The Whole Enchilada by Diane Mott Davidson

 (Goldy Bear Culinary Mystery #17)

384 pages / 12 hrs, 42 mins

"Goldy Schulz knows her food is to die for, but she never expects one of her best friends to actually keel over when she's leaving a birthday party Goldy has catered. At first, everyone assumes that all the fun and excitement of the party, not to mention the rich fare, did her in.

"But what looks like a coronary turns out to be a generous serving of cold-blooded murder. And the clever culprit is just getting cooking.

"When a colleague—a woman who resembles Goldy—is stabbed, and Goldy is attacked outside her house, it becomes clear that the popular caterer is the main course on a killer menu. With time running out, Goldy must roll up her sleeves, sharpen her knives, and make a meal out of a devious murderer, before that killer can serve her up cold." --from the publisher

This is the last in the series, so I savored every sentence. The characters are so real to me that I will miss them. Sigh. I give it five out of five stars, which is partly influenced by my love for the series. If you decide to dive into them, reading in order is best.

Fatally Flaky by Diane Mott Davidson

 (Goldy Bear Culinary Mystery #15)

336 pages / 10 hrs, 23 mins

"Colorado caterer Goldy Schulz doesn't have a moment to spare as she frantically tries to pull everything together for two upcoming wedding receptions, including last-minute venue and menu changes from a spoiled bridezilla, in bestseller Davidson's entertaining 15th culinary suspense novel (after Sweet Revenge). When Harold Doc Finn, Aspen Meadow's beloved retired doctor, dies under mysterious circumstances on his way to the first wedding ceremony, Goldy wonders if it was an accident or murder. When her godfather and Doc Finn's good friend, Jack Carmichael, is also attacked, it's obvious that Goldy will have to venture out of the kitchen and put her detecting skills to use once again. Stir in a slimy spa owner, rumors of a malpractice suit and the usual cast of supporting characters—including Goldy's patient cop husband, Tom, and her capable culinary assistant, Julian Teller—and you've got another winning entry in Davidson's mouthwatering series." --from the publisher

Another solid installment in the series. I love these characters! I give it four out of five stars.

Nothing to Lose by Lee Child

 (Jack Reacher #12)

407 pages / 13 hrs, 55 mins

"It wasn’t the welcome Reacher expected. He was just passing through, minding his own business. But within minutes of his arrival a deputy is in the hospital and Reacher is back in Hope, setting up a base of operations against Despair, where a huge, seething walled-off industrial site does something nobody is supposed to see . . . where a small plane takes off every night and returns seven hours later . . . where a garrison of well-trained and well-armed military cops—the kind of soldiers Reacher once commanded—waits and watches . . . where above all two young men have disappeared and two frightened young women wait and hope for their return.

"Joining forces with a beautiful cop who runs Hope with a cool hand, Reacher goes up against Despair—against the deputies who try to break him and the rich man who tries to scare him—and starts to crack open the secrets, starts to expose the terrifying connection to a distant war that’s killing Americans by the thousand.

"Now, between a town and the man who owns it, between Reacher and his conscience, something has to give. And Reacher never gives an inch."  --from the publisher

A good story, but too preachy for me. I give it three out of five stars.

Sweet Revenge by Diane Mott Davidson

 (A Goldy Bear Culinary Mystery #14)

359 pages / 11 hrs, 29 mins

"Catering a holiday breakfast for the local library staff, Goldy Schultz is shocked to see a supposedly dead woman who is believed to be Goldy's ex-husband's killer, an encounter that precedes the murder of a high-end map dealer." --from the publisher

Another entertaining title in this terrific series. I give it three and a half stars out of five.

Dark Tort by Diane Mott Davidson

 (Goldy Bear Culinary Mystery #13)

320 pages / 10 hrs, 4 mins

"Caterer Goldy Schulz's lucrative new gig, preparing breakfasts and conference room snacks for a local law firm, is time-consuming, but she's enjoying it . . . until the night she arrives to find Dusty, the firm's paralegal, dead. The deceased also happened to be Goldy's friend and neighbor, and now Dusty's grieving mother is begging Goldy to find out who murdered her daughter.

"Just because the police are on the case doesn't mean Goldy can't do a little snooping herself. While catering a party at the home of one of the firm's lawyers, she just happens to overhear an incriminating conversation. She also discovers a few tasty clues in the kitchen. Before long, Goldy finds herself knee-deep in suspects. But one of them is incredibly dangerous . . . and very liable to cook Goldy's goose."  --from the publisher

I enjoyed this installment of the series. The author (and the reader of the audiobooks) are excellent at bringing these characters to life. I give it three and a half stars out of five.

