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Trudie Fine Mystery #1
A Fine Fix
With the tables set, the food prepared to perfection, and the Mariachi band sizzling, Trudie is mellow as a Margarita smoothie…until a dead body is discovered floating in the pool. Things couldn’t be better for Trudie Fine and her partner, Zachary Cohen. It’s the first big job for their catering company, A Fine Fix, and everyone who’s anyone in the Washington, D.C. area will be at the Schwartzes’ backyard Mexican fiesta. When Zach is arrested as the prime murder suspect, Trudie sets out to clear him and find the real murderer. Life gets spicier than a jalapeño pepper when she realizes she’s the focus of three men’s affections, including the unnerving detective handling the case. Soon, however, Trudie is reaching for her favorite knife, but not to chop vegetables. Enjoy this clean cozy mystery and the recipes included in the back.
493 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 25, 2013
36 people are currently reading
340 people want to read
About the author
Gale Deitch
7 books13 followersGale Deitch enjoys writing all types of fiction--novels, short stories, flash fiction and poetry. Her short fiction and poetry have appeared in various literary magazines and journals.
Although most culinary mysteries take place in small town USA locales, having been born and raised in the Washington, DC area, Gale's Trudie Fine Mystery Series, and much of her other writing, is based in her hometown, Washington, DC. The series currently includes "A Fine Fix," "Fine Dining," "Fine Arts," "A Fine Line," and "A Fine Grain of Sand." Like her protagonist, Trudie Fine, Gale loves to cook, read cookbooks, watch cooking shows on TV, and of course, eat. All of the books in the series include recipes of dishes that appear in the stories. Many of these recipes are provided by James Turner, the executive chef at Blue 44 Restaurant in Washington, DC.
Gale is retired and writing full time. Gale has two grown children and one grandchild and lives with her husband in Georgetown, Delaware.
Although most culinary mysteries take place in small town USA locales, having been born and raised in the Washington, DC area, Gale's Trudie Fine Mystery Series, and much of her other writing, is based in her hometown, Washington, DC. The series currently includes "A Fine Fix," "Fine Dining," "Fine Arts," "A Fine Line," and "A Fine Grain of Sand." Like her protagonist, Trudie Fine, Gale loves to cook, read cookbooks, watch cooking shows on TV, and of course, eat. All of the books in the series include recipes of dishes that appear in the stories. Many of these recipes are provided by James Turner, the executive chef at Blue 44 Restaurant in Washington, DC.
Gale is retired and writing full time. Gale has two grown children and one grandchild and lives with her husband in Georgetown, Delaware.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
April 13, 2017
In A Fine Fix by Gale Deitch, Trudy Fine and her best friend since childhood, Zac, run a catering business that is now just getting off the ground. They have finally hit the big time, catering a big party for the family of Trudy's college roommate, Allie. But before they get to serve the main course, someone finds the body of the host, Mr. Schwartz, in the swimming pool. Detective Daniel Goldman arrives to take charge, and it doesn't take long before he zeroes in on Zac, though Trudy can't figure out why anyone would suspect her gentle friend. This takes Trudy into the world of detection, as she tries to save Zac from being convicted of a crime she's certain he didn't commit.
Read the rest of this review, more reviews, and other wonderful, geeky articles on FangirlNation
Read the rest of this review, more reviews, and other wonderful, geeky articles on FangirlNation
May 13, 2020
A fine mix of humour, mystery and food. Trudy in the perfect sleuth with her own weight problems and how she handles her three suitors. Quirky and great fun.
June 10, 2016
A Fine Fix by Gale Geitch is the first book in the Trudie Fine mystery series. Trudie Fine and Zachary Cohen are co-owners of catering company A Fine Fix and are catering one of their first major parties when their client's husband is murdered, and Zachary is accused of the crime. I enjoyed reading this book very much. The characters were fun and likable and even though the murderer was easily spotted, the book was entertaining and captivating. Recipes are included and sound delicious.
July 28, 2017
**This review is for the audiobook on Audible**
A Fine Fix: A Trudie Fine Mystery by Gale Deitch, Narrated by Kristin James is my new cozy mystery series! I'm so happy I decided on this book!! I love cozy mysteries, but I couldn't find a new series to really grab my attention...until now! I 100% plan to purchase the next in the series immediately after writing this review. Yay!
