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Jordan McAllister doesn't know the first thing about food, much less how to cook it. But Jordan, ever the spunky heroine, doesn't let a little thing like lack of knowledge stop her, and she quickly accepts a position filling in as culinary reporter for the local newspaper. When her first assignment leads to a purseful of foie gras, as well as a dead body, Jordan finds herself in the uncomfortable position of being the number one suspect. Determined to clear her name, as well as get the scoop on the story, she decides to solve the murder. Surrounded by a zany cast of small town characters covering Jordan's back, she's got her hands full trying to come up with new recipes for her weekly kitchen column, while interviewing witnesses as potential murder leads . plus falling for the detective hot on the trail of the real murderer. But while Jordan knows the police believe she's suspect number one, what she doesn't realize is that the murderer has cooked up a recipe in which she herself is the number one ingredient: the next murder victim. LIVER LET DIE is a delicious read; a cozy cunning plot full of twists, turns, and culinary delights. Debut author Liz Lipperman stirs the pot by doing a fantastic job of adding ingredients bit by bit to keep the reader turning the page from the very first. Bravo, Ms. Lipperman! I'm not much of a cook, and I don't like liver, but I'm definitely looking forward to your next book!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Jordan McAllister wants to be a sports columnist, but she follows her boyfriend to Dallas and sports columnist jobs are few and far between. Even worse her boyfriend breaks up with her after she has turned her life upside down for him.
The only job she can find working at a newspaper is at the Ranchero Globe writing the Personals ads, while she awaits her dream job. After just three months on the job she is summoned to the editor's office. Not having a clue what she did, she slowly makes her way there. She quickly learns he wants to offer her a job in addition to her Personals work. He wants her to fill in for the Culinary Reporter who is on leave recovering from an accident.
Jordan knows absolutely nothing about food, but this may take her one step closer to becoming a sports columnist, so she decides she will figure out the details later and accepts the job.
Her first assignment puts her right into the hot water. She really is trying to stay away from red meat and she has been sent to review a local steakhouse. She asks the waiter for a recommendation and he suggests the foie gras. As soon as she sees it she knows there is no way she is going to be able to eat it, so she tries to go unnoticed as she slides the plate full of food into her purse. She has ruined a good handbag, but that is nothing, when the next night she finds her waiter dead in her building and he had her name and phone number in his pocket.
She is now the prime suspect and could end up being served as the main course on the real killer's menu.
Dollycas's Thoughts
I loved this book on so many levels. First of all I am one of the pickiest eaters on the planet. It drives my family nuts but my dad was the same way. Growing up my mother owned a restaurant and was a wonderful cook. She loved to cook casseroles but about the only one dad and I would eat was her tuna casserole. The rest ended up as specials on her restaurant's menu. Foie Gras was never on the menu but Liver & Onions was a weekly special. This story reminded me of all those dishes she used to serve.
Now, my husband is the chef of the family, so like Jordan I don't know too much about food. This whole idea of someone like Jordan writing a "Kitchen Kupboard" column is something easy for me to relate too. The recipes in the back are a nice bonus that I will pass along.
I don't want to give to much away but foodies and non foodies, will love how this "clueless cook" makes it work. Even a dead body and slew of suspects doesn't stop Jordan from returning back to the steakhouse at the owner's request, of course she is going to do a little snooping along the way. It wouldn't be a cozy mystery without a nosy protagonist.
Liz has a winner start to her new series. Great characters, a really good mystery and what may bud into a little romance for Jordan. I especially liked all the connections of the people in Jordan's apartment building, meshing together as a family. It is going to be fun watching this characters develop as the series continues and Jordan gets herself into more sticky situations.
A savory cozy not to be missed!!!!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Berkley Prime Crime. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 :
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.After her boyfriend dumped her, Jordan McAllister moved to Ranchero, Texas where she works at the Ranchero Globe writing personal ads as she waits for a better position to open up especially as a sports reporter. When food columnist Loretta Mosley breaks her hip and right arm requiring at least six weeks of rehab, the editor Dwayne Egan offers her the position temporarily without more pay and with her still doing the ads. Though she can't boil water without burning it, she accepts the job that will enable her to see her name in print.
She reviews the new Longhorn Prime Rib Steakhouse. However, afterward, her waiter that night is found dead under her steps. One of her kitchen knives is missing and presumed to be the murder weapon. The police suspect her as the killer while she knows someone is setting her up to stew in prison or shish kabob her. Undercover FBI Agent Alec finds his thoughts are far from lucid because his attraction to the prime culprit muddles his brain. Jordan puts to use her journalism education to investigate the homicide in order to prove her innocence as her state is known for executions. She believes Alec his concealing something significant and hopes it is not tied to the murder as she is attracted to him.
