| Plot Summary of A Catered Christmas |
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"Libby is going to be on a televised cooking show and she is terrified. She doesn't even want to be on it. Libby just wants to be at her small shop cooking for customers, but Bree Nottingham, a big wheel in town from whom she and her sister Bernie get a lot of their catering business, coerced her into doing it. What makes it worse is that Libby is afraid of the hostess Hortense Calabash, whose cruel comments have ruined the cooking careers of some of her guests.
Before the show can go on, Hortense is killed by an explosion from the oven in her test kitchen. That is shocking enough, but the producer of the show, Joe Estes, says there is a lot of money tied up in the show, so he wants to keep Hortense's death a secret for now so that the cooking contest can be taped and broadcast as planned. Surprisingly, Joe and Bree, who was called to come to the studio, get the chief of police Lucas “Lucy” Broad to go along with the plan. Then Bree gets Lucy to include Libby and Bernie as investigators into Hortense's death. Libby and Bernie, along with their dad who is the ex-chief of police, have investigated two murders in the past. To motivate them, Lucy starts suggesting something about enforcing codes and regulations for food establishments. Libby and Bernie get the hint.
Now Libby and Bernie will need to investigate those who were in the studio when the explosion occurred: the five other contestants for the cooking show, Hortense's personal assistant, and Joe Estes. They will also have to cater some parties, cook for their regular customers during the Christmas season, and be on the televised cooking show, maybe for a week as co-hosts if they win the contest.
"
Crystal, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of A Catered Christmas |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 20%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10%
Tone of story
- very humorous
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?
- 60%
Murder of certain profession?
- chef/cook
Kind of investigator
- amateur 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
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
How much violence does he/she use?
- just the right amount
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- money/treasure
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- quite fatty
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
City?
Yes
City:
- New York
Style
Part of a series?
Yes
Person
- rotating 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 2
Unusual form of death?
Yes
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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