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Culinary mysteries are a series of novels by Diane Mott Davidson, a popular American cozy mystery writer. The lead character in the series is Goldy Schulz, a caterer from the fictional town of Aspen Meadow, that we first meet in the in the 1990 published debut “Catering to Nobody”.
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Order of Goldy Schulz Series
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Catering to Nobody | 1990 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | Dying for Chocolate | 1992 | Description / Buy | |
| 3 | The Cereal Murders | 1993 | Description / Buy | |
| 4 | The Last Suppers | 1994 | Description / Buy | |
| 5 | Killer Pancake | 1995 | Description / Buy | |
| 6 | The Main Corpse | 1996 | Description / Buy | |
| 7 | The Grilling Season | 1997 | Description / Buy | |
| 8 | Prime Cut | 1998 | Description / Buy | |
| 9 | Tough Cookie | 2000 | Description / Buy | |
| 10 | Sticks & Scones | 2001 | Description / Buy | |
| 11 | Chopping Spree | 2002 | Description / Buy | |
| 12 | Double Shot | 2004 | Description / Buy | |
| 13 | Dark Tort | 2006 | Description / Buy | |
| 14 | Sweet Revenge | 2008 | Description / Buy | |
| 15 | Fatally Flaky | 2009 | Description / Buy | |
| 16 | Crunch Time | 2011 | Description / Buy | |
| 17 | The Whole Enchilada | 2013 | Description / Buy |
Order of Goldy Schulz Non-Fiction
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Goldy's Kitchen Cookbook | 2015 | Description / Buy |
When we first meet Goldy in the first novel in the series, she has just left her abusive husband to set up her own business “Goldilocks Catering”. But it is not long before things go wrong, and she becomes the chief suspect in the brutal killing of her ex father-in-law. She is forced into amateur sleuthing to try to get herself out of the sticky situation.
The first novel in the Goldy Schulz series begins with Goldy preparing a savory feast for about 40 mourners in the course of her business. With her specialty Shortcake Buffet and Packed Salmon in the mix, she is sure that her guests would enjoy their meal, only for her ex father law to drop dead from poisoning
The Department of Health is now on her neck trying to impound the leftovers, while her ex-husband is full of accusations. With the police getting nowhere, Schulz knows it is up to her to venture into detective work to absolve herself from any blame. What follows is an enthralling narrative of the extraordinary skills of an amateur detective that went on to win Davidson an Agatha Award for Best First Novel in 1990.
GOLDY SCHULZ AWARDS
The Goldy Schulz series of novels has been the recipient of several awards since the publication of the first title in 1990. In 1990, “Catering to Nobody” won Best First Novel in the Agatha Awards and was on the shortlist for the 1991 Anthony Award.
BEST GOLDY SCHULZ BOOKS
The award-winning first novel in the series is generally one of the most popular among the series of novels.
Catering to Nobody: A fun read that introduces the lead character and the complex relationship she has with the local police detectives, as she launches her amateur sleuthing career. The fast-paced novel set in quirky settings draws in the reader while introducing interesting and intriguing characters alongside the lead.
Double Shot: The twelfth novel in the series is another fan favorite with its mouthwatering recipes and tantalizing plots of mischief and murder. Goldy Schulz’s ultra-venal, ultra wealthy, ultra-charming, and ultra-handsome ex-husband just had his life sentence commuted by the state governor. As soon as he gets out of jail, Dr. John Richard Korman begins a campaign of threats of violence, and rumors against Goldy. Soon there is a murder and Goldy finds herself in the familiar role of chief suspect that also threatens her business. With her business and family in jeopardy, she needs to employ all her private detective skills to find the killer before he makes her his next target.
Tough Cookie: Another incredible novel in the series, the ninth in the series. Goldy’s business has been on the ropes in the recent past as the health department shut it down for having poor drainage. With her shop due to open in a few days, she is looking forward to the extra cash she would make from a PBS cooking gig she scored.
Now that Christmas is around the corner and she is short for cash, she sells some of her vintage skis to a romantic interest and local art critic Doug Portman. Things get hairy when the man dies at the Killdeer Resort wearing her skis. To make matters worse, Goldy is near the scene of the accident. It turns out that Portman was the head of the Parole Board that was considering granting parole for her ex-husband, and thus she is a natural suspect. Her life in danger from the killer, she has to investigate arrange of suspicious characters and put herself in a lot of danger just to remain alive and extricate herself from a murder she had nothing to do with.
OTHER BOOK SERIES YOU MAY LIKE
Many fans of the Goldy Schulz series of novels also love the “A Gray Whale Inn Mystery” series by Karen MacInerney. The cozy mysteries are about Natalie Burns, who buys the Gray Whale Inn to find herself inundated with of murder mysteries that threaten her business.
Goldy Schulz culinary mysteries lovers also loved “Cackleberry Club” series of novels. The series features three women in their forties who run the Cackleberry Club, an egg themed catering business that often sees one of the group the lead suspect in a murder connected to their business.
What Is The Next Book in The Goldy Schulz Series?
There doesn't seem to be an upcoming book in The Goldy Schulz Series. The newest book is The Whole Enchilada and was released on January, 1st 2013.
I tried to like this series but the first book was such a snore-fest that I couldn’t move on. Goldy’s had a hard life, and her ex-husband is a “Jerk”, but it was overkill with the comments about him and how awful he was. The plot moved very slowly, making it hard to stay focused and get into the book. Most of the characters were depressing too. Overall, the book is quite a downer.