The storyline moves along quickly with surprises and sparks of romance by Trudie's three suitors at every turn. I'll let you read the plot description yourself, so I don't accidentally give anything away! The storyline was easy to follow, entertaining to the max, and kept me engaged throughout. This is my first book by Author Gale Deitch, and as I said before, and I couldn't be happier to have found her! She really keeps you guessing and on your toes! I was really surprised to find out "whodunit," and it was the furthest from my continuously changing predictions of the killer. Way to go, Gale!
Narrator Kristin James was great! Her use of multiple voices and singing...yes, singing...had me cracking up! I feel that her narration added to my enjoyment of the book. There were a few times I noticed she didn't fully switch over over to the new character speaking, but it didn't take away from the overall performance enough to reduce a star. I felt she did a wonderful job, and I'm very happy to see she also narrates the next two audiobooks in A Trudie Fine Mystery Series available on Audible. Keep up the great work, Kristin!
I rate this audiobook 4.5-5 stars across the board. I absolutely LOVE the main character, Trudie. She is a real person who is easy to relate to, and I felt as if we had been friends for some time. I know, weird, right? I can't help it, though! She is super likable, funny, caring, and family-oriented. The recipes at the end of the book were also a great addition. They sound fabulous and easy to follow...exactly how they should be. I also like that there are only a few of them, rather than some cozies I have listened to where 1/3 of the book goes on and on forever with fancy recipes I'll probably never be able to make....can you tell I'm not a gourmet chef? Hehe! I definitely recommend this audiobook to lovers of the cozy mystery genre as well as those who enjoy a good fiesta! ¡Olé!
Thank you for reading my review. I hope it was helpful. :-)
A Fine Fix: A Trudie Fine Mystery by Gale Deitch, Narrated by Kristin James is my new cozy mystery series! I'm so happy I decided on this book!! I love cozy mysteries, but I couldn't find a new series to really grab my attention...until now! I 100% plan to purchase the next in the series immediately after writing this review. Yay!
The storyline moves along quickly with surprises and sparks of romance by Trudie's three suitors at every turn. I'll let you read the plot description yourself, so I don't accidentally give anything away! The storyline was easy to follow, entertaining to the max, and kept me engaged throughout. This is my first book by Author Gale Deitch, and as I said before, and I couldn't be happier to have found her! She really keeps you guessing and on your toes! I was really surprised to find out "whodunit," and it was the furthest from my continuously changing predictions of the killer. Way to go, Gale!
Narrator Kristin James was great! Her use of multiple voices and singing...yes, singing...had me cracking up! I feel that her narration added to my enjoyment of the book. There were a few times I noticed she didn't fully switch over over to the new character speaking, but it didn't take away from the overall performance enough to reduce a star. I felt she did a wonderful job, and I'm very happy to see she also narrates the next two audiobooks in A Trudie Fine Mystery Series available on Audible. Keep up the great work, Kristin!
I rate this audiobook 4.5-5 stars across the board. I absolutely LOVE the main character, Trudie. She is a real person who is easy to relate to, and I felt as if we had been friends for some time. I know, weird, right? I can't help it, though! She is super likable, funny, caring, and family-oriented. The recipes at the end of the book were also a great addition. They sound fabulous and easy to follow...exactly how they should be. I also like that there are only a few of them, rather than some cozies I have listened to where 1/3 of the book goes on and on forever with fancy recipes I'll probably never be able to make....can you tell I'm not a gourmet chef? Hehe! I definitely recommend this audiobook to lovers of the cozy mystery genre as well as those who enjoy a good fiesta! ¡Olé!
Thank you for reading my review. I hope it was helpful. :-)
June 2, 2018
A good enjoyable mystery, which makes a change to have a heroine who isn't slim and pretty. I felt that I could identify with curvy Trudie Fine who just loves her food and loves to cook it!
There are some red herrings in this mystery and some twists that I didn't see coming.
I liked Trudie and her partner, Zach, they worked well together and were a good combination.
There was lots of humour and funny moments.
Trudie moaned that she'd had her share of unrequited love and had never had a boyfriend but I did find it hard to believe that not one, not two, but three very handsome very eligible young men were interested in her and were falling over themselves for her in this story. This just made the story too unreal for me.
An intriguing mystery overall, and I would be interested to see how this series develops in the future.....preferably without all the love interests!
