A Catered Birthday Party

Overview

When sisters Bernie and Libby Simmons sign on to cater a prize pooch's birthday bash, they think they're ready for anything. But they haven't bargained for a killer with a bone to pick ...

A Little Taste of Heaven catering certainly knows how to feed people. Dogs, however..? Bernie and Libby will have their chance to impress guests of the four-legged variety when they lay out the spread for Trudy the Pug's birthday luncheon. But this isn't just any doggie 'do. Trudy's owner, Annabel Colbert, is one of the richest women in town--and as mascot of the Colbert toy company, Trudy herself is a bona fide celebrity.

When the big day arrives, Trudy and her canine cohorts are ready to dig in to the delicacies--but the first to dip her fangs into the wine is Annabel. Mere moments later, the hostess is shrieking she's been poisoned--and proving it by falling face first into her soup. After two days in a coma, Annabel is dead.

It seems the woman who had everything also had her share of enemies. In fact, Annabel was cheating, blackmailing, or backstabbing most of the people she knew, including her very own best friend, her very own husband, his personal assistant, and last but not least, Trudy's trainer and kennel owner.

With so many suspects, sniffing out the truth is rapidly becoming a tricky, not to mention risky, proposition. Bernie and Libby had better close the oven on this case fast--before they get burned...

Editorial Reviews

At the start of Crawford's diverting sixth mystery to feature Bernie and Libby Simmons (after 2008's A Catered Halloween), imperious Annabel Colbert hires the catering sisters of Longely, N.Y., to cook for her beloved pet pug's birthday lunch, demanding the same menu for the dogs and the people--at the same table no less. At the party, shortly after insulting all her human guests and drinking what she realizes is a glass of poisoned wine as soon as she gulps it down, Annabel collapses. Before losing consciousness, the wealthy entrepreneur (who dies two days later) gets Bernie and Libby to promise to find her killer. Suspects include Annabel's philandering husband; the husband's gorgeous, surgery-enhanced assistant; and the high school friend whose original idea Annabel stole to make millions. This gabby, low-key culinary cozy includes recipes for canines and humans, one a liver birthday cake you can serve to a person you dislike ("Just frost with whipped cream and leave off the dog treats and Cheez Whiz"). (Dec.)

Author Information

Bio of Isis Crawford

Isis Crawford was born in Egypt to parents who were in the diplomatic corps. When she was five, her family returned to the States, where her mother opened a restaurant in Upper Westchester County and her father became a university professor. Since then Isis has combined her parents' love of food and travel by running a catering service as well as penning numerous travel-related articles about places ranging from Omsk to Paraguay. Married, with twin boys, she presently resides in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, where she is working on the next Bernie and Libby culinary mystery.

Customer Reviews

• A good read for a lazy afternoon

  Posted January 07, 2010 by TCCT, Riverside

  If you are a mystery fan this book is probably not for you. If however you are looking for a quick read on a plane or to pass the time on a Saturday afternoon this is a good choice. The plot is a standard murder mystery with the typical suspects and the crime solving is a bit simplified but again if you just want something to read this will do the job.

• This is a book that must be in a series.

  Posted January 04, 2010 by E. M., Ft Worth, Texas

  This author talks about the characters as if we have read about them before. This must be a book in a series. Since it read like this it was only ok. Also, it was a little silly. The caterered birthday was for a dog. Yes, a dog. But the main story is a murder mystery.

• Just OK

  Posted November 22, 2009 by MaryBeth, Milwaukee Wi

  This book was good in spots. Sam was an amusing character. The rest of the book was kind of weak. No details about the business, discussions with suspects a little flimsy. I'd rate this as better than soap operas. It's not in the same league as Patricia Cornwall, Dick Francis or Stieg Larssen.
  
  If you want an undemanding book to pass the time, down load it. I wouldn't have paid for it.

Additional Info

Imprint

Kensington Publishing Corporation

Filesize

738 KB

Number of Pages

256

eBook ISBN

0758250541