Extreme Cuisine (Margot O'Bannon Mysteries, No. 5)

By Kit Sloane

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 193075468X
• ISBN13: 9781930754683
• Release Date: May 2005
• Publisher: Durban House Pub Co Inc
• Length: 268 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.8" x 1.0" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

Includes agendas, and the seamier side of movie-making

Kit Sloane is a resident of Northern California. Her husband is a college professor, and Kit herself is a writer of short stories, is a fiction editor, and has published four Margot O'Banion mysteries. She is an animal and wine lover who also gardens. Film editor Margot O'Banion and boyfriend/director Max Skull have been together long enough to have a teenage boy named Luis. They also work together for Acturus Studio, and the characters they are associated with soon provide the backdrop for a murder. Margot's glamourous friend and wine specialist Loretta Rose appears on their doorstep and quickly ingratiates herself into their lives, obtaining her first position in the Executive Dining room of the studio and hooking up with Robert Madrid of the restauranteur Estrella family. But everywhere she goes, murder seems to follow, and the Estrella's are heavily involved, first by Robert's murder which coopts a scene from Max's latest film, "Extreme Cuisine": "Loretta Rose stopped frowning and stared, seeming oblivious to the tears still streaming down her face. 'Oh my God, the police. I have to call them, don't I?' She wiped her nose, ran across the room to a stainless steel counter and grabbed a black phone. Margot could hear the 9-1-1 call punched in. She turned away as Loretta Rose described the horror into the receiver. It was a brief conversation." EXTREME CUISINE is a humorous look at the Hollywood scene, which includes agendas, the seamier side of movie-making, and Margot's metamorphosis from retiring film editor to amateur sleuth when the people she cares about find murder popping out all around them. Sloane gives a good bird's eye view of the movie business, along with the aberrant personalities. The result is a delightful and, at times, laughter-inducing and lighthearted look at murder, cuisine, and the temptations of the flesh. EXTREME CUISINE is written in a blocked way, meaning it could easily translate into a comedic tale of murder and mayhem. Sloane has a definite eye for the absurd, and she also knows how to entertain. EC is a delightful read, and Sloane's characters cry out for an encore. Shelley Glodowski Senior Reviewer

A Tasty Treat

With a title like "Extreme Cuisine," I pictured a mystery featuring the Iron Chef rappelling down a cliff. To my delight, Extreme Cuisine is the fifth mystery featuring Margot O'Banion, film editor and amateur sleuth extraordinaire. Her sexy lover Max Skull, an ambitious and talented director and the father of her son, is currently working on a film highlighting Latinos and the restaurant business, so this means lots of behind-the-scenes research for the couple at the hottest restaurant in Hollywood, Café Estrellado. Max has the chef's brother, Robert Madrid, hired as a consultant and the hunk with his own popular nighttime cooking show provides ample distraction for Margot's friend, the dramatic Loretta Rose Cinefucco. Having left her family's wine-making business for a career in cuisine, the impulsive Loretta Rose has just signed on to take over the film studio's dining room. This doesn't sit well with the previous manager, Madrid's mother, and Loretta soon finds that she's got her hands full with overflowing egos and temperaments. When a murder that mimics the movie script occurs Margo and Max are forced into investigating in order to save their friend and the movie. Soon everything shifts into high gear and the reader is lavished with ample amounts of food, film lore, and fun. This is a series that has gotten better and better, and Sloane continues to provide fascinating background information on the world of movie making. Extreme Cuisine also explores the high-pressured arena of restaurants, and food lovers and addicts of the Food Network will be pleased. The relationship between Max and Margot has become more complex and enjoyable, and I'm finally coming to appreciate Max's appeal. This is a truly entertaining mystery that abounds with humor, romance, and suspense. Don't miss it.