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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: A Feast for Mystery Lovers!
Review: Every once in a while, I love to just sit back with a short, fun mystery like this novel. Goldy, a single mom and caterer, finds herself in the middle of a sinister murder plot by catering a wake for one of her son's former teachers. Goldy knows all of the usual suspects, and the handsome sheriff can't help but ask Goldy for her help. This book is a lot of fun, and the recipes sound wonderful! Can't wait to continue reading the series...
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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.
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Summary: Mysteries & Munchies
Review: Fun, entertaining book! Holds you attention & recipes are great, too
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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: Better than I expected
Review: Good beach read, no gratitous sex, violence, or bad language. In the style of Agatha Christie. Made me very hungry at times.
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Summary: A New Addiction!
Review: I am so glad I discovered this series. Anyone who enjoys Sue Grafton, Janet Evanovich, and other authors with 'real' people will love Davidson's books. My only beef is with a blurb on the cover, comparing her to Mary Higgins Clark. I found the characters in this book far more human, appealing, and humorous. I'm furiously ordering every one of the books in this series. She's just my style.
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Summary: Out of Print!!!???
Review: I can't believe this book is out of print in paperback and out of stock in hardcover. What a shame! "Catering to Nobody" is the first lovable book in the culinary mystery series. Among the twists and turns of an engrossing mystery you will find about 3 recipes (other books have more). In this book, Goldy's business is officially shut down due to poison-laced coffee that nearly kills her ex-father-in-law. Many believe she is guilty ... so Goldy must find the real culprit!
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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: 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!
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