Sweet Revenge by Diane Mott Davidson Summary and Reviews
|
List Price: Our Price: $2.75 You Save: $5.24 (66%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of Sweet Revenge
Book Review: Go ahead, enjoy!
Summary: 4 Stars
I loved this book! I have enjoyed every one of the Goldy tales and this one was one of the better reads! Great recipes are a bonus, too. Enjoy~Book Review: Goldy has jumped the shark.
Summary: 2 Stars
I've read every book in this series. It never pretended to be great, or even very good fiction, but that's not why we read mystery cozies, is it? No, we read them because the characters themselves are warm, entertaining, and fun. Goldy has been a character that I've enjoyed for years now, as she and her family developed over time.
Until now.
Diane Mott Davidson has, sadly, begun relying on at least two really awful mystery-writing cliches: wounding/imperiling the hero(ine), and slapstick.
Mystery hero(ines) are of course often in peril--that's what makes mysteries fun. But I am now expecting Goldy, in the next novel, to be shot in the chest but *insist* on catering a brunch while Tom and Julian cluck over her, saying "I'm FINE, I can finish the brunch, I'll just hold my hand over the wound to staunch the bleeding." Good golly, how many times can she be wounded? In one DAY yet! Wounded, then sleep 4 hours, wait up sore, drink espresso--cup after cup of minutely-described espresso--and feel fine again.
And the slapstick. In the past three books, I've had the feeling that Davidson's editor went through and indicated the places where she should add some slapstick falling down & dropping things in order to increase the "humor" quotient. Well, it doesn't work. Some cozy mystery writers--notably Janet Evanovich--can do it, but DMD cannot. Instead, I'm just annoyed reading about Goldy's klutziness.
I agree with other reviewers that DMD seems to be relying on oddly extensive descriptions to fill up the pages.
I just read the last three Goldy books in a row, so they are all fresh in my mind. Each was vastly inferior to the earlier ones in the series, but in "Sweet Revenge," Diane Mott Davidson has truly reached her nadir. This so often happens to series. DMD will either need to reinvigorate Goldy or move on to a new series. Clearly, she has lost a number of her loyal readers with this book.
Book Review: Goldy's in hot water again!
Summary: 4 Stars
Diane Mott Davidson manages to combine my two favorite things; a good cozy mystery and food. I enjoyed my time with Goldy and the gang as she tries to solve the mystery of a dead woman who seems oddly alive. Davidson captures well the teen angst phase in Goldy's son, Arch. The mystery was a bit slow going at times, but the culinary info kept me interested. (I tried out the Chicken Divine and found it quite good.) I do think husband Tom would do well to believe his wife when she tells him she's onto something. The woman has solved her share of mysteries, for goodness sake and he was downright condescending at times. The Sandee Brisbane thread was a tad heavy for a cozy, but as someone who has been guilty of interjecting some depth into my own cozies, I admire her for adding some layers. All in all, another satisfying read from Davidson.Book Review: Hey Goldy want some Gruyere cheese with that WHINE !!!!
Summary: 2 Stars
SPOLIERS **** Yes I am guilty of having read all the books in this series some have been better than others and in the case of sweet revenge it was like eating a french cruller. The outside sweet and tasty (the cover blurb) the inside just a puff of air (the narrative).
First of all Goldy really needs to age If Arch is a few months shy of his 16th birthday and she is 34 she managed to get deep enough into college to start her studies in her selected major - meet John Richard - get married and have a child remarkable she did all this by the age of 19 !
Okay that aside Where was the true mystery in this one and where was the justice. You hardly could care about anyone that got killed cause we never got to see any side of their character that would have made us the reader want to see the killer caught. This whole Sandee thing was just silly - she steals the church's vehicle camps out in the home of a wealthy vacationing couple (what no security system!) and runs around doing what ? and how stupid was the part where Goldy confronts her and realizes that Sandee will be able to clear out (HOW ?) before the cops can close in. Of course most of Goldy's confrontations were stupid - She gets her hair chopped off gee I know I live in mortal fear of a serial killer chopping off my hair !
Oh and the drug dealing in the library - anyone investigating that ? !
Do we ever learn why the librarian careened down the slope out of control or was it just because she was upset - Yes most people do go skiing after a workplace murder.
Marla may be wealthy and all that but really Goldy wrecked a car and a coat to the tune of 65k and Marla just decides to fix Goldy's hair ?? Goldy is still a caterer right ? She seemed to say to herself an awful lot that "Julian will handle it" hope he never decides to get a life. Also underage drinking etc that is never brought to the attention of the parents considering one of the men is sitting at their luncheon table.
Let's face it we all thought that Hermie and Smithfield were going to be villains but alas they just turned out to be unpleasant people and stupid parents. Thank goodness at least Julian was able to resist the charms of their out of control 14 year old.
I know also that I and most of my friends encourage our pastors to stop over for a meal get drunk, swear and spill their guts.
I agree with another reviewer that I can't believe that every wealthy person on the planet treats everyone with disdain. In this day and age of celebrity chefs I doubt if Goldy would be treated the way that she is. I also thought Tom was a cop a good cop I would hate to tell him anything in confidence since apparently he can't keep his mouth shut and he needs Goldy between making brownies to solve his cases. Come on get the series back on track - Make Goldy put down the coffee cup, bring back the Marla that I loved, let Arch stop popping up every two seconds, make the mystery something actually worth solving or retire the series before it slips into an abyss. Shame on you Ms Davidson for not respecting the intelligence of your faithful readers more.
Book Review: Murder, catering, and Christmas
Summary: 3 Stars
Goldy Schulz is a caterer in Colorado. With the holidays approaching, she has 25 parties to cater in December. Hermie MacArthur and her husband Smithfield, a map collector, are throwing two of those important events in the Aspen Meadow Regal Ridge Country Club.
About a month before, Goldy thought she saw a ghost in that she thought she saw Sandee Brisbane, the killer of her ex-husband, driving around time.
While getting ready to set up for the library breakfast the next morning, she and a library employee find former DA Drew Wellington murdered in a corner of the library.
Can Goldy complete all her catering jobs while doing some investigating of her own? Especially when she appears to be in the crosshairs of the killer.
I love this series, but I have to be honest and say that this book and Dark Tort were not my favorites. It felt, to me, as if the author had a specific word or page count to meet. I prefer mysteries to be under 350 pages. Her latest books have been well over.
Plus it felt like the author tried to have everything happen over too short a time period. I found myself asking whether so many things could really happen to one person in one day.
All that said, I love Goldy, Tom, Arch, Julian, and Marla. They are such likeable characters. I love all the discussion of food as well. The Colorado location is fabulous, too. I recommend this book and look forward to reading many more in this series.