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89th out of 201 books
—
106 voters
Chopping Spree (A Goldy Bear Culinary Mystery #11)
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: t...more
It's the event of the shopping season: t...more
Hardcover, 304 pages
Published
June 25th 2002
by Bantam
(first published 2002)
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I haven't read one of Diane Mott Davidson's Goldy the caterer books for a really long time. This is the eleventh in the series, formally called the Goldy Bear Culinary Mysteries. I'm glad I decided to return to the series. As usual, several recipes for dishes or desserts are included-that she uses to cater for clients in the course of the plot. I always find at least one recipe I want to try. Many of the characters I remember are still in play, and Goldy, as usual, needs to solve a murder that s...more
#11 in the Goldy Bear caterer in a Colorado small town mystery series. Goldy again finds herself mixed up with murder while doing catering jobs. This time her assistant Julian is a prime suspect and she works to find out the why and who did the actual murder. As is usual in the series, there are a series of sub plots which contribute towards resolving the mystery. The basic plot line deals with shopping malls, and shopping addicted people along with a puzzle that has to be solved to solve the m...more
Goldie (in this book you find out her real name is Gertrude...I would go by Goldie too)is busy helping an old friend with catering at the mall he manages in west Denver. To begin the book, Goldie and her manager friend, Barry, are almost run over by a run away truck in a construction zone. Later that evening, Barry is murdered with one of Goldie's knives. Goldie's assistant, Julian, tries to help and ends up accused of the murder. While he is in jail, Goldie has hired a new assistant, Liz, and s...more
Jul 25, 2010
Debby
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
davidson-diane-mott,
mystery
Just shy of son Arch's 15th birthday, Goldy's business is booming thanks to her old friend Barry Dean, the mall manager. When a catered mall event starts with a parking lot near miss, included two fights, and ends with Goldy discovering Barry's stabbed body, it's not a good day. When Julien is accused of the murder, it's worse. Goldy has to free Julien before Arch's birthday, so mayhem ensues as Goldy tracks down the clues.
The murderer was surprisingly a surprise, Arch was a whiny brat until the...more
The murderer was surprisingly a surprise, Arch was a whiny brat until the...more
Book 11 in the Goldy Culinary Mysteries.
An old college friend, Barry Dean, hires Goldy to cater the opening event at a high-end mall. Things are going well enough until Goldy stumbles over Barry, bleeding to death after being stabbed by one of her brand new knives. Julian is arrested for the murder and, of course, Goldy sets out to prove his innocence.
As in the last installment, Goldy's teenage son, Arch, is over-the-top obnoxious, to the point where he is repeating the abusive pattern set by "t...more
An old college friend, Barry Dean, hires Goldy to cater the opening event at a high-end mall. Things are going well enough until Goldy stumbles over Barry, bleeding to death after being stabbed by one of her brand new knives. Julian is arrested for the murder and, of course, Goldy sets out to prove his innocence.
As in the last installment, Goldy's teenage son, Arch, is over-the-top obnoxious, to the point where he is repeating the abusive pattern set by "t...more
I liked this better than the last couple Davidsons I’ve read. Here, she is catering a dinner for prospective clients for a shopping mall that is being renovated. Barry, the marketing manager of the mall, is an old college acquaintance of Goldy’s and she agrees to cater the dinner partly for old times’ sake. But before the night is over, Barry lies murdered, and Goldy’s young catering assistant and former boarder, Julian, is accused of the murder. For a while, even Goldy is a suspect. All ends w...more
Another trip down the bizarre catering business of Goldy Schulz. In this one, her friend is the business manager of a shopping center and asks her to cater an event. He ends up dead and it looks like she has done it. Through some bizarre circumstances, which make excellent reading, she is able to discover who did it. Along the way there is a sub-plot going on about her troublesome teenage son, 15 years old so of course he can be a pill, and some more relevations about her friend, Marla. Her ex i...more
I had trouble getting into this one. I think it was because the focus on food and cooking was too much. It eclipsed the mystery and everything else. And don't get me started on Arch! WTH is Goldy thinking allowing a 15 year old to dictate to her and with that attitude? (My mother would have beat the stuffings out of me for half of what he did.) Especially after surviving an abusive husband (Arch's father). Not only did she allow his disrespect, she rewarded him too! I just didn't get it. Yeah I...more
Sep 10, 2008
Laura
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone who enjoys contemporary mysteries with a sense of humor
This was a fun read! It was like visiting an old friend. I was introduced to this author and this series a few years ago. Read 2 or 3 of her first books. These books are like, for want of a better term, literary "junk food". Fun to consume with no serious after affects. Goldy Schulz is a caterer/amateur sleuth. She lives in an up-scale Colorado area; is married to a sheriff's officer (which comes in handy)and is raising a teenage son. She only get's involved in cases that concern either someone...more
I have read all the books in this series and I'm going to write a general review:
The books are more a feel-good pleasure than anything else.
