Murder on the Gravy Train

Chas Wheatley #2

by Phyllis C. Richman

The most feared woman in Washington, Phyllis Richman, Washington Post restaurant and food critic, serves up the delicious second course to her successful debut novel, The Butter Did It.

In Murder on the Gravy Train, Chas Wheatley, a food writer with a taste for sleuthing, takes on the scandalous world of Washington tongue waggers and the deep-throated secrets of the restaurant business.

Researching her new column, Chas discovers something is rotten with Washington's most popular new restaurant when the head chef goes missing, Chas becomes highly suspicious: Not only is the food suffering, but no one is willing to give her a straight answer as to his whereabouts.

Bodies begin to surface around the nation's capital, confounding the police. But with Chas's clever eye for detail, her love of good gossip, her talent for digging up the truth, and her connections in the newspaper and culinary worlds, she is compelled to delve deeper into the underbelly of the business--and onto a twisted trail of deceit, blackmail, and murder.

Once again, Phyllis Richman offers an insider's glimpse into the fascinating and glamorous world of America's finest restaurants, wrapping it in a delectable tale of mystery, murder, and danger.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Fiction, Adult Fiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1999

About the author

Recently retired after reigning as Washington, D.C.'s premier restaurant reviewer, Phyllis Chasanow Richman served as food critic of The Washington Post for more than 23 years. Always donning a disguise to ensure her anonymity, Richman was known for her unbiased, forthright, and accurate assessments of restaurants. In 1998, her first mystery novel, The "Butter Did It" was published by HarperCollins to rave reviews and an Agatha award nomination. "The Butter Did It" features amateur sleuth Chas Wheatley, who just happens to be the restaurant critic for the fictitious Washington Examiner. The series is known for its witty humor, deft plotting and insider's look at the world of gourmet dining.

Reviews

[Shiloah · Rating 4 out of 5]

My sisters started a bookclub. We pick up books that each other may never read for each other. One sister chooses for a month and then the rest of us "grow" in our reading. My sister thought this was a funny looking one that I would never choose on my own. She's right, but I'm glad she chose it. It's so 90's in flavor, but I could tell that this author KNEW her subject of food critic and reviewing. It was a fun mystery that we spent most of our time in the food world. The mystery was weak, but it's okay. Still a fun read.

[C.A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

An older series I came across recently and I must say it's held up well. It centers on a food critic in Washington DC who has a very bad blind date (the guy jumps up in the middle of the date, runs out to feed the meter, and never returns) but things on the work front look good. Set to be synicated nationally Chas starts with an expose on the way some restaurants cheat their patrons and digs into something deepter than intended. A unique take on DC politics and the way eating plays a role in the way the town works.

[Susan Furlong · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent read for foodies! The writer does a good job portraying the life of a newspaper food critic and her description of gourmet dishes made me hungry; however, the elements of mystery seemed secondary throughout most of the story. Overall, an enjoyable read--well written, light and funny. I would recommend it as a fun read, but not necessarily as a mystery.

[Lugene Lancaster · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you are into gourmet food and all the verbage that goes with it, this would be enjoyable. As for me, waaay too much details given to the food and drinks. Not enough given to the plot story.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this mystery which takes place in Washington D.C. , food critic Chas Wheatley stumbles upon a murder. The solving of the murder, however was not my favorite part of the book. The descriptions of Chas dining out and critiquing the food and restaurant service was actually of greater interest to me, especially the sections revealing the various strategies used to get the customer to spend more. Chas' almost romance with a much younger man was also an interesting touch.

[L.M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is actually one of the first cozy mysteries I ever bought, probably in 2000 or 2001. Here it is 2021, and I FINALLY read it! It shouldn't have set on my shelf so long, it's a really good book! Chas Wheatley is a restaurant critic in Washington DC who uncovers a number of mysterious occurrences that center around the restaurant business in the city. I enjoyed all the little bits about newspapers and restaurant reviewing. I also really liked the characters.

[ally duggan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it and it wasn’t too complicated to figure out. I could’ve done without the romance stuff. The worst line was at the end when Chas was like I hope my daughter doesn’t get with this guy cus it would be awkward for her to date my ex boyfriend (but did Chad even ever date that guy officially to be considered a boyfriend?)

[LF Haines]

I tried. Honestly, I tried. I have followed Phyllis Richman's food critiques in the Washington Post for years. I could only read so far before being overwhelmed with too much detail. This is odd, because I usually feel appreciative of descriptions. I had to put the book down because of my inability to persevere. If it gets better, please let me know.

[Christy Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

The descriptions of the food (there are a lot) are incredible and honestly I left this book hungry for more food focused books. It made sense once I read up and realized the author herself was a food critic! Overall a fun and easy read!

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and great insights into the life of a food critic. For those who lived in DC in the 1990s, a great walk down memory lane.

[Kristin Lockhart]

I just loved this book, so much inside scoop about restaurants, reviews, and misc info for an avid ‘snoop sister’. Cannot wait for the third and final on the series, but shall pace myself!

