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A Mystery with Recipes #6
A Catered Birthday Party
When sisters Bernie and Libby Simmons cater a canine birthday celebration for Trudy, the pet pug of imperious toy company owner Annabel Colbert, the day is marred by murder when Annabel is poisoned, forcing Bernie and Libby to find a killer among many suspects.
329 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
130 people are currently reading
658 people want to read
About the author
Isis Crawford
28 books265 followersIsis Crawford was born in Egypt to parents who were in the diplomatic corps. When she was five, her family returned to the States, where her mother opened a restaurant in Upper Westchester County and her father became a university professor. Since then Isis has combined her parents’ love of food and travel by running a catering service as well as penning numerous travel-related articles about places ranging from Omsk to Paraguay. Married, with twin boys, she presently resides in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, where she is working on the next Bernie and Libby culinary mystery.
A pseudonym used by Barbara Block
A pseudonym used by Barbara Block
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
August 12, 2018
Interesting mystery although I had trouble keeping all the characters straight at times.
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March 17, 2010I can't do it. It's my fault entirely, not the author. But on page 3 we get this between the two main characters:
And don't give me a pug as a character if you don't know jack about them, either. Pugs don't "wheeze". Sure, they snort, they snuffle, they snore. But they don't wheeze. And who gets off dismissing an entire breed for a reason like that?
So anyway. I can't read this book. It could be brilliant and it's totally my loss. But I have soooo many other books in my TBR pile, I haven't the patience for a book that offends me on page 3. Sorry.
Libby kept chopping. "I don't like pugs," she informed Bernie.I picked up this book specifically because there was a pug on the cover. Don't give me the pug as a selling point and then have your two main characters dislike pugs, Kensington Publishing.
"Neither do I," Bernie said as she snagged a piece of carrot off the table. "They wheeze."
And don't give me a pug as a character if you don't know jack about them, either. Pugs don't "wheeze". Sure, they snort, they snuffle, they snore. But they don't wheeze. And who gets off dismissing an entire breed for a reason like that?
So anyway. I can't read this book. It could be brilliant and it's totally my loss. But I have soooo many other books in my TBR pile, I haven't the patience for a book that offends me on page 3. Sorry.
September 11, 2018
This was another good read in the series. This isn't the best series but I still enjoy it enough to keep going. I love the family aspect. They love each other and all get involved with the crime solving together. I never seem to know whom is guilty which is nice. I just hope the series continues to be enjoyable.
January 20, 2013
I enjoyed it, but it wasn't great. Why do some authors think they need to name all their characters with the same names? This book had an Annabelle, Anna, JoAnne and even the dog's name was a woman's name, Trudy. I don't see the point, and it made it really hard to keep everyone straight, which shouldn't be necessary in a quick read like this one. I did enjoy the food references though. They made me hungry and made me want to cook.
August 30, 2022
Delightful as always, to the point that I almost ate through the entire book in the span of a day.
Life cold and heart but Caterer books warm and soft.
Anyway, as if these books couldn't be good enough, this one included DOGS. It's like Isis Crawford keeps slapping on all the things that make me happy in a single series. How can I not gush constantly about her stuff?
Nasty wine, bar brawls, and lots of mistakes in this book. That's why I only drink coke.
Life cold and heart but Caterer books warm and soft.
Anyway, as if these books couldn't be good enough, this one included DOGS. It's like Isis Crawford keeps slapping on all the things that make me happy in a single series. How can I not gush constantly about her stuff?
Nasty wine, bar brawls, and lots of mistakes in this book. That's why I only drink coke.
September 12, 2018
Another light mystery. This one involving a dog's birthday party, which was something new for me. The twists the story took were interesting. I still like Bernie and Libby and their father. They keep the story light. Also, the food sounded delicious. At least, the stuff that wasn't for dogs did.
May 22, 2019
The plot reminded me very much of the plot in a mystery jigsaw puzzle, "B is for Birthday" that we did, although there were some notable differences. In the jigsaw puzzle mystery, the dogs at the dog party were from different breeds; in "A Catered Birthday Party" they are all pugs. There were other differences as well.
I didn't guess whodunit, but I did guess about Sam.
I know it's my own fault, but I had a hard time connecting with the characters at first. Probably I'd have felt more connected to them if I had read all the rest of the series up until this point.
I did enjoy the funny, cranky old Sean character, particularly when he ran off with Sam to do some sleuthing. He made me think of Ove in Fredrik Backman's "A Man Called Ove," although Ove didn't have physical disabilities. Other people who enjoyed Sean's character and curmudgeon humor might enjoy that book as well.
