An unscrupulous new rival has pushed Goldy's beloved catering business to the brink of collapse. An even more unscrupulous local contractor has left her precious kitchen in a shambles. Yet Goldy has joined forces with her old mentor, French chef Andre Hibbard, to cater a fashion photo shoot at a turn-of-the-century mountain cabin. There, in a hopelessly outdated kitchen, Goldy and the temperamental but kindhearted Andre struggle to create warming Models' Mushroom Soup, Savory Florentine Cheesecakes, and a luscious spread for a vain and vacuous crowd of beautiful people whose personal dramas climax when a camera is pitched through a plateglass window...into the buffet. Now Goldy readies for a society soiree tasting party against her archnemesis that could make or break her career. As she prepares Big Bucks Bread Pudding, Andre's Coq au Vin, and Jailbreak Potatoes, Goldy faces the shock of a second murder closer to home. Suddenly she must find the ingredients of a mystery that includes the dead contractor's unwholesome past, a food saboteur, the theft of four historical cookbooks, and an overzealous D.A. who has suspended Goldy's detective husband Tom from the force. What she comes up with is the perfect recipe for murder. And Goldy may be the next one on the menu!
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 Macavity Award. In 1993 she was named Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers' Writer of the Year.
Davidson was educated at St. Anne's School in Charlottesville, Virginia, where her English teacher, Emyl Jenkins, encouraged her to become a writer. She attended Wellesley College, where she was named a Wellesley Scholar, before transferring to Stanford University, from which she graduated with a double major in Art History and Political Science. Several years (and one child) later, she received her MA in Art History from Johns Hopkins.
Davidson has volunteered for numerous organizations. She was a tutor in a correctional facility, rape-victim counselor, and served for 10 years on the Board of Examining Chaplains of the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado. For years she taught the adult Bible study at her parish, where she was also licensed to preach.
Davidson has been married to her husband, Jim, for almost 40 years. They have three sons, a daughter-in-law, two grandchildren, and a basset hound.
Book Review 3.5 out of 5 stars for Prime Cut, the 8th book in the "Goldy Bear Schultz Culinary" cozy mystery series, written in 1998 by Diane Mott Davidson. We're midway thru the series with this installment and it's still going strong. Goldy's working with her mentor, trying ot retain her catering business, as the competition has turned up the heat and stolen some business in their Denver-adjacent town. But the trouble doesn't stop there, as anything that could go wrong, does go wrong for her this time. Her contractor, who is taking too long on the repairs, ends up being murdered. Goldy's police detective husband is removed from the case and told to stay home for the short term, limiting Goldy's access to important information. But when she almost bites the dust, she knows it's time to step up her own investigation to save her business, her friend, her husband and her life. Another fine edition, full of good recipes and spot-on characters. The mystery is more complex (for a cozy) than usual, given various sub-plots. Seeing someone else besides Marla that used to know Goldy is great. But there's also some sadness towards the end. I enjoy her relationship with Tom, wondering a bit about how close to reality this whole thing could play out, but then again... it's supposed to be just literary fun. So... consider it an accomplishment. I enjoyed it.
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Ok, I have read a bunch of these books. They are a quick read, have managed not to get too predictable and sometimes I can figure out who the murderer is. Reading them as ebooks makes it hard to get the recipes, but I have copied a few off of my reader. The biggest problem I have found and I realize it must be because I have read a bunch of them at the same time, but for God's sake, tell your kid your ex is a rotten bastard instead of bending over backwards to accomodate him. The #2 recurrent theme after the cooking, is how Goldy bends over backwards so her exhusband can see their son, Arch. Now, this in and of itself is a good thing. The unfortunate part is that she is constantly covering up for "the jerk's" belittling of her and the new life she has created. She downplays the rude, disrespectful, dangerous and humiliating things he does. From my point of view, the message she is giving her son is that it is ok for a man to act any way he wants and it is a womans place to submit to it. While telling herself how dangerous he is, even though they are divorced, he has no compunction in injuring her or her property with no consequences, she repeatedly puts herself in situations where he can hurt her and he does. He has made it obvious that he really only takes Arch for visitation, if it screws with her plans. He brushes off his son when it is convenient for him and doesn't care how he disappoints him. Her 2nd husband, Tom, is a real sweetie and a great guy, but no matter how often he tries to make her see she needs to change her behavior, she maintains a giant blind spot about this. Enough of ranting, like all the books and will keep hoping she wises up when it comes to "the jerk".
