Caterer and amateur detective Goldy Schulz is at it again in this tasty treat of a novel. Although catering two events more different than a hockey party (complete with the guests chasing pucks on blades) and a decorous breakfast for a doll collectors' convention would be hard to imagine, Goldy manages each with aplomb, Goalies Grilled Tuna and Babsie's Tarts included. While this would be plenty for anyone's plate, Goldy is also trying to decide whether she wants her abusive ex-husband arrested for his current girlfriend's murder. Certainly Goldy is perfectly willing to believe that the Jerk (as Davidson's fans know she has dubbed her former spouse, John Richard Korman) could have done the loathsome deed in one of his violent moments, but she is torn by the desire both to see him brought to justice and for their son not to have a convicted killer for a father. So, between letting the pizza dough rise and baking treasures such as Chocolate Comfort Cookies, Goldy sets out to make sure the police have indeed got the right man.

Davidson's fans will recognize the pattern while new readers will relish her witty, recipe-filled, searing plot. Old friends (all of whom suitably appreciate good food) make their reappearance, including Korman's other ex, Marla, and Goldy's shrimp-peeling husband Tom. While apprentice Julian Teller has left for his restaurant management degree at Cornell, his place in the plot is filled with the more lethargic--if equally good-natured--Maguire Perkins. New characters revolve around the murder itself: Korman's predictably shapely assistant Ree Ann and the very serious doll collectors play a role, as do the administrators of the health maintenance organization Korman has joined. A pleasure to read, even if Goldy's imaginative concoctions make you hungry long before mealtime. --K.A. Crouch


From Library Journal
Davidson, known for her skillful writing and the mouth-watering recipes concocted by her series sleuth, Goldy Schulzas, serves up a tale of murder and love gone rotten.Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From AudioFile
Not only does this mystery have mouth-watering food, casually whipped up by caterer/sleuth Goldy Schulz, but there's a nasty murder and an even more complicated cover-up. Goldy must determine if her ex-husband and leading ob/gyn murdered his girlfriend. The plot is complicated by lawsuits, HMO scandal, a hockey fan party and a collectible doll convention. Cherry Jones reads this first-person narrative, told by Goldy, in a brisk, matter-of-fact tone that conveys minimal emotion. Action scenes are read with lots of tension. Using a subtle New York accent and intonation, Jones brings this tangled web of deception and misdeed to its surprising conclusion. M.B.K. Also available unabridged from Recorded Books, read by Barbara Rosenblat. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine


From Kirkus Reviews
Goldy Schulz, the catering queen of Aspen Meadow, Colorado, is once again embroiled in murder (The Main Corpse, 1996, etc.). The victim this time is Suz Craig--young blond top exec at the HMO known as ACHMO. Accused of the killing is her handsome, short-fused boyfriend, Dr. John Richard Korman, ex-husband to Goldy and later to her now best friend Marla--and referred to by both as ``the Jerk.'' Goldy, now happily married to homicide detective Tom Schulz, found the body--apparently battered to death--one early morning in front of Suz's house. Korman, with his history of wife- beating, is soon arrested, loudly protesting his innocence. Archer, Goldy's 14-year-old son with Korman, lives with Goldy and Tom but sees his father regularly. He believes Korman's denials and begs Goldy to try to find the real killer. That's all the encouragement our nosy food maven needs. Suddenly she's soon all over town, tracking down rumors and details of Korman's soon-to-happen bankruptcy; Patricia McCracken's malpractice suit against him and the HMO; Suz's firing of Dr. Ralph Shelton; reports of Suz's cruel verbal abuse of ACHMO's doctors, nurses, and department heads, and the vanished tapes she'd secretly recorded at private meetings. Meanwhile, Korman, out on bail, has disappeared; Archer is distraught; Tom and his police force seem ineffectual; and only Goldy, between cooking and catering, can get this job done. Our heroine's friends and foes on the local scene are mildly entertaining, her 11 recipes elaborate and inviting. But the plot is labyrinthine and beyond belief. Amiable, readable, forgettable. (Author tour) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


Book Description
A chilly reception....Caterer Goldy Schulz has been hired to host a hockey party. But the proceedings won't be all fun and games. Unfortunately, her client won't be satisfied until Goldy adds a hefty serving of revenge.An ex-husband from hell....Patricia McCracken is certain that her obstetrician and her penny-pinching HMO are responsible for the loss of her baby. Now she is suing both, and she wants Goldy's advice on coming out on top. For Dr. John Richard Korman, aka the Jerk, is none other than Goldy's abusive ex-husband. Goldy knows all about John Richard's secret life--but even she is shocked when he's arrested for the murder of his latest girlfriend.A dish best served cold....As much as Goldy would like to see her ex get his just desserts, could he really be a killer? Soon she will find herself sifting through a spicy mix of sizzling gossip for clues to a mystery that threatens her catering deadline, her relationship with her son and new husband... and even her life.


From the Publisher
"Diane Mott Davidson has found the recipe for bestsellers."
"Diane Mott Davidson's culinary mysteries can be hazardous to your waistline."
"Davidson is today's foremost practitioner of the culinary whodunit."



