Catering to Nobody: A Mystery

Rating:
Summary: foodies, cooks, mystery and fun
Review: Diane Mott Davidson brings us Goldy, of Goldilock's Catering, "where everything is just right," a loving mother, cook, small businesswoman, and amateur detective. Goldy runs a catering business in the mountains of Aspen Meadows, Colorado, is a single mom to son Arch, and has a knack for solving murders.
Unlike another female investigator based in central California,(who shall remain nameless here but is well known to mystery fans) the one who makes herself boiled-eggs-mayo-ketchup sandwiches at odd times for nourishment, Goldy really cooks.
Included in every book in the series are wonderful, inventive recipes. As a long time family chef, I find myself identifying much more with Goldy. No matter what else is going on, no matter how little sleep she manages to get, Goldy preps and cooks on a regular basis. Bless her!
Although the plotting is uneven and stretches the imagination just a little to be credible, this first book of Davidson's long series is an entertaining read. Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: foodies, cooks, mystery and fun
Review: Diane Mott Davidson brings us Goldy, of Goldilock's Catering, "where everything is just right," a loving mother, cook, small businesswoman, and amateur detective. Goldy runs a catering business in the mountains of Aspen Meadows, Colorado, is a single mom to son Arch, and has a knack for solving murders.
Unlike another female investigator based in central California,(who shall remain nameless here but is well known to mystery fans) the one who makes herself boiled-eggs-mayo-ketchup sandwiches at odd times for nourishment, Goldy really cooks.
Included in every book in the series are wonderful, inventive recipes. As a long time family chef, I find myself identifying much more with Goldy. No matter what else is going on, no matter how little sleep she manages to get, Goldy preps and cooks on a regular basis. Bless her!
Although the plotting is uneven and stretches the imagination just a little to be credible, this first book of Davidson's long series is an entertaining read. Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Catering To Who Dun It Fans
Review: FROM THE BACK/CASE: "Catering a wake is not Goldy's idea of fun. Yet the Colorado caterer throws herself into preparing a savory feast including Poached Salmon and Strawberry Shortcake Buffet designed to soothe forty mourners. And her culinary efforts seem to be exactly what the doctor ordered...until her ex-father-in-law gynecologist Fritz Korman is struck down and Goldy is accused of adding poison to the menu. Now, with the Department of Health impounding her leftovers, her ex-husband proclaiming her guilt, and her business about to be shut down, Goldy knows she can't wait for the police to serve up the answers. She'll soon uncover more than one family skeleton and a veritable stew of unpalatable secrets-the kind that could make Goldy the main course in an unsavory killer's next murder!"

When I first got this book I couldn't believe it. With a main character named Goldy Bear who owns and operates Goldylocks Catering where "Everything is just right", I was wondering what on earth I had gotten in to.

This book was a little slow at the start. At the beginning you learn that Goldy has been hired to cater the wake of a teacher who committed suicide. From this point until Goldy's ex-father-in-law drinks rat poison laced coffee seems to take forever to develop. Once you reach this part, the book seems to gradually pick up the pace, though it never reaches a breakneck speed. Never in the book does there seem to be any sense of urgency or a sense of "Oh my god, what's she going to do now?" or "How is she going to get out of this?"

Once this book begins to pick up the pace, it becomes a very enjoyable story. You will find yourself liking the characters of Goldy and her 11 year old son Arch. In addition, there is an almost light hearted air to this book which never distracts from the plot. In fact, it only enhances the character of Goldy. Ms. Davidson's inclusion of actual recipes in the story helps to accentuate the character of Goldy as a caterer and in a strange way make her seem more real.

For mystery buffs or those who like a good "Who Done It" this is a good book. Ms. Davidson did an excellent job at creating a plot that will keep the reader guessing all the time. Many times I thought this character or that character did it only to be wrong.

This audiobook was narrated by Barbara Rosenblat who is an experienced narrator with many titles to her name. She does an excellent job at bringing the characters to life. Though she isn't boring in her narration, I think Ms. Rosenblat could have done a better job in giving the characters a sense of fear or urgency when required.

All in all, this is a good book with an excellent plot. Unique in style and content it has wonderful well written characters. The narrator does a good job at bringing them to life but lacks that extra something that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

The first in the Goldy Bear Mystery series, Ms. Davidson was nominated for both the Anthony and Agatha Awards in 1991 for this book in the category of First Novel.

NOMINATED:
Agatha (1991)
Anthony (1991)

WON:
Anthony (1993)

I have never read anything by Diane Mott Davidson prior to this book. Though I only gave this book three stars, it was a good book that I enjoyed. With the unique characters and the way I was kept guessing throughout, I will definitely be trying other titles in the Goldy Bear Series.

Being an avid reader, I read all kinds of books. However, most of the mystery books I read are not really written in the same style as this one. To me, the only author I can really compare Ms. Davidson to is Lawrence Block and his Bernie Rhodenbarr mysteries.


Rating:
Summary: Yummy culinary mystery
Review: Goldy Bear, proud owner of Goldilocks' Catering, (Where Everything Is Just Right!), has a lot on her plate. She has to deal with an ex-husband who continues to be verbally and emotionally abusive, and she has to continually watch him engage in fling after fling, many of which end up in marriage. Her eleven year old son, Arch, is taking the death of his favorite teacher quite hard, and he's dealing with it by becoming obsessed with role-playing games. And her roommate, Patty Sue, who has been paying her rent by helping out with the catering business, has become even more dull and unhelpful in the past little while.

