When Colorado caterer Goldy Schulz is hired by her old friend Barry Dean to provide a lavish buffet for the opening of his chic new Aspen Meadows mall, the last thing she expects to stumble over is Barry himself, stabbed to death with one of her very own carving knives. When the police arrest her assistant, Julian, for the murder, Goldy launches her own over-caffeinated investigation. There's enough espresso in this culinary cozy to keep the reader wide awake while Davidson's irrepressible heroine sets up the suspects, solves the mystery, sends up a Shopaholics Anonymous meeting, and dishes up 10 recipes for fabulous party food, including the Chopping Spree salad of the title. The plot's somewhat creaky and there's hardly any dramatic tension, but fans of this popular series won't mind a bit. --Jane Adams


From Library Journal
Catering a fancy event for a bunch of high-end shoppers gets sleuthing chef Goldy all stirred up. Includes ten new recipes. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From AudioFile
The eleventh in the Goldy series is packed with Diane MottDavidson staples--fun, food, and foul play. GoldilocksCatering--"Where everything is just right"--is suddenly the hot ticketin Aspen Meadow, and everywhere that Goldy goes murder is sure tofollow. When a body is found with one of Goldy's new knives stickingout of its middle, her assistant and trusted friend, Julian, is theprime suspect. CHOPPING SPREE challenges fans of the audio series toaccept a new narrator for Goldy, and Joyce Bean doesn'tdisappoint. Her hysteria mounts as Goldy fortifies herself withfour-shot espresso lattés--to calm her nerves--and hercharacterization of teenaged son Arch is annoyinglyadolescent. Justice prevails via creative snooping and cookery, andeveryone goes home happy--and stuffed. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2002,Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine


From Booklist
Caterer Goldy Schulz (Goldilocks Catering: Where Everything Is Just Right) of Aspen Meadow, Colorado, has her hands full: business is booming, and her son, Arch, is deep into teenhood, demanding, whiny, and sullen. Then a catered luncheon at the Westside Mall turns into a slugfest, and it is Goldy who finds the body of the old friend, Barry Dean, who orchestrated the event. Barry loved puzzles, and he left a succession of odd clues for Goldy to follow as she tries to untangle his murder. But catering--and Arch's birthday--do not stop for sleuthing, and Goldy must cope with sibling rivalry, false accusations, red herrings, and construction at the mall, combined into a vicious stew. Davidson's cozies offer, like Goldy's trademark espresso, a double shot of guilty pleasure: the first, of course, is the mouthwatering recipes. The second is the frisson of feeling superior to our heroine, who is always doing things she shouldn't, like keeping evidence from her detective spouse. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Review
“Today’s foremost practitioner of the culinary whodunit.”
--Entertainment Weekly

“Chef Goldy Schulz’s life is a medley of murder, mayhem, and melted chocolate.”
--New York Post

“The suspense factor rises higher than a champagne soufflé. Warning: With Goldy sharing her recipes...you may want to pull your reading chair up next to the oven.”
--People

“A cross between Mary Higgins Clark and Betty Crocker!”
--The Sun, Baltimore

“You don’t have to be a cook or a mystery fan to love Diane Mott Davidson’s books. But if you’re either--or both--her tempting recipes and elaborate plots add up to a literary feast!”
--The San Diego Union-Tribune



From the Hardcover edition.


Review
?Today?s foremost practitioner of the culinary whodunit.?
--Entertainment Weekly

?Chef Goldy Schulz?s life is a medley of murder, mayhem, and melted chocolate.?
--New York Post

?The suspense factor rises higher than a champagne soufflé. Warning: With Goldy sharing her recipes...you may want to pull your reading chair up next to the oven.?
--People

?A cross between Mary Higgins Clark and Betty Crocker!?
--The Sun, Baltimore

?You don?t have to be a cook or a mystery fan to love Diane Mott Davidson?s books. But if you?re either--or both--her tempting recipes and elaborate plots add up to a literary feast!?
--The San Diego Union-Tribune



From the Hardcover edition.


