The White House setting, and all the insider info, is what makes this series interesting to me. Hail to the Chef is a fun read. ( )

Hail to the Chef (A White House Chef Mystery, #2) by Julie Hyzy

Ollie Paras is the Executive Chef at the White House. She enjoys her job and loves cooking. One day an electrician ends up dead, soon after the First Lady's nephew as well. Something doesn't feel right about the deaths so she begins to investigate and uncover the truth.

A fast paced murder mystery with likable characters and engaging plot. Plenty of plot twists, many suspects and secrets revealed. Overall I enjoyed Hail to the Chef and recommend to those who enjoy cozy murder mysteries. Added bonus recipes at the end of the book. ( )

An enjoyable read. Nothing deep or heavy, but written well with good characters and style.
I was pulled in due to the genre - culinary mystery - and where it takes place, the White House.
Ollie has her hands full with Thanksgiving and Christmas events to manage, yet still finds time to investigate bomb threats and behind the scenes maneuvering involving the First Lady's life.
The supporting cast are characters in their own right, but work well as a team in supporting Ollie.
I plan to read the first book of the series to get a bit of background on Ollie, and will also look for subsequent books. ( )

The second in a series of cozy mysteries featuring White House Executive Chef Ollie Paras begins at Thanksgiving and takes the reader through preparations to decorate the White House for Christmas. But the discovery of a fake bomb hidden in the building complex puts everyone on edge. Clearly it was planted by an insider, for who else would have access? Was this someone’s idea of a practical joke? Or is someone seriously trying to harm the President?

This was fairly entertaining, but I guess what was going on FAR ahead of Ollie, and even, apparently, the Secret Service Agent in Charge! I didn’t even have the benefit of an intense one-on-one hours-long training session with said AiC, the way Ollie did, to get the message. Yet time and again Ollie ignored the warning signs that I felt were as obvious as the largest Las Vegas neon sign. Oh well … all’s well that ends well.

It’s a cozy mystery and I read this genre for the escape from reality. And this certainly fills that bill. ( )

White House executive chef Ollie Paras has her hands full preparing for the beginning of the holiday season. Ollie and her staff will be serving Thanksgiving for the President and his wife and a small circle of their friends, then preparing food for a gathering of mothers and children to publicize the gingerbread decorating contest with entries contributed by children from across the U.S. If that wasn't enough to keep the White House kitchen hopping, Ollie and her staff must also participate mandatory training courses with the Secret Service to learn to spot potential security threats. Ollie and Special Agent Gavin start off on the wrong foot, but they gradually earn each others' respect, especially when Ollie's sixth sense starts picking up on danger lurking within the White House.

I still enjoy reading about the behind-the-scenes activity in the White House. I've watched the holiday tours on HGTV so it was fun reading about the preparations for this annual media event. The mystery wasn't as difficult to solve as the one in the first book, perhaps because the cover illustration gives away most of the plot. This is one of the better recent cozy series, and I'll look forward to reading more about Ollie's White House adventures. ( )