Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Don't Miss This New Cozy Series!, February 29, 2008
First of all, I'd like to thank Ms. Hyzy for giving us a female protagonist who is intelligent, strong, very likable, and most of all, believable! This heroine doesn't stubbornly throw herself in harm's way over and over again because she refuses to listen to reason again and again, causing the reader to want to shake some sense into her. None of that nonsense for Assistant White House Chef Olivia "Ollie" Paras! What a breath of fresh air!
In State of the Onion, the first in a new series, Ms. Hyzy has married a culinary cozy with a spy/thriller novel - two of my favorite mystery subgenres - and she has done it well. We meet Olivia Paras, an assistant chef at the White House who is auditioning for the position of Executive Chef - a position held by Ollie's mentor and friend, Henry Cooley. As she is returning to the White House after picking up Henry's retirement gift, Ollie finds herself caught up in a foot chase between Secret Service agents and an unknown male intruder on the White House lawn. When it appears that Ollie is the only thing standing between the intruder and freedom, she comes out of hiding and wallops him with Henry's gift, an engraved skillet. After a short debriefing, Ollie is happy to leave the matter in the capable hands of her friends, agents Thomas MacKenzie and Craig Sanderson, and the rest of the Secret Service, that is, until she watches a news clip of the incident that evening.
What follows is a veritable smorgasbord of intrigue and fine dining. Ollie witnesses a murder, and to complicate matters, auditioning against her for the executive chef position is Laurel Anne Braun, a master chef with her own TV show who is well known to the White House Staff - having worked there previously as a sous-chef. To say she is a prima donna is putting it mildly, and her antics add a lot of interest and angst to the story.
Ollie's love interest, Secret Service Agent Thomas MacKenzie, is a very likable character who adds tremendously to the overall story line, and his and Ollie's relationship is fleshed out quite nicely without any resemblance whatsoever to a trashy romance novel, so no skimming necessary - thank you very much for that, Ms. Hyzy!
The book has a very satisfying ending that will sate the reader's appetite for happy endings and fair play, while leaving the reader hoping for more. I'll be anxiously awaiting the next installment of White House Chef Ollie Paras et al. Well done, Ms. Hyzy, well done.
Carol Ann Hopkins 2/29/2008
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cooked up a good mystery , January 18, 2008
Olivia "Ollie" Paras is the White House Assistant Chef, a job that she loves but she'd also love to be promoted to Executive Chef since her boss is retiring. There are just a couple of problems: first, the other candidate for the job is a TV chef and Ollie's least favorite person, and second, Ollie accidentally got involved in stopping a man fleeing the Secret Service and now it appears Ollie is in danger.
Tom, Ollie's Secret Service boyfriend, tries to convince Ollie to stay out of the mystery of the fleeing man and let the Secret service do their job-but Ollie's curiosity keeps putting her right in the middle of things. Will Ollie's involvement in the mystery spell the end of her relationship with Tom, or even worse, cost her the job of Executive Chef? When Ollie figures out that she is the only person alive who can identify an international assassin, will she even live long enough to be offered her dream job?
I have really enjoyed several "culinary" mystery series but I think this is my favorite. State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy is the first book of a new White House Chef Mystery series, and this series is off to a wonderful start. This isn't just a book for people who like the mixture of recipes, cooking, and a mystery-this is a first-rate thriller that is filled with interesting tidbits of Presidential history, White House trivia, and of course cooking tips and secrets.
Ollie, the main character in State of the Onion, is intelligent, curious, ambitious, tenacious and fun. I would love to know her personally. Several wonderful secondary, support characters help round out the story too. Tom, Ollie's Secret Service boyfriend, is an interesting character although I wanted to kick him a time or two for being so stubborn and not being there when Ollie needed him.
State of the Onion is an exceptionally well done first book of a new series. Author Hyzy keeps the reader in suspense, entertained, and wanting more throughout the entire story. She is a talented author and one that will be on my favorite author list from this point forward. I can't wait for the next installment in this fantastic new series!
Armchair Interview says: Highly recommend this series to those who love a good mystery, whether you are interested in cooking or not.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A pleasurable read, May 6, 2008
Sometimes, with genre fiction such as mysteries, all I really expect is to not feel irritated by anything as I read the book. I want the writing, the plotting and the characters to be written with an accomplished enough hand that I can lose myself in the story instead of cursing as I encounter something that interrupts the flow. "State of the Onion" gets full marks for not having any annoying stumbles. The White House kitchen is a fresh and interesting setting and a new twist on the cooking mystery angle. The writing and especially the character development is better than I've found in some other long running, popular mystery series and that is very refreshing. I liked "State of the Onion" and will read more in the series. I think the author is well on her way to creating a good series that will get even better.
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