Fiction, Fiction, Christian, Cozy Mystery, Contemporary, Cozy

304 pages, Paperback

First published June 26, 2003

About the author

Lori Copeland was born on 12 June 1941. She had a relatively late start in writing, breaking into publishing in 1982 when she was already forty years old. Over the next dozen years, her romance novels achieved much success, as was evidenced by her winning the Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award, The Holt Medallion, and Walden Books' Best Seller award. She has been inducted into the Missouri Writers Hall of Fame.

Despite her success in more mainstream romantic fiction, in 1995, she decided to switch focus. Her subsequent books have been in the relatively new subgenre of Christian romance. She has also collaborated with authors Angela Elwell Hunt or Virginia Smith on a series of Christian romance novels.

Lori and her husband of over forty years, Lance, live in Springfield, Missouri, surrounded by the beautiful Ozarks. They have three grown sons, three daughter-in-laws, and six wonderful grandchildren, and two great-granddaughters. She and her husband are very involved in their church, and active in supporting mission work in Mali, West Africa.

Reviews

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this for a book club - it sounded like a cute premise - burglar breaking into homes to rearrange furniture -- the the story and characters, seemed only partially developed. The author opted instead to hit the reader over the head with messages of faith or repetitious prose of character self-pity. Billed as a light, cozy mystery - and on one level it is -- but the cozy mystery aspect takes a back seat to the didactic, repetitive preachy sermons of faith that inundate the pages. I know Ms. Copeland is a Christian author, but the writing should be first - the message second. That's just my opinion though.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poorly written or edited, many inconsistencies. Frances was described as having jet-black hair and then as having white hair. Maude complained about the dogs ruining her carpet and then later said it didn't matter because she had hardwood floors only to later remark about the carpets. Uggh...

[Amber Lewis · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book follows the story of an author searching for inspiration for her next book when suddenly a string of burglaries begin happening in her little town. Nothing is stolen but the houses are rearranged and redecorated instead. The main character's 87 year old mother-in-law decides to investigate and play amatuer detective along with a few of her friends and the stand-in town deputy while the main character uses the story for inspiration for her book. Sounds interesting, right? Wrong. I found this book incredibly boring. While the mystery itself is intriguing enough, everything is presented second hand and there's too much focus on the faiky life of the main characters and not enough on the mystery. There's not nearly enough action, just a lot of talking. The same basic things happen over and over again with little to no variety. The ending had a bit of a twist that was interesting but even that fell flat. Luckily, it was a fast, easy read so I don't feel like I wasted too much time reading it. I give it 2/5 stars and have no plans to read this again or any of the other mysteries in the series.

[✨ Gramy ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot and the mystery were not believable. Although it might be some housewives dream to have someone come into their home to clean and redecorate for them. The characters in this book were the draw. I enjoyed the antics by Stella and her sleuthing capabilities at her elderly age. Something positive and upbeat this is not. But it was fun. Since I had checked out all three books at the library, I decided to check out the rest of the series.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting characters and story but it repeats the same theme over and over again. An easy read but could have been a few pages shorter.

[Massanutten Regional Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Robin, Central patron, July 2018, 5 stars:

Funny mystery. Animals help solve the mystery.

[ML Blair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny, “he’s so slow he couldn’t catch a cold”. This Morning Shade mystery was a good one. Light, conservative and easy.

[Tania · Rating 1 out of 5]

The first book written in the series "Morning Shade Mystery," the heroine is an elderly lady whose husband has passed away. Because of this she had to take in her mother-in-law. To top it off, her daughter was also widowed and had to move back home.

The storyline was promising but the repitition and constant whining of the main character made this a slow read. I also felt the story arc fell flat with no real mystery to solve. I don't plan to read any further in this series.

[T · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book, especially because I do appreciate the Christian references, but it was just not good. It seemed to just drag, like there was very little plot made to stretch over many pages. For a mystery, there also seemed to be very little detective work except for stakeouts and questioning. I guess I was just expecting something completely different?

[Marinda · Rating 1 out of 5]

I cannot believe I read this whole book. The only thing that appealed to me was the true ring of the voice of the depressed and blocked writer. If you are thinking of reading it, skip it. Then again, this book was so bad I am considering reading the second because I want to think it is not possible to write so blandly twice in a row and still get published.

[Trinna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought the storyline was darling, but the first half was long, mopey, and seemed awfully repetitive to me. I longed for the actual story to start. The idea was very cute, just wish it developed a bit quicker. Still I think I'll read the next book in her series and see if it picks up.

[Amber · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did something I rarely do: I returned this book without finishing it. One chapter in, the story was slow. But I don't quit easily. I read 5 chapters of whining, complaining dullness. I just couldn't take more than that.

[Susie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute but a bit whiny and preachy in spots. I listened to this audio book and I always feel that the reader's voice influences my reaction to the book.

[Denisec · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was very boring. I listened to the audio version. The performer voice didn't add anything. The monther-in-law was the only interesting character. The others were monotonous.

