Helpful Score: 6
An Average who-done-it cozy with a radio psycologist as the main character.
Meet Maggie Walsh radio personality living in Cypress Grove FL. After her guest Guru Sanyay Ginjii does a radio interview with Maggie, he is found dead in his hotel room. From the moment she meets the Guru, she knows hes a fraud an a fake. Yet with tons of loyal followers, its going to be a job to find out how he really died. Maggies roomate, Lark is placed at the scene of the crime and is the only suspect the police have. As the clock ticks, the police are building a strong case against Lark, so Maggie decides to do some investigating of her own.
This book really draws you in right from the get-go. Maggie is a pretty laid back character with a good head on her shoulders. My only complaint with this book is Maggies mother; a washed up old actress who is completely full of herself. Some parts of the sleuthing were a bit on the unbelieveable side. Maggie usually ends up at the right place at the right time to talk to the people she needs to. Seems like shes a lucky gal.
Anyhow, this was a good start to a new series. I will probably read the next one when it comes out. I wont be rushing to the book store to grab it right away though. It was an OK book, just kind of average.
Meet Maggie Walsh radio personality living in Cypress Grove FL. After her guest Guru Sanyay Ginjii does a radio interview with Maggie, he is found dead in his hotel room. From the moment she meets the Guru, she knows hes a fraud an a fake. Yet with tons of loyal followers, its going to be a job to find out how he really died. Maggies roomate, Lark is placed at the scene of the crime and is the only suspect the police have. As the clock ticks, the police are building a strong case against Lark, so Maggie decides to do some investigating of her own.
This book really draws you in right from the get-go. Maggie is a pretty laid back character with a good head on her shoulders. My only complaint with this book is Maggies mother; a washed up old actress who is completely full of herself. Some parts of the sleuthing were a bit on the unbelieveable side. Maggie usually ends up at the right place at the right time to talk to the people she needs to. Seems like shes a lucky gal.
Anyhow, this was a good start to a new series. I will probably read the next one when it comes out. I wont be rushing to the book store to grab it right away though. It was an OK book, just kind of average.
Helpful Score: 6
Not my favorite cozy ... The heroine is "supposed" to be a psychologist who left her practice to be a radio talk show host. However, for a psychologist, this woman has absolutely NO IDEA about reading people, how to deal with people, anything ...
Every once in a while, the author tossed out a psychological term, but never in any useful context. The clincher for me was when the character's mother (an actress) hypnotized a witness, while the main character watched in awe ...
This book made so little sense, that I'm wondering how it made it past the slush pile ... Don't waste your time or PBS credit ...
Every once in a while, the author tossed out a psychological term, but never in any useful context. The clincher for me was when the character's mother (an actress) hypnotized a witness, while the main character watched in awe ...
This book made so little sense, that I'm wondering how it made it past the slush pile ... Don't waste your time or PBS credit ...
Helpful Score: 3
Maggie Walsh is Florida's newest radio talk show psychologist, thinking that being tucked away in her studio will keep her safe from all the crazies. When she hits the airwaves, there is no way for them to tell who she is reaching...and that some of the people are really "nuts".
She left New York to move to Sunny Florida because she was tired of the cold winters and the "crazy people" she worked with in New York. Thinking that everyone in Florida was "sane". Guess what...they weren't.
When her guest new age guest "Prophet Sanjay Gingii" was on the show...little did Maggie know that he was lighting a firestorm that would result in the Prophet's murder and her being stalked and attacked.
Adding to the fun of this book are a delightful set of characters, including her Mother Lola, who is an aging Movie Star...her roommate, Lark, who turns out to have a Assault and Battery on her rap sheet, and a very handsome Detective with the local police.
A very nice first book...I hope there will be many more.
She left New York to move to Sunny Florida because she was tired of the cold winters and the "crazy people" she worked with in New York. Thinking that everyone in Florida was "sane". Guess what...they weren't.
When her guest new age guest "Prophet Sanjay Gingii" was on the show...little did Maggie know that he was lighting a firestorm that would result in the Prophet's murder and her being stalked and attacked.