Annabelle, dying of poisoning, made them promise to solve her murder before calling 911, and that conversation seemed to drag out. I would've ignored her request and called 911 anyway before having that conversation. They would've had a greater chance of saving her. If she were better by the time they arrived, she could've refused their help. It surprised me that the main characters actually waited to call 911 over this. A nurse once told my mom, "When they hit the ground, they lose the right to refuse an ambulance," even if they'd been protesting an ambulance when they passed out.
Even one of the characters in the story complained that some of the names were too similar. I thought a different pair of names were too similar, although sometimes that's just me and the way my brain is wired and other people don't find the names all that similar. But another reviewer also complained about the names.
One reviewer complained because she picked out the book because it had a pug on the cover, but then no one in the story liked dogs. That's not entirely true. Sam did. But I could see that disappointing a reader, because there wasn't much adoration of dogs in there, or even much interaction with them. In fact, most of the human characters didn't like each other, either, not just the dogs. The lack of dog-lovers didn't really bother me. I was more interested in the plot.
It also advertised itself as "A Mystery with Recipes" but my copy didn't have recipes.
Favorite quotes:
"The things his eldest child found to worry about continually amazed Sean. Shed been like that ever since he could remember. At 4 she worried about what happened to the lightbulbs when they burned out. She didn't want Rose, their mother, throwing them out because she didn't want their feelings hurt. They'd had to sneak them into the trash at night."
"Are you always this grumpy?"
"Always. I make it a point of honor."
"When you keep a secret, you don't tell it to anyone. That is the definition of a secret."
I didn't guess whodunit, but I did guess about Sam.
I know it's my own fault, but I had a hard time connecting with the characters at first. Probably I'd have felt more connected to them if I had read all the rest of the series up until this point.
I did enjoy the funny, cranky old Sean character, particularly when he ran off with Sam to do some sleuthing. He made me think of Ove in Fredrik Backman's "A Man Called Ove," although Ove didn't have physical disabilities. Other people who enjoyed Sean's character and curmudgeon humor might enjoy that book as well.
Annabelle, dying of poisoning, made them promise to solve her murder before calling 911, and that conversation seemed to drag out. I would've ignored her request and called 911 anyway before having that conversation. They would've had a greater chance of saving her. If she were better by the time they arrived, she could've refused their help. It surprised me that the main characters actually waited to call 911 over this. A nurse once told my mom, "When they hit the ground, they lose the right to refuse an ambulance," even if they'd been protesting an ambulance when they passed out.
Even one of the characters in the story complained that some of the names were too similar. I thought a different pair of names were too similar, although sometimes that's just me and the way my brain is wired and other people don't find the names all that similar. But another reviewer also complained about the names.
One reviewer complained because she picked out the book because it had a pug on the cover, but then no one in the story liked dogs. That's not entirely true. Sam did. But I could see that disappointing a reader, because there wasn't much adoration of dogs in there, or even much interaction with them. In fact, most of the human characters didn't like each other, either, not just the dogs. The lack of dog-lovers didn't really bother me. I was more interested in the plot.
It also advertised itself as "A Mystery with Recipes" but my copy didn't have recipes.
Favorite quotes:
"The things his eldest child found to worry about continually amazed Sean. Shed been like that ever since he could remember. At 4 she worried about what happened to the lightbulbs when they burned out. She didn't want Rose, their mother, throwing them out because she didn't want their feelings hurt. They'd had to sneak them into the trash at night."
"Are you always this grumpy?"
"Always. I make it a point of honor."
"When you keep a secret, you don't tell it to anyone. That is the definition of a secret."
December 20, 2019
A friend sent me this book in a box of books. I believe I've read one other book by this author, but I didn't remember the sisters being so annoying. The bickering, the nosiness, the catty remarks, and other things made me not like them very much, which is a bad thing when they are the two main characters for the book. (I liked their father, Sean, better. And I'm not sure if the bickering is a normal thing between them because Sean thought about it a time or two and wondered why it was happening.)
Although this book says "a mystery with recipes" on the cover, it appears that someone (not my friend) tore out the recipes--well, I'm assuming they were at the end of the book and there appears to be pages torn out from there--prior to us getting it. So there were no recipes. Not that most recipes that appear in these books are ones I plan to try anyway, but . . .
Like other reviewers mentioned, I did have trouble keeping all the characters straight. In fact, toward the end, when they discussed that Missy became Anna, I had no idea who Anna was or what she did in the story. Combine that with other characters named Annabel and Joanna and well, . . .just too many similar names and not enough characterization to each character to really keep them all straight (for me anyway).
