This is book nº 3 in the Goldy bear series. I read it almost 2 weeks ago and now I'm sure what to write about anymore. Not a good sign!Thanks to her recent adventures in Dying for Chocolate, Goldy Bear, the premier caterer of Aspen Meadow, Colorado, is no stranger to violence--or sudden death. But when she agrees to cater the first College Advisory Dinner for Seniors and Parents at the exclusive Elk Park Preparatory School, the last thing she expects to find at the end of the evening is the battered body of the school valedictorian.Who could have killed Keith Andrews, and why? Goldy's hungry for some answers--and not just because she found the corpse. Her young son, Arch, a student at Elk Park Prep, has become a target for some not-so-funny pranks, while her eighteen-year-old live-in helper, Julian, has become a prime suspect in the Andrews boy's murder.As her investigation intensifies, Goldy's anxiety level rises faster than homemade doughnuts. . .as she turns up evidence that suggests that Keith knew more than enough to blow the lid off some very unscholarly secrets. And then, as her search rattles one skeleton too many, Goldy learns a crucial fact: a little knowledge about a killer can be a deadly thing. It was a somewhat confusing book, only in the end do we realise why are people being murdered and it is set almost in it's entirety in a school. I don't know much about the american reality of finishing high school and going to college so I never could relate to that world. And all those parents obsessed with which college their teenagers are going to attend sounded a bit too much.Neither Arch nor Goldy's ex-husband have a prominent role in this book like they had in the previous ones. And her boyfriend Schulz really seems to be here more to support her than investigate the case. Not as good as the previous ones I'm afraid but I already have the next one in the TBR pile so I'll wait to see how that one goes before deciding wether to continue with the series or not.A C.
This is the first Diane Mott Davidson novel I ever read. It’s not a bad story, far from the worst I’ve read, nowhere near the best.Since this is mid-pack in the series, some things mentioned in the book alluded to events in earlier entries although I didn’t have the disconnected feel I’ve had with other authors when reading a later book in their series before I’ve read the ones that have gone before.There are quite a few characters who are so stereotypical, they are almost caricatures: High school kids obsessed with getting into the ‘right’ college. Parents living vicariously through their children while doing everything possible to skew things in their child’s favor. Pompous but ineffective prep school headmaster with his head in the clouds.Recipes were included throughout the book but often stuck in the middle of a chapter, interrupting up the flow of the scene, instead of at the end or beginning of a chapter.I never figured out how the title, The Cereal Murders, tied into the story. Usually a title has some correlation to the story or is referenced somehow in it. This one seemed totally random.Would I read more in this series? Yes, if they come my way.Will I hunt for them and read them all in sequence? No.
What do You think about The Cereal Murders (2010)?
*4.8 Stars* Scorecard: (Out of 10)* Quality of Writing - 9* Pace - 10* Plot development - 9* Characters - 10* Enjoyability - 10* Insightfulness - 10* Ease of Reading - 9* Photos/Illustrations - NAFinal Score: 67/70 = 96%Review of Catering to Nobody: Book OneReview of Dying for Chocolate: Book Two *The Gush* Another great addition to the series and I’m pleased to see Julian seems to have become a permanent character, at least for now.Goldy’s lawyer has finally made the Jerk pay for something, in
—S. J.
Definitely a cozy mystery, this book is well written. Goldy Bear is a Denver area caterer who is a single mother making her way in the world after recovering from her abusive ex-husband. Along with her 12 year old son Arch she also has high school senior Julian living with her, he being interested in food service and catering. The boys attend a snooty prep school. Julian is the salutatorian and when the valedictorian is found murdered, and Goldy finds his body, the unsavory world of ambitious students and parents is uncovered. I listened to this audiobook and found it easy to follow the story. Goldy is a sympathetic main character and Diane Mott Davidson does a good job with the narrative.
—Peggy
When Denver caterer Goldy Bear takes on a catering job at her son's school she has no idea whats in store for her. It comes as a surprise to discover how worried the Seniors at Elk Park Prep School are about their grade point averages. Its an even bigger surprise to discover the extremes some of the parents are going to in order to get their offspring into ivy league schools. The evening came to a disruptive end when several parents got into arguments with each other. Unfortunately the parental spats weren't the worse part of the evening. As Goldy was taking out the trash, she literally stumbled into the body of the class valedictorian. Goldy decides to do some investigating on her own after she happens on to the body of a murdered teacher during another catering job at the school. She soon discovers that not only are spats breaking out among the parents but some have been bribing teachers and college admissions representatives.To further complicate matters, someone is playing dangerous pranks on her family. At first its difficult to pin point the target of these pranks. It could be Goldy herself, her son (a 7th-grader at the school) or her catering helper / live-in student (and a senior) at the school. This light, enjoyable mystery is topped off with the recipes for the foods that play a major role in the story.
—Genie
