The Butter Did It
A Gastronomic Tale of Love and Murder
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Narrated by:
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Susan O’Malley
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By:
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Phyllis Richman
About this listen
The Washington Post’s award-winning former food writer, Phyllis Richman, has cooked up a tempting tale of mousse, mayhem, and murder: a tautly woven insider’s look at the food and newspaper worlds.
Laurence Levain was a culinary superstar: the high-profile owner and chef of Chez Laurence, an internationally renowned restaurant in Washington, D.C. When Levain collapses in his clogs the night before a star-studded black-tie benefit dinner, all bets are on his soaring cholesterol level.
But one person has her doubts: Chas Wheatley, the Washington Examiner's saber-penned restaurant critic. Still carrying a torch for Levain after an affair they had years before, she breaks out all her investigative resources to find the culprit. But the big-city newspaper and food communities are deadly competitive.
©1997 Phyllis Richman (P)1997 Blackstone Audio, Inc.Critic reviews
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What listeners say about The Butter Did It
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- ElizrdbthSpeaks
- 12-24-18
enjoyable listen
i wish the cover ... would do the story more justice ... this book or listen deserves a better cover!! such a great listen ... this narrator ... nice on the ears ... and such an easy time does pass ...doing chores listening away and was sad to see it end ... i love a good mystery. mystery read (listen) with food. such a fan ... hope to find more by Phyllis soon enough!
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- Jackie
- 04-17-20
A kick back and enjoy book
An excellent narrated, well written, tricky mystery. The voices of each character was as distinct as the characters were written. I changed my mind so often about who did it. I finally gave up and enjoyed the ride. A kick back with a glass of wine book.
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Overall
- Dale
- 12-29-10
Phyllis Richman did it!!!
I enjoyed reading Phyllis Richman's first murder mystery. The plot to "The Butter Did It" is well constructed and it has plenty of suspects. You learn a lot about the main character, food critic Chas Wheatley. She is not perfect, which is something I like. All of the characters are easy to care about, and realistic. I thought I had the murder solved but was wrong. There were plenty of suspects and a lot of twists and turns. The descriptions of the meals and restaurants she reviewed made me want to find a food critic to befriend. I will definitely be reading the next two books in the series.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Teresa
- 07-19-10
More Please
Although the food described is way out of my league, the writing is quick; the twists and turns unexpected and the personal reflections right on.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall
- KC Burrows
- 02-14-15
Not cozy enough
I can't critique the performance or story fairly as I only listened to 48 minutes. The story was interesting and I wanted to know what happened but there was too much cursing and sexual talk in the first hour for my liking.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Rooinek
- 04-19-20
Could not get past Capter 3
I love books and I will give any book a good try - even a comic book. Unfortunately this one ’Did not do it’ for me. It was boring and I struggled even to get to chapter 3. So sorry - just not my taste.
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Overall
- Kathy&David
- 09-23-10
Fair - characters lost out to food detail
Disappointing - Too much time spent describing elaborate French food to the point of detracting from the characters and the story. I prefer Hannah Swenson (Fluke) and Goldy Bear (Davidson) for food related mysteries.
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1 person found this helpful
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- singelmomlife
- 04-22-20
snore fest
This book was a struggle to finish the main character was dull boring and annoying.
Took much talk of food....not enough murder mystery ..we know who was the killer in the 1st few chapters. I was highly disappointed
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