Murder on the Gravy Train

This delightful followup to Murder on the Gravy Train has us again following the adventures of Chas Wheatley, newspaper restaurant critic and amateur sleuth. Again we get lots of delicious scoop about both print journalism and the restaurant business. What a wonderful way for restaurant critic-author Richman to dish up some of her hard-earned wisdom, such as issues of price gouging and payment shenanigans. There is some rather biting criticism here, of both the dining room and the newsroom, and also some fascinating philosophical forays into the implied relationship between the restaurant and the diner. "A restaurant, even though it is a business, takes on the responsibilities of a host." Quite fun. Lively facts about our nation's complement round out this fun mystery, which involves a promising chef who has disappeared; it seems he may be involved in foul play, but Chas is more disappointed that the disappearance is cramping her deadline and keeping her from some superb food! There is a charming potential romance, deliciously written, and an awkward boyfriend conveniently out of the state. The discussion of food, its preparation and its consumption, is wonderful. I've only recently found the culinary mystery genre, but fof the ones I've read I'd say Richman's are the best, and have already ordered the next in the series.

Phyllis Richman's Chas Wheatley comes into her own in MURDER ON THE GRAVY TRAIN. Her "own" is one of the best dramatizations of the ferociously functional female who's been developed every-which-way in every genre, from historic romances to futuristic female cops side-genres (Nora Robert's JD Robb series). This type (not tin) is female in the vulnerable, sensitive, insecure, even "needy" sense; but she always, always, always gets the job done, and often struts across a screen or pounds over paper pages in a honed Macho Act, oiled, skinny muscles gleaming out of cut-off sleeves of a skin-tight-tank-top. Wheatley wears this character balance of vulnerability/visceral-ability with a "va va voom" of perfection; add the bonus of Chas teetering on the edge of 50 with a voluptuous body (frumpy when mood's sour) which is ages beyond Twiggy in garnering appeal. In all 3 of Phyllis Richman's novels Chas personifies perfection of this female blend of strength toned with uncovered insecurity (if I wanted to be politically correct I'd religiously replace the word "insecurity" with "vulnerability" or "emotionally spirited"). Yet, possibly what makes Gravy Train the epitome in this development is that Chas is dealing with in-her-face detail with a separation from the love of her life, fellow journalist, the sexy-sensitive-macho Dave. Her emotional machinations are well done; I was successfully strung along throughout the plot, wondering how this situation will be resolved. Okay, spit it out, Linda: In being the "T" of this luscious female dichotomy, Chas is the best example of what most authors push to personify in the concept of human heroine. Yes Ma'am, in Gravy Train Chas shows up in delightfully frumpy fun as this # 1 Characterization of "I AM Woman; hear me CHEW." Love the way Chas deals with her insecurity, facing it, wallowing in it with a gleeful (and sometimes grumpy) grace. A reader could begin a nose-wrinkle, wondering if this lady's an incompetent basket case, then Chas steps forward into the part of her life she's been fretting over, and lives, moves, maneuvers, meanders with a sure-fire aim toward her goals, without cheating with the cover of an act. For me, this type of self-honesty, this flawless flaunting of foibles is an endearing capture. One of the best dramatizations of this personality gestalt in Gravy Train is Chas's unlikely but realistically, sensitively drawn, short and steamy relationship with a Lebanese Taxi driver with exquisite taste and background. Of course, this intriguing interjection was made possible by Chas and Dave's "maybe we should cool off a bit and see what happens." The book is worth purchasing, reading, and retaining in a place of honor for this Taxi romance, side-trip alone. The character exchange is so well drawn I swear it must have happened in every nuance ... somewhere. First, character development makes this book a must-have, winning-piece-of-literature. Then, the wealth of sensual information a

This is the 2nd in the series chronicling the day to day life of the restaurant critic Chas Wheatley. If you've ever been involved in the restaurant business or even if you've eaten at a restaurant this light mystery will keep you reading. The characters are colorful and the plot keeps you smiling and more then often trying to determine what culinary creations one should cook up for dinner!

I found the novel to be delicious. The only real comment I have is Sherele's odd quotes...That quote from the Importance of Being Earnest had nothing to do with what they were talking about.

In her second mystery novel, Washington Post food critic Phyllis Richman's story and characters shine and soar. It starts out with a bang and just never lets up. It's a treat to be allowed to peek into the world of a newspaper restaurant critic (a job "to die for" in more ways than one) and go behind the scenes to discover the seemier side of fine dining. Readers who liked "The Butter Did It," will be thrilled with "Murder on the Gravy Train." Those who missed "Butter" should just hop right on the "Gravy Train" for a terrific ride.