From the Inside Flap
A chilly reception....

Caterer Goldy Schulz has been hired to host a hockey party. But the proceedings won't be all fun and games. Unfortunately, her client won't be satisfied until Goldy adds a hefty serving of revenge.

An ex-husband from hell....

Patricia McCracken is certain that her obstetrician and her penny-pinching HMO are responsible for the loss of her baby. Now she is suing both, and she wants Goldy's advice on coming out on top. For Dr. John Richard Korman, aka the Jerk, is none other than Goldy's abusive ex-husband. Goldy knows all about John Richard's secret life--but even she is shocked when he's arrested for the murder of his latest girlfriend.

A dish best served cold....

As much as Goldy would like to see her ex get his just desserts, could he really be a killer? Soon she will find herself sifting through a spicy mix of sizzling gossip for clues to a mystery that threatens her catering deadline, her relationship with her son and new husband... and even her life.


About the Author
Diane Mott Davidson lives in Evergreen, Colorado, with her husband and three sons and is at work on her next novel.


Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Getting revenge can kill you.  If you want real revenge, you have to be willing to pay.  Life is not like the movies.

Unfortunately.

With these happy thoughts, I measured out fudge cake batter into cupcake liners and slid the pan into the oven.  I set the timer and reminded myself for the thousandth time that I'd let go of the need for revenge.  I wasn't a hot-blooded teenager.  I was a thirty-three-year-old caterer with a business to run and work to do.  Half-past six on a cool August morning?  What I needed was coffee.

You never let go of the thirst for revenge.

Yeah, well.  Maybe hearing other people's sad stories sparked thoughts of my own.  Or in this case I'd heard one unhappy story, one story needing justice.  But what could I do for a client in emotional pain?  I'd agreed to cater her hockey party.  A nurse had told my client, Patricia McCracken, that hosting this sports celebration would distract her from her problems.  But whenever we discussed the menu, Patricia didn't want to talk about vittles; she wanted to talk about vindication.  And I was as unenthusiastic about jumping into her revenge fantasy as I was about washing dishes after a banquet.

For six years, I'd run the only food-service business in the small mountain town of Aspen Meadow, Colorado.  My son, Arch, was fourteen years old.  Just over a year ago, I'd married for the second time.  Add to this the fact that I'd already sought punishment for the scoundrel who'd recently wronged Patricia McCracken.  I'd barely escaped with my life.

I retrieved unsalted butter and extra-thick whipping cream from my walk-in refrigerator, then reached up to my cabinet shelves for aromatic Mexican vanilla and confectioner's sugar.  Stay busy, I had advised Patricia.  It'll help.  Make your guest list.  Plan your decorations.  Some people despise slates of tasks and errands.  But I revel in work.  Work keeps my mind off weighty matters.  Usually.

Take this morning, for example.  After finishing the cupcakes, I needed to check my other bookings, make sure our sick boarder was sleeping peacefully, then rush to pick up Arch from an overnight party.  Before zipping back to my commercial-size kitchen in our small home, I was going to deliver Arch to the country-club residence of his can't-be-bothered father.  My ex-husband, ob-gyn Dr. John Richard Korman, was the father--and scoundrel--in question.  He was also the man my client Patricia McCracken obsessively hated.  He was the man I had escaped from.  He was known to his other ex-wife and me as the Jerk.  Small example of Jerk behavior: Dr. John Richard Korman would no more pick up his son from an overnight than he would beat some eggs for breakfast.  And careful of that word beat.

I stared at the menu on my computer screen and struggled to refocus on the task at hand.  After much hesitation, Patricia had finally decided that her party would be a two-month-late celebration of the Colorado Avalanche winning the Stanley Cup.  But making the plans with her hadn't been easy.  One week she didn't care about the menu; the next she obsessed about details, such as how long to grill fish.  After many discussions, Patricia had finally ordered Mexican appetizers, grilled fish from Florida (the Avs had beaten the Florida Panthers in the Cup finals and I'd dubbed the entrÚe Goalies' Grilled Tuna), three kinds of salads, puck-shaped biscuits, and homemade potato rolls.  Plus a dessert Patricia's husband had dubbed Stanley Cupcakes.  I sighed.  After dropping off Arch this morning, I still faced a truckload of food prep.  Not only that, but this evening's event promised to be raucous, perhaps even dangerous.  I mean, hockey fans?  Now there are folks who take revenge seriously.

I turned away from the computer.  Our security system was off, so I opened the kitchen window and took a deep breath of summery mountain air.  The postdawn Colorado sky glowed as it lightened from indigo to periwinkle.  From the back of my brain came the echo of Patricia's furious voice.

"I'm telling you, Goldy.  I need to see someone punished.  "

I slapped open the other window and tried to block out her anger by inhaling the crisp air skimming down from snow-dusted mountains.  August in the high country brings warm, breezy days and nights cool enough for a log fire.  Heaven.

