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The Whole Enchilada

Review

The Whole Enchilada

When caterer Goldy Schulz and her assistant, Julian, prepared a Tex-Mex feast for a joint birthday party for Goldy's son, Arch, and his friend, Drew, she never dreamt that eating it would be the death of Goldy's old friend and Drew's mom, Holly. What was meant to be a joyous celebration suddenly turns into a wake in just a few short hours.

Goldy met Holly in the maternity ward when both women gave birth to their sons 17 years ago. At the time, both women were married to doctors, neither of whom bothered to show up to lend support to their wives when their sons were born. As a result, the two bonded over their shared experiences and became fast friends.

"THE WHOLE ENCHILADA...brings new twists and turns in the private lives of the characters, as well as a riveting mystery that features beloved characters old and new."

Unfortunately, as life took them in different directions, Goldy and Holly saw little of each other. Recently reacquainted when Holly returns to the area, Holly seems different to Goldy than she did all those years ago. Now her life is filled with secrets and mysteries, none of which Goldy is privy to. Before she can get to the bottom of what is troubling Holly, Holly dies of a sudden heart attack after eating Goldy's catered birthday meal.

As usual, things are not what they seem at first glance. It turns out that Holly's heart attack was caused by a drug that was slipped into her food and triggered the heart attack to which she was susceptible due to an underlying heart condition. Holly wasn't the only victim, though. Several of the guests report having vivid, scary dreams after eating Goldy's food. Sick with grief over the death of Holly and concerned about how her food was tampered with, Goldy feels obligated to find the person responsible for killing Holly.

Goldy barely has time to begin her investigation before she suffers a terrible accident that was intended to kill Drew. Suddenly time is of the essence, and Goldy and her husband, Tom, a police detective with the Aspen Meadow Police Department, must work quickly to determine the culprit behind these deadly deeds.

Not only is Goldy dealing with her grief and the ensuing mystery surrounding Holly's death, there is a woman in town who has set up her own catering business with a name and catering truck almost identical to that of Goldy's business. In fact, the woman even resembles Goldy in appearance. When her would-be competitor is violently murdered, Goldy ponders whether or not she or her imitator was the intended victim.

THE WHOLE ENCHILADA is Diane Mott Davidson's 17th Goldy Schulz mystery and brings new twists and turns in the private lives of the characters, as well as a riveting mystery that features beloved characters old and new. The plethora of recipes included in the book are a delightful bonus that add to the fun of Davidson’s latest work.

Reviewed by Amie Taylor on September 6, 2013

The Whole Enchilada
by Diane Mott Davidson

  • Publication Date: May 27, 2014
  • Genres: Fiction, Mystery
  • Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages
  • Publisher: Avon
  • ISBN-10: 006134818X
  • ISBN-13: 9780061348181