Rating: 
Summary: High tea has again been served.
Review: I always find it fun to read on Amazon.com what others have to say about the books I like to read. Interesting and quite valid points usually get made somewhere in the process. ... If there was ever a professional victim, Scarpetta is it. And what teen-ager has never acted at one point like a brat? At least Arch has the potential of growing out of it. Some teens never do. And as I recall Ramses Emerson in Elizabeth Peters' Peabody series is a rather precocious fellow. In comparion to other mysteries (Dr. Gidion Fell, for instance) Davidson's is rather lite reading. Read it for fun like I do. It is considerably better than Tamar Myers Pennsylvania Dutch series. Magdalena Yoder is totally off base to begin with. She makes Goldy look only slightly neurotic. I enjoyed this novel. Like her other novels in this series you have to read this one every day until you finish it in order to keep the train of thought. As long as you do that you will do well with it. Davidson hasn't quite noticeably slipped yet.
Rating: 
Summary: More great recipes and a great story to boot
Review: I am a fairly new reader of Diane Mott Davidson's books and found this to be a quick and enjoyable read. I am always amazed at the trouble Goldy seems to get herself into and just when you think nothing else could happen to her, something else usually does! More delicious recipes to try in this book as well. Highly recommended read!!
Rating: 
Summary: REALLY, REALLY BAD!
Review: I am not a "professional" reviewer, but I could not agree more with the generalizations about this book. It was simply horrendous. I have read all of Diane Mott Davidson's amusing and charming mysteries. This one must have been penned by someone else. There is not one redeeming quality. To attempt to summarize the plot would be futile because there is very little plot, no character development, no likeable characters and few, if any, surprises. Don't waste your time nor your money on this. Even the recipes are not as appealing as past offerings. Definitely read at your own risk!
Rating:
Summary: Almost a perfect hit
Review: I enjoy Davidson's writing style -- no gratuitous sex, no grisly descriptions of violence, no bad language. It may be too clean for jaded city folks. I enjoyed this particular book very much, and I always look forward to her next one. Her recipes are always excellent -- I've made many of them. The architectural descriptions of castle life in this one were somewhat sketchy, but interesting.
Rating:
Summary: Almost a perfect hit
Review: I enjoy Davidson's writing style -- no gratuitous sex, no grisly descriptions of violence, no bad language. It may be too clean for jaded city folks. I enjoyed this particular book very much, and I always look forward to her next one. Her recipes are always excellent -- I've made many of them. The architectural descriptions of castle life in this one were somewhat sketchy, but interesting.
Rating: 
Summary: What's with the Arch-bashing?
Review: I find Goldy's son Arch to be a very likeable character-haven't any of you parented a fourteen year old boy? For someone who has a father who was abusive to his mother and whom he must visit in prison, Arch seems to be a relatively well adjusted, likeable kid. He wants Goldy's approval, and he clearly cares deeply about her (no matter what his father says to him), especially as she is often too busy for him. It is Julian who is just too good to be true-he's this amazing gourmet vegetarian chef who inherits a Land Rover and just drops everything to help out in the kitchen. I agree with some of the other reviewers that we need less of Marla and The Jerk, however. I like Tom, too, and I think he handled Goldy's jealousy and suspicion excellently in this book. But please, give poor Arch a break, people!
Rating: 
Summary: Not her best
Review: I have been a fan of Davidson's since the beginning, awaiting each book as it was published, and I was eagerly watching for this one. What a disappointment. The book seemed to start in mid-stream. In the first 30 pages, Goldy is shot at twice - it is very unbelieveable. I agree with the other review that she didn't seem to tie things together well at all. I knew the history of Goldy and ex, etc., and I still found it very hard to follow. I find it hard to believe that Goldy has that many enemies - she is only a caterer!
Rating:
Summary: This is the best one of all . . .
Review: I just discovered this author last year so her last 9 or so novels are very fresh in my mind. This one is the best (the others were wonderful too). The beginning is so fast paced that I couldn't put the book down. I discovered this author on a web site for mystery books called stopyourekillingme.com which organizes authors, titles and sleuths by job, historical time period, location, and other characteristics and then when you find a book you'd like to read, it links you directly to its Amazon.com page. Since I love Jerrilyn Farmer's Madeline Bean (she's a caterer, too) mysteries, that job category led me to Diane Mott Davidson. Who'd have thought food service professions could be so exciting.
Rating:
Summary: Great as Usual
Review: I just finished reading this book and it was wonderful. It was very hard to put down and it had a wonderful ending. Goldy gets herself in all kinds of trouble as usual. The recipes were wonderful. This book was one of her best.
Rating:
Summary: Stick with this one, but just for the recipes!
Review: I just finished this book and while it was a major improvement over "Tough Cookie", which seemed like it was cranked out in about two weeks with NO plot development, this recent effort was a bit stale. The setting was interesting until you recall that "Death by Chocolate" took place in a similarly bizarre setting -- the home of an eccentric ex-general. Goldy is once again "rescued" by some amazingly indulgent clients ("Come move in with us and bring your entire extended family!".) I think that rather than retiring Goldy, as a reviewer suggested, she needs a change of venue. She needs to live and work in a place where her beloved friend Marla doesn't show up at every event brandishing her wealth like a shield and where the Jerk can't exert his strangely effective influence on the weak and whiny Arch. Now THERE'S an annoying character -- emotionally he's about 6 in every book. I think that having Julien show up (as he always does in a crisis) is getting to be a very tired plot device. Maybe the next book should have him scamming Goldy or murdering The Jerk, just to break out of the mold. Unlike other reviewers, I thought the recipes were great and will definitely try a few. And however negative this review may read, I AM a great fan of DMD and of this series. However, she needs to grow her characters a bit -- and she needs a new nemesis. The Jerk is getting implausible and sounds more and more like a mental patient in every book. Come to think of it, there's a good way to get rid of him!
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