Killer Pancake

Five-Star Praise for KILLER PANCAKE and the Nationally Bestselling Mysteries of Diane Mott Davidson

“If Dick Francis is the mystery writer par excellence for horse lovers, DIANE MOTT DAVIDSON IS MYSTERY’S CULINARY QUEEN.”

—Charleston Post and Courier

“A TREAT.”

—San Francisco Examiner

“A CROSS BETWEEN MARY HIGGINS CLARK AND BETTY CROCKER.”

— The Sun, Baltimore

“Diane Mott Davidson’s 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 Davidson’s newest whodunit in a single sitting is any reliable indicator, then this was A DELICIOUS HIT.”

—Los Angeles Times

“You don’t have to be a cook or a mystery fan to love Diane Mott Davidson’s books. But if you’re either—or both—her 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

“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

The Main Corpse

The Grilling Season

Prime Cut

Tough Cookie

Sticks & Scones

Chopping Spree

For my sisters and brother

Lucy, Sally, and Billy

Huckabucka beanstalk, Chumley!

And don’t forget the raft for

Allenhurst, Looie, and Sal!

O vraiment marâtre Nature,

Puisqu’une telle fleur ne dure

Que du matin jusques au soir!(Truly, Nature is a cruel stepmother

Not to allow such a flower to live

Even from morning until evening.)—from “Ode à Cassandre” by

PIERRE DE RONSARD

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The author wishes to thank the following people: Jim Davidson, Jeffrey Davidson, J. Z. Davidson, and Joseph Davidson, for their neverending love and support, and special thanks to Joe, who came up with the title; Sandra Dijkstra, for being an unbeatably enthusiastic agent; Kate Miciak, for being the phenomenally hardworking and brilliant editor she is; Katherine Goodwin Saideman and Deidre Elliott, for their insightful reading of the manuscript and their helpful suggestions; Mark D. Wit-try, M.D., Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine, St. Louis University Health Sciences Center, for the extraordinary amount of time he took to share information as well as read and comment on the manuscript; Heather Kathleen Delzell, makeup artist, for introducing the author to the world of cosmetics and answering many questions; Pete Moogk of The Ground Up Espresso Bar, Evergreen, Colorado, for giving the author space and electricity; John W. Dudek, Divisional Loss Prevention Manager, Payless Shoes, for painstakingly sharing information about his field of expertise; Nancy Reichert, Ph.D., Mississippi State University, for providing much-needed scientific data; Tom Schantz of the Rue Morgue Bookstore, Boulder, Colorado, for sharing horticultural background; Lee Karr and the group that assembles at her home, for their helpful comments; Carol Devine Rusley, for great weekly conversations; Karen Johnson and John Schenk of J. William’s Catering, Bergen Park, Colorado, for insights into catering; William Weston, M.D., for information on dermatology, and as ever, Investigator Richard Millsapps of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department, for providing valuable expertise, assistance, ideas, and insights.

FALL INTO COLOR WITH

MIGNON COSMETICS!

Lowfat Luncheon Banquet

Wednesday, July 1

Hot Tin Roof Club, Westside Mall,

Furman County, Colorado

Crudités with low fat dips

Turkey with hoison sauce and pine nuts in lettuce cups

Creamed cold asparagus soup