Book Description
Her inventive recipe for mixing first-class suspense and five-star fare has made Diane Mott Davidson a favorite of mystery lovers and a mainstay on major bestseller lists across the country. Now she has prepared another irresistibly tempting tale spiced with mystery and mayhem…

For Colorado caterer Goldy Schulz, business isn’t just booming--it’s skyrocketing. Her friend Marla is constantly warning her, “Success can kill you.” But Goldy doesn’t take the warning literally until her next booking: a cocktail party for the Westside Mall’s Elite Shoppers Club.

While setting up, Goldy is nearly run down by a truck with no intention of stopping. Then she finds an old friend in a pile of sale shoes--stabbed with one of Goldy’s new knives. Goldy must catch the real killer between whipping up Sweethearts’ Swedish Meatballs, Quiche Me Quick, and Diamond Lovers’ Hot Crab Dip. Why was the victim carrying a powerful narcotic? Who hired a private investigator shortly before the murder? Goldy’s gourmet instincts tell her the final course in this case will be a real killer.


From the Inside Flap
Her inventive recipe for mixing first-class suspense and five-star fare has made Diane Mott Davidson a favorite of mystery lovers and a mainstay on major bestseller lists across the country. Now she has prepared another irresistibly tempting tale spiced with mystery and mayhem…

For Colorado caterer Goldy Schulz, business isn’t just booming--it’s skyrocketing. Her friend Marla is constantly warning her, “Success can kill you.” But Goldy doesn’t take the warning literally until her next booking: a cocktail party for the Westside Mall’s Elite Shoppers Club.

While setting up, Goldy is nearly run down by a truck with no intention of stopping. Then she finds an old friend in a pile of sale shoes--stabbed with one of Goldy’s new knives. Goldy must catch the real killer between whipping up Sweethearts’ Swedish Meatballs, Quiche Me Quick, and Diamond Lovers’ Hot Crab Dip. Why was the victim carrying a powerful narcotic? Who hired a private investigator shortly before the murder? Goldy’s gourmet instincts tell her the final course in this case will be a real killer.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

New York Times bestselling author Diane Mott Davidson has prepared another irresistibly tempting tale spiced with mystery and mayhem, as caterer-turned-sleuth Goldy Schulz finds herself in hot water when she sets out to catch a killer with a secret recipe for murder.


Chopping Spree

For Colorado caterer Goldy Schulz, business isn’t just booming--it’s skyrocketing. But as her friend Marla is constantly warning her, “Success can kill you.” Goldy knows she needs to slow down before she breaks down, and she vows she’ll do it--right after her next booking: a cocktail party for the Westside Mall’s Elite Shoppers Club.

It’s the event of the shopping season: the Princess Without a Pricetag party for the wealthy shopaholics who drop at least a thousand dollars a week at the mall. Goldy has been hired by charming mall manager Barry Dean to cater the jewel-encrusted affair. But she has hardly begun setting up when she finds herself in the path of a truck that has no intention of stopping until both she and Barry are crushed beneath it. Muddied, bruised, embarrassed, but determined to do her job, Goldy manages to get the party started on time with the help of her trusted assistants Julian Teller and Liz Fury.

But with the outbreak of an ugly marital spat among the guests, the behavior of Barry’s flighty young girlfriend, and Barry’s own strange actions after the truck incident, the event is--by Goldy’s standards--a catastrophe. And it’s about to get worse. When she goes to pick up her check, she finds an old friend lying dead in a pile of sale shoes--stabbed with one of Goldy’snew knives. Hours later, Julian is the prime suspect in the murder.To prove Julian’s innocence, Goldy must catch the real killer. But to do that, she will have to figure out why the victim was carrying a powerful narcotic. And why was a private investigator called in shortly before the murder? Was the killer connected to a mall renovation project--or the eviction of a disgruntled tenant? Or was the villain the odd lover out in a violent love triangle?

Between whipping up Sweethearts’ Swedish Meatballs, Quiche Me Quick, and Diamond Lovers’ Hot Crab Dip, and digging up clues, Goldy knows this is going to be one tough case to crack. And her gourmet sleuth’s instinct tells her that the final course will be a real killer.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal