The Funeral Planner Goes to the White House

Yeah!!! A chick lit book from the now defunct Red Dress Ink series. I had read, a while back, The Funeral Planner and enjoyed it, but somehow managed to miss the second book in the series - until now. The Funeral Planner Goes to the White House is the sequel to the first book and re-introduces us to Maddie. She has been asked by the big guy himself, the President of the US, to be her "top funeral planner and advisor". Now, first off, this plotline sounds silly and really, it is, but this is CHICK LIT and I don't care - it made for a great storyline and although improbable, was fun, fun to read. I also loved the book's beginning - Oppssss! Forgot to say the Serenity Prayer. Anything with that sentence in it has definitely got my attention. This book is funny, a tad over the top and I loved it.

This is a great page-turner with lots of comedy, irony and satire into the inner workings of the White House and inner healings of a Workaholic. Embedded in the comedy is a great deal of depth and wisdom about collective healing and grief consciousness. It's also strangely odd how well timed this novel is in terms of the mood of our country--as if the author had channeled the future in terms of our economic conditions. This book was so good that I bought the first novel in the series (The Funeral Planner) to catch up on the adventures of Maddy Banks!

The Funeral Planner Goes To The White House This book is an entertaining read...its pace is fast & easy... & its storyline flows. Its comical adventures seem to lighten up the mood of the grieving President & nation. Romance is woven in the midst of business, as well as deep seeds of wisdom. I found myself giggling throughout & nodding my head acknowledging existential Truths about Love & Life. I believe the Author has an incredible way of foreseeing the future...because it's so on point in terms of what's currently going on in the Nation. If you want comedy w/ substance, then buy this book...because it's meant for you.

Much of the country regardless of political affiliation is in shock with the unexpected sudden death of the charismatic First Lady Haley Stone; not only was she widely loved and respected, this was a first for a FLOTUS. Even before Americans can move on, the Secretary of State Jonathan Darcy having worked diligently and successfully forged a Middle East accord died from a broken heart three months after his terminally ill fifty-two years old wife did. Funeral planner Madison Banks of Lights Out Enterprises had tastefully handled Mrs. Stone's memorial and that of the Darcy couple; earning the appreciation of the nation and the widower President Andrew Stone. He appoints Maddy on the hastily created House Bereavement Specialists Committee, a temporary group to help the nation obtain closure and move on in the grief cycle. Called "The Grief Czar", Maddy struggles with her assignment especially being there for Andrew as his "grief buddy". She sets up a special government sponsored event, My Grief Day while her boyfriend Victor Winston works on the legacy of his former boss, Darcy, on implementing the peace accord in the Middle East. There are too many "stand up comic" type jokes and chick lit asides that subtract from what otherwise is a superb satirical political thriller. The story line is fast-paced as Madison is drafted by POTUS to help the country work its way through the stages of grief. Fans will agree that Maddy has come a long way since her first foray into the Adam Smith world as THE FUNERAL PLANNER. Harriet Klausner