From Carole's Book Corner
There are some red herrings in this mystery and some twists that I didn't see coming.
I liked Trudie and her partner, Zach, they worked well together and were a good combination.
There was lots of humour and funny moments.
Trudie moaned that she'd had her share of unrequited love and had never had a boyfriend but I did find it hard to believe that not one, not two, but three very handsome very eligible young men were interested in her and were falling over themselves for her in this story. This just made the story too unreal for me.
An intriguing mystery overall, and I would be interested to see how this series develops in the future.....preferably without all the love interests!
From Carole's Book Corner
May 18, 2020
Gale Deitch's book, A Fine Fix, is an entertaining cozy mystery! It introduces twenty-nine year old caterer, Trudie Fine. Trudie has always been short and full-figured but with a pretty face! Her best friend and business partner is Zachary Cohen. They are excited to be catering their first full priced gig, the Schwartz's Mexican fiesta. 75 prominent wealthy people in the D.C. area have been invited. Everyone is enjoying themselves until Mr. Schwartz's body is found in the pool! On the case is Detective Daniel Goldman. There is no shortage of possible suspects and dangerous situations! Trudie does her share of sleuthing when Zachary becomes the major suspect. This seems to be the start of a fun series! I really liked that the main character doesn't look like a "Barbie doll"!
December 20, 2016
Trudie is so excited! Her catering business finally has it's very first big catering gig. She and Zach are catering a party with no specials or coupons and can actually expect to make a profit and hopefully book more jobs off of this one. Then one of the hosts, Mr. Schwartze, falls into the pool, dead. Then the attractive, and single, Detective Goldman arrests Zach for the murder. Can Trudie prove Zach's innocence? Will Trudie become the killer's next victim? I look forward to reading more of Trudie and Zach's adventures.
I received this book for free from AudioBlast in exchange for my honest review.
I received this book for free from AudioBlast in exchange for my honest review.
September 5, 2023
Trudie Fine and her partner, Zachary Cohen, are thrilled to have gotten an important catering job. This job should help get their catering business going. Everything is going smoothly during the party until a dead body turns up floating in the pool. Even worse, Zachary becomes a prime suspect. This causes Trudie to want to investigate before she loses her business as well as her partner.
I enjoyed getting to know the various characters and did not guess the killer right away. I enjoyed that there was romance in the story. I also liked the fact that recipes were included.
I enjoyed getting to know the various characters and did not guess the killer right away. I enjoyed that there was romance in the story. I also liked the fact that recipes were included.
May 10, 2020
This was more than just a cozy mystery with food, catering for the rich. The plot flowed, you have best friends, creating tasty dishes to stimulate the palate, and hopeful to get more job among the rich. Then murder happen, and her partner is accused. Trudie has a sense of humor, and for herself, and her purple apron. A new bartender and maybe another guy or two are interested in her. Enjoyable and look forward to reading more.
July 17, 2021
A Fine Fix is the first in a cozy mystery series featuring Washington DC area caterer, Trudie Fine. When catering an old friends event, the friend's husband is found dead. the prime suspect ends up being Trudy's best friend and business partner, Zachary Cohen. Of course he's the only suspect in the lead detective, Daniel Goldman's, radar. Trudie isn't much of a sleuth but she excels throughout the story.
June 1, 2020
Excellent story!
So glad to see a 'big gal' get to star in a mystery/romance for a change! It kept my attention from beginning to end with a HE A, of course. The recipes look very enticing & I believe I may have to try one. Or two...
So glad to see a 'big gal' get to star in a mystery/romance for a change! It kept my attention from beginning to end with a HE A, of course. The recipes look very enticing & I believe I may have to try one. Or two...
August 12, 2020
Fine Fix
This is a great book! I didn't want to put it down. I look forward to reading the next book in this series. I love a good mystery and a book that can make me laugh. The characters are interesting and entertaining.
This is a great book! I didn't want to put it down. I look forward to reading the next book in this series. I love a good mystery and a book that can make me laugh. The characters are interesting and entertaining.
September 14, 2017
Kindle
May 1, 2019
One of the better cost mysteries. I am looking forward to reading the second in the series.
December 10, 2019
A light easy read (read in a day)! Cannot wait to read the reat !
