Eggsecutive Orders (A White House Chef Mystery) [Mass Market Paperback]

Julie Hyzy (Author)

Book Description

Series: A White House Chef Mystery | Publication Date: January 3, 2012

Chef Olivia Paras has too many eggs in one basket-and is feeling like a basket-case...

When NSA big shot Carl Minkus dies right after eating the dinner Olivia Paras's staff had prepared, all forks point to them. Now the Secret Service is picking apart the kitchen-and scrutinizing the staff's every move. The timing couldn't be worse with the White House Lawn Easter Egg Roll to prep for without access to a kitchen. Olivia must find the real culprit-before she cracks under pressure.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The ever-burgeoning culinary mystery subgenre has a new chef-sleuth. In her second adventure (following State of the Onion, 2008), Olivia Paras, the first female White House Chef, just wants to focus on her job: cooking for the president’s family, preparing state banquets, and getting ready for the annual Easter egg roll. However, when one of the guests at a state dinner dies, everything changes: Olivia and her staff are banned from the kitchens. Her boyfriend, Tom MacKenzie, part of the Secret Service’s presidential detail, has been assigned to keep Olivia from meddling in the investigation. Her mother and grandmother are about to arrive for their first visit to Washington, D.C., and tensions are rising among Olivia’s staff and guest chefs. Hyzy does a great job of keeping us interested in all of these problems, and the back-stage look at the White House proves fascinating. Recipes are included for Eggcellent Eggs. --Judy Coon

Review

"Hyzy's research into the backstage kitchen secrets of the White House gives this series a special savor . . ." -- Susan Wittig Albert

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Berkley; Original edition (January 3, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425232034
• ISBN-13: 978-0425232033
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #16,370 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #55 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Mystery > General

More About the Author

Julie Hyzy is the national bestselling author of the White House Chef Mysteries and the Manor House Mysteries. She won the Barry and Anthony Awards for Best Paperback Original for State of the Onion in 2009, and several other awards for her novels and short stories. Her first Manor House Mystery, Grace Under Pressure, earned a Starred Review from Publishers Weekly. Julie loves to read, eat out, and watch old movies and TV shows with her husband and three daughters. They live near Chicago with two rambunctious cats, Kitka and Violet.

MANOR HOUSE MYSTERIES
Grace Under Pressure
Grace Interrupted
Grace Among Thieves (coming, June 2012)

WHITE HOUSE CHEF MYSTERIES
State of the Onion
Hail to the Chef
Eggsecutive Orders
Buffalo West Wing
Affairs of Steak

Originally published in hardcover books now available on KINDLE:
Artistic License (standalone romantic suspense)
Deadly Blessings (first in Alex St. James series)
Deadly Interest (second in Alex St. James series)

Also on KINDLE
Short Story Collection, Volume 1
Writing Dialogue
Deadly Shorts, Alex St. James short stories

Available on KINDLE - under the N.C. Hyzy pseudonym (decidedly less cozy!):
Playing With Matches
Mystery Short Stories, Volume 1
Tracer's Blues

And, under the S.F. Hyzy pseudonym - Science Fiction shorts
Science Fiction Short Stories, Volume 1

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars White House Chef meets Easter Bunny, January 11, 2010

By 

Donna Johns "mamasigs" (MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Eggsecutive Orders (A White House Chef Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

Julie Hyzy adds another strong cozy mystery to her White House chef series which began with State of the Onion(Anthony award winner). A guest (and special agent) has died right after a White House dinner. Was he poisoned? Suspicions point to someone in the White House kitchen. Executive Chef Ollie is forced to defend herself and her staff but Secret Service boyfriend Tom is getting in the way of Ollie's investigation. Can she clear her name, save her staff,keep her boyfriend and make sure that the annual Egg Roll goes on? Hyzy added in Ollie's delightful mother and grandmother to create a souffle that is equal parts mystery and comedy. Don't miss it!

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An "Eggcellent" Addition to a Strong Mystery Series, January 23, 2010

By 

Lesa Holstine (Glendale, AZ) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Eggsecutive Orders (A White House Chef Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

Julie Hyzy won the Anthony and Barry Awards for Best Paperback for her first White House Chef mystery, State of the Onion, but the third book in the series, Eggsecutive Orders, is also the best. That's no "eggsaggeration."

White House Executive Chef Ollie Paras should be on top of the world. It's time for her staff to get ready for the Easter celebration, the dinner and the Easter Egg Roll, and her mother and grandmother are finally coming to visit. She should be anticipating her family's visit to the White House, and the fun of Easter. Instead, on the morning her family is due to arrive, she's escorted to the White House by the Secret Service, and her entire kitchen staff is suspended from their duties. It's only then that she learns a guest died at dinner the night before. Until the cause of death can be determined, the food, and the staff, is suspect.

Her mother and nana came to visit Ollie, and she could look at the suspension as the perfect vacation time. But, she feels responsible for her staff and the kitchen, and she has a hard time sitting on her hands. But, it's not just her job and her staff that is threatened. Her boyfriend's job on the Presidential Protection Detail is also threatened, and Tom has been warned to keep an eye on Ollie, and prevent her from interfering in the investigation. But, when she becomes a target for a newspaper columnist, and her mother shows an interest in a man who is connected to the dead White House guest, it's just too much for Ollie. Somehow, she has to get back into the kitchen, and find a killer.

Although I enjoyed both of the previous books, and Ollie's work in the kitchen, it was refreshing to see her out of her element. By forcing Ollie to stay home, Hyzy added another element to Ollie's life. We met her family, enjoyed a little bit of Washington as she showed them around, and learned more about the personal life of Bucky, the irascible chef. There's also the fascinating "locked White House" mystery. Not too many people would have had access to the dead guest. Top it off with a climax at the annual Easter Egg Roll, and Eggsecutive Orders is another "eggcellent" mystery feast served up by Julie Hyzy.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eggsactly what I wanted!, January 10, 2010

By 

Christina York - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eggsecutive Orders (A White House Chef Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

After reading Ms. Hyzy's first two White House chef mysteries, I could hardly wait for this one, and I wasn't disappointed. Ollie is really coming into her own and taking charge of her kitchen - and her life - is this latest installment. Great characters, solid plotting, and a strong voice make for a fast, enjoyable read!