Goldy Schulz the caterer is trying to keep her business going during the recent economic downturn but when chef friend Yolanda Garcia asks her for a job, she hires her. And when, despite husband Tom's professional suspicions, when Yolanda and her great aunt Ferdinanda end up homeless Goldy takes them under their roof. You see Yolanda was staying with their old cop-turned-private-detective buddy Ernest MacLeod when he was murdered. Yolanda is witness and potential suspect, and under Tom's questioning it becomes clear she is also hiding something.

Book sixteen is not one of the best in the series. I have definitely read worse cozy mysteries, but earlier books in the series were more tightly written, less meandering. In all fairness though, when you look at the elements of the story Davidson wrote it is logical that an elusive puppy mill, nine beagle pups, signs of a local drug dealer, an obsessed stalker (who is also very rich through some means he wishes to keep quiet), stolen gold and jewels from a family who fled Cuba decades ago, two cases of arson, a crotchety old woman in a wheelchair who is also a sniper, a familiar-looking and brilliant prostitute and the murder of an old friend whose open cases could hide the motive for his murder make for a very thick book. All the loose ends were tied up in the conclusion but after the detailed and sprawling plot it was somewhat disconcerting to read the equivalent of Sargeant Joe Friday's voiceover at the end of a Dragnet episode providing the basic facts and motivations of the characters.

Still, if you are a long-time fan of the series, there are enough details about Goldy, Arch and Tom's life and what is happening in the main tale of narrative that runs throughout the books to make CRUNCH TIME one you will want to read. Add in the mouth-watering food descriptions (and of course the recipes at the back of the book) and it redeems CRUNCH TIME quite a bit. The story remains solidly in the cozy genre, too; no gory scenes, plenty of amateur sleuth action and small-town maneuverings to provide Goldy with the facts she needs to solve the main murder case. If you want a long and comfortable read with enough interest to keep you distracted from real life this would be an excellent choice.

Book Summary

When the rental house shared by chef Yolanda Garcia and her irrepressible aunt Ferdinanda is destroyed by arson, the pair moves in with cop-turned-PI Ernest McLeod. But then Ernest is shot dead and his house is set on fire, nearly killing Yolanda, Ferdinanda, and their good friend, Colorado caterer Goldy Schulz, along with nine beagle puppies that Ernest had recently rescued from a puppy mill. Concerned for her friends, Goldy invites them to stay with her. But even her house isn't safe. After a failed break-in and the discovery of a second body, the intrepid Goldy decides to swap her chef's hat for a sleuthing cap. Now she's got to move fast because it's crunch time and a killer is getting dangerously close.

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