Chopping Spree by Diane Mott Davidson

Chopping Spree is another installment in the Goldy the Caterer series. In this one, she is catering a meal for her college friend Barry Dean, who is subsequently murdered at the event. Among the suspects are Barry's fellow mall employees, his two girlfriends, and unfortunately, Goldy's assistant Julian. The cops think Julian is the killer and he's in jail--Goldy can't believe for a minute her trusted friend is guilty, so she starts snooping to try and figure out the real killer's identity.

Back in the mix are Goldy's best friend, Marla, her cop husband, Tom, and a bunch of obnoxious rich people that Goldy caters for throughout the book.

The mystery was solved in a pretty much out-of-nowhere way, but it made sense, just kind of Agatha Christie like in the "unfairness" to the reader.

I've been reading this series for three or four years now and I usually really enjoy the antics of Goldy. But this particular episode had a major flaw. Goldy's son, Arch, is now a teenager and he is totally disrespectful and rude to his mother. It is well-known to readers of these books that Goldy's ex-husband (Arch's dad) is a violent jerk who savagely beat Goldy before they were divorced. The fact that Goldy's son is so mean to her and has very little respect for her is upsetting. It is well known sociologically that women who have been abused once take abuse other times, it is also known that kids of abusers are bullies at times. But to me, Diane Mott Davidson, who has written so honestly about Goldy's experiences in her marriage and how she bravely got away from the ex, is dropping the ball here. To read about how Goldy lets her son treat her so badly is frustrating. And Goldy's new, sweet as sugar husband Tom is not very good at standing up for Goldy when Arch is nasty to her. Maybe the author is setting the stage for the next novel for the situation to come to a head, but the end indicated to me that maybe she isn't. Arch is sort of nice to Goldy twice near the end, so I'm not sure if the reader is supposed to be satisfied as Goldy was, with his behavior "change."

Hard Eight by Janet Evanovich

Wow, it is taking me longer and longer to read books lately. I keep thinking I'm going to hit a week where I blow through two or three books like the olden, pre-kid days, but then something always comes up--a night when I'm home alone and I plan to read the night away, one of my kids is a big cry baby about going to bed and it takes forever and by the time I'm done dealing with him or her, I'm exhausted and just flop on the couch and watch TV. But I did manage to read this 8th Janet Evanovich Stephanie Plum book and it was terrific and fun!

I love her books, the parts about her Grandma Mazur and how she can't keep a car in one piece, it's hysterical. Bawdy and action packed is how I'd describe Plum books and they are a real treat.

In this one, a woman and her child are missing and Steph sets aside her usual bounty hunting to seek them out. As usual, she's helped by her buddies Ranger, the mysterious bounty hunter who is never short on cars, money, gadgets, or sexiness, and Morelli, her on-again-off-again fiance cop. I know it is common for women to like bad boys and go through that "phase" so the Ranger character is there to appeal to that instinct, but I've always been way too practical to like bad-asses, so I just say, I vote for Morelli!

Part of me wants to go check out the other 8 or so Plum books all at once, but I think the way that I space them out is better. I savor them more this way.