This one suffered from a severe lack of Marla and any sort of whimsy or color. Also I'm pretty grossed out by an adult contractor having an affair with a girl in high school, yet nobody else seemed bothered by this?
As a result of a visit from "the jerk" in the last book, Goldy hires a contractor to repair her kitchen window. Unfortunately, the contractor in question, Gerald Eliot, takes her money, tears the kitchen apart...and disappears. A rival caterer emerges and seems determined to put Goldy out of business by stealing all of her clients, and Tom gets suspended after a run-in with his extremely obnoxious boss.
Badly in need of work, Goldy helps out Chef Andre, her former teacher, as he caters a fashion shoot for a Christmas catalogue. On her way home after the first day of the fashion shoot, Goldy stops to drop off some food for her friend Cameron. While looking for his coffee pot, she makes a grisly discovery--the body of Gerald Eliot, who had also taken money from Cameron for work that was never completed.
With Cameron in jail for a murder she is sure he did not commit and Tom suspended from work, Goldy plays detective again in order to bring the real killer to justice (and to figure out what's up with the cookbooks stolen from the local museum). The bodies and the delicious recipes just keep piling up...
In this installment, Goldy Bear Schultz's business is not doing so good. She has to fight for every booking because a rival caterer is trying to put her out of business. Her husband gets suspended for a disagreement he has with his superior. His superior is a real jerk to begin with and it wasn't Tom's fault. Goldy has to get her window fixed because of the Jerk. She hires a guy but he just wrecks her kitchen and then runs off. A little while later he ends up dead in the home of one of her good friend's house. If that isn't bad enough, her cooking teacher Andre Hibbard dies of a heart attack which she isn't so sure is a heart attack. Plus her ex husband is trying to get revenge from jail.
Goldie has competition now, a new caterer has opened in town and is undercutting her right and left, she hired a handyman to replace a window in her kitchen, he took out the old window trashing a cabinet in the process and never returned. He also never returned her money. Her old mentor has moved to town and is doing limited catering for a catalog shoot and she is at least able to work for him a bit. The handyman gets murdered in the location of the shoot. Goldie’s friend, who was also ripped off by the handyman is accused of the murder. Another good mystery.
Goldy Bear Schulz runs a small catering company in rural Colorado. Her husband, Tom, is a cop, and her son, Arch, is 14. Need I say more?
As this book opens, a new caterer has come to town and is intent on undercutting Goldy’s prices and thereby garnering jobs that once were hers. Her friend, Marla, is being audited by the IRS, and it’s another hectic late summer as the book opens. Goldy’s kitchen has been torn up by an unscrupulous contractor who has taken her money and run, leaving the place in utter chaos.
In desperation, Goldy agrees to help her mentor cater a photo shoot, and before it’s over, she has found the body of the contractor who stiffed her. In the heat of the action, when she is initially considered a suspect, her husband comes to her aid only to be suspended from the police force. It’s up to Goldy to figure out who offed the contractor. But before she does, her beloved chef mentor is found dead under suspicious circumstances.
This book runs slower than do most of the ones in the series. Still, it’s not so slow that you’ll get bored with it. The usual cast of colorful characters are all here, and I didn’t see the end coming.
It is a terrible thing to be through with an author while you still have several of their books on hand. So you slog through the rest of them.
Acutally, it is not too bad, it does have recipes. Of course, I have never yet found one of her recipes to be of any interest to me. Always one ingredient or another is on my verboten list or they are just too complicated to make. If anyone was interested in them in the first place.
There are several mysteries going on - who's killing everybody and why and what is with this new caterer undercutting her prices. How does he know her prices?
I Love this series, I haven't been disappointed by this series at all!!!!! All the the characters are absoulutety awesome!!!!! Arch is kind of a little snot though. I hope his character gets better. I was really shocked at who the killer was!!!! Anther thing that has me a little concerned is this new cater in town. I really don't like his style at all. I also like how "The Jerk" was in jail, too bad he still was able to bring discontent to Goldie and Marla though. I can't wait to read the next one!!!
