Affairs of Steak (White House Chef Mystery Series #5)

Thoroughly enjoyed this book!

Ollie Paras returns again as White house Chef in a new mystery from Julie Hyzy. At the request of the First Lady, Ollie has to work with prissy Sensitivity Director, Peter Sergeant, to arrange a birthday party for the Secretary of State. On their way to the venue, they are stopped by Peter’s ne’er do well relative, Milton, who is pushing Peter for a White House job. They also have a brush with a rude stranger. When the duo gets to the Lexington, they discover the bodies of two White House staffers in some kitchen equipment. Thus begins Ollie’s wild ride.
Ollie tries not to get involved but the fates conspire against her. First the head usher, Ollie’s friend Paul, takes an indefinite leave which puts an inexperienced guy in his place. Then she somehow gets involved in a kidnapping of a family member of the Secretary of State. Finally, if working with Peter isn’t annoying enough, she gets saddled with Wyatt, a protocol aide who is a big blowhard know –it-all. Add to all of this the need to keep most of the situation a secret for security’s sake and the ongoing feud with the First Family’s private chef, the situation just keeps getting worse.
Ollie’s personal life isn’t any calmer. Her romance with Secret Service Agent Tom is a fading memory and her new romance with SAC Gavin is seemingly going nowhere. Poor Ollie, it seems as though she has no peace in her life at work, at home, or in her love life. Ms. Hyzy does a great job of depicting the ins and outs of DC life and the way the White House hierarchy works. The situations that Ollie finds herself in aren’t so farfetched as to be unbelievable. The book is suspenseful from beginning to end with plot twists galore.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Superb!!!!

The first lady is throwing a birthday party for the Secretary of State to show the world that while her husband, the President, and the Secretary are from different political parties they get along very well. The problem starts when Ollie, the White House Chef, and the thorn in her side, Peter Sargeant, the White House Sensitivity Director, are assigned to work together to find a venue outside of the White House to hold the party. After a rough day of visiting different places, neither one of them agreeing on anything, they finally arrive a the last choice, Lexington Place. They are escorted to the banquet area and are waiting to meet with one of the first lady¿s assistants. As Ollie gets tired of waiting she decides to check out the kitchen where she finds the assistant, but she is very dead and when police arrive another body is found, that of the chief of staff.

With the assistant¿s death Ollie and Sargeant are assigned the job of organizing the party, but they are also going to have to work together to find a murderer. Their own lives are on the line. Did they see something they shouldn¿t have? Before they become the next victims they need to put their differences aside and find the killer.

Dollycas¿s Thoughts
A good portion of this book takes place outside of The White House so we see a little more of Ollie¿s personal life. She has the perfect neighbor. Everyone needs a Mrs. Wentworth next door. Ollie¿s love life is also evolving in a way both Mrs. Wentworth and I approve of.

The interplay between Sargeant and Ollie was unexpected, cleverly written, moving at times, as well as funny. Their relationship was taken to a new level that I really enjoyed. The total ineptness of the ¿interim¿ head usher just added to this multi-layered mystery. Ollie spent almost as much time in his office as the kitchen and she has a much higher patience level than this reader. I would have been so fired.

The entire story is superb. This is one of my favorite cozy mystery series. I look forward to each and every trip to The White House with Ollie. Julie never fails to cook up a marvelous mystery and Ollie takes us right into the middle of the fray. Be sure to add the to your new year reading lists!

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Highly recommend

Another great read. Fun series continues with visit to existing characters. Ollie a great character with a busy and demanding job as White Hiouse chef . You never know what interesting people Ollie will come in contact with inside or outside The White House.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Ollie is back and better than ever!

Fans of this series will not be disappointed. More is learned about Ollie's nemesis Peter Sargeant with the addition to the cast of Peter's nephew. There are several surprises in this book, including the ending. If you like intelligent, cozy mysteries, and are interested in learning about the White House, its staff, and protocols, this series is for you. This is truly one of my absolute favorite series. The only problem is waiting for the next book!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A Great Mystery

Ollie is back and teamed with the one person who grates her nerves, Sargeant, when their discovery leads to complications involving a wayward relative, a top official and national security. Ollie tries to stay out of it, but she’s dragged into this case when she herself becomes a pawn in someone’s game and she’ll have to quickly douse out the fire before she gets burned. What a great read. This well-written and action-filled drama kept me in suspense from the moment I picked up the book. The author did a great job in hiding the killer among the cast with a surprising twist in the caper. Like fine wine, this series gets better with age and I look forward to more adventures with Ollie and the gang in this charmingly appealing series.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Ollie is great again!

Olivia Paras, the White House Head Chef, is put into the position of working with her not-so-favorite Sensitivity Director Peter Sargeant on a project for the First Lady and their very first efforts yield 2 dead bodies. Without any preamble they are directly in the frying pan of a conspiracy that threatens not only their jobs but their lives as well.

Ollie, while thinking that she and Sargeant are not involved in anything more than discovery, realizes that she is being followed on her trip home and while alluding her stalker, she rescues an elderly man who is a bit lost. With her instincts on alert and an Secret Service escort outside of the White House, Ollie figures out the threats that are hovering over the President and his family.

The story ,characters, and writing were all so enjoyable. The story was tight, presenting clues in multiple ways, Characters that not only pushed the plot but also improved our knowledge of other characters, and the writing was clear and crisp.

Love the series, love the characters! Can't wait for the next one.

Highly Recommend

This book, like the prior ones, was very entertaining and kept you in suspense as to what was going to happen to the characters. I think I'd like to see a little more involvement with the rest of the kitchen staff instead of it always being Olivia by herself. However, in this book the Sensitivity Director (seems to be far from sensitive!) was involved with her and since they don't get along I was totally surprised when, at one point, he actually stuck up for her! Maybe the Sensitivity Director is becoming sensible!?! I enjoy Julie's books immensely and would recommend them highly to anyone - male or female.

Fun read

I've read all the White House chef mysteries, and this is one of the better ones. Ollie and hated co-worker Peter Sargant find two dead bodies while investigating a sute for the Secretary of State's birthday party.

The good--the mystery kept me guessing. Plenty of plausible red-herrings. Unlike past books, Ollie didn't go out of her way to interfere with the investigation. Trouble came looking for her, not vice versa. Also Special Agent Gav is back and better than ever!

The bad--these books as a whole make the security around the White House look incompetent at best. I wouldn't read them to get an idea how the President and family are protected. Also, based on these books, the death-rate working at the White House is astronomical. And not just workers, family members are just as likely to end up dead.

So, all in all, a fun read for a lazy afternoon. Doesn't require an excessive amount of thought (or logic, for that matter) .

Does not format properly

This book does not format properly. One cannot change the inter-line spacing. The font and the margin can be changed.
Apostrophe's show up as blocks.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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