Customer Reviews

Murder on the Gravy Train: Library Edition

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

OK, I admit it, I'm a junk food junkie and my dining out usually usually takes me to only the finest four star workaurants. But that doesn't stop me from reading and salivating over every restaurant review I see. The same goes for most of the programs on The Food Network! So naturally, Phyllis Richman's book was written for me and me alone. (OK, you can read it, too!)

To get down to the basic facts, Chas Wheatley is a food critic for a D.C. newspaper who just happens to leave a trail of dead bodies behind her as she eats her way from one four star restaurant to the next. Realizing that something is rotten in the Danish, she sets out to solve the culinary crime capers that are being served up around her.

Ms. Richman is a very witty writer and I enjoyed her bright and gossip-filled style. I also enjoyed all the insider tips on the behind the scene secret going-ons of restaurant operations that she adds to her story telling! And I always thought the stories of the White Castle pickle barrel were an urban myth.

Once you get a taste of this book you'll probably be buying the other books in the series just like I'm doing.

This is the 2nd in the series chronicling the day to day life of the restaurant critic Chas Wheatley. If you've ever been involved in the restaurant business or even if you've eaten at a restaurant this light mystery will keep you reading. The characters are colorful and the plot keeps you smiling and more then often trying to determine what culinary creations one should cook up for dinner!

Someone gave me a copy of this book a few weeks ago, and I finally picked it up -- and thought it was a really fun read. I loved all the references to real restaurants and chefs. The main character is a smart-yet-sensitive professional woman whose interactions with all types of men struck me as honest and believable. I actually think this book would make a great movie!

I very much enjoyed this second Chas Wheatley mystery, which I hope the author will continue as a lengthy series. I liked the new characters and although the murders themselves weren't described in great detail, I think the strategy works in that my desire to read from a foodie's perspective was greater than my desire to read a grisly murder mystery. I am also glad that some of the characters from "The Butter Did It" were reprised. I love the vicarious thrill of seeing the restaurant industry from the inside!

I thoroughly enjoyed Phyllis Richman's first novel 'The Butter Did It' and mistakenly thought that I'd be in for a similar ride with her second effort. Unfortunately, most of this book meanders aimlessly while the crimes that are alluded to happen far from the reader's eyes. Richman spends far too much time describing the social settings surrounding the story. The actual story that is waiting to be told is put somewhere on the back shelf. Murders happen, crimes are committed, and everything gets solved. Yet somehow, the reader has a feeling that he or she is always on the outside of the action. Storylines are interjected for what turns out to be no reason at all. (Whatever happened with the Jamaican suicide?)

The book reads smoothly enough, but to quote an old TV icon, when you're finished, you'll be asking 'Where's the Beef?'

Chas Wheatley is my kind of heroine--savvy, sassy and far from svelte. She's a woman I'd like to know and she lives in a world most of us would love to have access to--good food and great restaurants. If you can't be a restaurant critic yourself, the next best thing is following Chas through her mouthwatering meals and the intriguing mysteries she unravels. Murder on the Gravy Train is both funny and smart--and you can say the same for its heroine.

I really had high expectations from this book after reading The Butter Did It, but this was a huge let down. It was so obvious who the murderer was. How about a little suspense in this suspense novel? I feel cheated out of three hours of my life. Spend your money on a movie instead. It costs less, is shorter and could not be worse.