This is a series I love and collect. I love a mystery and the detective is a caterer! I love to cook and even though they rarely turn out I always try a recipe from each book. This time it was the spinach cheesecakes-oddly, not as good as it sounds. But the story was fun and I love all the characters-especially Marla! She reminds me of my sister. She is filthy rich and loves all the finer things in life and she is funny and flamboyant and "just says things"!~
Prime Cut by Diane Mott Davidson is 8th in the Goldy Bear culinary cozy mystery series set in contemporary Colorado. Goldy has troubles: contractor Gerard started remodeling her kitchen, but left it in shambles; her best friend Marla is being audited by the IRS; a new rival caterer is stealing her clients. Then it all gets worse: Goldy discovers Gerard's corpse (murdered), her friend Cameron is arrested (framed), her husband Tom is suspended from his police detective job without pay. Goldy needs money. She joins her former teacher Andre to cater photo shoots of models for a Christmas catalog.
A huge cast of characters (Goldy's friends and acquaintances plus all the people involved in the photo shoots) makes it difficult to keep track of the plot. An historic cabin is the scene of photo shoots and more deaths. The first victim (Gerard) was universally hated, as he had botched and abandoned remodeling jobs all over town. Good riddance. But the second death profoundly affects Goldy.
Julian returns from college & work back East, and stays with Goldy's family. He had been sorely missed by them all, especially Goldy's son Arch. He's a tremendously talented chef, who pitches in and helps Goldy with all catering, inventing delicious recipes for the models who are picky eaters. The menus Goldy and Julian prepare and serve are sublime. Recipes are included!
A vintage Americana cookbook is missing from the local museum. It holds clues to hidden treasure. The original settler (who built the historic cabin) died in Leavenworth Prison, after writing a letter to his wife encouraging her to use the cookbook to make rolls. A delightful touch: Arch is learning encryption as a new hobby; he cracks the code.
I like the recipes, even though I would probably not make most of them. I wasn't familiar with this series until I got this book.
I found it a little confusing and slow to develop at first. I don't know if I like having a sleuth with a day job, particularly if it isn't in law enforcement. It takes my focus off the main points. It did come together at the end and was an interesting story. The character development was good, but I found the book stressful to read.
My main objection is that the heroine character isn't assertive enough and allows herself to be victimized. This is not somebody that should be a sleuth. For example, she is a caterer. Her house is apparently where she cooks, and she has to abide by health codes. So why on earth did she not rent a secondary site while her kitchen was being renovated? Many problems this woman had could have been avoided. Who plans to catch someone sabotaging her food, but then doesn't bring her own camera?
This book was written in 1998, and I know attitudes have changed over the years. It also deals with the modeling world, which tends to be exploitive. However, some things were disturbing. There was a young girl having an affair with a much older man and modeling lingerie. I don't know if she was legal age, but she was very immature...and yet her father left her and a younger sister alone while job hunting in another state.
The book gets points for originality, but I don't think I want to follow a series where the sleuth is a dingbat.
The author wrote a series of culinary cozy mysteries featuring Goldy Bear Schultz. This is the eighth one written in 1998. The pattern is the same for all of them. There is food, recipes and those who make and serve it. The novels are easy reads. If you like them go for it. They are relaxing and entertaining.
In this tale Goldy is trying to keep her catering business alive as a competing caterer strives to drive her out of business. And, her ex husband wants revenge from his jail cell. With a broken window she hires a contractor who takes her money, ruins her kitchen and disappears. Later he is found dead in a good friend’s home. Then her cooking teacher, Andre Hibbard, who is helping her cope with the catering from the outdated kitchen, dies of a heart attack. The question she has was that really the cause of her death?
As things worsen, Goldy realizes that she herself must do her own investigation to keep her business, save her current husband, Tom, and her life. As it all spins out of control she strives to keep her son, Arch, seeing her ex husband. However, he only takes their son for visitation when it interferes with Goldy’s plans. Perhaps she is too accommodating because he is rude, disrespectful and dangerous. It's a quick comforting read.
Goldy is dealing with a slew of problems - a rival caterer trying to steal her business, dealing with her ex-husband in prison and a home contractor leaving her working kitchen in shambles. Then, Goldy finds the contractor dead and a friend arrested. Another death later finds Goldy trying to solve the mystery while trying to save her catering company at the same time.