Unless you have to deal with John Richard Korman, my own inner voice reminded me.  Then it can be hell.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Hired to cater a hockey party, Goldy comes up with a winning menu featuring zesty South of the Border Appetizers, succulent Grilled Goalies' Tuna, and iced Stanley Cupcakes. Yet Patricia McCracken, her client and long-suffering friend, won't be satisfied until Goldy adds a hefty side order of revenge.... Patricia is convinced that her obstetrician and her Health Maintenance Organization - penny-pinching ACHMO - are to blame for the recent loss of her baby. And the doctor in question is none other than John Richard Korman, Aspen Meadow's leading ob-gyn and Goldy's ex-husband, whose clean-cut good looks hide his dirty habit of battering women. Now Patricia is suing the doctor and ACHMO for malpractice, but that's not enough. She wants Goldy's advice on getting even - and coming out on top. At first, Goldy relishes the fact that her ex-husband is finally going to pay. For the handsome, charming, dangerous doctor deserves to be in a financial pickle. Even so, it's a horrid shock when John Richard is arrested for the murder of his current girlfriend, glamorous Suz Craig...especially when it's Goldy who makes the gruesome discovery. Shaken by the thought that she could easily have been the victim, Goldy feverishly throws herself into her work, grilling vegetables for Slapshot Salad and molding hockey-puck-shaped biscuits. But with her new husband, homicide cop Tom Schulz, relegated to the background of the case, and her fourteen-year-old son begging her to prove his father innocent, Goldy has no choice but to sift through Aspen Meadow's premium mix of sizzling gossip and reheated rumors for clues. The Grilling Season, replete with tantalizing recipes, is Diane Mott Davidson's tastiest mystery yet.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Goldy Schulz, owner of Goldilocks' Catering in Aspen Meadow, Colo., becomes involved in another mystery (after The Main Corpse, 1996) when her ex-husband, Dr. John Richard Korman, is arrested for the murder of his girlfriend, Suz Craig. Physically abused by John Richard during their marriage, Goldy has good reason to believe that the misogynistic obstetrician killed Suz, but she agrees to investigate other possible suspects for the sake of their vulnerable 14-year-old son, Arch. She discovers that Suz, regional v-p of an HMO that had recently bought out John Richard's medical practice, had the power to decide whether or not he would receive a $200,000 bonus, money he badly needed due to a pending malpractice suit being brought by the woman for whom Goldy is currently catering a major party. Goldy also learns that Suz was widely hated for her ruthless business tactics and vicious handling of personnel problems. Although the mystery suffers from slow pacing, little action and a contrived ending, Davidson has created a finely nuanced suburban world, warmly detailing Goldy's life with Arch and Tom, her protective policeman second husband, and Macguire, their long-suffering boarder. Goldy's menusthis time built around a hockey theme in celebration of the Colorado Avalanche's Stanley Cup victoryare smoothly folded into the mix. Major ad/promo; author tour. (Sept.)

Library Journal

Davidson, known for her skillful writing and the mouth-watering recipes concocted by her series sleuth, Goldy Schulzas, serves up a tale of murder and love gone rotten.

AudioFile - Miriam B. Kahn

Not only does this mystery have mouth-watering food, casually whipped up by caterer/sleuth Goldy Schulz, but there's a nasty murder and an even more complicated cover-up. Goldy must determine if her ex-husband and leading ob/gyn murdered his girlfriend. The plot is complicated by lawsuits, HMO scandal, a hockey fan party and a collectible doll convention. Cherry Jones reads this first-person narrative, told by Goldy, in a brisk, matter-of-fact tone that conveys minimal emotion. Action scenes are read with lots of tension. Using a subtle New York accent and intonation, Jones brings this tangled web of deception and misdeed to its surprising conclusion. M.B.K. Also available unabridged from Recorded Books, read by Barbara Rosenblat. cAudioFile, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

Goldy Schulz, the catering queen of Aspen Meadow, Colorado, is once again embroiled in murder (The Main Corpse, 1996, etc.). The victim this time is Suz Craig—young blond top exec at the HMO known as ACHMO. Accused of the killing is her handsome, short-fused boyfriend, Dr. John Richard Korman, ex-husband to Goldy and later to her now best friend Marla—and referred to by both as "the Jerk." Goldy, now happily married to homicide detective Tom Schulz, found the body—apparently battered to death—one early morning in front of Suz's house. Korman, with his history of wife- beating, is soon arrested, loudly protesting his innocence. Archer, Goldy's 14-year-old son with Korman, lives with Goldy and Tom but sees his father regularly. He believes Korman's denials and begs Goldy to try to find the real killer. That's all the encouragement our nosy food maven needs. Suddenly she's soon all over town, tracking down rumors and details of Korman's soon-to-happen bankruptcy; Patricia McCracken's malpractice suit against him and the HMO; Suz's firing of Dr. Ralph Shelton; reports of Suz's cruel verbal abuse of ACHMO's doctors, nurses, and department heads, and the vanished tapes she'd secretly recorded at private meetings. Meanwhile, Korman, out on bail, has disappeared; Archer is distraught; Tom and his police force seem ineffectual; and only Goldy, between cooking and catering, can get this job done. Our heroine's friends and foes on the local scene are mildly entertaining, her 11 recipes elaborate and inviting. But the plot is labyrinthine and beyond belief. Amiable, readable, forgettable.