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The Rock & Roll Queen of Bedlam: A Wise-Cracking Tale of Secrets, Peril, and Murder!
By:
Marilee Brothers
List Price: $15.95
Your Price: $12.44
(as of: 07/30/10)
Publisher: Medallion Press
Binding:
Paperback
ISBN: 193475546X
Publication Date: 2009-10-01
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Product Description:
Leggy, karaoke-singing Allegra Thome spends her days teaching dysfunctional teens and her nights with a wealthy new boyfriend. Her life is grand until she finds herself in the middle of a drug bust and meets Sloan, a rough-around-the-edges DEA agent. Soon after a student from her class disappears, things quickly head south, and their search becomes a race against time with dead bodies piling up and her own life in peril.
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Allegra Thome is a teacher of delinquent teenagers, but when she accidentally interrupts a drug bust, her life changes. The DEA official in the case, Sloan, insults and enrages her, then assumes she’ll go out to dinner with him where and when he wants to go. Allegra sets him right in a message on his voice mail, but Sloan is not deterred. He follows up on the steamy scene at the drug bust, and Allegra finds herself involved with Sloan despite her best intentions.
Sloan mows Allegra down. He’s a good DEA agent, but his interpersonal style needs some work. When Allegra’s student Sara disappears, Allegra’s nephew Nick is beside himself. As a teen with cystic fibrosis, he cannot afford upsets in his life, so Allegra pursues Sara’s disappearance as a way to keep Nick calm. Soon she is chasing a car purchase, investigating a bogus minister, and delving into a winery run by the church called What Would Jesus Drink Winery. Was the minister seducing Sara? Does the Winery hide money laundering? What about the death of Sara’s father, a drug dealer? So many questions, so little time!
THE ROCK AND ROLL QUEEN OF BEDLAM is a hectic suspense novel told by the main character, Allegra, with attitude. Allegra and Nick investigate Sara’s disappearance and all the other questions while Allegra fights a rear-guard action with her grandmother, the sex surrogate, and her aunt, a dingaling who drinks a lot. The eccentric characters make the book, and we can hope to see more of Sloan, Allegra and Nick. Highly recommended!
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| By: Jean Hanke, ReaderToReader.com
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In Washington State, sixteen year old Nick Dorsey is an intelligent student attending Vista Valley High School who refuses to allow cystic fibrosis from enabling him to enjoy life. However, he becomes very concerned when classmate Sara Stepanek vanishes as he knows the teen is deeply troubled.
Nick’s aunt Allegra Thome who is Sara’s teacher is worried about the girl too. Allegra, who dubs herself “the Queen of Bedlam” and Nick decide to investigate the disappearance. They soon find questionable goings-on at the place of worship that Sara attended, the Church of the Holy Light especially through Pastor Robinson Hunt’s connection to the What Would Jesus Drink Winery. However, the nephew-aunt amateur sleuthing intrudes on an operation conducted by DEA Agent Sloan.
THE ROCK ROLL QUEEN OF BEDLAM is an amusing yet dark amateur sleuth thriller with a chick lit sarcastic spin as sassy spunky spitfire Allegra provides commentary from the start with her observations on tall women wearing hose and detectives checking asses and never slows down form there. Fans will enjoy the lighthearted bantering of Allegra especially with Sloan don’t ask about his first name though Johnny Cash could have sang the song contrasted with the serious topic that is not taken lightly in a terrific crime caper thriller.
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| By: Harriet Klausner
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Customer Reviews
familiar?: (2010-06-24)
Does anyone else see a few TOO many similarities to Evanovich? Two men panting over a woman who lives with her grandmother? This time one isn't called Ranger he drives a Ranger--and dark handsome and ohhh so macho. She always seems one trip on her stillettos away from danger. Seemed to be too formuliac and dragged on too long for me. An ok summer read though
Smart and Sassy: (2009-10-27)
Allegra Thome lives with her grandmother, Aunt, and Vlad, the attack cat. Allegra teaches dysfunctional teens, Aunt Dodie is a wine connoisseur, and Grandma has a night job that will make your jaw drop in shock. On Saturday nights, the three of them sing karaoke and entertain at a local nursing home. At a local gas station, Allegra sees one of her students relatives and moves to invite him to parent night. Instead, she inadvertently interrupts a drug bust. The DEA officer, Sloan, is pure eye candy, and there is instant chemistry between him and Allegra. When one of Allegra's students is reported runaway, Allegra doesn't think too much of it. These things happen alot with her students. But when her nephew Nick convinces her that something is fishy, she looks more deeply into it. Sara Stepaneck's foster family also just came into some money; new van, plasma TV. Allegra and Nick check out Sara's room and leave with a few cryptic clues. Concerned, Allegra follows up with the police and family services, but is brushed off. Even when Sara's father, Joe, is found dead, the police aren't interested. Even as things are heating up between Allegra and Sloan, and in the most odd places, the stakes are raised in the search for Sara. Danger lurks around corners for Allegra, and she must keep one step ahead of the unknown perpetrators if she values her life. The Rock and Roll Queen of Bedlam was impossible for me to put down. I was enthralled with this story. Mystery, romance, humor and things happening in the most unexpected places kept me hooked. The characters are outstanding. Sometimes, the repartee' had me laughing so hard I cried. The ending is a thrilling page turner with a shocking climax. I hope Marilee has another Allegra novel in the works because I couldn't get enough. Highly recommend!!
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