Ah, the halcyon days of summer in Colorado—nothing like them. One woman wants to have a Stanley Cup party to belatedly recognize the achievements of the Colorado Avalanche hockey team; she’s also bent on getting revenge against caterer Goldy Schulz’s ex-husband, an abusive ob-gyn. Indeed, it’s the grilling season, and it’s the perfect time to find a bruised and beaten body in a ditch. Just ask Goldy; that’s exactly what she’s done. In hope of finding her abusive ex-husband at the home of his new girlfriend, Goldy drives there as this book opens only to find the woman’s body battered and lifeless in the ditch.Goldy’s never felt entirely safe since the divorce, and the thought of a long prison term for her abusive ex has a certain amount of appeal. Despite how it looks, the abusive ex emphatically denies he killed the woman, and Goldy’s teenage son insists that his mom do all she can to clear his dad’s name. Obviously, that flies in the face of everything Goldy would like to see, but she cannot ignore the fervent pleading of her son, and so she sets out to investigate. Her ability to do that is hampered somewhat by the fact that she’s a witness—having found the body and even witnessed the arrest of her ex-husband.This is another well-written book filled with some of the fun and memorable characters with which readers of this series are already familiar and a couple of new ones. This is a book where tempers explode and so does the occasional barbecue grill. And of course, there’s the suspenseful part near the end where Goldy’s life is endangered.I very much enjoyed this book, but I confess I skipped the recipes. Most of what the caterer and amateur sleuth made in this volume just didn’t appeal to me. There aren’t any descriptions of sex in this book—a good thing for those who prefer to use their imagination rather than have things explicitly spelled out for them. There’s a smattering of profanity in here, but it won’t likely leap off the page and kill your enjoyment of the book.
I found this book frustrating and not as enjoyable as the others I have read in this series. Goldy's not very nice ex-husband found an occasion to break into her house and physically assault Goldy again and to make demands for her to help him by investigating a criminal charge filed against him for murder of his current girlfriend. Her son Arch demonstrated that he shares his father's genes by also rudely demanding that Goldy help his father by talking to people and proving him innocent. At first Goldy refused but then proceeded to do exactly that. Even when she was trying to help, Arch was quite obnoxious to her and finally informed her that he was moving out of her house to stay with a friend until after his father's hearing. I was totally disgusted with both father and son. Many of the characters in this book were obnoxious, rude, and unlikeable. I found myself wishing Goldy would tell her ex what she really thought of him and not allow him to treat her so badly again. I also wished she would quit trying to protect her son from the ugly truths about his father and that she would insist Arch stay at home. I also admit that I hoped Goldy would stay out of it and let the police handle it and determine whether the jerk was guilty or not. Look how many things he had gotten away with over the years!
I would give this story 1.5 stars, but I'm rounding up to 2, in big part because I like the narrator for this audiobook. (I've heard her in other audiobooks.)I've read (or listened to) a few other books in this series, and this one irritated me the most. Why? Several characters irritated me more than normal, both new-to-me characters and some recurring ones. Arch was especially grating to me in this story, and I'm wondering if that's normal for 14-year-olds. I'm thinking not, or at least in this case Goldy needed to grow a backbone.Speaking of Goldy, you'd think she'd trust the cops more and NOT be so snoopy when it comes to investigating local crimes that she bumps into, since she's married to an investigating cop. What's going on with that?!
—Lesley
I enjoyed the book very much. It shows a woman escaping an abusive relationship and finding a wonderful relationship with mutual respect. It shows a woman juggling all of the typical challenges in life - and doing them well. It gives you real insights into some of Goldy's thoughts and she is a complex individual - not a saint, but very thoughtful. She deals with an ex-husband, loony clients, an expressive best friend, a wonderful husband, a son who sometimes sides with his dad and she's running a creative catering service on top of everything. It shows the differences between a wonderful man and a total jerk. And it shows how a woman can finally stand up to an abusive creep. It also shows her best friend and her ex-husband's most recent ex - who takes no crap from the jerk - and actually jerks him around for sport. All of that and it makes you laugh.
—Robin Donovan
This is one of those books that takes a while to figure out who's who. As it is book 7 in the series and I haven't read the previous 6 books, I'm sure that my confusion wouldn't be an issue for someone whose read the previous installments. Anyway...Caterer Goldy Schulz spends most of the book (when she isn't investigating Suz Craig's murder) cooking foods that made my mouth water. The mystery here is who killed Suz Craig, Goldy's ex-husband, John Richard Korman's current girlfriend. Goldy's current husband, Tom Schulz is the cop who arrested John Richard. John Richard's second ex-wife, Marla is Goldy's best friend and plays a blabber-mouth role in this one - egging Goldy on with ridiculous suggestions. Boy did I want to tell her to shut up! Of course Goldy would like nothing better to see wife-beater John Richard in prison for the murder but their 14 year old son, Arch begs her to help his father. So she butts in where she isn't wanted and nearly gets herself killed all in the hopes of placating her son. It's kind of a screwy story but it eventually makes sense and is rather enjoyable. I just may have to add this series to my every growing list of must reads.
—Barbara ★
