The Butter Did It Audiobook By Phyllis Richman cover art

The Butter Did It

A Gastronomic Tale of Love and Murder

Preview

Try for $0.00
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Butter Did It

By: Phyllis Richman
Narrated by: Susan O’Malley
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $15.56

Buy for $15.56

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

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.
Detective Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Romance Suspense Women Sleuths Women's Fiction Mystery Chef
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Critic reviews

“[A] delectable tale of manslaughter, edibles and romance….Susan O'Mally's wry narration adds the appropriate amount of seasoning to this tale….This is a yarn worth savoring.” ( AudioFile)
“A terrific and stylish first mystery by the Washington Post's restaurant critic….How can you not love a writer who includes a reference to the wry and passionate folksinging McGarrigle sisters? Four stars for a stunning debut.” ( Booklist)

What listeners say about The Butter Did It

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    22
  • 4 Stars
    26
  • 3 Stars
    13
  • 2 Stars
    8
  • 1 Stars
    2
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    18
  • 4 Stars
    19
  • 3 Stars
    8
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    16
  • 4 Stars
    21
  • 3 Stars
    5
  • 2 Stars
    5
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

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!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

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

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!