Fatally Flaky - Diane Mott Davidson

I truly enjoy this culinary mystery series! Goldy Schulz is a funny and quirky character who solves every problem with a shot of espresso or "whipping up" something in the kitchen - my kind of gal. In each book Goldy is catering an event in which someone is murdered - happens every time she steps out of the kitchen. She, against her cop husband's wishes, plays amateur sleuth and usually ends up in "hot water" herself. This series is light reading for a mystery, but has a humerous aspect and is thoroughly enjoyable.

With that said, this book seemed to not be up to her usual fare - or maybe my expectations have begun to set the bar too high. The series (after 14 earlier books) just seems to have gotten "tired."

In Fatally Flaky, Aspen Meadow's renowned Goldie Bear Catering has 2 nearly back-to-back wedding receptions. The first goes off without problem - except that one of the guests never makes it to the wedding. Doc Finn, a well-loved retired community physician, was supposed to give the bride away but his car runs off the road and he dies. But was it an accident? Goldy's godfather (and Finn's best friend) is suspicious and soon Goldy is too.

The second wedding is for the mother of all bridezillas. Billie Attenborough, bridezilla herself, changes dates, guest lists, menues, and finally reception halls on her way to the alter to quiet Dr. Craig Miller. The new reception location is the Gold Gulch Spa - run by Victor Lane, a long time adversary of Goldy's. In touring the new site, Goldy becomes aware that something strange is happening at the spa - clients can't wait to return. The plot here gets a bit transparent, but not crystal clear so the mystery still works.

Goldy's a strong woman. She's overcome a lot of difficulty in her life and created a successful catering business and a circle of wonderful friends. But in this book, she comes off as a bit of a doormat and wimp. Maybe it's because someone close to her becomes a victim in this book and she struggles to cope and grieve throughout her sleuthing. Maybe it's because we have no less than 4 despicable characters for her to contend with this time around. I don't know what to blame it on.

You don't have to read this series in order - but it's nice to grow with the returning characters. Each character has their own personality and quirks, but it's not as apparent if you only read one book. My favorite character is Marla - her best friend and someone who shares an "ex" with her. I have often wondered how Goldy and the other characters keep from gaining weight - lots of cream and other fattening ingredients are involved. It's impossible not to have cravings as you read Goldy cooking her way through a problem. But the big bonus to these books is that recipes are included!

Angels & Demons - Dan Brown

If you liked The DaVinci Code, you will probably like Angels & Demons. It's just as cerebral, but way more action.

Our protagonist, Robert Langdon, Harvard University Symbologist gets a call that will call upon his knowledge of a secret scientific society - the Illuminati. The Illuminati was established in the days of Galileo by a group wanting to discuss new ideas and not be punished by the Vatican. Langdon believed the society was long dead - but the evidence is proving otherwise. A scientist was murdered and a sample of antimatter was stolen from his lab. It appears the highly-explosive antimatter was kept safe in a container in a docking bay in the lab and has only 24 hours of battery life, after that, the explosion will remove several city blocks.

Langdon and the scientist's daughter (and scientist herself) Vittoria Vetra are swept off to Vatican City where 4 Cardinals went missing on the eve of a Papal conclav. The 4 Cardinals were the front runners to be elected the next Pope. In addition, a strange cylinder has appeared on one of the Vatican's security cameras - a camera they cannot now find. It would seem the Illuminati is finally planning to exact revenge on the Vatican - at the exact moment when all the Cardinals will be gathered in St. Peter's to elect the new Pope.

Langdon and Vetra follow clues in works of art all around Rome with the hope of finding the missing Cardinals and clues to the location of the antimatter. Langdon's impressive knowledge of art, religion, and swimming (yes swimming) come to his rescue on many occasions. With the aid of the late Pope's closest aide and the Swiss Guard, they race the clock to find the next clue. As they find each of the 4 locations they are led to, they find a missing Cardinal. At one location, Vetra is kidnapped and Langdon has a new purpose to outwit the assassin. Within minutes to go, he learns the late Pope's aid is the last target. Through all this, a reporter is hot on their heels in the hope of getting a scoop and a name for himself.

