Buffalo West Wing

Buffalo West Wing is the fourth book in the White House Chef Mystery series, but it's the first I've read. Culinary cozies are a favorite of mine. I love the cooking, the menus, and the descriptions of the foods. Buffalo West Wing did not disappoint. It included three very different menus at the end of the book, each tying nicely different scenes in the book.

I particularly loved that Buffalo West Wing, and I'd assume the previous books in the series as well, mixes something most of us know at least the basics of (cooking) with a less familiar topic. Life in the White House, particularly behind the scenes, is something I never much considered and was delighted to find how truly interesting it is. The different procedures relating to show more security, especially how it relates to every aspect of the way a White House staffer does their job, is fascinating.

The mystery in Buffalo West Wing was puzzling and built to a unexpected and thrilling conclusion. Olivia Paras makes a wonderful amateur sleuth and has a valid reason to be involved in the mystery and its investigation, which is a big plus.

This was an exciting read. It kept me on the edge of my seat and often made me feel rather hungry. Buffalo West Wing has certainly peaked my interest and I'm anxious to go back and read the previous novels in the series. show less

Enjoyable, and I continue to find this series addictive. I will say the side characters can be incredibly irritating, however. Poor Ollie constantly gets told "why does it always have to be you?" Tom is a tool and I'm glad to see their relationship has changed. Instead of getting credit for doing the right protocol and saving the children from a painful trip the E.R., Ollie gets treated like crap for most of the book...again. This is frustrating.

That said, the drama with the Secret Service and behind the scenes of the White House is interesting as always. The new chef, Virgil, is a bumble of misteps, hilarious tantrums, stress, and a new ingredient to the series dish. We see more human sides of Cyan, while last book was Bucky. I didn't show more see the culprit coming, that was certainly a twist. This ends with heavier action-orientated danger toward Ollie compared to previous books - intense stuff. Oh, and the new little boy is adorable, but I'm already missing Miss Campbell. show less

The fourth book in the White House chef series sees Executive Chef Olivia (Ollie) Paras and the rest of the White House kitchen staff welcoming a new President on Inauguration Day. But when Ollie finds a box of famous brand barbeque chicken wings have been delivered especially for the new President’s young children she makes the unpopular decision of refusing to give the wings to the children because she doesn’t know who delivered the box and the rules about what food can be given to the First Family are very clear. The decision plays a role in the President’s wife bringing in a new personal chef to the White House and even though her job is on the line Ollie is not allowed to tell the First Lady that the chicken turned out to be show more poisoned or that the children are still under threat.

I like this series because of the out-of-the-ordinary setting so it didn’t really bother me that in this one there was less mysterious drama for Ollie to be involved with than in some of the previous books. In some ways it made for a more believable story because it really isn’t feasible that chefs face a life threatening situation every day, and the inner workings of the kitchen politics that underpinned this one kept me entertained and empathetic. Poor Ollie has her job in jeopardy for doing exactly what she was supposed to do with respect to her workplace rules and has to cover for the shortcomings of the person brought in to potentially replace her. Anyone know a workplace where that kind of thing doesn’t happen regularly? If you do can you leave me a comment and an application form?

If not terribly real-world credible the core of the mystery here is logical and believable within the context of the novel and not nearly as far-fetched as some cosies tend to be. It involves people from a hostile country (Hyzy sensibly made up a country rather than ascribe evil intent to anyone real) wanting something from the US Government that they are unlikely to want to give so dastardly means are resorted to and Ollie is, once again, in the right place to attempt to save the day.

This is a light, quick read that is full of well-researched details about White House goings-on. The characters are fun to love (or hate) and there is enough suspense in the story to while away some pleasant reading hours. show less

Olivia (“Ollie”) Parras is the first female White House Executive Chef. Married to her job, she is both in the background and at the center of events that affect not only the First Family but the country. The White House kitchen is understandably very busy on Inauguration Day, but a box of “favorite” wings found in the kitchen haven’t been properly logged in through security channels, so Ollie refuses to serve the treats to the first children. This sets up a power struggle between the First Lady, the Chief of Staff, the Secret Service and Ollie. Of course she’ll be proven correct, but not before she finds herself at the center of it all.

This is the 4th in the White House Chef series, and a mildly entertaining “mystery show more with recipes” that blends cooking and suspense. Except … there’s not all that much focus on food (the recipes are listed as a sort of afterthought at the end), and there isn’t much plot to move the story forward. There is a fair amount of focus placed on old (or potential) romances, but these aren’t fully explored either. I haven’t read any of the other books in the series, and while a prior romance (or two) might have been better explained (and the tension more plausible as a result) if I had read the earlier works, I think this worked reasonably well as a stand-alone. Hyzy kept me turning pages, which, for me, is the number one criterion for this genre. show less

I have been enjoying this series and these two are the most recent from Julie Hyzy. Olivia Paras is the executive chef at The White House and always seems to get involved in some criminal plot that endangers members of The White House. In the first couple of books, Ollie was dating Tom, a member of the Presidents security detail. I never liked him as he was kind of rude to Ollie and annoyed with her shenanigans. But they broke up and now she's got Gav, another secret service agent but one more supportive of her. I also like Ollie a lot more in the recent books as she stands up for herself and kind of kicks ass. In spite of the titles, there isn't as much food as you'd think but plenty of intrigue. This is a good cozy series.

Upheaval reigns supreme in this book, the fourth installment of the White House Chef series and there is no way that the reader can be disappointed. President Campbell has retired and is replaced by new President Hyden along with a family that includes two small children, Josh and Abby. On Inauguration Day a mysterious box of chicken wings shows up in the kitchen addressed to the children - they are a favorite of theirs. However, Ollie will not allow them to be given to the children because of their unknown origin - procedures. Unbeknownst to her, Cyan, her assistant, gives the wings to the laundry staff and the following morning, not only is the majority of the staff in the hospital, but the hospital is under seige by terrorists.

The show more Secret Service is keeping all the details of the Wings under wraps (they turn out to be poisoned). Since the First Lady is unaware of this service that Ollie's given by withholding the wings from the children, the new First Lady is not exactly Ollie's greatest fan and so brings their personal family chef into the White House. Here a new conflict arises because Chef Ballantine (a true prima donna) thinks he is the new Executive Chef and controls the kitchen but is informed that Ollie is still Chief cook and is his boss. Slowly the story and mystery build to its climax which has an edge of your seat conclusion.

This series is great and the changes that are incorporated because of the election of a new president keep the stories fresh and exciting. The characters are all slowly being revealed to the reader just as you meet and get to know new friends. Love the series! show less

A friend (AC) sent me a number of books from this series in a box of books.

I enjoyed this story. I was surprised that the author chose to have a change in Presidents during the series--or at least in book 4 of the series. At one point my mom had found a book that talked about the people that work in the White House and at least one of the chapters in that dealt with how the outgoing family leaves and the incoming family enters--so I did have some knowledge of how it's done. That other book said many employees keep their jobs through multiple administrations and some even recommend family members for positions--but they do so selectively because they want whoever is hired to reflect well on them as the person who recommended them.

I'm show more glad Tom and Ollie did not go back to dating each other. Hopefully they will become friendly coworkers at some point.

It seems there are a lot of protocols in place--I doubt most newcomers would know them all--and perhaps that's why it's rare for a newcomer to end up in a higher-level position but instead to work their way up, learning as they go. I wonder if Virgil knew some of his purchases would need to be paid for by the Hydens (rather than the government)? show less