May 16, 2020
It was a cute read
I enjoyed it. I didn’t figure out who was the killer. The recipes at the end look delicious. I hope there are more to read.
I enjoyed it. I didn’t figure out who was the killer. The recipes at the end look delicious. I hope there are more to read.
May 25, 2020
A cute foodie-themed cozy with some romance in the mix. Fun, light read.
November 1, 2020
Fun mystery
July 17, 2022
Light. Somewhat tame after reading Jennifer Cruisie books.
Ticks along quite nicely.
Will look for book 2 to see how it pans out.
Ticks along quite nicely.
Will look for book 2 to see how it pans out.
May 12, 2023
A fun, cozy whodunnit!
September 10, 2023
DNF. Too terrible to contemplate finishing.
January 6, 2024
Cozy. Cute. I liked the characters
March 13, 2017
This was the first in a series and the first read by this author.....not sure I want a second.
September 1, 2013
A Fine Fix is a great blend of mystery, humor, and of course, food. Trudie Fine is a unique and intriguing character, and has a love of bold colors and delicious food. When a murder occurs at her first professional catering gig, and her partner and good friend becomes a suspect, Trudie decides to do some sleuthing of her own to prove her partner's innocence. I love the way Trudie deals with the challenges of running her own business, struggles with her weight, and tries to sort out her feelings for not one but three potential suitors. Her quirky sense of humor helps her try to make the best of things as she is pulled deeper into the mystery. Ms. Deitch's smooth prose captures Trudie's voice perfectly and keeps you turning the pages. I will be looking for the next installment in the series!
July 30, 2013
This is a delightful addition to the world of cozy mysteries. Trudie Fine is a likeable, funny and honest narrator who has a knack for getting herself in a stew of trouble. She's the co-owner of a catering service, at work at a big party when a dead body shows up in the swimming pool. When her partner becomes the top suspect, she's left to solve the murder herself. A bit dumpy and frumpy, Trudie is not your typical heroine, but her first-person narration, filled with clever food metaphors and similes, quickly won me over. The plot is spiced with romance, as Trudie becomes the object of desire for no fewer than three suitors. It's all great fun - and just scary enough -- in a debut novel that makes for a perfect summer read.
December 10, 2016
A Fine Fix: A Trudie Fine Mystery
: Gale Deitch
A new cozy mystery series begins with the catering team of Trudie Fine and her lifetime best friend Zachary Cohen out on their first big job. The excitement begins when the male host of the party is found floating, dead in the pool. Some predictable events in this fast paced book, but lots of zany twists will keep the listener guessing. I'm anxious to see where this series goes in the next book.
The narration was well done.The characters were well portrayed. Kristin James gives Trudie and friends a lively journey. Bonus ............ recipes sound interesting.
"I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator."
December 29, 2016
Brilliant.
I really enjoyed this fun, cosy mystery. Trudie is a delightful character and a breath of fresh air. The mystery had me guessing and I happily trundled along with her as she investigated the murder and fell into one scrape after another.
I loved the humour in the story as Trudie wrestled with the romantic attentions from three men while trying not to hurt anyone's feelings. The final chapters were exciting and suspense filled which had me at the edge of my seat.
I listened to the audio version of this book. The narrator did a great job and I couldn't wait to get back to listening to the story after each time I had to press the stop button.
I really enjoyed this fun, cosy mystery. Trudie is a delightful character and a breath of fresh air. The mystery had me guessing and I happily trundled along with her as she investigated the murder and fell into one scrape after another.
I loved the humour in the story as Trudie wrestled with the romantic attentions from three men while trying not to hurt anyone's feelings. The final chapters were exciting and suspense filled which had me at the edge of my seat.
I listened to the audio version of this book. The narrator did a great job and I couldn't wait to get back to listening to the story after each time I had to press the stop button.
February 20, 2014
While catering a large society dinner, Trudie Fine is convinced that her career is launched...until the body of the owner of the mansion is found face down in the pool. This lightweight mystery was fun to read and rather predictable.
May 10, 2017
Excellent writing with a fun, normal character Trudie. Complex plot that will have you guessing and you will not be able to put the book down. Am so looking forward to reading her next book when it's released.
September 25, 2013
Is there such a thing as a delicious mystery? I think so, and A Fine Fix qualifies. Fun characters that I hope to meet again.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews