Buffalo West Wing (White House Chef Mystery Series #4)

Nice "Escapist" Reading

I have enjoyed all the books in this series. They make for great reading when you're looking for a likeable main character, a good little mystery, and a story that's not too intense. Would be a super "beach read."

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Top notch addition to a winning series

This has to be one of the best cozy series out there. Once again, Julie delivers an interesting story with an ending that won't let you stop reading. I wish the book never ended! Looking forward to the next installment. It can't come soon enough for me.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Perfection! A must read.

Note: This review originally appeared in The Season E-Zine's January mystery section. Buffalo West Wing is the fourth in Julie Hyzy's White House Chef Mystery series, and it's one of the best books I've read this year. Hyzy's latest is everything you hope for when you crack the cover of a novel: the plot is intricate, the mystery is clever, the dialogue is witty and natural, and the prose is a joy to read. And if you like your books to hurtle along like a rollercoaster at top speed, boy howdy, are you in for a treat. Buffalo West Wing starts with a bang. It then grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go. I became so quickly and so thoroughly invested in this story that I found it practically impossible to put down. (Note: Do not try to mop your floors while reading a book; I can tell you from experience, it won't end well.) By setting this series in the White House, Hyzy has essentially guaranteed that the stakes will always be high, but with Buffalo West Wing, the stakes start out high and then get astronomical. You start out worried that Ollie will lose her job, but you quickly end up worried that Ollie will lose her life. In my opinion, a big part of what makes Hyzy's books so compelling is her pitch-perfect character development. Hyzy's created a first-rate heroine in Ollie; ambitious and talented yet thoughtful and caring, you'll find yourself rooting for her from page one. The First Family's personal chef, Virgil Ballantine, is the perfect arch-rival; arrogant, self-centered, and slimy, he's a villain you'll love to hate. And the book's minor players are no slouch, either; from assistant chefs Cyan and Bucky to First Kids Abigail and Josh to Ollie's awful date Reggie, each character has his or her own distinct personality; there are no cardboard cutouts to be found here. Hyzy also does a marvelous job developing the relationships between her characters. I especially loved Ollie's scenes with ex-lover (and Secret Service Presidential Protective Division Head) Tom MacKenzie and potential love interest Special Agent in Charge Leonard "Gav" Gavin; most authors use romance to create drama and conflict, and Hyzy's no exception, but what makes Hyzy stand out from the pack is her ability to successfully convey the complex emotions that come with falling in and out of love. In sum, I can't praise this book highly enough. It's tense and twisty and fabulous. Start your New Year right and go out and buy it ASAP; you'll be happy you did.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I liked this book because it involved the White House getting a

I liked this book because it involved the White House getting a new President as we know happens fairly regularly. However, this President has little children. This puts a whole new perspective on the staff of the kitchen and the White House. Ollie denies the children Chicken Wings and was it the best choice? She does have to explain herself to several other employees and begins to second guess herself.

The White House also get a chef who cooks for the family. He came from the private household of the President. He knows all about the family and the children like him. Has Ollie met her match? She does butt heads with him, but then gets to fill in for him on several occasions.
This book doesn’t let down in that Ollie is her true self again. All the antics that followed her in previous books, are new and exciting in this book too. And is there a new man in Ollie’s life?

Verdict: 4.5 stars. I have thoroughly enjoyed this series. And if you pick up this book in the series, make sure you have some chicken wings to go along with the reading time.

Enjoy the whole series!

Very enjoyable. You really have to read the whole series.

Great series addition

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 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!

Can't wait for next one

Just finished this last one in the series and the end had me literally on the edge of my seat. Loved the fast-paced ending. Read all in this series ine after the other. You won't be disappointed with any one of them. Now reading new Alex St. James by her.

Buffalo West Wing is a Tasty Read

It's always stressful having to get used to a new boss. But for Ollie and her crew this one will be a bit more stressful. A new administration always brings challenges and sometimes even danger. Ollie now has to deal with a new First Lady with young children and a new person being added to her kitchen. How will she ever survive? This is the fourth book in the White House Chef series and it brings a new dimension to Ollie's world I know that everyone will enjoy it as much as I did. FTC Full Disclosure: Sent to me by the author in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affects my opinion of the book in any way whatsoever.

Good

Better than the rest

This series just keeps getting better!