I once read that children's books contain graphic and descriptive eating and adult books contain graphic and descriptive sex. Well I guess I'm not that adult because I end up rolling my eyes at most descriptions of sex but I love the descriptions of food and cooking in this book - very sinfully decadent. The books contain bread rising to perfection and fill...more
The books are more a feel-good pleasure than anything else.
I once read that children's books contain graphic and descriptive eating and adult books contain graphic and descriptive sex. Well I guess I'm not that adult because I end up rolling my eyes at most descriptions of sex but I love the descriptions of food and cooking in this book - very sinfully decadent. The books contain bread rising to perfection and fill...more
This volume of the caterer/crime fighter series was not quite up to par with the others. There were numerous misspellings and errors in this book -- including one quite early on which gives away the murderer. I kept rereading the sentence thinking, "What the heck... Is this supposed to be here?"
Don't these books have editors? The more I read of contemporary fiction, the more I think a majority of it is just mass produced. I guess I will have to go back to the classics for a while.
Don't these books have editors? The more I read of contemporary fiction, the more I think a majority of it is just mass produced. I guess I will have to go back to the classics for a while.
Goldy Schulz runs a small catering business in the fictional town of Aspen Meadow, Colorado, situated close to Denver. Although it was at one time a sleepy small town, Aspen Meadow's mountainous location and proximity to Denver has brought on an onslaught of the newly rich, complete with all the requisite accoutrements. One such luxury is the new Westside Shopping Mall which promises to outfit and cosset the residents within an inch of their fur lined lives. The mall is so successful that it is...more
It took me a while to get into Chopping Spree and even then it was hard to hold my attention. It wasn't that it was a bad story I just couldn't focus or something. I can't put my finger on what nagged me so about this book because I enjoyed Goldy and I love a book with recipes included so I'm chalking it up to bad timing on my part and am thinking maybe if I go back and try to read them in order I can appreciate this particular story better.
LIke the other Diane Mott Davidson, this is the story of how a caterer — Goldie Schulz — always happens to be working at the scene of what becomes a murder investigation. Its light, funny and good recipes in the mix. Is it one of those exciting, can't wait to find out who is the murder? No. But every once in a while — like after a really heavy book — its just the right thing. Sort of the palate cleanser or light dessert during a meal.
This was an enjoyable read, was surprised at the end about who the bad guy was, even though the whole book had the theme as a clue right in front of you (sibling rivalry). It always amazes me how Goldy gets away with so much, how indulgent her husband is and this time after reading how obnoxious her son is, I'm so glad I don't have kids.
The best part as always is reading about the food, even though I haven't tried any of the recipes, they look amazing.
The best part as always is reading about the food, even though I haven't tried any of the recipes, they look amazing.
I do like the premise and enjoy reading the recipes but Goldy Schultz is a wimp. She cries at the drop of a hat and drinks more espresso than can possibly be healthy. I've read a few others in this series and recall having similar thoughts at the time.
Still, these is always a place for light fluff to fill a minute here and there without trying to keep up with a complicated plot line.
So happy reading!
Still, these is always a place for light fluff to fill a minute here and there without trying to keep up with a complicated plot line.
So happy reading!
