The Grilling Season

2.5 **

Goldy Schulz is once again involved in a crime in her community, which distracts her from her catering business. This time her ex-husband - John Richard Korman M.D. (a/k/a The Jerk) - has been arrested for the murder of his current girlfriend, Suz Craig, who also happens to be a vice president of the HMO which bought Korman's practice. Much as Goldy believes he could easily have committed the crime (he has a history of "losing his temper"), she also feels compelled to investigate in order to spare their son the pain of seeing his father jailed.

I've read a number of these mysteries and found them entertaining and delicious at the outset, but now I'm tired of the formula. The recipes are still great, but the plot is thin, and the show more dialogue repetitive. show less

One of the things I liked about this story was the sacrifices Goldy made for her son. Her ex-husband is as crazy as ever in this story and Goldy is certainly torn between conflicting impulses. There are some crazy doll collectors and some really tasty recipes in this book.

Goldy caters a hockey-themed party and meals for a doll collector's group. Goldy's ex-husband and Arch's father is accused of killing his current girlfriend--a development that upsets his son who asks Goldy to look into the matter to clear his father.

This book gives us a bit of a look into Goldy's time with her ex as well as his patterns of abuse with women and some of the doctors that Goldy encountered when she sought medical help. I admire that Goldy tries not to put her dislike of her ex into her son's interactions with him--though in some ways she does seem like an enabler to her son by trying to protect him from things like his father forgetting he is going to have Arch for visitation. It might be better if she just let Arch see show more his father's shortcomings rather than trying to protect him.

I also found it a bit unbelievable that Goldy just lets Arch go to his friend Todd's house when he announces he is "moving out". She doesn't argue with him, forbid it, try to talk him out of it. . . she just lets him go.

Sometimes Goldy makes decisions that put her in danger. I can't fault her for her ex coming to her house and assaulting her through the window--that's all on him--though if she'd had the security system on as she was supposed to, she might have gotten help sooner...but going to Suz Craig's house was all her decision and choosing to dig up and take the tapes with her without contacting the police or her husband is also her decision.

We aren't told what happens with Patricia McCracken's lawsuit or Korman's practice or the HMO problems that are brought up in this book. I have read the next book in the series, but it was some time ago and I don't remember if those issues were brought up in that book or not.

I was a bit disappointed in the included recipes--and the one recipe that sounded interesting (a Mexican eggroll of some type) wasn't included. show less

The Grilling Season by Diane Mott Davidson is the seventh in the Goldy Bear catering series. I'm catching up to the books I read early on before I decided to read them in order. So if my review seems more disjointed than usual, that's probably why. I should also note that as I listened to this book, read by Barbara Rosenblat, I have no idea how some of the character names are spelled!

Arch's father (aka, "the Jerk") is dating one of Goldy's clients. Of course, this client (who has a bit of a reputation for a temper, herself) ends up dead. All the evidence points to John Richard — all too conveniently. But Goldy, having survived through his abuse, is too blinded to see anything else except that her abusive ex-husband has finally gone show more too far. Arch, though, insists that she do her usual snooping around to prove that his father didn't do it. Either — he's an unusually dense child who is completely blind the abuse (doubtful) or he's inherited his mother's Spidey senses.

While Julian is away at college, Goldy is loaning his room to McGuire. He had been working as her assistant, but he's been laid up with mono (which I can tell you from personal experience, is no fun!) and even she can't get him to eat.

Between trying to get McGuire to eat and trying to help Arch (against all of her better judgment), Goldy also has the Babsie Doll conference to cater. Think Barbie meets American Girl. Then throw in the crazy cosplay that sometimes goes hand in hand with conferences.

I enjoyed the book. Goldy seemed more out of sorts than usual but given the circumstances, her emotional state makes sense. As I am coming up on books I've already listened to, I had some deja vu moments — mostly in recognizing people who will be important in future volumes. For anyone paying close attention, all the clues are there. The how, why and and who are all there. show less

The Grilling Season was one of the weaker culinary mysteries by Diane Mott Davidson. Not nearly as light and fluffy as the usual topics covered, The Grilling Season dealt with Goldy's ex-husband being suspected of murder and her sons pleas to find the real killer. In any other (cozy mystery) situation this would be normal, but the history of John Richard's abuse against Goldy both in their marriage and after make it really hard to believe she would try to help him no matter what her son asked. Speaking of her son, the usually caring and good-natured Arch becomes increasingly hateful to his mother whenever she shows even the slightest hesitance of wanting to defend John Richard.

A lot of Goldy's actions and reactions in this novel seemed show more to ring not quite true. Although possibly an attempt to give the long-standing feud between Goldy and her ex-husband some finality, it just didn't seem right in the line of the rest of the series. Keeping the book from being a wash were the vast and always interesting residents of Aspen Meadow and all of the delicious-sounding food. The Grilling Season may be necessary to a series fan, but isn't quite worth a stand-alone read. show less

I love a book with recipes but these are quite involved. Anyway, the story involves Goldy and her ex-husband. Goldy finds the body of his current girlfriend and everyone assumes that John killed her. His son, Arch begs Goldy to try to help his father and Goldy wants to do it only to make her son happy. So Goldy tries to delve into all the people that are involved, all the while tending to her catering jobs, mostly by herself. I find some of it a little hard to believe, but entertaining just the same.

Goldy Schultz, owner of Goldilocks catering in Aspen Meadow, Colorado, has a big problem. Her abusive ex-husbandJohn Richard Korman, aka The Jerk, has been arrested for the murder of an executive of the HMO where he works as an OBGYN Doctor. He had been dating the executive. Goldy’s son wants Goldy to help prove his dad is innocent. The problem is that Goldy is a witness; she found the body, and as such cannot interfere. Also, a friend of hers is suing John Richard and the HMO for negligence. Meanwhile Goldy has catering to do: a hockey party and a Babsie Doll convention. Is John Richard innocent, and what can she do to clear him? It’s all a twisted mess.

This was a fair read. Not was much action or much in the way of humor. I enjoy show more a bit of humor, but there was little. There was too much of Goldy mulling the case over and over. It became tedious. On to the next. show less