Ollie Paras returns in another intriguing mystery in the White House Chef series. Her life is topsy turvey-she's broken up with her boyfriend, a White House Secret Service agent, and there is a new First Family on board. When an unexplained box of fried chicken shows up for the President's children and Ollie refuses to pass it on to them without knowing where it came from, a contentious relationship with the new First Lady (FLOTUS) begins. The chicken turns out to be laced with arsenic and the Secret Service won't tell the First Lady for security reasons. To top it all off, the FLOTUS brings in a personal chef for the family and he thinks he's in charge of the kitchen. Add in a terrorist plot, an old relationship rekindled, and a state dinner and you have a fast and frenzied mystery. I especially enjoy all of the information about how things work in the White House. An example-the First Family has to pay for all of their personal food-not the taxpayers. There is a selection of recipes at the back of the book. I have tried some of them and they are pretty good.

Just a note, if you have not read the earlier books in the series, I would recommend doing so. They are State of the Onion,Hail to the Chef, and Eggsecutive Orders.

COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN!!!!!

In this edition a new family, including two children, are welcomed to the White House, but the transition did not go smoothly by any means, especially between the White House Kitchen Staff and the new First Lady. In fact, it only took a few days for her to bring in their own personal family chef to prepare the family meals. The new chef believed he was hired to be the new executive chef of the entire White House, and was very disappointed to learn that Ollie (Olivia Paras) would retain her position but her load would be lightened as she would no longer be preparing the family meals. To say the kitchen was tense is an understatement. Adding to the stress was a package of Buffalo Wings delivered for the children's first night in their new home, but because the package did not go through proper channels Ollie could not serve them to the children. This was not well received by the First Lady and Ollie believes her days as White House Chef are numbered.


Unfortunately some staff ate the wings and became terribly sick. It is then the Ollie and certain secret service agents start to put together that the family was in danger, but they must keep mum about their suspicions to keep the first family safe and determine if they have someone on the staff working with the group targeting the First Family.

I LOVED IT!!!!!

I absolutely positively loved this book, just as I did the other books in this series. We get a look at what goes on behind the scenes at the White House. Julie Hyzy did an exhaustive amount of research and you can see it in her writing. She takes us to a place you can't even see on a tour and divulges the inner workings, it is quite fascinating.

I immediately fell in love with Ollie, Cyan, Bucky and Henry. The new First Family with children added to the mix, brings in a whole new element to the story and the White House, the same way the Obama girl's have done in real life. I was touched by the Wisconsin reference, even though it was the location of a prison. The story could definitely be a "ripped from the headlines" saga. I understand how closely guarded our President's family is, and why the protocols are in place. This story is an edge of your seat mystery but also an excellent example of why the protocols are in place and what a dangerous world we live in today.

Julie, I am so glad I started this blog and found your marvelous work. Those nice little cliffhangers always leaving me wanting more. All the White House Chef Mysteries are a pure delight and I give all 4 books 5 stars and consider them a must read for every mystery lover!!!!


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received these books free from Berkley Prime Crime, a Division of Penguin Publishing. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

engaging amateur sleuth

The new president of the United States with his wife watching is sworn into office. Back at the White House, executive chef Olivia' Ollie" Paras and her staff prepare to adapt to the First Family whose tastes differ from the previous occupants.

Ollie notices a box on a counter containing chicken wings meant for President Harden's children Josh and Abby. Since she has no idea who left it, Ollie refuses to allow the First Kids to eat it though Josh and Abby want them. The First Lady is livid with the chef's audacity. When the food is given to the laundry workers, they become ill and are rushed to the hospital where they are held hostage by extremists from Armuston who demand the release of their leader from an American prison. While Ollie is worried about the personal chef Virgil Ballantine who the First Family hired to prepare their meals and apparently wants her job, the extremists are about to perform another action to free their leader.

Readers will be fascinated with what goes on in the White House where even the kitchen deals with politics as the devoted staff struggle with the change in administration demands on them especially with young kids (previous administration had adult children). The First Lady is hostile towards Ollie for depriving her First Children from eating the wings that were laced with arsenic but the Secret Service and Ollie are not allowed to inform her of that; this animosity and concealment seem inappropriate with international and domestic terrorism a growth industry. Although the workers rarely make it into the limelight, the White House could not function without their support. The whodunit is cleverly devised as Julie Hyzy writes an engaging amateur sleuth starring a heroine with a unique perspective of Eggecutive Orders

Harriet Klausner

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