Killer Pancake [Mass Market Paperback]

Diane Mott Davidson (Author)

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Unknown (1999)
• ASIN: B000X2DO9E
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,828,191 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Diane Mott Davidson is the author of more than ten bestselling mysteries. She lives with her family in Colorado.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A deliciously light mystery!, January 25, 1999

By 

Nancy A. Fox (West Covina, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Killer Pancake (Goldy Culinary Mysteries, Book 5) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the 5th book in the Goldy the caterer series. This time the girlfriend of her beloved assistant and border, Julian Teller, is murdered. Of course Goldy can't stand by and let Julian suffer, so she pokes her nose into things and eventually solves a murder.

Along the way she deals with her best friend's heart attack, her vicious ex-husband, her new husband, a teenage son, demanding clients, the cut throat cosmetic industry, and animal rights activists. All while preparing delicious low fat recipes. Don't read on an empty stomache.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Calling all foodies. Mott Davidson cooks up a real treat!, May 7, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Killer Pancake (Goldy Culinary Mysteries, Book 5) (Mass Market Paperback)

Am I the only food professional who didn't know about these delicious mysteries? In Killer Pancake Mott Davidson's indomitable sleuth, Goldy the Caterer, takes on the cosmetic industry, the lunatic fringe of animal rights activism, and (once again) her menacing ex-husband. And she still has time to operate her demanding business on a daily basis! Actually, that's what I like best about Mott Davidson's mysteries. Goldy has to make time for business; she needs the money. This sleuth is always real. Her business, her family, her love life, and her friendships have ups and downs and ins and outs that seem awfully familiar. Specifically I enjoy the details of her catering business and have learned or been reminded of tons of information about food preparation, storage, and presentation. These books are a veritable archive of food lore. And the recipes--some of which I've tried--are great! I especially enjoyed the recipes from Killer Pancake because they were developed for low fat crowd. Try the Vanilla-Frosted Fudge Cookies. They're yummy. My biggest worry is that Goldy will run out of murders. I mean, Kay Scarpetta has D.C and V.I. Warshawski has Chicago--no end to violent crime there. But shouldn't little Aspen Meadows dry up pretty soon? I guess there's always Denver.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars consult your local toxicologist!, March 30, 2010

By 

Wilhelmina (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Killer Pancake (Goldy Culinary Mysteries, Book 5) (Mass Market Paperback)

Really rate this 3.5 stars - This was a typical Goldy book, light, fluffy and insubstantial, the kind of book you read for escapism, not reality. I like Goldy, as unlikely as her adventures are, and I simply can't believe how helpful and on-the-spot teenage Julian is for her catering business despite the death of his girlfriend - but hey, it's fiction. And as such, it's fun.

However, it is certainly not factual. Take it from a toxicologist. The attempted poisoning at the end was so full of dangerous nonsense I just have to speak up. First of all, coffee is NOT an antidote to the classic hemlock (conium maculatum) of the ancient Greeks. Not even close - there IS NO SPECIFIC ANTIDOTE. And COFFEE IS NOT AN ANTIDOTE TO ANYTHING ELSE, including alcohol. At best coffee might ease some of the sedative symptoms of classic hemlock, but not by much. Also the paralysis described was all wrong, since it would hit the respiratory muscles at the same time as other muscles - if the victim was poisoned enough that he / she couldn't run, he/she certainly couldn't breathe either. But really, this is a moot point - classic hemlock poison is both stinky and INVALIDATED BY COOKING. If is was baked in the muffins, they'd be both nasty-tasting and nontoxic.

There is a possibility that the author is referring to water hemlock (cicuta), a completely different plant from the stuff that killed Socrates. However, water hemlock is EXTREMELY toxic, would cause major seizures (which the victim DIDN'T have) and may kill the victim within minutes. THERE IS NO ANTIDOTE FOR WATER HEMLOCK - only treatment if it is caught in time (not often the case). Water hemlock toxin can also go through the skin, so any poisoners handling it would likely show symptoms themselves before being able to bake the stuff in muffins.

So, as much as I like the Goldy books, once again I find myself pleading that the author at least TRY to get her facts right. This lack of research really bothers me, and mars what is otherwise a highly entertaining series.