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author's photo of Phyllis Richman on the inside back cover of this book shows her hiding half her face behind a lovely silk scarf. As the former restaurant critic for the Washington Post, she spent 23 years in costume and disguise to prevent being recognized by the restaurants she reviewed. In addition to her restaurant reviews and articles in food magazines, Richman wrote a "series" of three novels about Chas Wheatley, the restaurant critic for the fictitious Washington Examiner. To this character, Richman was able to bring a lifetime of inside knowledge of the world of high-end dining. The first, "The Butter Did It: A Gastronomic Tale of Love and Murder" was published in 1997 and was nominated for an Agatha Award. In this 1999 sequel, "Murder on the Gravy Train," Ms. Wheatley is once again drawn into a series of murders which have a restaurant connection. Many cozy culinary murder mysteries have cutesy pun-laden names (The Cereal Murders, The Main Corpse, Dial M for Meat Loaf, Roux Morgue, Corpse Suzette, The Crepes of Wrath). There is normally an obvious nexus between the title and something in the book. One can detect no connection between the title "Murder on the Gravy Train" and any event or theme in this mystery. Many cozy culinary murder mysteries contain one or several recipes. This one includes a recipe for shredded coconut cake for which I cannot vouch because I did not attempt it. I do not like cake in general nor shredded coconut cake in particular. I will read "Who's Afraid of Virginia Ham?" (2001) just to complete the trilogy. Perhaps a second marriage distracted Richman from her sideline as a crime novelist and she found better things to do.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

#2 in the Chas Wheatley series. Second of three in this regrettably short fun series. This 1999 entry was followed by Who's Afraid of Virginia Ham? (2001).

Wash. DC restaurant critic Chas Wheatley series - Chas Wheatley, a food writer with a taste for sleuthing, takes on the scandalous world of Washington tongue waggers and the deep-throated secrets of the restaurant business. Researching her new column, Chas discovers something is rotten with Washington's most popular new restaurant when the head chef goes missing, Chas becomes highly suspicious: Not only is the food suffering, but no one is willing to give her a straight answer as to his whereabouts. Bodies begin to surface around the nations capital, confounding the police. But with Chas' clever eye for detail, her love of good gossip, her talent for digging up the truth, and her connections in the newspaper and culinary worlds, she is compelled to delve deeper into the underbelly of the business--and onto a twisted trail of deceit, blackmail, and murder.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

An absolutely great read for the beach. Why? It's a mystery.... Well sort of.

It's a great book if you want to learn about how the work of a restaurant critic works. Some of her lessons, like the smart design of a salad bar, which I had never though of.

However, some characters were under developed. Especially, George, Chas's ex husband's gay lover. We never find out much about him, other than his name. He doesn't even show up to Ari's birthday dinner.....

The book wasn't much of a mystery until about page 190.......

And where was the Gravy Train?!? I thought it might have been a restaurant name, but it was never mentioned........

[Margaret]

From the back of the book:
Researching her new column, Chas Wheatley, a food writer with a taste for sleuthing, discovers something is rotten with Washington's most popular new restaurant. The head chef has gone missing, and not only is the food suffering, but no one else can give her a straight answer as to his whereabouts.

This book made me hungry! - there is a coconut cake recipe at the end of the book. The storyline evolved a bit slowly for me and there wasn't enough mystery. I liked the main character's personality though and it was light, fun reading.

[Jeannie and Louis Rigod · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a series of behind the scenes small, yet large, crimes perpetuated by restaurants. I was confused as up to page 192, there really wasn't a murder that directly involved our sleuth, restaurant critic, Chas Wheatley. Then, came page 192...wow. Suddenly there was sense in all that I had read and I must admit, labored through.

The book also focused upon Chas' flopped romances, including her current one, Dave and investigative reporter at The Examiner.

The ending of the book, truly made the journey worthwhile.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Chas Wheatley, Richman’s alter ego, solves her second mystery. This is fun to read because it is local, and one learns a little of the inside of restaurant reviewing, but Richman should stick to restaurants. The plot revolves around strange goings-on at Coastline, a new seafood restaurant in DC, but there are some leaps of faith in accepting the plot that were too far for me to leap. However, now that Richman has retired from her job as the Washington Post’s restaurant critic, I imagine that we will see more of Chas Wheatley.

[Mary · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you want a book to read that is quick but does not necessarily make a lot of sense, then this is your book. The premise is a food critic for a major newspaper who, somehow, manages to solve murders and uncover spies. While the story is fanciful, the telling of it leaves a lot to be desired. Ms. Richman is quite detailed in describing the food but the rest of the plot is thin and doesn't really tie very well together.

[❂ Murder by Death · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this was my favorite of the three books in this series. The story was excellent and the character development interesting. The writer introduces new characters without losing the old ones. I loved the way the plot unfolded and the ultimate result. The murders' solution ends up revealing a much more interesting, IMHO, part of the plot.

[KM · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you like stories about food and how to prepare it - this book if for you.
If you like a good mystery story with believable characters, situations and a good plot - look elsewhere. The mystery in this story could have been told in a short story - but even that wouldn't have been very interesting.

[Ian Hamilton · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this - great title, great premise, logical author for something of this topic. The narrator is likable, witty, knowledgeable as a food critic, but our heroine could have just as easily been someone other than a detective. This storyline is asinine. Well, I tried.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love books that have a lot of information about food. I think I would like to be a food critic someday.

[Victoria]

i have put this book on hold for a while and i'm not reading it.... so it'll be on my 'currently reading' shelf for a while

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story about a restaurant critic at a big-city newspaper in Washington, D.C. It had suspense and a lot of food descriptions.

[Lisa Sumsion · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun read and I enjoyed it.

[Missy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good book. Kind of slow at times, but interesting.

[Chris Leuchtenburg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very, very light and not much of a mystery, but intelligently written. The second in a series; I was in the mood for someone light and diverting and got just about that.

[Sotteria Wetsch · Rating 4 out of 5]

First time I read this author. It felt a long time before getting to the mystery, but by the end of the book, I realized that it was needed setup for the story. Good read.

[Andreia]

First series I've ever read out of order. Still have to read book 1 in this series.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting look at restaurant scams. The relationships she has with men are strange.