All these issues come to a head when someone attempts to poison Goldy's ex-father-in-law at one of her catering functions. Suddenly, Goldy's the prime suspect, and she finds herself unable to run her catering business. With the bills piling up, Goldy knows that she must take matters into her own hands if she expects to ever be able to cater in her town again.

Thus begins the amateur sleuthing adventures of Goldy Bear. As each one of her neighbors becomes a suspect, Goldy's investigations uncover the kind of dirty laundry that everyone tries to keep hidden in a small town. The first-person point of view works really well in this story, as the reader gets only as much information as Goldy herself has. Another fun aspect of this book is, of course, the culinary theme. As just about everything in the book is compared to food at some point, you better keep something to snack on nearby. The recipes included seem easy to follow, and I'm sure result in delicious culinary experiences of their own.

A fun, light mystery offering ??? I look forward to reading more about Goldy and her adventures in culinary sleuthing.

Rating:
Summary: Catering to the reader
Review: I got this book from my local library (sorry Amazon!) after reading Dying for Chocolate-the second book in this series. I'm a little out or sequence, but I still enjoyed this book. I actually liked Catering to Nobody better.

I really enjoy the feeling of realism, even with dealing with implausible situations. Goldy is an overworked and underappreciated single mom, with a nasty ex and a troubled son. Arch (the trouled son) is a wonderfully inventive character, and it was no surprize to me that he saves the day.

I'll be going on with this series...in order from now on!

Rating:
Summary: A scrumptious first course!
Review: I've always noticed these yummy-looking mysteries on the shelf at my local bookstore, and I finally decided to try one. I must say, I'm quite satisfied! I enjoyed meeting the characters - Goldy, Arch, Marla, Pomeroy, and others - I think Diane Mott Davidson did a fine job in creating them and "fleshing them out," so to speak. She makes you love the ones you're supposed to love, and hate the ones you're supposed to hate (for example, The Jerk).

The story itself was quite enjoyable. I prefer mysteries where you really don't know who did it up until the last minute, but with this book, it's pretty easy to figure it out sooner than that. Nevertheless, I am looking forward to continuing this tasty series of culinary mysteries. Oh, and I think the recipes look delicious! I will certainly be trying a few of those (especially the Holy Moly Guacamole! Yum!).

Rating:
Summary: Better than I expected
Review: The first book in the Goldy Bear catering mystery series, introduces us to Goldy Bear, owner of Goldilock's Catering Service (where everything is just right!). Goldy is a divorced mother of one son who, after leaving her abusive doctor husband, turns to cooking to make a living for herself and her son, Arch. While catering a wake, her ex father-in-law drops dead and she finds herself as the primary suspect. Could she have poisoned his coffee or is her ex setting her up for a murder rap? While trying to keep her business afloat and herself sane, Goldy sets out to prove herself innocent and find a killer before she is the next one killed.

I highly enjoyed this debut for Diane Mott Davidson. The character of Goldy is a bit whiny at times, but I like the fact that she is plucky and determined to make a better life for herself and Arch. When she gets stressed she cooks, and many of her recipes are included in the book. The food is yummy and the mystery interesting. I would recommend reading this book, but do not read it on an empty stomach! Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: A reader's snack
Review: This book is literary junk food, but just about everybody likes to snack on junk food sometimes. The story is fluffy as a quiche but a fun read, nonetheless. As an amateur cook and Colorado resident, I enjoyed Davidson's descriptions of small-mountain-town life and of the creation of delectable dishes. As a person who has dabbled in "nerdy" pursuits, I also enjoyed how Arch, the introverted, role-playing son, got to be a hero.

Rating:
Summary: Fun introduction to culinary whodunit.
Review: This was a a light, entertaining book and and fun murder mystery. The first book in the series, we are introduced to Goldy Bear (Whose real name is Gertrude Bear Korman). Goldy has started her own catering business, to support herself and her son, after divorcing her abusive ex husband. While catering a funeral, Goldy's ex father in law is poisoned, and Goldy's business is shut down. In order to clear her name and get her life back, Goldy decides to investigate the crime.
Chock full of interesting characters, a possible love interest and as an added bonus, some terrific sounding recipes. I can't wait to move on to the next book in the series.

Rating:
Summary: Weak Prose - Passable Plot
Review: When Goldy (single mother to an 11-year-old boy, and a woman running her own business) gets a job catering a wake at her son's (Arch) favorite teachers funeral, she is not what you would call happy. Yes, she'll make a good amount of money, but she'll also have to be in the same room as her ex-husband. But when her ex-husbands father drinks coffee with rat poison in it, and she becomes the main suspect, she realizes that it's now up to her to find the murderer. In the meantime, Goldy has a guest staying at her house, Patty Sue, whom is undergoing treatment at Goldy's ex-father-in-law's OBGYN office, and, suddenly Arch is acting a bit obsessed with a role playing game. How much more does she need to handle?

Overall this was a pretty good book. Although it was a bit cliched, and reminded me of an episode of "Diagnosis Murder." I knew who the murderer was almost the minute the first poisoning took place. Although, the clichedness is somewhat passable due to the likeness of the main character. Another hit for Diane Mott Davidson.