Hard Evidence (Cat Marsala) (Paperback)

by Barbara D'Amato (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
A marvelously grisly premise kicks off D'Amato's (Hard Bargain, etc.) new mystery featuring Chicago food writer Cat Marsala: Cat finds that the soup bone she purchased earlier from Spencer and Angelotti, a pricey food emporium, is actually part of a human leg. Was someone butchered and disposed of in Chicago's most upscale meat department? Of course. But who? And why? In order to find out, Cat, with the blessing of her good friend Chief of Detectives Harold McCoo (a gourmet in his own right), goes undercover at Spencer and Angelotti as a catering consultant. She casually interviews some elite customers of the trendy catering department and finds that its manager was revered as a creative chef dedicated to meticulous service. But he has been missing for several days. Is he the victim? Is his wife's reputed lover, the store's head baker, guilty? Or is the killer a disgruntled customer, or one or more of the seemingly benign yet hostile vegetarians who are constantly picketing the store? A vivid supporting cast, sprightly yet controlled wit and some fine cooking advice (watch for too many red herrings) combine to make for another delightful mystery from the ever-reliable author. (May) FYI: D'Amato has just been elected president of the Mystery Writers of America.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal
YA-Journalist Cat Marsala and her significant other, Dr. Sam Davidian, have settled down to a quiet evening at home when Sam observes that the bone a friend's dog is chewing on was recently a major part of some human's anatomy. Working with her longtime friend, Chief of Detectives Harold McCoo, Cat becomes a kind of undercover agent for the police by taking on a job at the grocery store where the bone was purchased. After subtly interviewing the store's staff and clients, she figures out how the victim was murdered, why he was dismembered, and the techniques used for disposal of his parts. Determining who the victim was proves to be a more difficult problem, but is ultimately solved. The straightforward plot offers lots of talk about food, humor in the form of comments and jokes, and a macabre touch. D'Amato flavors the story with interesting characters and a dash of romance. A light read, told by a skillful storyteller.
Pam Johnson, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 255 pages
• Publisher: Berkley; Reprint edition (March 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425174123
• ISBN-13: 978-0425174128
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,853,866 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 8 in The Cat Marsala Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a spicy bouillabaisse, January 5, 2001

By	"donatdeux" (maine) - See all my reviews

This review is from: HARD EVIDENCE: A CAT MARSALA MYSTERY (Cat Marsala Mysteries) (Hardcover)

one part essay on food and food customs(including menus, recipes and a glimpse at meat processing), one part lesson in anatomy and one part introduction to embalmimg all simmered in a classic whodunit base.authoritative and entertaining narration and steady pacing.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting subject but characters need more "life", July 23, 2000

By	"mary1anne2" (Silver Spring, MD USA) - See all my reviews

There were lots of things that interested me about this book--reading about the gourmet food industry, what it must be like catering to the rich and famous etc. But I did not come away from this book caring about any of the main characters--Cat Marala, the heroine, her boyfriend doctor Sam, her coworkers etc. The only one that came off believable was the italian co-owner Angelotti--you could feel his pain as news of the human bones found in the soupbones closed down the business. I enjoyed "listening" to the woman in the store lecture on the uses of olive oil and the details of how precise and prepared you need to be to be a top notch caterer. Maybe this wasnt her best book, I may try again....

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gourmet Grocery Bag w/Artistic Ooze of Burgundy & Cheese, September 6, 2005

By	Linda G. Shelnutt "Author" (Hotchkiss, CO USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Loved the leisurely beginning of an evening over dinner, the entertaining pet conflict, and the way it slipped easily into an engrossing situation of a human bone disrupting the peace.

I was drawn in wanting to know how the problems with the public exposure situation would evolve, and how the conundrum would be concluded of the grocery owners trying to cooperate with the murder investigation yet remain solvent. The reader wants such an enterprising, awesome gourmet grocery to be able to stay in business.

This is a special series in the sense that it has the ingredients of great mysteries worked by Cat Marsala, an investigative journalist, and her trauma surgeon boyfriend, Dr. Sam Dividian, who wants to be married to Cat, but she's dragging her independent woman's high heels. In some unusually intriguing ways, Cat tests Sam's ability to treat her as an equal, and his responses don't disappoint.

This is a winner series on which I've posted a Listmania, hoping to stimulate interest in the earlier books, some of which are (VERY wrongly and unfortunately) out of print and don't have cover graphics presented on Amazon. I was happy to see that the cover art is viewable on Ms. D'Amato's web site:

http://www.barbaradamato.com/books.html

Each of the Cat novels use her investigative journalism well in presenting interesting insider tidbits into various subcultures which relate to the case/theme at hand.

In this book, the gourmet grocery daily routine work machinations are to drool for, and the contrast to insider forensic and funereal dealings with vacated bodies is definitely an effective relief from one to the other. How ironically appropriate (and fascinating) for a culinary mystery to dig into the dirt and jewels of two industries so uncomfortably on opposite ends of the stomach workings continuum.

If I could use a magic wand to surge a new lease of life force into this series I would be happy to do so. It deserves to remain on the shelves for at least a few more decades.

Likely Barbara was at the Bouchercon (World Mystery Writers Conference) in Chicago this past weekend. Possibly she made some contacts which will renew a publisher's commitment to this series. I hope so.

Linda G. Shelnutt