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Mystery/Thriller Book ReviewsCatering to Nobody by Diane Mott DavidsonBantam, March, 2002Paperback, 301 pages ISBN: 0553584707 Ordering information: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk 
Bestselling mystery author Diane Mott Davidson
has become the gold standard for culinary mysteries, with
her eleventh Goldy Bear mystery slated
for release this June. Bantam recently bought the
paperback rights to the backlist, and has reissued
the first book in the series, Catering to Nobody.
In the series' debut, we meet caterer, divorcee and
single mom Goldy Bear Korman from Colorado. She's
left her abusive wealthy husband (from henceforth
known as The Jerk) and is trying to make it as Aspen
Meadow's first caterer. But her catering business gets
shut down when her father in law, Dr. Fritz Korman,
is poisoned at a wake for her son's teacher that Goldy is catering.
The teacher supposedly committed suicide, but certain things
about the case just don't add up. Events
get more complicated from there on, as Goldy tries
find a murderer, get her catering business opened again,
and avoid being the next victim of a ruthless killer.
The first Goldy mystery is a real gem. With likeable and believable characters, snappy dialogue and delicious recipes sprinkled throughout, it's easy to see why this series became a hit. It's also fun to see a single Goldy flirting with the handsome cop Tom Schulz. This first entry in the delectable series is a must-have for Goldy fans. Death of the Last Villista by Allana MartinSt. Martin's Press, August, 2001Hardcover, 224 pages ISBN: 0312265735 Ordering information: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk 
Trading post owner and sometime amateur sleuth
Allana Jones is up to her cowboy boots in Hollywood,
murder and scandal when a film crew arrives in
Polvo, Texas to make a documentary about
the fortieth anniversary of the release of a famous
film about Pancho Villa. The lead actor in the original
Villa film is now a big tv star, so there is quite a bit of interest
in the original film. On the original film set, a consultant was killed
before filming ended. The consultant was a former Villa follower
named Jacinto Trejo and the circumstances of his murder remain a
mystery to this day. When the documentary crew arrives at Texana's
trading post, things immediately begin to go wrong. An RV is blown up,
and a young boy is missing. When Texana finds out that the missing
boy's mother was the lover of Jacinto Trejo, she
starts to dig into the past to find a murderer
who is very much in the present.
Allana Martin does a marvelous job of bringing to life the stark beauty and simplicity of the area between Mexico and Texas known as La Frontera. Hot, dry and dusty, the area also has little pollution and beautiful sunsets. The pacing is slow and measured, much like life in La Frontera, and the writing is excellent. The mystery and the depiction of Texana's life both make for interesting and entertaining reading. Reunion in Death by J. D. RobbBerkley, March, 2002Paperback, 384 pages ISBN: 0425183971 Ordering information: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk 
In her latest case, New York detective Eve Dallas is pit against
a smart ex-con named Julianna Dunne. Detective Dallas sent Dunne to prison,
but she's out now and up to her old tricks. When
wealthy older men start dying from poison, it's clear
that Dunne is responsible. And what's worse, she's
killing strangers just to get back at Eve for putting
her behind bars.
As Eve works to track down and stop Julianna, she will take a very traumatic trip down memory lane, confronting the terrible demons of her own abusive childhood. But she has the help of her devoted and oh-so-sexy husband Roarke, as well as the friends and co-workers who she tries (without much success) to keep at arm's length. This is classic J.D. Robb: it's tough, gritty and full of heart, with an excellent group of secondary characters. A world away from her books written as Nora Roberts, the futuristic In Death series is edgy and raw... and absolutely addictive. Click Here to Return to the Book Reviews Index ** To visit the archives of mystery books reviewed in The IWJ, please click here. |
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