Adding to the fun of this book are a delightful set of characters, including her Mother Lola, who is an aging Movie Star...her roommate, Lark, who turns out to have a Assault and Battery on her rap sheet, and a very handsome Detective with the local police.
A very nice first book...I hope there will be many more.
Helpful Score: 1
A who-done-it cozy mystery. I recommend it for a fun quick read.
I've enjoyed other work by this excellent writer, so I ignored the other, less than favorable reviews. To me, this was just another romance, with quirky side characters, and possibly a little bit of a mystery. The plot was very predictable and if I had been in the mood for romance, I might have liked it better.
Perfect setting for a small-town radio talk show host. Includes a murder which the host figures out and interesting characters along the way.
Dollycas's Thoughts
Talk radio is all my husband listens to but I don't think he has ever tuned in to a program like "On the Couch with Maggie Walsh." She gets some very unusual callers. First time and long time callers call in to talk about a variety of topics. She even has special guests like the controversial Guru Sanjay Gingii. He has his followers but he also has his enemies. Maggie has even received a threat at the station to scare her from having him on the show. Shortly after appearing on her show the guru is found dead in his hotel room. Maggie is surprised when the police show up at her door, but they are not there for her, they are there for her roommate, Lark. What that's crazy! Lark wouldn't kill anyone or would she???
Mary Kennedy introduces us to a variety of characters. Maggie, of course, who seems to be a very intelligent woman but not a lot of common sense at times, which was funny in a book, wouldn't be so funny in real life. Her roommate Lark has a past and Maggie finds out she didn't know her as well as she thought. Her producer, Vera Mae Atkins, is a hoot, the first chapter is just the start of radio romp. The guru's followers, staff, and exes make for a large pool of suspects. Maggie's mom, Lola was my favorite character. She wanted to help Maggie investigate and she was crazy funny. Maggie is also trying to impress a certain detective which adds to the fun.
The radio show theme was unique for me. It did remind of the Frasier television show, his relationship with Roz was very similar to Maggie and Vera, only with a dead body added. The behind the scenes complete with a foreign receptionist who is learning English to a pompous sports announcer all blended together to make this a very interesting read.
The mystery plot was full of twists including the final one that was a total surprise. I was sure I had it all figured out and you guessed it, wrong again.
This was a good debut for this series. I want to see how these characters evolve in the next 2 books, Reel Murder and Stay Tuned for Murder.
Talk radio is all my husband listens to but I don't think he has ever tuned in to a program like "On the Couch with Maggie Walsh." She gets some very unusual callers. First time and long time callers call in to talk about a variety of topics. She even has special guests like the controversial Guru Sanjay Gingii. He has his followers but he also has his enemies. Maggie has even received a threat at the station to scare her from having him on the show. Shortly after appearing on her show the guru is found dead in his hotel room. Maggie is surprised when the police show up at her door, but they are not there for her, they are there for her roommate, Lark. What that's crazy! Lark wouldn't kill anyone or would she???
Mary Kennedy introduces us to a variety of characters. Maggie, of course, who seems to be a very intelligent woman but not a lot of common sense at times, which was funny in a book, wouldn't be so funny in real life. Her roommate Lark has a past and Maggie finds out she didn't know her as well as she thought. Her producer, Vera Mae Atkins, is a hoot, the first chapter is just the start of radio romp. The guru's followers, staff, and exes make for a large pool of suspects. Maggie's mom, Lola was my favorite character. She wanted to help Maggie investigate and she was crazy funny. Maggie is also trying to impress a certain detective which adds to the fun.
The radio show theme was unique for me. It did remind of the Frasier television show, his relationship with Roz was very similar to Maggie and Vera, only with a dead body added. The behind the scenes complete with a foreign receptionist who is learning English to a pompous sports announcer all blended together to make this a very interesting read.
The mystery plot was full of twists including the final one that was a total surprise. I was sure I had it all figured out and you guessed it, wrong again.
This was a good debut for this series. I want to see how these characters evolve in the next 2 books, Reel Murder and Stay Tuned for Murder.
