Sex and Salmonella: A Tory Bauer Mystery (Tory Bauer Series) (Mass Market Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

When the remains of real murder victims are discovered among the grisly special effects at the amusement park horror house, forty-something waitress and amateur sleuth Tory Bauer finds a mystery in the Hall of Mirrors.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Avon Books (Mm) (August 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 038078355X
• ISBN-13: 978-0380783557
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #285,980 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wry, Witty, and Wise....., January 29, 2003

By	Roz Levine (Virginia) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Poor Tory Bauer. This over forty, overweight, widowed, mystery loving waitress would like nothing more than a little peace and quiet when her early shift at the cafe is over. Maybe some James Taylor on the stereo, a cold Diet Coke, and a good book to keep her company. But that is not to be. Delphi, South Dakota is hopping this hot and dusty summer afternoon. Hamilton Bogner's International Extravaganza is in town, and this rather seedy carnival has set itself up on the vacant lot right next to Tory's trailer. To make matters worse, her officious cousin, Junior, has gotten food poisoning, and Tory's been enlisted to take her four young children to the Extravaganza. There are rides and games, food booths filled with sugary treats, and a trip through the ever popular fun house with its Evil Hall of Mirrors. As Tory looks up, trying to get her bearings, she sees a dead body stuffed up in the ceiling grid above the mirrors. This is no prop, that's for sure. She knows the real thing when she sees it, and even recognizes the corpse, Lily Mitchell, a troubled young carnival worker. Who would want Lily dead, and why? Now with the gossip mill grinding overtime, and secrets and suspicions popping up all over town, Tory dives head first into the case, and she's not going to stop digging until she gets to the truth..... Kathleen Tayor is back with the second installment of her Tory Bauer mysteries, and this is a fun-filled series that just gets better with each book. Sex And Salmonella has it all... a well paced plot filled with vivid, laugh-out-loud scenes and clever twists and surprises, great small town, mid-west atmosphere, and a quirky cast of colorful and memorable characters. But it's Ms Taylor's engaging writing, witty dialogue, and terrific dead-pan delivery that makes this novel stand out and sparkle, and once you begin the first entertaining chapter, be prepared to finish this book in one sitting. Sex And Salmonella is the only Tory Bauer mystery that is out of print, but it's well worth the effort to find a copy. For those new to Kathleen Taylor and the gang from Delphi, South Dakota, be sure to start at the beginning with Funeral Food to get the real flavor of this series. For those who are already fans, Sex And Salmonella is a winner that shouldn't be missed.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So Good!! Why is it the Only Tory Book Out of Print??, December 19, 2000

By	delta (Memphis) - See all my reviews

This book is the second in the Tory/South Dakota series...and the only one of the series to be out of print!! Why I don't know, because you need to read this book to really get into the whole series.

The series is set in a small South Dakota town. Tory, the main character is a fat waitress at the town's only cafe. Her roommate, Del, is a nympho, who sleeps with everybody who moves. Tory's best friend is Neil, the local millionaire librarian.

This wonderful book naturally centers around people sleeping around and getting wonderfully ill.

Tory's cousin, annoyingly upright Junior, faints from food poisoning in the cafe, leaving Tory in charge of the town celebration's carnival. So Tory must go and preview the carnival in another town and report back to Junior. Tory hitches a ride to the carnival with her married lover, Stu. Along the way, they have an afternoon tryst where the witness some other shenanigans, which open up the can of worms. That is where the fun begins.

We get to meet different interesting members of the carnival..

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sex & Salmonella: Definitely Not Your Average Sleuth Story, June 23, 1998

By A Customer

Kathleen Taylor's been blessed with the gift of wit and she's not afraid to use it, thank goodness. Even I, no great reader of mysteries, could tell "Sex and Salmonella" was different from the average "stab and solve" mystery novel. An introduction that pokes fun at the predictability of the genre; a less than perfect heroine with a penchant for epithets, general crankiness and Diet Coke; and a bevy of small town South Dakota natives filled to the brim with a carbine load of personality quirks all makes for a fun ride. I laughed out loud at several points. If you prefer your mystery novels to be of the serious, psychological thriller variety, "Sex and Salmonella" is probably not for you. If, however, you're tired of the same old same old, stop in at the Delphi Cafe for a generous helping of humor, wisdom and a simple yet engaging mystery that will leave you wanting more. Good thing there's two more books in the series!

As a bonus, James Taylor fans will appreciate Tory's reliance on the dulcet tones of the nasal voiced folk singer to sooth her frazzled nerves, even in the face of her Country & Western soaked environs.