People keep telling me culinary mysteries are "cozy." That they're comfort food reading. Light, breezy, the literary equivalent of a Hallmark movie with a body count. And sure, I get it - Fatally Flaky has recipes in it, the protagonist is a caterer named Goldy who lives in Colorado and bickers with her best friend about calories. This is not exactly Shirley Jackson territory.
But here's the thing that caught me off guard: Barbara Rosenblat narrates this like she's performing a one-woman show, and about two hours in, when Goldy literally trips over a corpse while trying to help someone, Rosenblat shifts gears so fast that my pulse actually spiked. I was reorganizing the horror section at the library (yes, we have one, it's three shelves and I curate it with an iron fist) and I stopped shelving mid-stack because the pacing just... grabbed me.
The Bridezilla Body Count
Look, I came into this expecting background noise. A palate cleanser between heavy horror listens. What I got was Davidson doing something sneaky - she uses the domestic comfort of catering and wedding prep as a smokescreen. You're thinking about cream puffs and fondant and then someone's dead and Goldy is stumbling through what Rosenblat delivers at this breathless, almost panicky clip. The bridezilla character is painted in these broad, almost cartoonish strokes - demanding, impossible, the kind of client who makes you fantasize about food poisoning - but she serves a real narrative purpose as misdirection. Davidson knows you're going to suspect the most annoying person in the room. She's counting on it.
The mystery itself is pretty standard whodunit fare. Colorado mountain town, small cast of suspects, husband Tom doing the stoic law enforcement thing while Goldy refuses to stay out of trouble. If you've read any of the other fifteen (fifteen!) books in this series, you know the formula. But the formula works the way a good recipe works - reliable ingredients, satisfying results. The Cleveland Plain Dealer called it "as reliable and satisfying as a favorite casserole recipe" and honestly? That's not shade. That's accurate.
Rosenblat Is Doing Heavy Lifting Here
So there's a split opinion on Barbara Rosenblat's narration and I want to address it directly because I think both camps are right for different reasons. Some listeners find her voice harsh. I can see that - she doesn't soften her delivery the way some cozy mystery narrators do. There's a briskness to her tone, an edge. But that's exactly what keeps this from sliding into pure fluff. She voices Goldy with this practical, slightly exasperated energy that feels real. When Goldy's dealing with the bridezilla, Rosenblat leans into the comedy with timing that's genuinely funny - not sitcom funny, more like your-friend-telling-you-about-her-terrible-day funny.
The character differentiation is solid. Tom gets this lower, steadier register. Marla gets warmth and gossip-queen energy. The bridezilla gets exactly the kind of grating entitlement you'd expect. Rosenblat reportedly creates "a cast of thousands" and while that's hyperbole, she does keep you oriented in scenes with multiple speakers, which in a 10-hour single-narrator mystery is no small feat.
One genuine complaint: there's music at the end of some chapters that feels like it wandered in from a different production. It's jarring. You're in Rosenblat's rhythm, the scene ends, and then - what is that, a synth pad? It pulled me out every single time. Not a dealbreaker but definitely a production choice someone should've reconsidered.
Who's This Actually For (And Who Should Run)
If you're a horror person like me, this is a vacation listen. It's not going to haunt you. It's not going to make you sleep with the lights on. Now, Intoxicated Ghost And Other Stories - that one will do both of those things, so keep it close by for when the vacation's over. But it's well-constructed, the narration has genuine spark, and sometimes you need a mystery that pairs well with a cup of tea instead of existential dread. If you're already a Goldy Schulz fan, Rosenblat is the voice of this series for a reason - she owns it.
If you need darkness, psychological weight, or anything approaching genuine menace? Skip this. It's not trying to be that. And if harsh vocal tones bother you, maybe sample before committing.
My podcast listeners are going to roast me for this one - Jordan Reeves reviewing a culinary cozy, what's next, Hallmark Christmas movies? But good craft is good craft regardless of genre. Davidson knows her lane. Rosenblat commits. That's rare, even in genres I don't usually visit.
Back to the Stacks
Shirley (my cat) was unimpressed. But Shirley's unimpressed by everything that doesn't involve a can opener. I had a decent time with this - not life-changing, not essential, but a solid listen that earned its 10 hours. Sometimes that's enough.
