Phyllis Richman

An older series I came across recently and I must say it's held up well. It centers on a food critic in Washington DC who has a very bad blind date (the guy jumps up in the middle of the date, runs out to feed the meter, and never returns) but things on the work front look good. Set to be synicated nationally Chas starts with an expose on the way some restaurants cheat their patrons and digs into something deepter than intended. A unique take on DC politics and the way eating plays a role in show more the way the town works. show less

The indomitable Chas Wheatley is back, in a tale of restaurants, rivalry, and murder most-hoped-for.
Ringo Laurenge is the new hire at the Washington Examiner, an ambitious young reporter with the looks and the brains to become a star. The trouble is, a few staffers at the Examiner would characterize him as an arrogant and sadistic back-stabbing blowhard who deserves to die. And Chas Wheatley is obsessively, shamefully among them. Her worries over Ringo have even begun to cut into her love show more life. Not only does this guy steal other reporters' stories, he also has a fascination with power, and is determined to destroy a restaurant that has become the focus of Chas's latest research.

While Ringo runs rampant at the Examiner, plots to crush Chas's friends, and cooks up ways to horn in on her territory, the question becomes not whether he will be taken out, but when and who will finally be driven to do it? For Ringo has made more than one enemy since arriving in town, and in a case like this, Chas isn't even sure she wants to find out which one of them has finally had enough. show less

This was my least favorite of the three books in the series - The writing was excellent and really, it was a great plot. But the author did such a good job setting up the victim throughout most of the book - he isn't killed until nearly the end, although you know from the beginning he is going to be the victim due to some foreshadowing - that I really dreaded continuing on with the reading. I thoroughly detested the victim and did not enjoy reading about what evils he kept perpetrating. show more Having said all that, the book is excellent, it just didn't leave me with a feeling that all ended as it should have. Which was the authors point, if not my preference. show less

I think this was my favorite of the three books in this series. The story was excellent and the character development interesting. The writer introduces new characters without losing the old ones. I loved the way the plot unfolded and the ultimate result. The murders' solution ends up revealing a much more interesting, IMHO, part of the plot.