I felt bad for Trudy (the pug). No one in the story really seemed to care for her except Samantha and maybe Melissa (and maybe Ines too). I think most of the other characters saw Trudy as a means to an end (a business empire, a way to make money, a way into the big leagues, etc.) Poor doggie.
I didn't guess the killer until it was revealed, but I'm also not sure I tried too hard to figure it out since I struggled with "wanting" to continue reading because I didn't really connect with any characters enough to care about what happened.
Although this book says "a mystery with recipes" on the cover, it appears that someone (not my friend) tore out the recipes--well, I'm assuming they were at the end of the book and there appears to be pages torn out from there--prior to us getting it. So there were no recipes. Not that most recipes that appear in these books are ones I plan to try anyway, but . . .
Like other reviewers mentioned, I did have trouble keeping all the characters straight. In fact, toward the end, when they discussed that Missy became Anna, I had no idea who Anna was or what she did in the story. Combine that with other characters named Annabel and Joanna and well, . . .just too many similar names and not enough characterization to each character to really keep them all straight (for me anyway).
I felt bad for Trudy (the pug). No one in the story really seemed to care for her except Samantha and maybe Melissa (and maybe Ines too). I think most of the other characters saw Trudy as a means to an end (a business empire, a way to make money, a way into the big leagues, etc.) Poor doggie.
I didn't guess the killer until it was revealed, but I'm also not sure I tried too hard to figure it out since I struggled with "wanting" to continue reading because I didn't really connect with any characters enough to care about what happened.
December 10, 2019
Bernie and Libby are added again. While catering a dog’s birthday party the hostess Annabelle is poison and makes the girls promise to solve the mystery. Of course the husband is a suspect and all of Annabel’s friends considering they all had a love hate relationship no one seems to really like her and unfortunately her beloved pug Trudy she never really likes to begin with but kept it due to her company.
With the help of their dads and significant others
And a new character named Samantha who would work at the house they are able to find out who did it and why they did it and to be honest everyone had a motive which made it interesting but the actual person involved wasn’t surprising.
With the help of their dads and significant others
And a new character named Samantha who would work at the house they are able to find out who did it and why they did it and to be honest everyone had a motive which made it interesting but the actual person involved wasn’t surprising.
June 28, 2017
Other than occasional snarky comments about whatever and veiled recommendations to feed dogs a healthy (ie, non-Purina) healthy diet, this book was a bit of a muddle. Maybe because I was reading the 6th book in this series as my first book in the series, the interaction and comments by main characters (Bernie, Libby, Sean, Brandon) sometimes were difficult to follow. So probably my fault that I didn't enjoy this book as much as I wanted to.
December 31, 2020
This is a good mystery and involves caterers Bernie and Libby, who are catering a doggy birthday party when someone is poisoned right before their eyes. There are many suspects, because it seems that all the guests hated the victim and had motives for killing her. Although there are a few 'suspend-your-disbelief' moments, this is a good book in a solid series.
April 4, 2023
There were a ton of suspects. I don't like when that's the case. It gets too confusing. And it turned out to be a person I really didn't get. But I really loved learning more about Bernie n her dad and their lives. That's what's so great about series. They can tell the story longer n you get to know the characters better. Im also loving Brandon and his new expanded role.
June 14, 2022
Just finished The first, and probably the last! Of this series!!
Chose for a book challenge requiring a book that featured recipes—it did do that. Um, I liked the Dad character. Too many similar names of suspects and I’m still not sure whodunnit!! (Also some poor editing!)
Not recommended.
Chose for a book challenge requiring a book that featured recipes—it did do that. Um, I liked the Dad character. Too many similar names of suspects and I’m still not sure whodunnit!! (Also some poor editing!)
Not recommended.
Read
July 9, 2019Cheesy roll appetizers for dogs
a doggy birthday cake
noah's strawberry shortcake
ten-minute german sweet chocolate cream pie
mother's milk chocolate cake
chocolate cream-cheese frosting
a doggy birthday cake
noah's strawberry shortcake
ten-minute german sweet chocolate cream pie
mother's milk chocolate cake
chocolate cream-cheese frosting
October 26, 2019
Nice cosy mystery
It was a fun read. Good humor and the catering detectives were believable. I plan on reading the rest of the series.
It was a fun read. Good humor and the catering detectives were believable. I plan on reading the rest of the series.
November 4, 2019
very cute but these dog people can also be deadly!
December 4, 2020
Fun series
June 25, 2023
cute story
If you like a good, clean mystery with a nice dose of humor, this is a fun book. It's an easy read.