Double Shot by Diane Mott Davidson

(A Goldy Bear Culinary Mystery #12)
 310 pages / 10 hrs, 10 mins

"The governor of Colorado has commuted the prison sentence of Goldy Schulz's ultra-handsome, ultra-charming, ultra-wealthy, ultra-venal ex-husband, Dr. John Richard Korman, otherwise known to Goldy as the Jerk. He's released, and soon afterward Goldy becomes the victim of threats, rumors, and violence.

"Then there's a murder and suspicion centers on Goldy. Suddenly, she is faced with the challenge of running her successful catering business while fending off two persistent detectives.

"Caught in a web of secrets and lies that could tear her family apart, Goldy must use all of her considerable powers of detection to find the real killer before she herself becomes a target."  --from the publisher

I really liked this one! Four out of five stars from me.

Chopping Spree by Diane Mott Davidson

(A Goldy Bear Culinary Mystery #11)
 304 pages / 11 hrs, 40 mins

"For Colorado caterer Goldy Schulz, business isn't just booming--it's skyrocketing. But as her friend Marla is constantly warning her, "Success can kill you." Goldy knows she needs to slow down before she breaks down, and she vows she'll do it--right after her next booking: a cocktail party for the Westside Mall's Elite Shoppers Club.

"It's the event of the shopping season: the Princess Without a Pricetag party for the wealthy shopaholics who drop at least a thousand dollars a week at the mall. Goldy has been hired by charming mall manager Barry Dean to cater the jewel-encrusted affair. But she has hardly begun setting up when she finds herself in the path of a truck that has no intention of stopping until both she and Barry are crushed beneath it. Muddied, bruised, embarrassed, but determined to do her job, Goldy manages to get the party started on time with the help of her trusted assistants Julian Teller and Liz Fury.

"But with the outbreak of an ugly marital spat among the guests, the behavior of Barry's flighty young girlfriend, and Barry's own strange actions after the truck incident, the event is--by Goldy's standards--a catastrophe. And it's about to get worse. When she goes to pick up her check, she finds an old friend lying dead in a pile of sale shoes--stabbed with one of Goldy'snew knives. Hours later, Julian is the prime suspect in the murder.To prove Julian's innocence, Goldy must catch the real killer. But to do that, she will have to figure out why the victim was carrying a powerful narcotic. And why was a private investigator called in shortly before the murder? Was the killer connected to a mall renovation project--or the eviction of a disgruntled tenant? Or was the villain the odd lover out in a violent love triangle?"   --from the publisher

Good book! I really enjoyed this installment in the series. I give it four out of five stars.

Prime Cut by Diane Mott Davidson

 (A Goldy Bear Culinary Mystery #8)

305 pages / 10 hrs, 48 mins

"Caterer Goldy Schulz is convinced things couldn't get worse. An unscrupulous rival is driving her out of business. An incompetent contractor has left her precious kitchen in shambles. And she has just agreed to cater a fashion shoot at a nineteenth-century mountain cabin with her mentor and old friend, French chef Andre Hibbard.

"Together Goldy and Andre struggle in a hopelessly outdated kitchen to cater to a vacuous crowd of beautiful people whose personal dramas climax when a camera is pitched through a window . . . into the buffet. Then Goldy's contractor is found hanging in the house of one of her best friends. A second murder follows and Goldy must somehow solve a mystery and prepare for a society soire that could make--or break--her career." --from the publisher

Another good installment in the series, but not Davidson's best, imho. I thought there were too many new characters and not enough time to develop them. Still, this is one of my favorite series in the cozy mystery genre. I give it three out of five stars.

The Grilling Season by Diane Mott Davidson

 

The Grilling Season by Diane Mott Davidson

(A Goldy Bear Culinary Mystery #7)

401 pages

"Caterer Goldy Schulz has been hired to host a hockey party. But the proceedings won't be all fun and games. Unfortunately, her client won't be satisfied until Goldy adds a hefty serving of revenge.

"Patricia McCracken is certain that her obstetrician and her penny-pinching HMO are responsible for the loss of her baby. Now she is suing both, and she wants Goldy's advice on coming out on top. For Dr. John Richard Korman, aka the Jerk, is none other than Goldy's abusive ex-husband. Goldy knows all about John Richard's secret life--but even she is shocked when he's arrested for the murder of his latest girlfriend.

"As much as Goldy would like to see her ex get his just desserts, could he really be a killer? Soon she will find herself sifting through a spicy mix of sizzling gossip for clues to a mystery that threatens her catering deadline, her relationship with her son and new husband... and even her life."  --from the publisher

I love these characters; this is my "comfort reading." I think this one may be my least favorite, though. It didn't seem to flow for me, and some of the action seemed out of character. I give it three out of five stars.