Before I knew it, I was halfway through the book - I couldn't read fast enough. It switches from action to mystery and back again many times in a virtual literary roller coaster. The premise is a bit far-fetched, but Brown is a master of twisting fact into fiction and in the vast amount of details he provides, you find it easy to suspend disbelief and enjoy the ride.

Throughout the book you keep changing your mind on who the bad guys and good guys are and in the end I was completely surprised. The ending slowed a little quickly and was a little disappointing in my humble opinion - but it was easily forgiven since the story had left me breathless in several places. The fact that the press was able to do live reports of murders was harder to swallow than the resurfacing of an ancient cultlike society. And I would have liked to get to know Vittoria a little better. But for all the historic and/or scientific inaccuracies that may or may not exist, it's wonderfully plotted. Where else can you find an ancient secret brotherhood, plots against the Vatican, a mad scientist in a wheelchair, antimatter, assassins, AND art all squeezed into a little more than 24 hours.

Letter From Home - Carolyn Hart

This was an amazing book!

Set in a small town in Northeast Oklahoma in the summer of 1944 - World War II era - this book is a bittersweet coming-of-age story first and a mystery second. The mystery plot is merely a stage for each of the amazing characters - especially Gretchen.

The main character is 13-year-old Gretchen Gilman who gets a summer job as a reporter at the local newspaper because all the able-bodied men are at war. The editor doesn't believe it's the place for her, but he's desperate and fair, so he gives her assignments.

Faye Tatum, the local artist and free spirit, is murdered while her husband is home on leave. Since they've recently argued and he's disappeared, everyone assumes he did it. Faye loved to dance and spent many evenings at the Blue Light, which the narrow-minded townfolk don't see as a proper establishment for a lady. This and the stories of a late-night visitor to Faye's house cause many to think the worst of her character and even blame her for her own murder. With the town talking of Faye being a tramp and Clyde being a murderer, their teenage daughter Barb is crushed amid the rumor and innuendo and the loss of her parents.

The Tatum's are neighbors of Gretchen and she wants to write a sympathetic story of Faye as told through the eyes of all the people who knew her best and loved her. This backfires and Gretchen loses friends - but her journalistic integrity never allows her to consider withdrawing her story.

Each chapter opens with a bit of the "letter from home" that Gretchen, now 50 years older and a world known journalist, received from Barb, inviting her to come home and meet with her. After the chapter introduction, all the action of the book takes place in Gretchen's memory. As the letter is opened to us chapter by chapter, so is that summer in Gretchen's life and the murder that consumed the town.

Political ambitions clash during the investigation - as the county attorney and sheriff sort through the facts. The whole town chooses sides. Gretchen, who lives with her grandmother (an absolutely wonderful character) while her mother is working in Tulsa, gets to know the members of the community as they truly are. With the backdrop of the war, food rationing, and fallen soldiers, we look through the lens of the murder investigation and see what it does to the town. We get to see the community members as she does, as they really are. The characters are varied but they tend to fall into 2 categories - ones we like and ones we don't. It is in this world of flawed adults, that Gretchen loses her childlike naive nature.

Both Gretchen and Barb left town at the end of that summer. While the town rests after the murder is "solved" - with their suspicions affirmed - the murder isn't truly solved until Barb meets with Gretchen 50 years later - long after everyone who could be affected by the truth is dead.

Letter From Home captures small-town life to the degree that we feel we personally know this town. The stress that individuals and their community endure during the separation of war are amazingly vivid. While the mystery aspect of the book is good - though I knew the ending before they told me - this book is truly a poignant memoir of a young woman during the summer she grew up

Carolyn Hart did a wonderful job with this book - the story and characters remain with you long after you close the book. I would highly recommend this book to everyone.