Tough Cookie

Amazon.com

Fans of Diane Mott Davidson's Goldy Schulz, the gourmet gumshoe of Aspen Meadow, Colorado, love her modus operandi: "Treat every puzzle with questions and chocolate." In Tough Cookie, Davidson's ninth culinary mystery, Goldy is waiting to reopen her catering business, which has been shut down by the health department for lack of adequate drains. She's got a PBS cooking gig for a few weeks, and is trying to build a reputation as a personal chef, but she's desperate for a little extra Christmas cash, so she agrees to sell a pair of vintage skis to Doug Portman, a local art critic and former sort-of-romantic interest.

When Portman's killed in a skiing accident at Killdeer Resort with Goldy nearby, the police treat her with suspicion. It turns out that Portman was the easily persuaded head of the Parole Board, and Goldy's ex-husband (a.k.a. The Jerk, who was imprisoned for domestic violence) is coming up for parole. But when Goldy herself narrowly escapes a chilly death after her van is forced off a snowy highway, she starts looking for connections and steps into a minefield of unsolved murders, including the three-year-old avalanche death of her friend Nate Bullock. There're a multitude of suspicious characters lurking around Killdeer: Barton Reed, a crazy ex-con who sent Portman a letter loaded with poison; Arthur Wakefield, whose wealthy mother was also killed in a skiing accident at Killdeer; Jack Gilkey, a handsome young chef who was convicted of manslaughter in the death of Wakefield's mother (and released by Portman); Boots Faraday, a local artist; and even Rorry Bullock, Nate's angry widow. As usual, Goldy manages to solve the murders (with the help of Chocolate Coma Cookies), save her own skin (just!), skewer a few local snobs in passing, and revive her catering business. Lots of fun, and recipes too. --Barrie Trinkle

Book Description

The New York Times bestselling author of Prime Cut serves up another tantalizing tale of culinary mystery and suspense--as chef turned sleuth Goldy Schulz goes on live television to prepare a meal to die for...but discovers that murder is already on the menu.

When Goldy Schulz is offered a temporary stint hosting a cooking show for PBS, she jumps at the chance. After all, she could use the money--not to mention the great exposure. Her catering business is in shambles, and publicizing her new venture as a personal chef will help get her back on track. Plus taping the shows at Colorado's posh Killdeer Ski Resort will be fun. A little cooking, a little chitchat. What could go wrong?

The question Goldy should have asked is, what wouldn't go wrong--especially when she has to drive through a blizzard to do one of her shows live for a PBS telethon.

To make matters worse, Goldy has an unpleasant duty to perform right after the show. She and her policeman husband, Tom, have agreed to sell a piece of Tom's treasured war memorabilia to help ease their financial woes. The buyer: Doug Portman, art critic, law enforcement wannabe--and, to her eternal embarrassment, Goldy's ex-boyfriend.

Predictably, the live broadcast is riddled with culinary catastrophes--from the Chesapeake Crabcakes right down to the Ice-Capped Ginger Snaps. But the deadliest dish of all comes after the cameras go off, when an unexplainable skiing accident claims Doug Portman's life--and Goldy is the one who finds his crumpled body on the slopes. Even more shocking is what police find tucked away in Doug's BMW: a greeting card with a potentially deadly chemical inside.

As the police try to determine if Doug's accident was really foul play, Goldy does a little investigating of her own--but finds more questions than answers. Was Doug, chairman of the state Parole Board, accepting bribes from potential parolees? Was he connected to the ex-con who's been telling Killdeer skiers that he's planning to poison a cop? And how did Goldy and Tom get mixed up in this mess?

When a series of suspicious mishaps places Goldy's own life in jeopardy, she knows she must whip up her own crime-solving recipe, and fast--before a hearty dose of intrigue and a deadly dash of danger ends her cooking career once and for all....

