Silver Scream

Judith McMonigle Flynn, owner of the respectable Hillside Manor Bed and Breakfast has had her share of eccentric visitors and their troubles. When the head of the local Bed and Breakfast Association forces her to switch reservations around so that a flock of Hollywood's finest can stay at Hillside Manor, she is less than thrilled. Producer Bruno Zepf's first big movie success came to him after staying at a bed and breakfast similar to Judith's, and so he insists that he and his entourage stay there for the premier of his newest movie, The Gasman. Ingrid sees this as a fantastic opportunity and will not take no for an answer, so Judith must make preparations for her visit from Hollywood.

The Gasman, based on an obscure book from 1929, is already brewing controversy. A four hour long epic centering around the ascent of man from the standpoint of a gasman in middle America, Zepf expects it to be a success along the lines of Gone with the Wind. What he gets is something more akin to Ishtar. The critics hate it, his cast and crew hate him, and Zepf is sure his career is over. To make matters worse for him - and Judith - Zepf turns up dead that same evening. What happened to him? Was it a freak accident, a heart attack, or murder? What ever it is, Judith isn't going to rest until she discovers the truth.

If someone where to ask me to give them an example of a cozy mystery, Daheim's books would be one of my main choices. Fueled by characterization more than violent happenings, the mystery unravels for us via careful questioning and cast interactions. Daheim handles characterization in an interesting way. The Hollywood stars are more like caricatures, with their arrogant attitudes and extraordinary desires. None of them are all that likable, except perhaps Chips, the director, who comes across like a well meaning Ron Howard. All the characters, to an extent, are this way. Daheim uses stereotypes such as that of the nosy neighbor and the promiscuous ex-wife to create characters that are both satiric and true to life. I have a feeling that she must really know people - you would have to, to be able to successfully poke fun at characters yet make them still seem realistic, and often sympathetic. Her main ladies, Judith and R! enie are not spared, but their sarcastic barbs that they throw at each other sometimes seem to come from a long life together, and a deep friendship. They're both real treats in some ways - Judith with her empathy and sense, Renie with her refusal to back down and her quick wit.

I enjoyed reading SILENT SCREAM. It's a very well done mystery, a light and funny read. Daheim has 17 other Bed and Breakfast mysteries out, and I look forward to reading them.

Four out of five cloaks
--Cindy Lynn Speer, GWN Book Reviewer
8/3/2002