[Shelley Shearer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute enough, but I ended up skimming whole sections on preaching to get back to the plot.

[Amanda Aelker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't really like or identify with the main character for most of the story. Okay plot; not sure if I'll continue the series.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Slow, repetitive, predictable, inconsistent plot and whiny characters. Don’t read this author again.

[Linda Musgrave Bever · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was an audiobook, so thanks to some really long trips in a really short time, I made it through it. If I had to read it on a snowy afternoon...probably find a seed catalog instead.

[Sara Kreps · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was super disappointing. I have read other books by the author and loved them. Not this one. It was a slog to get through. Part of the problem might've been that it was billed as a mystery. It's a slice-of-life story with a bit of mystery tossed in. I liked the possibility of having a mystery that wasn't a murder but this was a mystery that wasn't really a mystery. While it was a question of whodunit, they could've removed the mystery all together and the story wouldn't have lost anything but fifty pages. The series is called Morning Shade Mystery and the town is near Evening Shade, which might explain how the book was styled but I've never seen the show so for me it didn't work.
The main part of the problem was Maude. I disliked the main character within the first couple chapters. Maude is a fifty-something doormat who refuses to take responsibility for her own life. When her husband dies unexpectedly without having ever gotten a life insurance policy and leaving her with little to no savings, it's his fault. When her books consistently fail to crack the best-seller lists, it's the marketing team's fault. When her elderly mother-in-law moves in and disrupts Maude's lifestyle and Maude doesn't establish any boundaries or even say anything that might be even a little corrective, it's still Stella's fault. And Maude bemoans her daughter's laziness and bad eating habits after CeeCee moves in after being widowed but still continues to buy her all the junk food and not make her leave her room. Basically, Maude is an enabler and then whines about the outcomes. I had to put the book down at one point when she says "I didn't raise CeeCee to be a doormat." That's all Maude is being! Her words may have said one thing to her daughter but her actions speak volumes to the reader.
As for the other characters, Stella is obnoxious but at least loveable (probably because I don't have to live with her). She reminds me a lot of Sophia from Golden Girls. And she improves at least a little. CeeCee is understandably in a depression after the very public betrayal and death of her celebrity husband but most of her financial woes could've been solved by filing for bankruptcy. At least she actually gets past her attitude of victimhood. Maude has the least development of all. And the constant harping of how useless the town police chief is was pathetic - they can't mention him without saying something denigrating, whether about his work ethic or physical appearance. What wonderful Christian attitudes.
In the end, I don't know how much of this might be inspired by the author's life but it is a big departure from her other books and I will not be continuing this series.

[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I rolled to my side and punched the pillows into shape. Getting old is like sucking peanut butter through a straw. Difficult." So begins "A Case of Bad Taste". Maude lost her husband a year ago and can't quite seem to get back on track. It is easy to relate to Maude and her negative attitude at the beginning of the book. Often when we have suffering or discouragement in our lives we get off track, we feel sorry for ourselves, and are easily irritated by those around us. Maude experiences all of these things. Also, she is lacking in creativity. She is a writer and has a book deadline, but can't seem to come up with a story or interesting characters. Then one day, there is a burglary in town. But this is not your ordinary burglary. Maude is intrigued and so is her mother-in-law, Stella. Slowly their lives begin to get back on track. We get a glimpse into Maude's inner life as well as she struggles with pride and obedience. Often she knows how she should behave, but has trouble doing it. I enjoyed this mystery and found it refreshing to have all the fun of a mystery without a murder.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book kind of lagged a bit but I did enjoy it. I liked the characters and the interesting burglar mystery. I have to admit this was a very unique approach to a mystery. I liked the low key approach to the story. The dogs and cat sure lent some color to the plot. I think the Christian overtones lend a lot to the story. It isn’t super overpowering but it does make you think (which is the point of course).

[Cathy Stratman · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't finish this book at all! The Kindle version had paragraphs missing, half sentences and full pages missing. With these issues, it was difficult to follow the story line and/or plot. Don't know if I will try another book by Lori Copeland however in the back of my mind is the question - will other books of her's on Kindle be the same?

[LuanaNancy Dickson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmm!? Did anyone proof read the book before going to print? I found 11 errors in this short book. I was really shocked. Please get a proofreader for all your books. The pets saved the book with their personalities. Keep writing Lori. : )

[Susan Chiodo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not my favorite style. The plot was secondary to everything else and the author was so repetitive with the characters attitudes and issues. Got a bit old. I didn’t connect with the authors humor and the actual mystery plot was kind of dumb. I won’t read the others.

[Doug · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just what I needed. A break from work and routine with a light, delightful read.

[Ranee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh

[ANNETTE · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story just a little slow

[Lyn Soulia-Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure of the narritor or story but I couldn't get into this book

[Rhonda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Repetitive, but easy to read. Unusual premise.

[Rachel Drake · Rating 5 out of 5]

So funny!