Prime Cut (Goldy Culinary Mysteries, Book 8) [Print] [Mass Market Paperback]

Diane Mott Davidson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 29, 2000

A caterer's nightmare...

Caterer Goldy Schulz is convinced things couldn't get worse. An unscrupulous rival is driving her out of business. An incompetent contractor has left her precious kitchen in shambles. And she has just agreed to cater a fashion shoot at a nineteenth-century mountain cabin with her mentor and old friend, French chef André Hibbard.

A dash of cold-blooded murder...

Together Goldy and André struggle in a hopelessly outdated kitchen to cater to a vacuous crowd of beautiful people whose personal dramas climax when a camera is pitched through a window...into the buffet. Then Goldy's contractor is found hanging in the house of one of her best friends. A second murder follows and Goldy must somehow solve a mystery and prepare for a society soirée that could make--or break--her career.

A recipe for disaster...

It's a mystery that involves the dead contractor's unwholesome past, a food saboteur, the theft of four historical cookbooks, and an overzealous D.A. who has suspended Goldy's detective husband, Tom, from the force. What Goldy discovers is the perfect recipe for murder. And she may be dessert!

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

You could die from reading one of Diane Mott Davidson's culinary mysteries: this one includes recipes for Jailbreak Potatoes (butter, whipping cream, freshly grated Parmesan cheese) and Labor Day Flourless Chocolate Cake with Berries, Melba Sauce, and White Chocolate Cream (butter, chocolate, eggs, sugar, whipping cream). So you might want to take both the recipes and Davidson's pinball machine-like plots in small bites. This time, caterer Goldy Schulz careens between the worlds of contracting and high fashion models, with bodies from both camps falling into the food. It's all in fun, and readers have been lapping up Davidson's merry mélanges with increasing appetite. Catering to Nobody, The Cereal Murders, Dying for Chocolate, The Grilling Season, Killer Pancake, and The Main Corpse are available on the paperback menu. --Dick Adler --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

In the markedly lighthearted eighth outing (after The Grilling Season, 1997), Aspen Meadows, Colo., caterer Goldy Schulz is ousted from her kitchen. Bilked, like many other residents, by local contractor Gerald Eliot, her workplace in a shambles, she agrees to help her old teacher, Chef Andre, as he caters a Christmas catalogue fashion shoot. On the way home from the acrimonious set, she stops by to visit her friend Cameron Burr, whose house has also been ravaged by Eliot. Searching for a coffee pot, she discovers Eliot's dead body. At the scene, the police find one of four cookbooks that had been stolen from the museum where Eliot was a part-time guard. Goldy's husband, Tom (a cop), has a confrontation with his rude and politically ambitious boss and is suspended from the force while charges of insubordination are investigated. Compounding Goldy's problems is an aggressive new local caterer who seems bent on stealing Goldy's clients. When Andre is killed, Goldy slips into her super-detective mode to find out who murdered two such disparate victims and why the antique cookbooks were stolen. Despite the accumulation of bad news, Goldy retains her optimism. Davidson laces her frothy tale with 11 calories-be-damned recipes likely to keep readers satisfied on the gustatory front as well as the narrative one. Simultaneous BDD audio; author tour.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (February 29, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553574671
• ISBN-13: 978-0553574678
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1.1 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #97,497 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

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More Goldy, please, July 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Prime Cut (Hardcover)

I am a huge fan of Davidson's culinary mysteries. I waited very impatiently for the release of Prime Cut and wasn't disappointed. The characters are like old friends, and, of course, "the jerk" can't be left out. People like him never go away. What a delight that Julian is back! Goldy is a fun, believable character who displays a tremendous amount of strength. Her recipes are mouth-watering. Goldy's enthisiasm for food is contagious--makes me want to jump up and start cooking! Her books are best read with a cup of espresso on the side. I have been looking for her next adventure since October--can't wait! When will the next book be available, and what is the delicious title?

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Promising, August 17, 2000

By 

Helen - See all my reviews

This review is from: Prime Cut (Goldy Culinary Mysteries, Book 8) (Mass Market Paperback)

This was my first read of any part of this series. I found the main characters warm and engaging and this alone will ensure that I locate and read the rest of this series.

The plotting however was loose and confusing and the motivation of the "bad guys" equally unclear. Nevertheless, it was an interesting and fun read.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another delicious visit to Aspen Meadow, Colorado!, February 10, 1999

By 

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

This review is from: Prime Cut (Hardcover)

Goldy the Caterer is back in another fun mystery by Diane Mott Davidson. Goldy becomes embroiled in yet another mystery in her town of Aspen Meadow, CO., when she discovers the dead body of the unscrupulous contractor that had made a mess of her kitchen. She decides she has to solve the mystery when a dear friend of hers is arrested for the murder and her teacher is found dead under suspicious circumstances.

One of the main ingredients in this series is the rich background involving Goldy's friends and family. We get to catch up with best friend Marla, husband Tom, and son Arch. This book also features the welcome return of border and vegetarian chef in training, Julian Teller. We also discover how Goldy's ex husband (the Jerk) can still make life difficult for Goldy, even when he's in jail.

A fast and fun read. Speaking as a museum worker and volunteer, my one complaint is that the folks involved at the local history museum are just a little too mellow, and relaxed about what happens at the museum. As always, I enjoyed my latest visit to Goldy's kitchen.