Phyllis Richman

An older series I came across recently and I must say it's held up well. It centers on a food critic in Washington DC who has a very bad blind date (the guy jumps up in the middle of the date, runs out to feed the meter, and never returns) but things on the work front look good. Set to be synicated nationally Chas starts with an expose on the way some restaurants cheat their patrons and digs into something deepter than intended. A unique take on DC politics and the way eating plays a role in the way the town works.… (more)

The indomitable Chas Wheatley is back, in a tale of restaurants, rivalry, and murder most-hoped-for.
Ringo Laurenge is the new hire at the Washington Examiner, an ambitious young reporter with the looks and the brains to become a star. The trouble is, a few staffers at the Examiner would characterize him as an arrogant and sadistic back-stabbing blowhard who deserves to die. And Chas Wheatley is obsessively, shamefully among them. Her worries over Ringo have even begun to cut into her love life. Not only does this guy steal other reporters' stories, he also has a fascination with power, and is determined to destroy a restaurant that has become the focus of Chas's latest research.

While Ringo runs rampant at the Examiner, plots to crush Chas's friends, and cooks up ways to horn in on her territory, the question becomes not whether he will be taken out, but when and who will finally be driven to do it? For Ringo has made more than one enemy since arriving in town, and in a case like this, Chas isn't even sure she wants to find out which one of them has finally had enough.… (more)