Sticks & Scones

As usual, Goldy Schulz, caterer cum sleuth, manages to solve the murder while producing sumptuous feasts, this time in a castle, battling her ex-husband, protecting her teenage son, and agonizing over the return of her husband's old girlfriend. She manages to adroitly leap from one crisis to another, accomplishing more in a day than most people do in a month. The action never stops. I also liked the sub-plot theme of trust in relationships. Narrator Barbara Rosenblat brings the story alive with her amazing range of voices. It fascinates me that she can actually sound like a man as well as a child. I've also enjoyed Ms. Rosenblat's renditions of Nevada Barr's Anna Pigeon park ranger mysteries and, amazingly, in Elizabeth Peter's intriguing Egyptologist mysteries, Rosenblat tells the story in an English accent.

I just finished reading this book and it was wonderful. It was very hard to put down and it had a wonderful ending. Goldy gets herself in all kinds of trouble as usual. The recipes were wonderful. This book was one of her best.

If you aren't familiar with Diane Mott Davidson's wonderful culinary mystery series starring Goldy, the catering amateur sleuth, this is a great book to get you hooked! The novel boasts a wonderful locale (an English castle which has been transported and re-assembled in Aspen Meadow, CO), a clever mystery with lots of twists and turns, and numerous mouth-watering recipes created by Goldy and her assitant--budding vegetarian chef Julian Teller. I can't recommend this book highly enough to keep you entertained. You'll be torn between wanting to finish the book and running to your kitchen to re-create the terrific recipes. Davidson creates a wonderful story involving a colorful cast of characters. It's a terrific, fun read.

You can always count on these books being a good story with great recipes to boot. I've been reading her series since the beginning and had the pleasure of meeting her at a signing. She is as nice as you would hope and her books never let you down. I particularly enjoy series that have evolving characters and this one always has. There are more intertwined threads in this tale that in most and it keeps you wondering exactly what is happening throughout but the resolution is good and there is enough peril to keep you on the edge throughout. Another winner in a great series.

Though her beloved spouse Tom is on a police matter in New Jersey, Aspen Meadow, Colorado resident Goldy Schultz feels a bit encouraged now that she has her first major catering job in a month. The Hyde Castle event means future jobs for Goldilocks Catering recovering from the debacle of the Lauderdale incident. However, her upbeat feelings collapse when she learns her ex-husband has been released early from prison and someone shoots out her window. Not long afterward, Goldy finds the murdered corpse of Andy Balanchek in the creek near the Hyde Castle Chapel. When Tom who just returned home joins her there, an unknown assailant fires a shot and wounds him. Goldy has to balance her son's time with his biological father, nurse her current beloved husband, cater an Elizabethan feast at the castle, and uncover the identity of a killer. Any one of these ingredients could destroy her recipe. The latest Goldy mystery is like all the others: fun and entertaining due to a fabulous heroine and a strong support cast. The story line moves quickly never allowing a terrible tasting treat to grace its pages. Goldy is one of the top female amateur sleuths because her chef Diane Mott Davidson always bakes a winner.Harriet Klausner