I found this mystery novel fairly average. For openness, I haven't read any other books in this series and may be missing some character development that adds more to the story. The plot was lacking the suspense feeling I enjoy in a good mystery story and the clues to the culprit were almost non-existent to me. Also, I never quite understand novels with recipies. Does anyone even go back to test them out? Overall, a quick but average read - nothing special.
Everything seems to be going wrong for Goldy and Tom. Goldy’s kitchen is trashed and the contractor is found dead, Another caterer has opened for business and is undercutting Goldy’s prices and taking her customers, Tom is suspended without pay being accused of threatening a fellow officer, her best friend Marla is undergoing a serious IRS Audit and is not available to help, And then her mentor and good friend is found dead. What else could go wrong? – Usually I find Goldy Shultz mysteries to be one of the better written of the cozy genre of fiction, but this one is not one of the better books. The story drags. Sorry, Goldie.
Not really sure about the accuracy of the title, but loved it any way. Goldy's food world is crashing down all around her. Tom, her husband, has been suspended for something he did not do; Goldy's kitchen is a mess thanks to a contractor who has taken her money but not finished the work (said contractor later turns up dead); there is a new caterer in town who is undercutting Goldy's prices and taking her clients. And then there is her ex-husband and even though he is in jail, he is still being a thorn in the flesh for both Goldy and Marla (the other ex-wife). Loved the mystery of it all and the sumptuous recipes that are included.
Well, I sometimes find the overwhelming number of perils Goldy gets herself into annoying, but I just can't resist the many barely camouflaged references to the town where I grew up. I can picture the museum, I know the shopping center that used to be on the lake and recognize the infamous "Grizzly " bar on Main Street (though I've never been inside the original). It makes even the more obscure references fun to try to figure out... Plus all the food and cooking makes my mouth water. This one even has a pretty ingenius mystery set-up. Enough to make me come back for future servings.
I really enjoy Diane Mott Davidson's 'Goldy the caterer' mysteries. And Barbara Rosenblat, the narrator has probably added to the enjoyment. The plots are pretty elaborate and the action fast paced to hold your attention when commonplace family issues arise. I'm not sure why but in the scenic Colorado community where Goldy lives and works, she is sure to be involved in some person's mysterious demise. And she can't rest until the problem is solved despite her commitment to cater her client's meals. She's a tough cookie and a fabulous cook but maybe a magnet for murder too!
This was not my favorite among her books, but it was still so much fun! Goldy is just the best among the chef sleuths out there. Her recipes are always delicious and the mysteries are convoluted!
This one was fun because she finally got a contractor to rebuild the kitchen that the jerk destroyed, the jerk is still in jail, and we get to spend time with her teacher and mentor again - at least until he too becomes a victim of the murderer.
And why does everyone want the old cookbooks from the local museum?
I listen to this as a Audio Book through Audible with my Free Credit. I dearly love this book. It is so good. I dearly love this Series. I am going to continue with this series. I am not going to listen to them in order. Just which ever one shows up next in my Goodreads TBR Huge List that I have.
I highly recommend this Book and this Series...I give this Book 5/5 Stars.
Goldy's eighth mysterious adventure is less engaging than previous books in the series. A group of unappealing characters are competing against each other to a buried treasure and will stop at nothing to find the riches, not even murder. Meanwhile, Goldy is beset with problems at home as her police detective husband, who has been suspended, remodels her kitchen. Not my favorite title in the series.
Ah this was a great return to form. Lots of additional elements that really enriched the Goldy recipe, including a treasure map, old timey historic backstory and some great character development.
My usual two gripes remain: Goldy, stay away from the crime scenes when dodgy men can get you by yourself and for the love of culinary crikey discipline your ridiculous son! His contribution is a full on face palm moment.
Most enjoyable.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This has been a nice little series so far. I can’t say that I have loved the stories, but I have liked them well enough to continue through 9 of them so far. I think, at least as of the last 2 of them, that the stories are improving. It’s a fun quick read. You just have to not focus on the fact that poor Goldy has discovered over a dozen dead bodies in the past couple of years and has known twice that may people who have died in the same amount of time.