Publisher's Weekly Review
In bestseller Davidson's beguiling 17th mystery featuring Aspen Meadow, Colo., caterer Goldy Schulz (after 2011's Crunch Time), Goldy fears that the death of her friend Holly Ingleby immediately following a birthday party she catered was caused by something Holly ate. When Holly-who was part of the unofficial group of emotionally and often physically battered wives that Goldy and mutual friend Marla Korman belonged to-turns out to have died from a medication overdose, the caterer knows she owes it to Holly to investigate. Digging into her friend's past, particularly through the reams of notes Goldy took during long-ago sessions of the support group Amour Anonymous, she discovers unsettling secrets involving Holly and other prominent members of Aspen Meadow society. It becomes clear that whatever tidbits Holly took with her to the grave may have provided a motive for murder. Davidson, as usual, deftly weaves her mouthwatering recipes through the plot, which takes several emotional turns. Agent: Sandra Dijkstra, Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Three women formerly married to doctors had formed a support group named Amour Anonymous. Now the past has caught up to one of them. After her divorce, it took caterer Goldy Schulz years to recover her sense of self-worth. Now she's happily married to Tom, a police detective in Aspen Meadows, Colo., who hardly minds that she occasionally meddles in his cases. Goldy and her helper Julian are catering a Mexican-themed birthday party for her son Arch and his friend Drew, whose mom, Holly, has been part of the support group. The party is to be held at the home of wealthy Marla, the third member. After Drew's father and his second wife show up uninvited, things go from nasty to tragic when Holly collapses and dies in Marla's driveway. Goldy and Marla, determined to discover why, review all Goldy's notes from their meetings. But the research they do on Holly's current life is more revealing. Holly lost her house and had to sell her expensive cars and move Drew to a cheaper school even though she was awarded child support from her well-heeled ex. Although Holly seemed to be living on the money from her artwork, even that turns out to be not quite the truth. The plot thickens with an attack on an Episcopal priest who may have been counseling Holly and the death of a Goldy wannabe who just happened to be with him. Goldy is lucky to escape violence at her own home from an attacker who's obviously searching for something. Goldy, Marla and the police had better figure out what before more people die. Davidson snaps back from the mediocre Crunch Time (2011) with a more tantalizing puzzle. But fans may well skim the mystery and focus on the many appended recipes and bits of cooking lore scattered throughout.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Caterer and amateur sleuth Goldy Schulz has been feeding the population of Aspen Meadow for quite some time now, concocting luscious recipes for clients while solving crimes in her community. In this, her seventeenth culinary conundrum, an old friend is murdered, and Goldy, as usual, finds herself right in the middle of things. Fueled by information from her loose-lipped husband, who works with the county sheriff's department, Goldy busies herself by poking around in her latefriend's private life. With help from her feisty, outspoken buddy Marla, Goldy discovers secrets Holly had kept hidden for years, and somewhere between the enchilada suizas, the love-me-tender grilled steaks (recipes appended), and the seemingly endless cups of espresso, she, too, becomes a murderer's target. The meddling, of course, eventually pays off: a thief goes to jail; a killer is caught; two young friends fall in love; and, best of all, a new character in Goldy's household promises to add welcome spice to forthcoming culinary adventures. Goldy's chatty approach to crime and cooking has many fans, and this will find a receptive audience among the Joanne Fluke crowd.--Zvirin, Stephanie Copyright 2010 Booklist
Library Journal Review
No chance you'll want to forget ordering Davidson's 17th series title (after Crunch Time). First a friend dies of poisoning, and then Goldy gets attacked. [See Prepub Alert, 3/27/13.] (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