Winter sports can be dangerous, but can they also be deadly? "Cooking at the Top!," Goldy's new TV show, is broadcast from one of Colorado's poshest ski areas. Unfortunately, she finds whipping up delicacies at 11,000 feet as perilous as skiing steep runs. Then a telethon raising money for the widow of a tracker killed mysteriously ends in disaster. Goldy finds herself searching the icy slopes to find a killer with desperate secrets to hide---but this may be one time the tough-cookie caterer will not be able to schuss to safety!

Included are Goldy's original recipes for mouthwatering Sonora Chicken Strudel, incomparable Marmalade Mogul Muffins, and sinfully sumptuous Chocolate Coma Cookies. -->

Customer Reviews:

Junior high level murder mystery...and that's going a long way!.......2007-08-30

I picked up this book in a used booked store in Powell River, British Columbia, while waiting for a ferry to Vancouver. I didn't know that culinary murder mysteries was a genre and this book was part of a series of similar mishaps. Where was the warning label?

The author sets up her heroine as a gourmet-wannabe Nancy Drew running after inept murderers while strewing recipe cards along her trail. She dishes out food descriptions ad nauseam and then raves over them until you want to gag her with a kitchen towel. All the while, she insults her readers' intelligence by serving up as novelty that age old recipe of suspecting the evil looking guy first, and then making her model character the evil culprit!

If you're a fan of this author's work you'll probably enjoy it. But if this is your first time try, be aware that it is definitely an acquired taste. I'll pass on seconds.

Delish Mystery.......2007-07-29

I discovered Diane Mott Davidson with this book and was so glad I did. I immediately went backward and read the rest of the series, and I'm still reading forward, moving toward her latest PB release Dark Tort. I highly recommend this series. Goldy is a caterer and a sleuth. Each mystery tale comes with a delicious list of recipes (prepared by Goldy during the course of the story). In Tough Cookie, Goldy is temporarily hosting a local TV cooking show when so much goes wrong! Cooking disasters on the set, a blizzard, and then a dead body. She finds it herself and unfortunately for her, it turns out to be her ex-boyfriend. Goldy begins to investigate to determine whether her ex was murdered or not. And it leads to real danger for her. Goldy is married to police investigator Tom in this outing, but in her earlier books, we get a nice build up of their relationship, starting with how they met in her first book, Catering to Nobody. I suggest you start with #1 Catering to Nobody and work your way up to this one and beyond. You'll be glad you did. Delicious!

Cookie Mystery.......2007-07-21

I love this series of Goldie mysteries...a good combination of great receipes and a good mystery in each

Murder Mystery.......2007-05-12

Love these books. Have read them all to date. Arrived as promised.

Favorite of the Series.......2007-04-19

Tough Cookie finds Goldy in the thick of some serious drama, but she gets through with smarts, determination and wit. I love the Goldy character because she's brave, funny and nurturing. Finally - a wife and mother who loves her job (and sex) too!

I put this as my favorite of the Goldy mysteries because of the end - which you have to read to believe. It'll leave you breathless, thinking `How's Goldy gonna get out of this one?' Sure, the likelihood of so many murders going on in one town is ridiculous. And would Goldy really be so front-and-center in these people's lives? I doubt it, but since Ms. Davidson tells such ripping good yarns, I don't care.

That being said, somebody please smack Arch. PLEASE! Sure he's a teenager, but until the kid's paying his own bills in his own house, he needs a kick in the pants. Still, my extreme annoyance with him is just what the author wanted - when you experience real emotion toward a fictional character, that's good writing.

And who knew recipes could add so much flavor to a plotline? I've gotten to the point where I'm looking forward to a page or two of cookery. Davidson's food passages are so well-written they don't slow the pace one bit. Characters, storyline, occupational details, humor and heartstrings come together wonderfully in Davidson's mysteries. I hope she writes a mystery with Goldy on her dream trip to Italy.