If you like a good, clean mystery with a nice dose of humor, this is a fun book. It's an easy read.
October 6, 2023
This was my least favorite of the series so far. The outcome was entirely too predictable and the main characters are once again bordering on TSTL territory.
December 23, 2023
A 2 1/2 stars , was easy read to cleanse after heavy reads. Willing to read another as a quick cleanse read but won't purposely seek the series out.
January 29, 2011
Birthday parties for pugs, murder and mayhem collide in Isis Crawford’s sixth installment in her series “A Mystery with Recipes”, A Catered Birthday Party.
Bernie and Libby Simmons own a delightful and well-known catering company and shop named A Little Taste of Heaven. As sisters, they are as different as night an day, as business partners, they work together to please their customers. One such customer, Annabel Colbert, a wealthy and not-so-respected business woman asks the sisters to cater a birthday celebration for her beloved pet, Trudy the Pug. Not overly keen on the idea, Bernie and Libby take on the job, knowing it will be a boost to their catering company. The sisters knew they would be in for a bit of nit-picking from Annabel, perfectionist extraordinaire, but what they didn’t count on was inadvertently agreeing to solve Annabel’s murder.
During Trudy’s party, as Annabel is giving a toast and laying out all the cards on her true thoughts of her “friends”, she realizes that something is just not right:
“Here’s to me and my new ventures and to hell with all of you. I don’t know where any of you are going, but if I had to guess I’d have to say to the bad place, and don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about.” Annabel raised her glass to her lips and drank the wine down. A strange expression came over her face. Here eyes widened. Her hand went to her throat. “I’ve been poisoned!” she cried. “Someone has put something in this wine!”
“Now, dear,” Richard said. “I’m sure you’re fine. You know how you tend to exaggerate.”
Annabel’s death is ruled a death by natural causes and that is that. Until Bernie and Libby take things into their own hands. As Annabel sit dying, they gave her their word that they would find her murderer. However, will they be able to find the murderer before he or she can escape freely?
A Catered Birthday Party is filled with an abundance of humor. There were several times that I found myself laughing aloud as I read. I adored the sassy Bernie and her sharp- witted tongue, as well as Libby’s more “no nonsense” take on life. The sisters are a perfect contrast and lend a vivid and excellent layer to the story. A Catered Birthday Party is my first by this author and I can honestly say that I am anxious to go back to the beginning of this series and start with the first book, A Catered Murder. As I read, I really felt myself caring for, not only the sisters, but also their father, Sean. Sean is an ex-police officer with a penchant for helping his daughters solve crimes. I loved his sense of humor and his exuberance for life. He is an awesome character and one that I find myself wanting to read about in the next installment to see how things pan out for him.
As a cozy mystery, A Catered Birthday Party definitely works. There is a perfect blend of lightness, humor and fun, as well as a bit of mystery and sleuthing. Of course, the added deliciousness of recipes is a fun bonus as well. I do have to say that throughout the story, the characters partook in several mugs of hot chocolate, thereby causing me to crave this sweet and creamy beverage on several occasions. The plotting, was subtle and entertaining, though I did feel the ending was a bit rushed.
I recommend A Catered Birthday Party to anyone looking for a fun and fast read. Whether you have read the series up until this one, or are new to it, it is guaranteed to bring out the giggles - and cravings for hot chocolate!
3.5 stars
Bernie and Libby Simmons own a delightful and well-known catering company and shop named A Little Taste of Heaven. As sisters, they are as different as night an day, as business partners, they work together to please their customers. One such customer, Annabel Colbert, a wealthy and not-so-respected business woman asks the sisters to cater a birthday celebration for her beloved pet, Trudy the Pug. Not overly keen on the idea, Bernie and Libby take on the job, knowing it will be a boost to their catering company. The sisters knew they would be in for a bit of nit-picking from Annabel, perfectionist extraordinaire, but what they didn’t count on was inadvertently agreeing to solve Annabel’s murder.
During Trudy’s party, as Annabel is giving a toast and laying out all the cards on her true thoughts of her “friends”, she realizes that something is just not right:
“Here’s to me and my new ventures and to hell with all of you. I don’t know where any of you are going, but if I had to guess I’d have to say to the bad place, and don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about.” Annabel raised her glass to her lips and drank the wine down. A strange expression came over her face. Here eyes widened. Her hand went to her throat. “I’ve been poisoned!” she cried. “Someone has put something in this wine!”
“Now, dear,” Richard said. “I’m sure you’re fine. You know how you tend to exaggerate.”
