Crunch Time: A Novel of Suspense (Goldy Schulz)

Crunch Time:  A Novel of Suspense

By: Diane Mott Davidson

List Price $26.99

Hardcover: 480 pages

Publisher: William Morrow; First Edition edition (April 5, 2011)

Language: English

Product Description: Caterer and sleuth extraordinaire Goldy Schulz returns in another tasty and suspenseful adventure from New York Times bestselling author Diane Mott Davidson


Colorado caterer Goldy Schulz cooks up big trouble as she tries to help her longtime friend and fellow chef Yolanda Garcia. When the rental house shared by Yolanda and her irrepressible aunt Ferdinanda is destroyed by arson, the pair move in with cop-turned-PI Ernest McLeod. But then Ernest is shot dead and his house is set on fire, nearly killing Goldy, Yolanda, Ferdinanda, and nine beagle puppies that Ernest had recently rescued from a puppy mill.


Concerned for her friends, Goldy invites them to stay with her while the sheriff’s department investigates. Yet even Goldy’s house isn’t safe, and after a failed break-in by an unknown intruder a cop is sent to keep an eye on things. Then a second body is found.


Swapping her chef’s hat for a sleuthing cap, the intrepid Goldy steps up the investigation. But she’s got to move fast. It’s crunch time to close in on a killer, before he can close in on her.


Filled with danger as well as laughs, wonderful food, and scrumptious recipes, Crunch Time is a delicious indulgence sure to satisfy all of Goldy’s fans.

My take:  Let me preface this review by telling you I own and have read every single Goldy Schulz mystery.  This series just may be my all time favorite series, and I have quite a few that I follow (as my overflowing book shelves can attest to...thank goodness we've moved closer to a public library).  Arch, Tom, Julian, Goldy and Marla remain as constant as the sun and I feel like they are all a part of my very own family.  And the recipes - oh, the recipes - I have used so many of them to rave reviews (I dare you NOT to try her Monster Cinnamon Rolls - swoon! - I was making those during tax season 1996!).  That said, I have to say Crunch Time is NOT my favorite of the series.  Why?  The plot was crazy (and unnecessarily) convoluted.  There were so many extra characters and so many twists and turns I felt like I had to take notes to keep track of what was going on.  Goldy seemed much more "in your face" in this book too - her investigating techniques seemed quite out of character for her (completely unrelated but equally annoying was the myriad of spelling errors that were in my proof copy of the novel - I sure hope editing caught them all before the book was published).  All in all, if you've never read a Goldy Schulz novel, I recommend you skip this one and read any one of the rest.  Hopefully Ms. Davidson's next Goldy Schulz adventure will return to her prior successful Goldy formula and "Goldilocks Catering, Where Everything is Just Right" will return with more delicious recipes and an even better story.

This review was sponsored by Amazon Vine™ who provided the book for review. I was not compensated in any way except for the complimentary book.

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