Rating: 
Summary: a hardly progressing novel focusing on food and church
Review: i read DYING FOR CHOCOLATE and THE CEREAL MURDERS, both of which i found barely passable, but i wanted to continue in the series anyway. This book was a big disappointment. the mystery barely progresses at all, and suddenly you're hit in the face with the killer. there is way too much focus on the church. i'm not a religious person and i was seriously lost in this book, skimming and even skipping several chapters. i just wanted to know, whodunnit?? but even the solution was unsatisfying, complicated, and left me feeling cheated out of both money and time.
Rating: 
Summary: Tantalizing descriptive writng - read or cook?
Review: I read this book while on a vacation to Laconner, Washington. I love cooking and the descriptive writing would have driven me right to the kitchen if I had been at home. I love her books and know you will enjoy them if you want to combine your love of cooking and love of a good mystery. Take a break and enter the world of kitchen drama.
Rating: 
Summary: The recipes are the best part.
Review: I was very intrigued by the premise of this series but was disappointed by the writing. The charactor's dialog in this book borders on ridiculous which makes the story unbelievable. I only finished the book because I was curious to find out "who done it."
Rating: 
Summary: 4 stars for the book; 2 for the audio version
Review: Ms. Rosenblatt's reading is somehow just "not Goldy." Goldy's occasional irreverence (which is usually charming) is not the same as the snide tone taken by this reader. Happily, I read the book first and picked up the tapes at the library. The diction is clear and understandable, but sometimes words are mispronounced (i.e, pick-CAN-tee sauce). With so many different characters and the trillion "clues" strewn about, this story would be hard to keep track without having read the hard copy.
Rating:
Summary: This is one of her best!
Review: OK OK the recipes are better in some of the other books. And would Goldy really be have the ability to concentrate in a church committee review board while her fiance is missing? And unfortunately this is one of the shorter books....BUT!! This is truly a gem to read from beginning to end. Being Episcopal myself, I can relate to some of the items that Goldy talks about with her church. Her reaction to a miracle performed at the church, not to mention a certain thing happening to her at a Women's Prayer Group (I won't spoil it), show that Goldy truly is not a one-dimensional character. I guess what really got me in the end was the true love that Goldy showed for Tom by not thinking he just ran off on her. Thank you Dian Davidson! Keep on cooking
Rating:
Summary: Goldie Finally Gets Her Man!
Review: Once again Goldie is involved in another mystery. On her wedding day everything just falls apart! Tom her intended ends up missing. Does Goldie survive? The characters in this book are one of a kind. Does Goldie ever get a moments peace? Everyone wants something. Can the church have her flowers from her wedding? After all, she doesn't need them. What about all the lovely food that's been prepared? Goldie just keeps on going, determined to find Tom. Read it! It's a real page turner.
Rating:
Summary: Great church thriller
Review: This book delves wonderfully into the details of the operations of a parish and makes those details relevant to the plot. I felt the characters were real people, not jsut cookie-cutter good and bad guys. I very much enjoyed each new wrinkle that Ms. Davidson stirred into the story.
Rating:
Summary: I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Review: This is the first book I've read by Diane Mott Davidson, and it won't be my last. I enjoy gourmet cooking so it was fun to read the recipes and I could definitely relate to receiving the "casserole"-type dishes which seem to be so typical in church settings. I wasn't able to figure out the perpetrator until it was revealed, which I thought was a good sign. And I will not reveal it now for my fellow readers.
Rating: 
Summary: Not quite satisfying...
Review: This is the second Diane Mott Davidson that I have read, and although it is light and fluffy and entertaining, we're not talking great fiction or even great mystery here. Davidson is one of the many mystery writers nowadays who has come upon a theme, and her theme is food. The main character, Goldy Bear, is a caterer and while she's running around solving crimes, she's also cooking up a storm. Three things kept me from giving this book more stars. First, the plot is rather hokey and it's hard to believe that after Goldy's fiance' is kidnapped just minutes before her wedding, that in the three days following, she would take on last minute catering jobs. Also, Goldy never listens to the police and always tries to solve things on her own (makes you wonder why she hasn't been killed). Second, I'm a devout Episcopalian and while I usually enjoy books with Episcopal themes, the complicated jargon of the Episcopal Church even got tiring to me after awhile. Most non-Episcopalians would be hard pressed to give definitions of narthex or ambry. Finally, as someone who likes to cook and entertains quite a bit, I found that the dozen or so recipes that are included in this book didn't even appear appetizing (except for maybe the cinnamon buns). Anyway, I will admit that I was anxious to keep turning pages to see who the villain was in this book. But overall, I don't think it is one of Davidson's better efforts.
Rating:
Summary: Not quite satisfying...
Review: This is the second Diane Mott Davidson that I have read, and although it is light and fluffy and entertaining, we're not talking great fiction or even great mystery here. Davidson is one of the many mystery writers nowadays who has come upon a theme, and her theme is food. The main character, Goldy Bear, is a caterer and while she's running around solving crimes, she's also cooking up a storm. Three things kept me from giving this book more stars. First, the plot is rather hokey and it's hard to believe that after Goldy's fiance' is kidnapped just minutes before her wedding, that in the three days following, she would take on last minute catering jobs. Also, Goldy never listens to the police and always tries to solve things on her own (makes you wonder why she hasn't been killed). Second, I'm a devout Episcopalian and while I usually enjoy books with Episcopal themes, the complicated jargon of the Episcopal Church even got tiring to me after awhile. Most non-Episcopalians would be hard pressed to give definitions of narthex or ambry. Finally, as someone who likes to cook and entertains quite a bit, I found that the dozen or so recipes that are included in this book didn't even appear appetizing (except for maybe the cinnamon buns). Anyway, I will admit that I was anxious to keep turning pages to see who the villain was in this book. But overall, I don't think it is one of Davidson's better efforts.
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