Average customer rating:

Postcards from Route 1-800
I laughed, I cried. It was better than "Cats"!
A good beach read

Wait and See, Annie Lee
Michelle Curry Wright
Manufacturer: Grand Central Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0446526908

Book Description

Sweetly neurotic waitress Annie Lee Fleck is prone to obsessions. Shes got a loving husband, plenty of good friends, and a home in a charming Colorado townbut in spite of all this, she aches for a child of her own. While Annie Lee and her husband devote plenty of time to trying, their fruitless attempts combined with her overly fertile imagination begin to take a toll on their marriage. When Lucas overhears her seeking safety advice for her imaginary toddler, all hell breaks loose. It is only after a series of off-the-wall encounters that Annie Lee can finally turn her snow-globe world rightside up again.

Customer Reviews:

Postcards from Route 1-800.......2001-08-09

My favorite novels are the travel stories; Huck and Jim down the Mississippi, Gus and Call up the Montana Trail, the Joads across Rte 66. "Wait and See Annie Lee" is right in that roving tradition, but with a sly dada-ist twist. Although bodily rooted on the Continental Divide Annie Lee wanders the network of 1-800 emergency phone lines. Her adventures in this land of dis-embodied voices are laugh out loud funny, as is her stream of self-consciousness travelogue. Told with a light touch, a sharp eye, and a warm heart. A *very* good read; you'll be glad you made the trip.

I laughed, I cried. It was better than "Cats"!.......2001-08-04

Annie Lee is my new heroine, and so is Michelle Curry Wright. This novel gives us a funny and insightful look at the neuroticisms of a quirky thirtiesh waitress trying to live and breed in a funky little ski town. Alternating moments of hilarity and deep introspection kept me turning the pages, half expecting the familiar characters to walk out and join me for a cup of coffee.

After reading this book, you will forever wonder about "the woman behind the waitress". ...And don't forget to tip!

A good beach read.......2001-07-29

Obsessive Annie Lee Fleck is a perfectionist pessimist, a fatal combination when she sets her mind on doing something. Not only does whatever she wants done must be 200 per cent flawless regardless of cost, she performs a complete Murphy analysis to determine what could go wrong to insure that never happens.

Annie Lee wants a baby in the worst way. She begins her overkill to insure this happens, driving her beleaguered spouse to seek shelter and comfort elsewhere. Even worse, Annie Lee begins to call the local Poison Control Center on a daily basis and sometimes more than that. She acts with the counselors as if she already has a baby though she is not pregnant and her husband has moved from Pike, Colorado to Seattle to escape her latest obsession. This marriage appears busted unless they can find a common peak like the restaurant they both want to open.

WAIT AND SEE, ANNIE LEE starts off as a hilarious satire that rips the basic tenets of society. However about half way into the tale, the plot takes an unnecessary turn to cuddly capriciousness and loses some of its edge. The story line overall is amusing due to the eccentric and likable characters including Annie Lee (as long as she is not part of the reader's household). Michelle Curry Wright shows the right stuff for those readers who want something completely different.

Book Description

Disabled in a motor vehicle accident at age 19, author Cale Kenney survived one of the most radical female amputations performed. Writing from the perspective of amputee "peer visits," Cale answers the question, "What happened to you?" and exchanges stories at bedsides of those who have lost, or are about to lose a limb. Describing the accident's initially grim impact and her recovery process to individuals facing the trauma of limb loss, the storytelling also heals this veteran amputee.

Throughout "Have Crutch Will Travel," Cale testifies in graphic honesty about confronting deep loss, investigates women's issues of beauty and body image, and illustrates with humor her misadventures on crutches. Whether she is chasing a potbellied pig, "one crutch to walk, one to whack," or losing a crutch in the Atlantic Ocean or the Colorado River, she transforms the silly into the sublime.

Celebrating the mountain experiences she discovered through skiing—a spiritual journey to a peak experience—Cale's memoir is a testament to the strides made by disabled athletes prior to the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Inspiring readers who may be having doubts in their lives, Cale's descriptive prose quickly mesmerizes her audience and invigorates those without hope, while offering an inviting look into the life of an active, modern day Calamity Jane.

