“Dying for Chocolate” by Diane Mott Davidson

Since Valentine’s Day is coming up, and with the emphasis many people place on eating chocolate this time of year, I thought I’d read a chocolate-themed or chocolate-titled mystery.

This is book two in the Goldy catering series. Goldy has moved her son and herself into temporary housing since her abusive ex-husband, John Richard Korman (AKA the Jerk) has been acting strangely. He’s been slowly driving by her house. He’s also been calling repeatedly and hanging up the phone when she answers. He has a history of physical violence towards Goldy, and she is afraid of him.

So now she is living at her friend’s sister’s home. It’s a mansion with a great security system. Goldy has become the family’s live-in cook while a security system is being installed in her own home.

This book opens with Goldy making and catering brunch for 60 people. She hates the thought of brunch because she thinks it’s a meal in between two other meals. Like you would eat breakfast, then brunch, then lunch. Sorry Goldy, but if I’m having brunch, I skip breakfast and lunch!

She’s been seeing a man named Philip Miller. They dated while she was in college and have gotten together again recently. Philip shows up at the brunch and asks Goldy to meet him at his office in town after she is done with her catering chores. She agrees, and later follows him in her car.

She notices Philip is driving erratically and thinks it’s odd because he was fine at the brunch. She honks her horn and motions for him to pull over, but he doesn’t. Then she is horrified to see Philip losing control of his car and crashing into an oncoming bus. He is killed.

(Stay tuned for more posts on this book).