8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
As light and fluffy as a tasty meringue!, March 10, 2007
Twenty-five-year-old Boston food connoisseur, Chloe Carter, would love to spend all of her time dining out at the top gourmet hot spots, and watching daytime TV. But, alas, due to a wacky clause in her Uncle Alan's Will, Chloe is forced to complete a Master's Degree program in the field of her choice, before she can even think about touching her inheritance. Which is how she finds herself in the throes of life as a Freshman in Social Worker school, and participating in an internship program at the Boston Organization Against Sexual and Other Harassment in the Workplace, where she is the only other employee aside from Naomi Campbell (whom she has appropriately nicknamed Braids). As if attending classes three days a week weren't problem enough, the amount of coursework she's stuck with on the weekends is seriously hindering her already unsuccessful love life. After various failed relationships, however, Chloe believes that it's time to throw in the towel. That is, until her older sister convinces her to sign up with an online dating site where Chloe (aka GourmetGirl) meets and accepts a date with someone titled DinnerDude (aka Eric Rafferty), who sounds too good to be true. Sadly, when she meets up with the fellow food lover, she learns that he's just that - too good to be true - and can't wait to escape the portly bore who is not only pompous, but a cheapskate to boot. But escaping this deadly date isn't as easy as she originally thought, when Eric turns up dead in the men's bathroom - stabbed to death. Luckily, while attending the bore's funeral - where his parents seem to have an extremely wrong impression about her - Chloe meets up with a sensitive, sexy chef named Josh Driscoll, who knows the exact way to win her heart - through her stomach. But when she learns that Josh is the prime suspect in Eric's death, her thoughts turn sour. Chloe can't believe that someone as talented as Josh could possibly stab someone to death - even though the murder weapon was one of his knives - and is determined to clear her lover-boy's name before he's locked away in a jail cell - along with his fabulously delicious recipe for Baby Bok Choy Slaw. So, enlisting the help of some of her social work classmates, as well as her drop-dead gorgeous best friend, Adrianna, Chloe turns in her chef's hat for a trench coat, and steps into the shoes of Sherlock Holmes, investigating everyone around her. But, as she gets closer to the killer, Chloe begins to realize that the restaurant industry is more cutthroat than she originally believed, and if she's not careful, the next main course on the killer's menu will be her.
As an avid viewer of the Food Network, and a wannabe detective myself, I couldn't help digging in to Jessica Conant-Park and Susan Conant's STEAMED the moment I saw it sitting on the shelf at Barnes & Noble. Chloe Carter is a girl whom many will find themselves relating to. A mix between Rachael Ray and "Sex and the City's" Carrie Bradshaw, Chloe's love of food, and relationship problems make her an appetizing character, who is impossible to resist. From page one her discussions regarding guys and food draw you in, and, even at almost 300 pages long, I found myself devouring this first installment in just a few hours. Chloe's slacker ways when it comes to school, and ambition to clear the could-be guy of her dreams of murder is humorous; while her pursuit of the perfect meal leaves even the reader feeling famished. It's obvious that STEAMED falls more into the category of criminal chick lit than mystery. However, for those looking for a light amateur sleuth novel, this is the perfect piece of fiction to wet your appetite. The supporting characters are irresistible - from the make-up artist/model look-alike, Adrianna; to the hot yet unattainable guy downstairs, Noah; and even reaching the depths of Chloe's bizarre classmates, and even more wacky family - and truly add depth to the novel. Chloe is a one-in-a-million character, whose adventures in the culinary, and detective world are spicy, and make for a killer combination. As light and fluffy as a tasty meringue!
Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Hot chefs, intrigue and recipes you can almost taste?, August 27, 2006
This review is from: Steamed (Gourmet Girl Mystery) (Hardcover)
A page-turner from the start, "Steamed" was one of my most enjoyable summer reads. Chloe Carter is such a real protagonist, and the characters she encounters (some with more character than others!) are well-defined and interesting. I loved the twists and turns of the plot and I enjoyed the interpersonal connections between and among the characters. I can't wait to try the recipes in the back of the book...I drooled just reading them! How soon can I purchase Book 2 in this series?
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
goes down easy...no indigestion, June 7, 2006
This review is from: Steamed (Gourmet Girl Mystery) (Hardcover)
I was a fan of the mother's dog mysteries back in the day, so when I saw she had teamed with her daughter for a culinary-tinged mystery, I was game. The thought of a mother and daughter writing the sexy scenes together made me a bit uncomfortable, but that's probably just me...if they can write it together, more power to them.
The tasty morsels in this book:
the plot: kept my interest and wasn't overly tedious or convoluted
the hunky boyfriend: loved him
the food: always a welcome element
The not-so-scrumptious:
The portrayal of touchy-feely do-gooders was cliched and needlessly mean, I thought. I figure this was just the authors' way of trying to show us the heroine's snarky, independent streak, but it felt cold and unnecessary to me. "Braids," for instance, wasn't funny, and wasn't necessary to the plot at all.
Also, sharing your most personal info and the details of a murder in group therapy class? That felt totally unrealistic. Why not have the character hash out all of those "who could have done it" conversations with her sister or another known-to-her character?
Overall, I'm giving it 4.5 stars. If you like plucky young libidinized characters and food, give it a try!
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