Customer Reviews

Dying for Chocolate

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Dying for chocolate dives right in with the unexplained death under very odd circumstances of a very special friend of Goldy's after a catered event. Some death threats, some secrets, several anonymous food reviews and the birth certificate of a young man all play into this culinary mystery. This was one of the books by this author that I really enjoyed. The characters have real personalities and reactions you would expect. This story kept me guessing until the end as to who was guilty of murder and why. The ending was truly explosive! The recipes as always never fail to tempt you with such choices as Strawberry Super Pie, Scout's Brownies, New Potato Salad and the Chile Relleno Torta, along with six other possibilities. Can't wait for the next mystery from this author.

I really enjoyed this book, the first I'd read by Davidson. The heroine, Goldie, is a single mom struggling to deal with her own business, her abusive ex, her dead boyfriend,her son, her helper, and her unconventional living situation. But, like any stalwart heroine, she still finds time for chocolate. The plot of the mystery is interesting, but what really sets this book (and the series apart) is Davidson's skill in portraying complex characters, rather than entertaining clue chasers. Goldie is an actual person who when faced with a mystery, can't just drop everything and solve it. She, like all of us, has to deal with work and family first. Congratulations, Ms. Davidson, on writing a smart, funny, compelling series about real people!

Oh yeah, and about the cookies. Exactly how big a batch can you make of lethal layers before it becomes unmanageable? I'm only asking because making them every few days is getting tedious. The books in this series are the only mysteries I own with grease stains.

I love the Goldy Bear series of books. Goldy, the main character is not perfect. A little over weight, a bad marriage behind her, an absent minded mother at times. Some how in her catering business, she seems to always stumble into crime.
Although the mystery in this book seems quite implausible, in particular the method of murder, watching Goldy solve the crime is part of the fun of the book. However the best part of the book is the description of food, and the tantalizing recipes scattered through out the book. I really am going to have to cook one of these dishes sometime soon.
The main storyline involves the death of Goldy's new boyfriend Phillip Miller. His death is called an accident, but Goldy doesn't believe that. Temporarily relocated to a wealthy part of town, and living as an in house cook to a rather eccentric family, Goldy determines to find out who killed Phillip. The only problem is, her real life such as catering parties and dealing with a pre-teen son keep intruding on her crime solving plans.
Entertaining, funny and easy to read, this is a good addition to the series.

This is one of the few mystery books that I have read where I didn't have it figured out who the "guilty" party was. I was so surprised that I dropped the book and lost my place. The plot just moves along with characters that seem like real humans and it was almost like watching a movie in my mind. The interaction of Goldy and Arch is so much like watching my own mother with my youngest brother and her attempt to "get it right, but not smother". Because this book took me only two days to read, I can't wait until I get my hands on the next one. On a side note, the recepies look so good that I am going to have to try a couple. If you are looking for a fun suspense book without too much gore and a real explosive ending than this one is for you.

Ms. Davidson continues her pace with her second Goldy Bear mystery novel. What comes across most plainly in that her characters act like real people, not cardboard figures. As for the mystery, neither I nor my wife had any idea whodunit until she revealed it at the end. And like many others of her readers, we are beginning to try out her recipes--and they are worth the effort as well!

Caterer Goldy Bear is back to solve another mystery. This time she and son Arch are staying with a wealthy general and his wife in order to avoid her ex-husband who is harrassing her at every turn. She serves as a live-in cook, while Arch attends summer school at an exclusive academy which is nearby. She is dating two men, Tom Schultz, a police investigator, and Philip Miller who is a psychiatrist. One night she is following Philip on a drive back to his house when his car apparently goes out of control on the mountain road and he is killed. Goldy will not rest until she finds out who is behind Philip's death. Later on there is another complication when a dead body shows up in a swimming pool. Author Davidson further develops characters which she created in her debut novel, "Catering to Nobody", and weaves delicious recipes throughout this intriguing mystery.

Again good old Goldy leaps from the"pot" into the "frying pan".

In an attempt to ease her fears of her !#@*&$!!@ ex-husband's threats and harrassment Goldy decides to take a summer job as live-in cook at a private estate in the elite area of the Aspen Meadows Country Club. During this time she is having a security system installed in her home in order to forestall any entry efforts by "the Jerk".

Naturally, wherever Goldy goes, a murder is sure to be on the menu.

Arch suffering through puberty. Car accident or murder? Too many suspects to count (at least not Goldy this time). Her catering business still being threatened. Can she commit to Tom yet . . . or not! Menus/recipes which will require a napkin to contain the readers drool. (honestly, I doubt anyone could read one of Diane's books and hold to a diet.) Again, all the ingredients of a very tasty and suspenseful mystery.

Dying for Chocolate is based in Evergreen Co. Most of the story takes place in a high class neiborhood in the middle of the summer. The main character is local caterer Goldy Bear. She has a curious investigative personality, for searching for the truth. The story begins with a gruesome murder. The victim was a close friend of Goldy's and one she cared for. Goldy is determined to find the killer. As the story unravels she gets pulled more and more into the case. She ends up doing some things that could her and her beloved son killed. This is a great suspense story, some of the parts I couldn't stop reading and put the book down. The reason I said "Some parts" was because the middle got really dull and I had to push myself to finish. This is also the reason I took 2 points of the rating. Otherwise I loved the book recomened this book to almost everybody. I have to say the thing I liked most was that Davidson's books are so real. All of her story events are things that could happen in real life.