Customer Reviews:

Uplifting, funny, touching -- BRILLIANT!!!.......2004-02-21

Cale Kenney's adventurous free spirit flows through the stirring words and beautiful photos in this incredible book. She lost her left leg, hip, and pelvis due to a motorcycle accident when she was just 19. But Cale's joie de vivre propelled her to create the life of her dreams. Whether skiing down powder white slopes in Colorado, boogie-boarding in Kauai's intense surf, or chasing a neighbor's annoying pet pig in her apartment complex, Cale lives life fully and writes about her adventures with wit, humor, and grace. A must-read for anyone looking for inspiration!

Customer Reviews:

Awesome!.......1998-11-18

I saw myself on every page...Claudia has addressed every problem I've ever had in skiing and gave me answers, confidence, and a whole new attitude about ski buying. I actually improved my skiing, knowing more about my body and how it works. I recommend it for any female skier, beginner or advanced, and men should read it too, to understand how women relate to skiing.

Slippery Slopes and Other Deadly Things (Carrie Carlin Biofeedback Mysteries)

Average customer rating:

Slick and slippery, fun and entertaining
strong amateur sleuth

Slippery Slopes and Other Deadly Things (Carrie Carlin Biofeedback Mysteries)
Nancy Tesler
Manufacturer: Perseverance Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1880284588

Customer Reviews:

Slick and slippery, fun and entertaining.......2004-10-24

What's a biofeedback practitioner to do when a conference honoring your field's Jonas Salk (who gropes you in a hot tub with his wedding-banded hand) becomes a bloodbath on skis, you're under suspicion for murder because your scarf apparently strangled one of the victims, your entire vocation comes under attack by fanatic fellow doctors, and all the while your cheating ex-husband and homicide-cop love of your life insist on making your emotions spike off the EEG scale?

If you're biofeedback practitioner and heroine Carrie Carlin, you "get your kicks out of livin' dangerously" (as anti-biofeedback antagonist Flo Zimmer says), act like a lightning rod for assassins, and stick your nose in where it doesn't belong. When people around married but roving-handed conference honoree Dr. Hubert Freundlich start dying, it's up to the much-suspected much-shot-at Carrie (whose scarf puts her under suspicion) to unravel the mystery on the Vermont ski slopes. In true amateur-detective fashion, Carrie proves she's earned her PhD (Plucky Heroine Degree) by uncovering a killer you only begin to suspect the second half of the book. The killer's motives are real, human and even understandable, but still despicable.

The secret is truly juicy, but plays second fiddle to Carrie and her engaging, endearing personality, her devotion to her children, her sparkling commentary, and her marriage dilemma with sexy-but-flawed cop Ted Brodsky, who tries to protect her despite herself. A fun page-turner.

strong amateur sleuth.......2003-04-13

This year the annual International Association of Biofeedback Practitioners is being held at the Snowridge ski resort in Sunnyville Vermont. The attendees include Carrie Carlin, who has a small practice in Bergen, New Jersey. She is particularly excited about this conference because the guest speaker, Dr. Hubert Freundlich, has made a significant breakthrough in the field, one that Carrie can use in her own practice.

At her first meeting with Hubert, he makes a pass at her in a hot tub filled with people, one of whom is his wife. At lunch the next day his assistant, Charlie Anders drunkenly hints that he has something on the good doctor. Shortly after that, he is murdered and Carrie gets involved when it's is discovered he was wearing her scarf. It turns out that her friend Dr. Joe Golden had the scarf in his possession and was going to give it back to her before it mysteriously disappeared. Joe also got into a fight with the victim one hour before he was killed but Carrie is sure he is innocent and intends to prove it over the objections of her significant other because he doesn't want her to be used as bait by an overzealous policeman.

This amateur sleuth tale showcases a heroine who is prone to take risks even when she is only indirectly involved in a homicide investigation. She is exasperatingly stubborn and so good hearted that readers find themselves rooting for her and wanting her to back off while also feeling sorry for her lover who has to put up with her. Nancy Tesler knows how to write an extremely exciting who-done-it that can't be put down.

Harriet Klausner

Average customer rating:
Wine, Women, Warren and Skis

Manufacturer: Goldfinkle, Masowitch, Kloppenboig and O'brien
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HM58I0

Average customer rating:

And they say snowboarders are a bad element...

A Warren Miller Classic

Wine, Women, Warren, & Skis

Manufacturer: Warren Miller Productions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
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Lurching From One Near-Disaster to the Next

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ASIN: 0963614401

Customer Reviews:

And they say snowboarders are a bad element..........2004-01-03

Warren Miller, in his youth, is here shown to have been a criminal genius. Poaching, trespassing, littering, sneaking onto chairlifts, and running over prize hens. And let's not go into how they thawed out their car engine.

I found my old grandfather's first edition copy of this seminal text by consummate ski bum Warren Miller. I give it six stars, reduced to five, because this book is entirely too short. It's hilarious, packed cover-to-cover with Miller's dry, matter-of-fact storytelling. If you've seen enough of his films, you can even read the whole thing in Warren's voice.

If you fancy yourself a ski bum, read this and learn just how far you have to go in enduring privations before you'll stack up against Warren Miller.

A Warren Miller Classic.......2001-01-13

What a great tale - the story detailing the beginnings of the ultimate ski bum! I thoroughly enjoyed Warren's recounting of his early days. While fun and light, this book communicates his passion for skiing and all it involves. My only complaint is that the book is way to short!

Average customer rating:

The Finnish Line (S.A.S.S.)
Linda Gerber
Manufacturer: Puffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

School | Issues | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0142409162
Release Date: 2007-10-04

Book Description

When Nordic ski jumper Maureen Â“MoÂ” Clark set foot in Finland, she breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, escape from her famous skier fatherÂ's shadow and a chance to jump in the renowned Lahti Ski Games. But Mo quickly realizes that balancing practice and classes is more challenging than she expected. So when a gorgeous bad boy teammate offers coaching assistanceÂ—for a little publicity in returnÂ—how can she refuse? Surely she can work in a few extra practices somewhere between studying for calculus and sightseeing in Finland? Amid snowmobiling and dog-sledding, ice hotels and Northern lights, Mo begins to discover what strength and perseveranceÂ—the Finnish sisuÂ—is all about. Now itÂ's up to her to take that final jump and cross the finish line in style.

Women at Midlife: Life Experiences and Implications for the Helping Professions

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Women at Midlife: Life Experiences and Implications for the Helping Professions
Ski Hunter , Sandra Stone Sundel , and Martin Sundel
Manufacturer: NASW Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Social Work | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0871013517

Book Description

The number of women at midlife served by the helping professions is substantial. Thorough and insightful, Women at Midlife fills the gap in knowledge about these women and examines critical issues concerning family, caregiving, work, physical health, emotional and mental health, and more. Dispelling restrictive and outdated myths, the authors probe the meaning and direction of women at midlife. This scholarly volume, highlighted by compelling vignettes and backed by extraordinary research, explores the full range of midlife experiences, from how to define midlife to individual development to relationships with other family members. Social work instructors, students, and practitioners, as well as women who themselves are at midlife, will find that the work offers important professional and personal benefits.

Reach for the Stars (Girls Only!, Book 4)

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Reach for the Stars (Girls Only!, Book 4)
Beverly Lewis
Manufacturer: Bethany House Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0764220616
Release Date: 1999-09-01

Book Description

While teaching a beginner's class in skiing for her mom who had a broken leg, Manda meets an unusual five-year-old and his father and tries her hand at matchmaking. Ages 8-13. Girls Only book 4.

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