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Chopping Spree
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Plot Summary of Chopping Spree
"
11111
Bantam, July 2002, 23.95, 306 pp.
ISBN 0553107305

While Goldy's ex-husband is in jail, her marriage to policeman Tom Schulz is stable and happy and her catering business is successful beyond her wildest dreams. Her old school friend Barry Dean has commissioned her to cater an event at the Westside Mall but the evening ends in Barry's death and a trip to the hospital for Goldy.

The police question her, making it clear she's a suspect but they eventually arrest Julian, Goldy's assistant and a very dear friend. Julian's fingerprints are on the murder weapon, he failed a polygraph test, and a witness says that Julian tried to run Barry over earlier in the week. Despite the overwhelming evidence, Goldy knows he is innocent and sets out to prove it as only she can.

Readers will have a hard time deciding what is better: the mouth-watering descriptions of various recipes or the fast paced compelling story line. Diane Mott Davidson has once again constructed a clever and complex mystery starring a congenial heroine and her equally enjoyable friends. The protagonist's teen is so well drawn that every mother who raised a teenager will have a great deal of sympathy for Goldy.

Harriet Klausner
"

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Chopping Spree
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 10%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 50%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10%




Tone of story - very upbeat
How difficult to spot villain? - Difficult, but some clues given
Time/era of story: - present (2000-2010)
What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 80%
Special suspect? - best friend
Misc. Murder Plotlets - Proving innocence of very obvious suspect
Kind of investigator - skilled citizen investigator
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot? - food/cooking
Crime Thriller Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes

Main Character
Gender - Female
Profession/status: - chef
Age: - 20's-30's
How much violence does he/she use? - a little
Ethnicity/Race - White/American
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - small businessman
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist - money/treasure
The antagonists are: - big business leader(s)
How sensitive is this character? - hard edged
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - very athletic

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - Northeast

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths? - 2
Amount of dialog - mostly dialog
Most similar books to Chopping Spree
Killer Pancake by Diane Mott Davidson
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Diane Mott Davidson Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
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SCHOLARS:
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