Annabel’s death is ruled a death by natural causes and that is that. Until Bernie and Libby take things into their own hands. As Annabel sit dying, they gave her their word that they would find her murderer. However, will they be able to find the murderer before he or she can escape freely?
A Catered Birthday Party is filled with an abundance of humor. There were several times that I found myself laughing aloud as I read. I adored the sassy Bernie and her sharp- witted tongue, as well as Libby’s more “no nonsense” take on life. The sisters are a perfect contrast and lend a vivid and excellent layer to the story. A Catered Birthday Party is my first by this author and I can honestly say that I am anxious to go back to the beginning of this series and start with the first book, A Catered Murder. As I read, I really felt myself caring for, not only the sisters, but also their father, Sean. Sean is an ex-police officer with a penchant for helping his daughters solve crimes. I loved his sense of humor and his exuberance for life. He is an awesome character and one that I find myself wanting to read about in the next installment to see how things pan out for him.
As a cozy mystery, A Catered Birthday Party definitely works. There is a perfect blend of lightness, humor and fun, as well as a bit of mystery and sleuthing. Of course, the added deliciousness of recipes is a fun bonus as well. I do have to say that throughout the story, the characters partook in several mugs of hot chocolate, thereby causing me to crave this sweet and creamy beverage on several occasions. The plotting, was subtle and entertaining, though I did feel the ending was a bit rushed.
I recommend A Catered Birthday Party to anyone looking for a fun and fast read. Whether you have read the series up until this one, or are new to it, it is guaranteed to bring out the giggles - and cravings for hot chocolate!
3.5 stars
August 5, 2012
Sisters Bernie and Libby are asked to cater a birthday party at the home of the town's richest woman Annabel--for her pug, Trudy. Annabel takes a gulp of wine, declares that she's been poisoned, and won't let the sisters call for help until they promise to find her murderer. Then, much to everyone's surprise, she dies. The police say it's an accident, but Bernie and Libby, and their retired police chief father Sean, aren't so sure. What seems indisputable is that the only person who really loves Trudy is the part time help, teenaged Samantha, and that nobody at all loved, or even liked, Annabel.
August 5, 2010
For this series, this is actually pretty good. There were a few unforeseen plot twists, the characters are getting better developed and the sisters are bickering a lot less. I also like Brandon a lot better than Rob, and was surprised to find out that the sisters are younger than I thought (Bernie is 33; Libby a few years older). Anyway, since this is the most recent installment in the series, that bodes well for the next book - at least the writing is improving as the series progresses. She writes so well about food that I wish she included more of the recipes for things featured in the book, but the canine recipes featured here do actually look good.
December 21, 2010
This story involves a catered birthday party for a dog, Trudy. Of course, the owner of Trudy drinks a special wine and then states that she has been poisoned. The police do not see murder, just a heart attack. Libby and Bernie promise the dying Annabel that they will find the murderer. In this caper, Sean Simmons, father of Libby and Bernie, leads the investigation and discovers the killer. I especially liked same of the new characters: Samantha and Trudy. Crawford likes to show that anger and hate can simmer for years, before an action is taken. Again, I like Crawford's writing better than Joanne Fluke's writing, but has better recipes.
December 19, 2016
This is the story of a very dysfunctional marriage of a woman named Annabel to a man named Richard. He married for money and there never seemed to be any love. Annabel created a very lucrative business with her dog Trudy as the main character, but it was a business idea stolen from her friend. Soon there is a murder and who becomes the top detectives, two sisters that catered a birthday party for Trudy and their father. The story had some interesting parts, but it was pretty far fetched in the fact that these two woman would be the ones to figure out the murder. I also felt there were some unnecessary parts added in and that the story lasted a bit longer than necessary.
February 4, 2010
I like this series and was really excited when this one was about dogs! The mystery was good, the characters relatable but I didn't care for how the author made all the dog obsessed people seem quite insane (well some of us are but not all!). Also when they gave the pug a sip of champaign at the end of the book I wanted to shake the author. Alcohol is poison to dogs.
April 12, 2011
I was impressed that I didn't figure out who did it early. I think all the different characters got me a bit confused, but I did love that there were dogs involved in the storyline. I wasn't offended by Bernie and Libby may not be fans of Pugs, but that is why there are a bunch off different kinds of dogs and pets. I was also happy to see that Sean, the father, is starting to stretch himself.
December 2, 2016
This book was okay, but I wasn't very impressed. There were a lot of characters (some with very similar names) and by the end I was having trouble keeping them all straight. And speaking of the end, the conclusion felt rushed while the rest of the book moved at a snail's pace. I doubt I'll pick up the rest of the series unless I'm desperate.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews