Goodreads Mobile | see what your friends are reading

Feb 22, 2011

Paul rated it:

Yes, it is the same Al Roker you see every morning on NBC's "Today" show. He uses his experience to put together, with Dick Lochte, a murder mystery that involves people on a morning TV show.

Billy Blessing, the main character, is a mainstay on the program "Wake Up America". Blessing is responsible for the cooking segment of the show and owns a very popular Bistro. He also has his own show on another network called, "Blessings in the Kitchen".

More...

0 comments like

Apr 04, 2010

Jason rated it:

It's easy to write a review for a 5-star book; there's plenty to gush about. It's also easy to write a 1-star review because the faults are so many. But the 3-star reviews are painful. This isn't a bad book. Not at all. If you read it, I expect that you will finish it, and the story will keep your attention all the way through. You might even chuckle a few times. But Al Roker's foray into fiction isn't at all wonderful, not in any way. It's just... okay. The mystery is a bit contrived, but I can More...

1 comment like

Dec 25, 2009

Gail rated it:

Very few are as familiar with the ins, outs, and roundabouts of morning TV as is popular weatherman Al Roker. What few knew until recently was that he's not only engaging on camera but also an accomplished author ( Don't Make Me Stop This Car!: Adventures In Fatherhood, and several cookbooks.) Add to that description a smart fellow because when he decided to turn his pen to a mystery he wrote about what he knew - choosing as his protagonist Chef Billy Blessing who tantalizes viewers tasteb More...

0 comments like

Dec 14, 2009

Patty rated it:

For a first mystery this is a lot of fun. Of course, using a highly respected mystery author as a "co-author" helped a lot but you can tell that much of this mystery came from the mind of Mr. Roker.

Chef Billy Blessings works on a national TV morning show as a chef and sometime interviewer, as well as a front man who visits the crowds each morning (sound familiar?). When his executive producer is killed by poison in food from his restaurant Billy is on the case, trying to More...

0 comments like

Jun 29, 2010

Cornerofmadness rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like

Oct 24, 2011

Bruce rated it:

This is Al Roker's first fictional novel, and the first Billy Blessing mystery. It is not a great book, but it is good enough. It introduces Chef Billy Blessing, his friends, and his restaurant. In addition to running his restaurant, Billy is a regular on a network morning television show (Like the Today Show), and he has a cable cooking show. While juggling all those responsibilities, one of Billy's friends is murdered and Billy is suspect number one as far as the cops are concerned. In th More...

0 comments like

Nov 05, 2009

Ronald rated it:

Billy Blessing, the celebrated, restaurant owning, chef on the Morning Show, finds himself in trouble. One of his coworkers from the show has been murdered. Chef Blessing is immediately tagged for suspicion by the police. Thus we have the beginnings of an all too familiar plot set in the environs of a television Morning Show. Writers are often advised to write what they know about, but Al Roker's story, with the help of mystery author, Dick Lochte, has stayed to close to home. There are even cut More...

0 comments like

Apr 02, 2011

Marta rated it:

So, I feel like 2 stars may seem a bit harsh, so you can up it to like 2.5.

The book itself was entertaining enough, the characters were well developed and fun. Chef Blessing was a cheeky and charming lead with plenty of charisma.

I haven't read many murder mysteries but have watched my fair share of CSI and Bones. The storyline was interesting and definitely got me thinking.

However, when it came time for the reveal I felt like it fell flat. Like it just sort More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 30, 2011

Jessie rated it:

Mild spoilers

It is what it is: television morning show personality Al Roker, guided by ghostwriter Dick Lochte, plays a game of what if. "What if I was younger ... and hot ... and a chef, no a SUCCESSFUL chef, with my own TV show, make that 2, no 3 shows! And what if my hot ex-girlfriend ... ex TV EXECUTIVE girlfriend ... threw me over for some guy who ends up murdered and ... and ... and what if the police suspected me and ... yeah, there are international assassins and spies More...

0 comments like

Nov 21, 2011

Georgiann rated it:

Billy Blessing once again finds himself in hot water. When he is asked to play second banana to Desmond O'Day on the funnymans new late-night talk show. Los Angeles holds bad-and bloody- memories for Billy.. Twenty years ago, he suspected Roger Charbonnet an obnoxious chef of murdering his ex starlet girlfriend.And he told the cops,a tricked up alibi freed Roger, who vowed to get vengeance. After a horrifying explosion kills Desmond during a taping of the show. Billy believes he was the intended More...

0 comments like

Jan 25, 2012

Dawn rated it:

This really is not a bad book! The warm tone of Billy Blessing defines "cozy" perfectly. Although Billy's comfortable, fun and has a sense of humor, the book is not all goodness, light and clumsy antics. There are serious topics including a murderer using the war to cover up a U.S. soldier's slaying; a serial killer who's on a politician's payroll; a scapegoat describing what it feels like to be framed for a crime he didn't commit and how the police assigned to the case were so narrow- More...

0 comments like

Dec 16, 2009

Susan rated it:

Television chef and restaurateur Billy Blessing is the chief suspect when his unpleasant executive producer dies after eating a meal that came from Billy's restaurant. He had reason to hate the producer, who had stolen his girlfriend (daughter of the network owner) and now seemed poised to oust Billy from his tv shows. But a retired gangster tips Billy off to the news that a well-known assassin is said to be in New York, with a contract on a media figure. Billy wonders of the producer's death More...

0 comments like

Mar 05, 2010

Jamie rated it:

An average murder mystery story. There's a lot of twists and turns, but there's so much unrelated events inbetween, I started to forget what had even happened near the start. I understand that this would have plenty of behind the scenes and media related references and commentary, but it felt like in some parts it got in the way of the plot of the story. Long-winded conversations about show business and snarky last lines at the end of each chapter made me wonder why I should feel any concern for More...

0 comments like

Oct 18, 2009

Marti rated it:

on october 18th i have completed a firstreads book won by my friend ruth donnocker who lent it to me before she even read it since she was swamped with book group books. i enjoyed reading it since i love mysteries, and have something in common with one of the authors, al roker. he, my husband and i all graduated from suny oswego. his hero is fun--his alter ego being a renowned chef who also appears on early morning tv. the plot is good, the characters interesting, and not having read anythin More...

0 comments like

Nov 25, 2009

Melissa rated it:

I loved this book! The first thing you notice is Al Roker's humor sprinkled throughout the story. I love Al's humor so that was a big plus to me. The story line has really nice twists and turns so it isn't predictable. The surprises last until the very end.

Billy Blessing, the main character, is a likable carbon copy of Al. Billy is a weatherman on a popular morning tv show. He is a chef and has an extensive knowledge of food and food preparation. One reason this story rang so true i More...

0 comments like

Feb 17, 2011

J rated it:

I thought this would be a fun little book to read. Somehow it didn't occur to me until I started reading that the main character would be heavily based on Roker. A plump black man with a lovable tv persona.

While I enjoy Roker on tv, I found myself totally uninterested in this character and the experience of seeing life through his eyes. I didn't connect with him at all.

0 comments like

Mar 03, 2011

Yvonne rated it:

This was a very enjoyable book to read. It keep my attention and i at least guessed who one of the bad guys were. I would love to see the character Chef Blessing become a series of books. All of the characters were very interesting. I think there are a lot of secerts behind marvin and the commander. There a lot more in the this book can be explored further. It was a very good read.

0 comments like

Apr 01, 2011

Kim rated it:

I picked this book up because I love Al Roker, and find him hysterical on Today, so I was interested to see how his humor would show itself in fiction. Full of pop culture references, including a few self-deprecating references to Roker himself, there was a lot of unexpected humor for a murder mystery. The characters were very eclectic in personalities and backstories, which gave the story a lot of texture, depth, and interest. It was a fun mystery that brought you in and kept you there. The More...