I am on my third Davidson book now. I enjoy the cooking, the mystery, and all the characters EXCEPT the main character. Strange to enjoy a book and dislike the main character intensely. Goldie Bear is irritating. She is rather stupid at times. She smothers her kid and is clueless how to deal with him despite the fact that he begs her to behave a certain way and give him some room. All parents should be so lucky as to have their kid spell it out clearly. Goldie just ignores his wishes and embarrasses them both repeatedly.

This book's major stupidity is her birdwatching adventure. She can't just blend in and keep her mouth shut, she has to complain constantly, draw attention to herself by screaming bloody murder over some voles, and whining continually for lunch. This is Goldie at her most unlikable. But she can be worse.

I'm never really sorry when she gets knocked around in every book. I'd like to knock her upside the head myself. But when she starts cooking or talking about food she turns into a different person. Then she can be interesting and even a little charming. Too bad she has to leave the kitchen. Fortunately the other characters, Arch, Tom, Julian, Marla are interesting and likable so they give you relief from Goldie when she turns thick as a brick. They'd probably like to thump her too.

Thirty-one-year-old Goldy Bear always believed that life would just fall into place after marrying the handsome and successful doctor, John Richard Korman; together producing an adorable son named Archibald "Arch." However, after seven years of physical and verbal abuse, Goldy knew that it was time to make other arrangements, and established herself throughout the beautiful Aspen Meadows, Colorado as the premier - and only - caterer within a twenty-mile radius. Goldilocks' Catering instantly flourishes, and Goldy is bombarded with requests for her decadent dishes. Of course, even her booming business doesn't deter the crazed John Richard from tormenting her. Which is why, as summer creeps up on Colorado, Goldy accepts a job as the live-in cook for a wealthy couple in the ritzy Aspen Meadow Country Club. Packing up her eleven-year-old brainiac - and oft-times off-the-wall - son, Arch; the mother-son team arrive at the home of General Bo and Adele Farquhar, and instantly settle in. Goldy is ecstatic to have the opportunity to work in such a lavish kitchen - catering dozens of delicious dinners, and society picnics that would make any simpleton's jaw drop - and Arch is thrilled to have 24/7 access to an Olympic-sized, heated pool, where he can practice his "Houdini" acts with a little help from the Farquhar's live-in sullen teenager, Julian. The fact that Goldy is being pursued by two illustrious Aspen Meadows bachelors - the handsome shrink, Philip Miller, and Tom Schulz, a neighborhood cop with an agenda - only makes Goldy even more thrilled at the new prospects and opportunities floating her way. However, when the delish doctor drives his gorgeous BMW directly into an oncoming bus, Goldy's good luck promptly comes crashing down. Being treated as an accident by the police, Goldy can't accept Philip's death as being anything more than fishy. After all, she's convinced that no person in their right mind would intentionally drive their car into a bus, and, seeing as how she spoke to Philip right before his bizarre death, she knows that something sinister is behind this recent occurrence. Determined to dish up a healthy helping of truth, Goldy puts down her spatula, and begins sifting through the oft-times mysterious life of the dishy doctor. But fingering the killer isn't the only thing on Goldy's mind. Hateful, scathing reviews of some of her most divine dishes have been appearing in the pages of the Mountain Journal, and Goldy is determined to find the culprit behind these opinionated pieces, before she begins losing business, and her only source of income goes straight down the tubes. Now, with two cases on her mind, Goldy is beginning to realize that the closer she gets to pinpointing the killer, the more danger Goldy puts herself, and her son, into. And, if she doesn't execute a little more caution, she may just find herself the victim of a little more bad press - in the obituaries section.

I read CATERING TO NOBODY a few years ago, before the Food Network became a part of my daily routine. At the time, being uninterested in culinary cuisine, I was left dissatisfied. However, over the last few months, I have become obsessed with all things culinary, and, as I searched for some new culinary mysteries to sink my teeth into, I decided to delve back into the world of Goldy Bear, within the pages of DYING FOR CHOCOLATE - I was not disappointed. Unlike many other culinary mystery authors, Diane Mott Davidson sets herself apart by placing the reader smack dab in the middle of the kitchen with our golden protagonist - giving us the opportunity to learn more about food preparation, and the amount of time, effort, and love that goes into creating a great meal. Goldy's sarcastic, quick-talking personality is delightful; while her relationship with her on-the-brink-of-teenagedom son, Arch, is enjoyable to learn more about. Arch is, surprisingly, an enchanting character himself. His knowledge of various obscure topics - from magic tricks to cars - is enjoyable; while his ability to quickly absorb information on a variety of subjects - like French - is a nice surprise. His character truly adds a different dimension to the story, without overshadowing the mystery, or Goldy's relationships with various other characters. Readers will enjoy the addition of the sullen Julian to the story, as he presents a slight confusion to the tale that leaves you wondering whether he's a "bad guy" or a "good guy"; while the ritzy environment Goldy and Arch are currently inhabiting give you the chance to see how the other half lives. While the mystery isn't extremely prevalent throughout the pages of DYING FOR CHOCOLATE, Davidson manages to make it interesting enough, creating the proper amount of twists and turns that ultimately leave the reader trying to figure out whodunit. Goldy Bear is as sweet - and addicting - as honey!

Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer