Crunch Time by Diane Mott Davidson

Crunch Time
by Diane Mott Davidson

I have devoured each new installment of the Goldy Culinary Mysteries with abandon, ever since I was given a copy of Dying for Chocolate, the second book in the series.  Goldy is a caterer with a strong sense of curiosity and an innate ability to wheedle information out of people.  She owns and runs “Goldilocks Catering” (where everything is just right!) 

(Warning – these books may make you hungry.  The books are also filled with descriptions of delicious foods and recipes for many of the dishes that Goldy cooks as a caterer and for her family.  I’ve made one or two of the recipes and they came out just as good as they sounded.)

Goldy is a caterer but she just can’t resist asking questions when her friends are in trouble.  This time her friend and fellow chef, Yolanda Garcia, has had two residences burned down and her most recent employer, private investigator Ernest McLeod, was murdered.  As Goldy looks into Ernest’s open cases and Yolanda’s abusive ex-boyfriend, things get dangerous, but funny too with Yolanda’s cantankerous Aunt Ferdinanda.  Goldy will save the day in the end, but not without some bumps and bruises of her own. 

Goldy seems to me to be getting more and more cavalier about what she does that is outside the law.  I would love to see the author have her do something that puts herself in a compromising position which truly tests her relationship with her cop husband, where they could come out the stronger for it but have Goldy be a bit more cautious in the future.  I think it would be good for her growth as a character.

Crunch Time is subtitled a novel of suspense, instead of being numbered 14 in the Culinary Mysteries, as all the other books have been.  I have a suspicion that the publishers, the William Morrow imprint from HarperCollins, were hoping to make this novel a break out by asking for more from the author and not referring to it as part of the series.  Unfortunately, this really didn’t work.  The book is a bit longer than the others, but it feels that way.  Additional material that could have been cut was included and it makes the novel drag a bit toward the end.  I don’t know if her sales were beginning to slip a bit or the publishers just thought she could reach a wider audience but, to my mind, it’s better to be really great at what you are than try to be something you are not. 

Over all, I enjoyed this novel, just not quite as much as the earlier books in the series.  If you’ve never read one, I recommend, starting earlier in the series and working your way up.

The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree

The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree

By Susan Wittig Albert

Step back in time, with a quiet and genteel summer mystery.

If there’s one thing that Susan Wittig Albert means to me, it’s a relaxing, cozy story, even when someone dies.  I’ve enjoyed her China Bayles’ herbal mysteries set in Texas and her sweet series, The Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter, so I had little doubt this one would be anything but an intriguing and relaxing read for summer vacation.

The Darling Dahlias are a garden club who come together in Darling, Alabama to garden and, apparently, to solve mysteries that involve the citizens of their town.  It’s May of 1930.  The Dahlias vote to reduce the dues for the club from 25 cents a month to 15 cents, in order to increase their membership.  They’re largely a mature group of women from different walks of life, some secretaries and some wives, a bank teller, a librarian and business owners.  There’s  even switchboard operators on a telephone party line – a handy way to come by some information.

But, just what is a cucumber tree?  “It’s such a big tree, and so pretty when it blooms, that it’s earned quite a reputation.  People driving or walking down Camellia Street always stop to admire it, especially at this time of year.  It’s in full bloom just now and covered with beautiful creamy blossoms as big as dessert plates, some of them.  The flowers produce little red fruits that look like baby red cucumbers.”

The Darling Dahlias have just inherited a beautiful old home, with gardens that include two huge cucumber trees, from a former member, along with a mystery and ghost.  Someone has been digging in the garden at night, but why?  The story goes that the ghost is Cornelia Cartwright but that’s where versions diverge.  The public tale is that the ghost is looking for the family treasure, which was hidden to keep it from the Union soldiers.  Another tale, told in the kitchens, is that she is looking for a baby that did not survive from an illicit love affair during the war.

But there is more than a ghost running around in the night.  An escaped convict is on the loose.  A beautiful young woman is found in a staged car wreck, though it is determined she was shot.  Adding to the tension is rumors that the bank may fail and when a Dahlia friend is accused of having embezzled money from the bank in her job as a teller, the Dahlia’s start asking questions.  Who is behind all of this and is it related?   One question leads to another until the ladies have solved the many mysteries in Darling, Alabama.

With another book (The Darling Dahlias and the Naked Ladies) already added to the series and another one coming out in September 2012 (The Darling Dahlias and the Confederate Rose) it should keep people who enjoy a good cozy mystery series reading for a little while.