Diane Davidson - Chopping Spree

Raves for

CHOPPING SPREE

Davidson dishes up another hit.The Denver Post

Lively fun to read.Bookstreet USA

Chef de cuisine of culinary crimes, Davidson is as fresh as a bunch of cilantro in Chopping Spree. Theres no shortage of suspects, or of food, so fire up the oven and start reading.Rocky Mountain News

[As] delectable as any other dished up by Davidson.The State, Columbia, SC

Laugh your way through this fun-loving catering romp and make sure to keep it handy in the kitchen for all the recipes.The Star-Ledger, Newark, NJ

Readers will have a hard time deciding what is better: the mouthwatering descriptions of various recipes or the fast-paced, compelling storyline. Diane Mott Davidson has once again constructed a clever and complex mystery starring a congenial heroine and her equally enjoyable friends.The Midwest Book Review

Impressive.Winston-Salem Journal

Another irresistibly tempting tale This delightful read will leave you with a smile and a longing for a rich cup of chocolate (preferably Godiva) or better yet a freshly brewed espresso.Booknews from The Poisoned Pen

Especially delicious.Commuter Week, NJ

More Five-Star Praise for the Nationally Bestselling Mysteries of Diane Mott Davidson

A cross between Mary Higgins Clark and Betty Crocker.The Sun, Baltimore, MD

Diane Mott Davidsons culinary mysteries can be hazardous to your waistline.People

The Julia Child of mystery writers.Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph

Davidson has found the recipe for bestsellers.The Atlanta Constitution

Mouthwatering.The Denver Post

Delicious sure to satisfy!Sue Grafton

If devouring Diane Mott Davidsons newest whodunit in a single sitting is any reliable indicator, then this was a delicious hit.Los Angeles Times

You dont have to be a cook or a mystery fan to love Diane Mott Davidsons books. But if youre eitheror bothher tempting recipes and elaborate plots add up to a literary feast!The San Diego Union-Tribune

Mixes recipes and mayhem to perfection.The Sunday Denver Post

Davidson is one of the few authors who have been able to seamlessly stir in culinary scenes without losing the focus of the mystery. [She] has made the culinary mystery more than just a passing phase.Sun-Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale, FL

Goldy and her collection of friends and family continue to mix up dandy mysteries and add tempting recipes to the readers cookbooks at the same time.The Dallas Morning News

Also by Diane Mott Davidson

Catering to Nobody

Dying for Chocolate

The Cereal Murders

The Last Suppers

Killer Pancake

The Main Corpse

The Grilling Season

Prime Cut

Tough Cookie

Sticks & Scones

To Julie Wallin Kaewert,

a black-belt shopper, brilliant writer, and invaluable friend

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I wish to acknowledge the assistance of the following people: Jim, J.Z., and Joe Davidson; Jeff and Rosa Davidson; Kate Miciak, an insightful editor; Sandra Dijkstra, an enthusiastic agent with a superb staff; and Susan Corcoran and Sharon Propson, wonderful publicists.

For help with legal insights, I am indebted to Hal Warren, Assistant County Attorney, Adams County, Colorado, for answering questions about building procedures; and Natalie Frei, attorney-at-law, for insights into criminal law procedures.

In addition, I am thankful to Liz Hudd, biology teacher, Evergreen High School, Evergreen, Colorado, whose anatomy class performs the same tasks as the one described in this book (but Lizs students behave much better); Katherine Goodwin Saideman and Shirley Carnahan, Ph.D., instructor in Humanities at the University of Colorado, for their close readings of the manuscript; Lee Karr and the group that assembled at her home, for support and advice; Julie Wallin Kaewert, Ann Wallin Harrington, Carol Devine Rusley, and Cheryl McGonigle, for more support and advice; Triena Harper, Chief Deputy Coroner, Jefferson County Coroners Office, Jefferson County, Colorado, for information on cadavers; Julie Brown, Office Manager, Elk Ridge Family Physicians; John William Schenk and Karen Schenk, JKS, for their freely shared culinary expertise; Nick LeMasters, General Manager, Cherry Creek Shopping Center, Denver, for insights into mall management; and as usual, for insights into law enforcement, Sergeant Richard Millsapps, Jefferson County Sheriffs Department, Golden, Colorado. For insights into the psychology of compulsive buying, I am indebted to the book I Shop, Therefore I Am: Compulsive Buying and the Search for Self, edited by April Lane Benson, Ph.D., published by Jason Aronson Inc., Northvale, New Jersey.

Finally, this book could not have been written without the knowledge and insights of my wonderful brother, William C. Mott, Jr., Vice President, Investment Banking, Goldman Sachs and Company, New York, New York. Bills training as an architect and his business expertise in the area of mall management were invaluable at every stage of the book. Along with all of my family, I am exceedingly grateful not only for him, but for the fact that he was safely evacuated from the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, by the New York Police Department. Thank you.

Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers:

Little we see in Nature that is ours;

We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!William Wordsworth,

The World Is Too Much With Us

PRINCESS WITHOUT THE PRICE TAG JEWELRY-LEASING EXTRAVAGANZA

Elite Shoppers Lounge - Westside Mall

Monday, April 11

6 to 8 in the evening

Hors dOeuvre Buffet

Crown of Cheeses: Brie, Gorgonzola, Gruyre, Sharp English Cheddar, Camembert

Herb Brioche, Crostini, Homemade Crackers and Corn Chips

Tiaras of Strawberries, Raspberries, Blueberries, and Star Fruit with Creamy Fruit Dressing

Empress Empanadas with Guacamole and Sour Cream

Sweethearts Swedish Meatballs in Burgundy Sauce

Golden Shrimp Rolls with Spicy Sauce

Diamond Lovers Hot Crab Dip

Shoppers Chocolate Truffles

Cocktails, Premium Wines and Beers

Coffee, Tea, Chai, and Espresso Drinks

CHAPTER 1

Success can kill you.

So my best friend had been telling me, anyway. Too much success is like arsenic in chocolate cake. Eat a slice a day, Marla announced with a sweep of her plump, bejeweled fingers, and youll get cancer. Gobble the whole cake? Youll keel over and die on the spot.

These observations, made over the course of a snowy March, had not cheered me. Besides, Id have thought that Marla, with her inherited wealth and passion for shopping, would