Murder On The Gravy Train [Paperback]

Phyllis Richman (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Avon Books, Inc. (1999)
• ISBN-10: 0061097837
• ISBN-13: 978-0061097836
• ASIN: B002NISA1S
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,586,914 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Smart and intriguing peek into seemier side of fine dining, July 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Murder on the Gravy Train (Hardcover)

In her second mystery novel, Washington Post food critic Phyllis Richman's story and characters shine and soar. It starts out with a bang and just never lets up. It's a treat to be allowed to peek into the world of a newspaper restaurant critic (a job "to die for" in more ways than one) and go behind the scenes to discover the seemier side of fine dining. Readers who liked "The Butter Did It," will be thrilled with "Murder on the Gravy Train." Those who missed "Butter" should just hop right on the "Gravy Train" for a terrific ride.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars So-so Mystery, and One Truly Disastrous Character, August 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Murder on the Gravy Train (Hardcover)

I've read better, and I've read worse. This book begins in a very appealing way, and I enjoyed the behind-the-scenes stuff about restaurants and newsrooms, but I nearly stopped reading when the character Robert appeared on page 70. He just did not work for me. Richman jumps through preposterous hoops to make him socially acceptable while keeping him driving that taxicab. Moreover, what Chas Wheatley found romantic about him, I found slimy. There is no way I would want to rest my head on that guy's shoulder. I did eventually finish the book, but my pleasure in it increased or diminished depending on whether Robert was on the scene.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 5 stars for insider's tidbits, 3 stars for writing and plot, June 14, 2001

By 

Carol Peterson Hennekens (Colorado Springs, CO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Murder on the Gravy Train (Mass Market Paperback)

The real fun of Phyllis Richman's series about Chas Wheatley is all of the insider tips about the restaurant business. For that alone, this book is worth the time it takes to read. In this book Chas is working on a series of columns about how restaurants manipulate (if not plain cheat) their customers to spend much more money than planned.

The problem with this book stems from this same subject. At times, Richman loses sight of her fiction writing and writes with a lecturer's tone. It's a mixed blessing as the information is often fascinating. Still, it disturbs the pacing of the fictional plot. The plot/mystery in this book is a bit far-fetched but the book is set in Washington D.C. It's being to appear that almost anything can happen there.

Bottom-line: A fun read for anyone who engages in recreational restauranting. Reading of her first book "The Butter Did It" would be helpful but isn't critical.