It was pretty good, but I don't like the way she has made the son, who used to be a nice kid, into a snotty brat teenager. I know, a lot of kids do get that way, and grow out of it, but I wanted to smack him. And her for letting him behave the way he does in this book! It took some of the pleasure out of it for me, and I have liked the books I have read in this series.
It was a mystery with cooking. The characters were unpleasant and the plot was very cobbled. In one chapter a character had a daughter in a private school, a few chapters later it is said that he and his wife don't have children. I hate that laziness. It shows contempt for the reader. The solution to the murder was also pretty lazy. The butler did it, not really but sort of.
The event of the shopping season: the Princess Without a Pricetag party for wealthy shopaholics who drop at lease a 1K per week at the mall. Goldy is hired by charming mall manager Barry Dean to cater. She is setting up the cater and truck runs her and Barry over. Hours later Barry is stabbed to death in a pile of shoes with Goldy's catering knife.
This has been my favorite culinary mystery to date. I'm just a tough critic, so I rate this at 3.5, but it's a fun read. All that excessive coffee drinking though--ugh.
I was actually motivated to try one of the recipes--I made the quick quiche, though I substituted sauteed mushrooms and chopped broccoli for the bacon. It was very good!
I was actually motivated to try one of the recipes--I made the quick quiche, though I substituted sauteed mushrooms and chopped broccoli for the bacon. It was very good!
I really enjoyed this book. It had some of my favorite things in it. Mysteries and cooking. Recipes at the end. Whoo-hoo! Of course, some of the things seemed a little contrived, but I'm not sure if that comes from listening aloud instead of reading the actual book. Still enjoyed it. Caught my husband listening to it last night. LOL!
These books all take place in Colorado, in a mountain-suburb of the Denver area. Since I live in Denver and work in a mountain suburb, I was really distracted by so much of the weather issues, it was hard to enjoy the plot. In April we do not get sub zero weather, and while we do get snow, certainly you would not have a formal event with 10 inches on the ground and NOT have the driveway plowed. On the other hand, perhaps having these inconsistancies with reality was a clever ploy to hide the wea...more
This series starring the accessible caterer Goldy, with recipes to go with each installment, and her abusive ex-husband "the Jerk", her son, his friend, their dog, and ultimately her new husband is a good series, each one enjoyable, no noticable deterioration over time, and the emphasis on food isn't perfect but it is very good
Meh. Arch is now jerky & Goldy is still a spaz. Tom remains the perfect husband but Julian drinks too much coffee & misjudges a predicament. Stereotypical rich b!tches who shop too much make up the supporting cast. Too much cream in the recipes to make anything usable in a real-life healthy diet.
Engaging mysteries, and fun recipes! The only thing I don't like about these books are her relationship with her son, and the fact that characters who are considered "good friends" seem to appear and disappear at random! Otherwise I recommend them, they definitely suck you in.
Read this in high school, don't remember much about it except that it was just okay. I think I plucked it off a shelf for a last minute "quiet reading" book because I forgot to bring anything else. Not my usual type of book though.
Another great hunt with Goldy! I enjoyed it such that when it expired on my Overdrive app, I promptly went to the library to finish the last 2.5 chapters. The library closed as I closed the book and placed it back on the shelf. I love how Davidson keeps me hanging on to the last word!
If I thought Goldy had been in trouble before, she really is in for it this time. She's suspected of murder... of a friend from her college days. And her business is booming, so she can barely make time to solve the crime!
I tried to guess who did it, but was drawn away to other suspects. This is the regular style for these books with cooking parties involved and the caterer figuring out who did it instead of the police.
This was a light fun mystery although I get a little tired of all the food descriptions. They all sound like they would add 100 pounds to your weight. They are kind of fun though.
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New York Times bestselling author Diane Mott Davidson wrote three novels before one was accepted for publication—when she was 41. She has since written 14 more mysteries, all featuring Goldy the caterer. In addition, she has written short stories and poetry for various publications. Davidson has won the Anthony Award from Bouchercon, and has been nominated for the Agatha, another Anthony, and the...more
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May 03, 2011 06:14pm