State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy

State of the Onion is the first book in the White House chef Mysteries series by Julie Hyzy. 

From Publishers Weekly (via amazon)
White House Assistant Chef Olivia Paras—you can call her Ollie—faces challenges aplenty: a heated competition for the soon-to-be-vacant top chef's job, the sneering antagonism of the president's newly appointed sensitivity director and, of course, the mysterious intruder she unwittingly stops on the White House lawn with a couple of swift blows from a frying pan—an unarmed man with news of a threat to the president. Though the Secret Service disapproves of her interference, Ollie soon takes on the mantel of amateur sleuth, which could endanger not only her life but her cozy relationship with handsome Secret Service Agent Thomas MacKenzie. The tension mounts as the president negotiates a major peace plan for the Middle East, Ollie stumbles on the path of a nearly invisible enemy known as the Chameleon, and obnoxious TV celebrity chef Laurel Anne Braun shows up to threaten Ollie's career. Hyzy (Deadly Interest) launches her White House Chef Mystery series with a compulsively readable whodunit full of juicy behind–the–Oval Office details, flavorful characters and a satisfying side dish of red herrings—not to mention 20 pages of easy-to-cook recipes fit for the leader of the free world.

Totally outrageous, over-the-top circumstances but that's what made this so much fun to read!

Rating:  3.5/5 (Mystery Scale)

Dedication:  For Mike...Thanks

First Sentence:  I slid my employee pass into the card reader at the Northwest gate of the White House, and waited for verification--a long, shrill chirp that always made me wince.

Awards:
2009 Anthony Award for Best Paperback
2009 Barry Award for Best Paperback



Next in the series:
Hail to the Chef
Eggsecutive Orders

Fatally Flaky by Diane Mott Davidson

Fatally Flaky, number 15 in the Goldy Schulz Culinary Mystery series by Diane Mott Davidson, is the first I've read in this series since The Grilling Season and gave me a good nudge to catch up on the books between.

From Publishers Weekly
Colorado caterer Goldy Schulz doesn't have a moment to spare as she frantically tries to pull everything together for two upcoming wedding receptions, including last-minute venue and menu changes from a spoiled bridezilla, in bestseller Davidson's entertaining 15th culinary suspense novel (after Sweet Revenge). When Harold Doc Finn, Aspen Meadow's beloved retired doctor, dies under mysterious circumstances on his way to the first wedding ceremony, Goldy wonders if it was an accident or murder. When her godfather and Doc Finn's good friend, Jack Carmichael, is also attacked, it's obvious that Goldy will have to venture out of the kitchen and put her detecting skills to use once again. Stir in a slimy spa owner, rumors of a malpractice suit and the usual cast of supporting characters—including Goldy's patient cop husband, Tom, and her capable culinary assistant, Julian Teller—and you've got another winning entry in Davidson's mouthwatering series.

No quotes or notes to report.  Just a good amateur sleuth mystery.

Rating:  4/5 (Mystery Scale)

Dedication:  To Carolyn Marino with deep gratitude for excellent editing and for possessing a kind heart and a light touch.

Epigraph:  Life does not cease to be funny when people die any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh. - George Bernard Shaw