Book Review: Dial M For Meat Loaf

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Dial M For Meat Loaf     Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
Ellen Hart
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Culinary
Series: Sophie Greenway # 6
Fawcett, Nov 2001, $6.99, 336 pp.

Sophie Greenacy owns St. Paul’s Mansfield Plazza and writes a restaurant review column for the Minneapolis Times-Register. The newspaper is currently sponsoring a favorite meatloaf recipe contest with the grand prize being a weekend at the Plazza. Helping Sophie with this enormous endeavor is Bernice Washburn, the food editor at the paper.

When Sophie learns that her friend’s father is ill, she offers to drive Bernice to the hospital to visit him. When John Washburn regains consciousness, he immediately admits that he killed handyman Kirby Rinbeck, an individual allegedly blackmailing him. Sophie decides to investigate only to stunningly learn that John is a multiple bigamist, but finds no evidence that her friend’s father killed anyone. Working with Bernice’s significant other Angelo Falzone, Sophie searches for the real killer.

DIAL M FOR MEATLOAF is a witty sophisticated who-done-it with a serpentine story line that takes readers on quite a meandering ride that works. Ellen Hart serves up quite a dish with one of the best amateur sleuth novels of the year because of that strong plot and likable but eccentric characters with fan appeal.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner