Goldy Schulz Books in Order: How to read Diane Mott Davidson’s series?
Coming from American writer and food lover Diane Mott Davidson, the Goldy Schulz series is about an amateur sleuth, but a professional cook–and each book includes several recipes.
The series is about Goldy Schulz, a recently divorced mother with a young son who’s working as a caterer and who also solves murder mysteries in her spare time in the fictional town of Aspen Meadow, CO.
How to read the Goldy Schulz Series in Order?
Every entry in the Goldy Schulz book series by Diane Mott Davidson works as a standalone story, but the lives of the different characters evolve from one novel to the other.
- Catering to Nobody (1990) – Even though working a wake isn’t Goldy Bear’s idea of fun, the Colorado caterer throws herself into preparing a savory feast featuring Poached Salmon and Strawberry Shortcake Buffet designed to soothe forty mourners. Her culinary efforts seem to be exactly what the doctor ordered . . . until her former father-in-law, gynecologist Fritz Korman, is struck down–and Goldy is accused of adding poison to the menu.
- Dying for Chocolate (1992) – Determined to take control, Goldy moves her business to the ritzy Aspen Meadow Country Club. Soon she’s preparing decadent dinners and posh society picnics. Until, that is, the dishy doctor drives his BMW into an oncoming bus. Convinced that Philip’s bizarre death was no accident, Goldy begins to sift through the dead doc’s unpalatable secrets. But this case is seasoned with unexpected danger and even more unexpected revelations–the kind that could get a caterer killed.
- The Cereal Murders (1993) – Goldy Bear, the premier caterer of Aspen Meadow, Colorado, is no stranger to violence–or sudden death. But when she agrees to cater the first College Advisory Dinner for Seniors and Parents at the exclusive Elk Park Preparatory School, the last thing she expects to find at the end of the evening is the battered body of the school valedictorian.
- The Last Suppers (1994) – It should be the happiest day of Goldy’s life. The Colorado caterer is about to tie the knot with the man of her dreams, homicide detective Tom Schultz. But minutes before the ceremony is to begin, Tom phones with an urgent message: The wedding is off, and the reason is murder!
- Killer Pancake (1995) – Goldy Schultz whips up a sumptuous low-fat feast for the Mignon Cosmetics’ company banquet. On the day of the banquet, Goldy finds herself confronting an angry mob of demonstrators-“Spare the Hares”-who object to Mignon Cosmetics’ animal-testing policies. As she carries low-fat fare from her van to the mall where the banquet is being held, she hears an ominous squeal of tires and a horrifying thump. Seconds later a Mignon employee lies dead on the pavement.
- The Main Corpse (1996) – Goldy Schultz barely weathered a disastrous spring in which relentless rains and driving snow put a real damper on her business. But now, thanks to her best friend, Marla, the Colorado caterer is suddenly cooking up a storm…lovingly preparing Crab Quesadillas, Tomato-Brie Pie, and Gold Foil-Wrapped Fudge Bars for her wealthy new client, Prospect Financial Partners.
- The Grilling Season (1997) – Patricia McCracken is certain that her obstetrician and her penny-pinching HMO are responsible for the loss of her baby. Now she is suing both, and she wants Goldy Schultz’s advice on coming out on top. For Dr. John Richard Korman, aka the Jerk, is none other than Goldy’s abusive ex-husband. Goldy knows all about John Richard’s secret life–but even she is shocked when he’s arrested for the murder of his latest girlfriend.
- Prime Cut (1998) – Goldy Schulz is convinced things couldn’t get worse. An unscrupulous rival is driving her out of business. An incompetent contractor has left her precious kitchen in shambles. And she has just agreed to cater a fashion shoot at a nineteenth-century mountain cabin with her mentor and old friend, French chef André Hibbard. Together Goldy and André struggle in a hopelessly outdated kitchen to cater to a vacuous crowd of beautiful people whose personal dramas climax when a camera is pitched through a window . . . into the buffet.
- Tough Cookie (2000) – 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. 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 answer: everything!
- Sticks and Scones (2001) – For Goldy Schulz, accepting a series of bookings at Hyde Castle is like a dream come true. It’s not every day that she gets to cook authentic Elizabethan fare–especially at a real castle that was brought over from England and reassembled stone by stone in Aspen Meadow. Goldy is determined that everything will go right–which is why, she figures later, everything went terribly wrong.
- Chopping Spree (2002) – For Goldy Schulz, business isn’t just booming–it’s skyrocketing. Her friend Marla is constantly warning her, “Success can kill you.” But Goldy doesn’t take the warning literally until her next booking: a cocktail party for the Westside Mall’s Elite Shoppers Club.
- Double Shot (2004) – The governor of Colorado has commuted the prison sentence of Goldy Schulz’s ex-husband, Dr. John Richard Korman, otherwise known to Goldy as the Jerk. He’s released, and soon afterward Goldy becomes the victim of threats, rumors, and violence. Then there’s a murder and suspicion centers on Goldy. Suddenly, she is faced with the challenge of running her successful catering business while fending off two persistent detectives.
- Dark Tort (2006) – Goldy Schulz has a lucrative new gig, preparing breakfasts and conference-room snacks for a local law firm. It’s time-consuming, but Goldy is enjoying it―until the night she arrives to find the firm’s paralegal dead. The poor girl also happens to be Goldy’s next-door neighbor, and now her grieving mother begs Goldy to find out who murdered her daughter.
- Sweet Revenge (2007) – Goldy Schulz is thrilled to be catering a holiday breakfast feast for the staff of the Aspen Meadow Library. But her merriment goes cold when she spots a woman lurking in the stacks–a woman with a striking resemblance to Sandee Brisbane. It sure looks like her, but it can’t be because Sandee is dead. Or so everyone believes.
- Fatally Flaky (2009) – It’s been a long summer for Goldy Schulz, who is engaged in planning a wedding reception for Aspen Meadow’s nuttiest bridezilla. But then Doc Finn, a beloved local physician and the best friend of Goldy’s godfather, Jack, is killed when his car tumbles into a ravine. Jack thinks Doc was murdered because of the research he was doing at the local spa-allegations that are confirmed when Jack himself is attacked.
- Crunch Time (2011) – Goldy Schulz cooks up big trouble as she tries to help her longtime friend and fellow chef, Yolanda Garcia. When the rental house shared by Yolanda and her irrepressible aunt Ferdinanda is destroyed by arson, the pair move in with cop-turned-PI Ernest McLeod. But then Ernest is shot dead and his house is set on fire, nearly killing Goldy, Yolanda, Ferdinanda, and nine beagle puppies that Ernest had recently rescued from a puppy mill.
- The Whole Enchilada (2013) – Goldy Schulz has overcome her share of culinary disasters, not to mention a taste (or two) of death. But all that experience is little preparation when one of Goldy’s best friends collapses and dies at a birthday party. The autopsy reveals that the death wasn’t a heart attack as everyone presumed. It was something far more nefarious. Someone added a sprinkle of poison to the victim’s plate. Suddenly, suspicion falls on the caterer who provided the party’s food: Goldy herself!
- BONUS: Diane Mott Davidson Presents Goldy’s Recipes (2015) – Each Goldy novel includes recipes for scrumptious dishes from the adored character’s kitchen. Now, Davidson has collected these treasured recipes and some brand-new dishes in one volume for the first time. Part memoir, part writing manual, part cookbook, Goldy’s Kitchen Cookbook combines the author’s gift for storytelling with her skills in the kitchen.
If you like the Goldie Schulz reading order by Diane Mott Davidson, you may also want to see our guide to the Hannah Swensen series, or the Laura Childs’ Tea Shop Mysteries. Don’t hesitate to follow us on Twitter or Facebook to discover more book series.