0 comments like

Aug 03, 2010

Karen rated it:

I was all set to scoff at this book, was pleasantly surprised when I started it (it's actually quite funny), and somewhere along the way, simply lost interest. I really couldn't tell you who did it. I'm thinking of giving it another try because I think Al developed a fun character in Chef Blessing, and there's plenty of scoop about morning shows to keep one turning the pages.

2 comments like

Jan 20, 2010

Monty rated it:

I had to read this book because Al Roker is one of the authors. I enjoyed it once I got into it and may read the next installment. One problem I had with the story was keeping track of all the different characters. About half way through the book I was hooked on how the crime would be solved. After all is said and done, it was a fun read.

0 comments like

Mar 28, 2010

Christi rated it:

When I spotted this book at the library, I thought "ha! Al Roker wrote a book, that's funny!."

Then I saw that some of my favorite authors - Janet Evanovich, Harlan Coben and James Patterson - wrote blurbs for the cover. I decided to give ol' Al a chance.

I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. It's funny, well-written and had a good bit of twists to keep it lively. I hope this becomes a series.

1 comment like

Nov 10, 2010

Gerry rated it:

So Al Roker wrote a book? Hmmm Actually he wrote it with someone else, Dick Lochte. And together they wrote a pretty good book. I enjoyed the story and the characters.
I couldn't help but picture Al Roker as the main character - Billy Blessing. He's smart, funny and solved a good mystery. I'll look forward to the next one.

0 comments like

May 09, 2010

Kathryn rated it:

I thought this book, coauthored by Al Roker of the NBC morning show would have more details on the inside workings of a morning TV show. It was light and airy, with very little insight of the workings of a morning TV show. I read this right after having surgery, so my brain didn't have to think much to get through it.

0 comments like

Dec 09, 2009

Theresa rated it:

The novel was a behind the scenes story of a show called "Wake Up America". A T.V. exec was murdered and what seemed like a simple case became very complicated. The author did a fine job with character detail, and the murder mystery aspect but in a few places the scenes were dry and drawn out, which made the story a little long winded.

More...

0 comments like

May 27, 2010

Mascanlon rated it:

A fun romp through AM TV. Billy Blessing is a bit TV chef, AM weather and all around friend to everyone. Billy is forced to sleuth around in order to save his own neck. Good plotting, lots of excitement and lots of good food snacks along the way. A delicious read on the plane or the beach.

0 comments like

Apr 04, 2010

Eden rated it:

I tried listening to this book on audio cd. I made it several chapters and finally gave up due to language. With all the books I can choose from, I choose to not listen to or read poor language. I can't say anything about the storyline because I didn't even get far enough for the murder(s).

0 comments like

Jan 02, 2010

Samantha rated it:

This is a good book. Very average. It's got a decent mystery, but it lacks depth. The characters are very superficial and I really didn't care if they lived or died in the end. I enjoyed the back scenes stuff at the television morning show but there wasn't enough about the restaurant. I guess it didn't really focus on the restaurant so it didn't matter. I felt that Al Roker could have developed the plot and the characters a little more. I found the ending and the villian to be unbelievable. It's More...

0 comments like

Apr 08, 2011

Joni rated it:

First of all, I thought this would be a great book for my road trip... Second, well here it goes...Okay Mr Roker, my only comment to you is stick with the weather. I was bored by page 37, which says a lot since we had been driving at least 70 miles with nothing around us. It also says a ton that it took me 70 miles to read 37 pages...rather look grassland than the book.

0 comments like

Dec 26, 2009

John rated it:

I like Al Roker,so I thought this was an interesting read since it delves into the business of early morning television as the protagonist -- an anchor -- attempts to solve a murder he's accused of committing. Fun stuff.

0 comments like

Dec 18, 2009

Naomi rated it:

This book was better than I expected it to be. The main character is very good and the plot has more twists and turns that you might think. I have not read Roker's other book but he has told a good story with this one.

0 comments like