Chopping Spree (Culinary Mystery Series #11) » (~)

Diane Mott Davidson lives in Evergreen, Colorado, with her family and is at work on her twelfth novel.

Her inventive recipe for mixing first-class suspense and five-star fare has made Diane Mott Davidson a favorite of mystery lovers and a mainstay on major bestseller lists across the country. Now she has prepared another irresistibly tempting tale spiced with mystery and mayhem…

For Colorado caterer Goldy Schulz, business isn’t just booming—it’s skyrocketing. Her friend Marla is constantly warning her, “Success can kill you.” But Goldy doesn’t take the warning literally until her next booking: a cocktail party for the Westside Mall’s Elite Shoppers Club.

While setting up, Goldy is nearly run down by a truck with no intention of stopping. Then she finds an old friend in a pile of sale shoes—stabbed with one of Goldy’s new knives. Goldy must catch the real killer between whipping up Sweethearts’ Swedish Meatballs, Quiche Me Quick, and Diamond Lovers’ Hot Crab Dip. Why was the victim carrying a powerful narcotic? Who hired a private investigator shortly before the murder? Goldy’s gourmet instincts tell her the final course in this case will be a real killer.

Library Journal

Colorado caterer Goldy Schulz is back in another murder-with-recipes (which are read aloud at the end of the story). Her college chum Barry Dean, now the manager of an upscale shopping mall, hires her to cater an exclusive shoppers-night-out promotion, but he turns up dead in the women's shoe department. Goldy's co-workers then become involved: assistant Julian is arrested, and Liz's son's petty thievery provides a red herring. Meanwhile, Goldy's catering business has become so popular it's hard for her to keep up. Narrator Joyce Bean uses a New York accent for Goldy and a sort of Southern accent for husband Tom but applies them inconsistently, which is mildly annoying. This program should appeal to Davidson's fans.-Nann Blaine Hilyard, Zion-Benton P.L., IL Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.