Talked to Death

Name: Talked to Death
Author: Louise Shaffer
ISBN: 9780425154076

by Louise Shaffer

Publisher: Berkley Trade Pub
Pages: 1
Paperbound
ISBN: 9780425154076

Overview of Talked to Death

Talked to Death finds Angie DaVito back in business - first as a producer, then again as a sleuth - having found employ (nearly over her own dead body) working for TV diva Cee Gee, hostess on her eponymous program, daytime's highest-rated talk show. When one of her inner circle is murdered, Cee Gee is among the chief suspects, as are others on her staff. Drawn into the intrigue by her own curiosity and by a plea from Cee Gee's precocious teenage daughter to solve the behind-the-scenes crime, Angie begins to probe. When Detective Teresa O'Hanlon is put in charge of the case, Angie renews her uneasy alliance with the straight-arrow cop. A budding romance with Teresa's younger brother, Patrick, baffles Angie nearly as much as the murder.

TV producer/amateur sleuth Angie DaVito is back in business, working for top-rated talk-show hostess Cee Gee. When one of Cee Gee's inner circle is murdered, Cee Gee is among the chief suspects and asks Angie to probe the baffling, behind-the-scenes crime. From the author of All My Suspects.

About the Author, Louise Shaffer

Louise Shaffer

Actress-turned-writer Louise Shaffer has appeared on Broadway, in TV movies, and in daytime dramas, even earning an Emmy for her work on Ryan's Hope. Her novels The Three Miss Margarets and The Ladies of Garrison Gardens have earned her praise from the critics and fellow authors alike, including Adriana Trigiani, who called her "a magnificent storyteller."

Biography

Louise Shaffer, a graduate of the Yale Drama School, has written for television and has appeared on Broadway, in TV movies, and in daytime dramas, earning an Emmy for her work on Ryan's Hope. Her debut novel, The Three Miss Margarets, was released in 2003. Shaffer and her husband live in the Lower Hudson Valley.

Author biography courtesy of Random House, Inc.

Good To Know

Some fun and fascinating outtakes from our interview with Shaffer:

"I'm a prude. That's not a good thing -- in fact, when I was younger I used to worry that it would stunt my creativity. But I'm lazy, and debauchery takes tons of energy -- if you're going to do it right. I'm proud of the fact that my husband and I have rescued and adopted thirty-seven animals since we got married â thirty-eight if you count the pig. His name was Hubie and he wasn't a cute little pot-bellied number, he was a full-fledged 750 pound hog who played football -- his rules and we didn't argue. Beyond that, the only other thing anyone needs to know about me is, I've had more dumb luck when it comes to family, friends and work than any one person deserves."

"My big break came when I landed a gig on a soap opera that went on and off the air in six months. In those days a show had to be really bad to tank that fast. The crew in the studio where we were shooting wanted a game show in there because it would have meant a lot less work for them, so they were always forgetting to do things like nail down the sets. I played one love scene while holding up the bedroom wall and when I had to do one of those endless coffee scenes in the kitchen, there was a prop guy hiding in the fridge. He hadn't moved fast enough when they yelled action. We didn't do retakes on this show because they were canceling us and trying to save money."

"My best writing inspirations always come when I'm cleaning the kitty litter. Don't ask me why. I'm serious, please don't ask me, because I don't want to think about it."

"The things I dislike most are bullies, prejudice, people who have all the answers, and CEOs who go on national television to explain why they had to cut jobs for twenty thousand workers while they just picked up a forty million dollar bonus."

"The things I love are puppies, kittens, roses, Pavarottis's voice, birthday cakes, fancy dress, the glint in my mother's eye when she's just put one over on her solicitous kids, and my husband's smile when he's really happy."

Reviews of Talked to Death

There are no reviews yet.

Editorials

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Shaffer (All My Suspects) moves from TV soaps to talk shows in the second Angie DaVito mystery. The perky, occasionally caustic 30-something TV producer has caught the eye of mega-personality Cee Gee Jones, who wants to hire her. Angie doesn't think much of Cee Gee's touchy-feely brand of entertainment, but she needs the work. What she doesn't need is a situation. But that's what she gets as she learns that Cee Gee has been receiving threats, and that there's been a rift in Cee Gee's inner circle. In fact, Cee Gee, known for being fiercely loyal, has fired producer Grace Shipley. Then there's a murder, of which Cee Gee herself is suspected. Angie teams up once again with her alter ego, the NYPD's coolly professional Detective Teresa O'Hanlon, to get to the bottom of things. She also teams up in a less professional sense with Teresa's younger brother Patrick. Shaffer's ending may not ring true, and her characters can border on the one-dimensional, but there's nothing flat about Angie or her barbs at talk-TV's expense in this satisfying confection. (Sept.)

Library Journal

Former TV soap writer and actress Shaffer (All My Suspects, Putnam, 1994) takes her New York producer/amateur sleuth Angie DaVito into the world of a popular Oprah-like talk show, where she helps solve a murder. This is a ``polite'' mystery series, along the lines of Lilian Jackson Braun's cat series (e.g., The Cat Who Blew the Whistle, LJ 12/94), but the dialog snaps along, as do the tad-familiar characters and plotting until the rather bulky, guessable denouement. Shaffer suffers an occasional bout of the ``cutes,'' especially in trying to lampoon tabloid news shows, but overall this brisk, entertaining read has a nice sense of detail. DaVito probably won't ever be confused with female sleuths like Kinsey Millhone or V.I. Warshawski, but like them, she's been around the track a few times and is spirited, sassy, and fun. Recommended for large mystery collections.David Bartholomew, NYPL

Ilene Cooper

The last time we saw television producer Angie DeVito ("All My Suspects" ) she was working on a soap opera. Then a real-life murder took the spotlight away from the on-camera turmoil. Since losing that job, Angie has been out of work, but now she is offered a gig on a daytime talk show whose wildly popular host is a cross between Oprah and Kathie Lee Gifford. Angie has barely signed on when the producer she has replaced is found dead in her boss' house on Christmas day. The mystery works if you don't look too closely but more effective is the TV-land setting and Angie herself, who is almost certainly more self-deprecating than most people in show business. With talk shows and soaps under her belt, maybe Angie is ready for prime time in her next adventure.

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