Liz Lipperman has written an entertaining journalistic investigation (though the heroine's lack of experience might better classify her and the whodunit as an amateur sleuth). The dialogue between Jordan and the men in her life is witty and humorous while the reporter finds herself in one hot water scenario after another. She holds the enjoyable plot together as a likable person refusing to allow someone to marinade her with murder.
Harriet Klausner
2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted November 6, 2011
Great start to what hopefully will be a long running series of mysteries.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.This story kept me asking 'just what is going on here?' all the way through the book. And not in a bad way, but in a 'this is interesting'
kind of way. The characters are fun and interesting. I hope as the series progresses, those characters will be developed a lot more
than they were in the opening book--understandably so.
I love the idea of a sports nut reporter getting saddled with a culinary column as a way to get her foot in the door past her current spot
writing personal ads for lonely hearts. Considering she needed a recipe for grilled cheese sandwiches and still failed at it, makes
that whole idea even more ridiculous and more fun to read. If you're looking for a quick read with some good laughs and some really
good recipes, give this one a try.
Anonymous
Posted February 16, 2013
Poor Jordan! She's got a new job in a newish town. Problem is, the job is writing a cooking column, and she can't cook!
But she CAN write and in researching her first restaurant review she stumbles into trouble, and a cute guy to boot! Her "family" in her apartment building help when they can, hinder a little when they can't but support her more than her " real family" ever could 'cause they connect with her better.
A litle bit Lucille Ball with a Charlie's Angels twist, this book is a fast enjoyable read that makes me want to find the next one quick! Brava Liz Lipperman!
KaneH
Posted February 20, 2012
If you like your mysteries fun, fast, and fresh, try this sassy debut novel from Liz Lipperman. It details the tribulations of a young lady, wannabe sports reporter Jordan McAllister, as she takes on a new job that's murder. As a hapless and hopeless anti-foodie who has a hard time even boiling water, she's tapped to become an overnight food critic, and must journey to an exclusive new restaurant and report on the cuisine. Of course the assignment turns out to be a lot more than she bargained for, and a mystery ensues, with Jordan as a suspect. Things get heated up even more when Jordan stumbles on a recipe for success-- not bad for a gal who can't cook, and whose idea of haute cuisine is a Sizzler. Along the way, she must deal with a host of men who complicate things. Are these guys here to help her or hinder her? Are they romantic possibilities, or killers in disguise? The author keeps you guessing with a variety of role changes in the shifting cast. Jordan is aided by a colorful cast of characters, who give her everything from moral and immoral support, to recipes for her new column. It's a lively group who pull together to make sure things don't get too far out of hand. They don't always succeed in this, but they try real hard. This is one of those mysteries that's a great fast read, where you just keep breezing along. And it's got some interesting, down-home, real-life recipes to try, as an added bonus. So pick up a copy and settle back for a fun ride. And then try the chicken... but just don't order the duck...
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted December 18, 2011
What a great debut!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I truly enjoyed this first effort by Liz Lipperman in this series. Very much looking forward to the next book. This was a fun, interesting, suspenseful romp through a murder mystery with a little romance thrown in. The characters are an eclectic bunch of people that seem to fit together seamlessly. Read it...you won't be disappointed.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.erlovesbooks
Posted October 28, 2011
Jordan McAllister has moxie. It's a pleasure hanging around with her and the colorful neighbors from her apartment building. In addition to the fun characters, the book is well-written, with humor, romance, food and dead bodies. Everything I love most in a book. As a bonus, I might try a few of the recipes in the back of the book. I hope the next Clueless Cook Mystery comes out soon.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Tess95
Posted October 20, 2011
What a wonderful story, with likeable characters and twists that will keep you guessing until the end. For me, the cast of characters were a delightful treat. Jordan isn't only likeable, she's a darling. And the others who live in her apartment complex are just as endearing. Mixing humor, murder, and great food, Ms. Lipperman has a hit on her hands. I can't wait for her next book!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.KariLeeTownsend
Posted October 5, 2011
I absolutely love Liver Let Die! Liz Lipperman creates such a fabulous set of characters, I laughed out loud the whole way through. And I just love Jordan. What a hoot she is. Smart and sassy and downright fun. I cannot wait for the next installment of the Clueless Cook Mysteries!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Liver Let Die By Liz Lipperman Copyright October 2011 Publisher Berkeley Prime Crime Jordan McAllister dreams of becoming a popular sports columnist, not a food critic. But she gets stuck in a po-dunk town writing personal ads for a small time newspaper. When she's offered a chance to fill in for a local food critic off on sick leave, she jumps at the chance rationalizing that it's one step closer to her dream. She's convinced the weekly Kitchen Kupboard report will bring her closer to the coveted sports column.. As long as she doesn't let on that she can't cook herself out of a box of macaroni and cheese. Her first assignment is reviewing the new steak house in town. But she never should have ordered that foir gras. or hidden it in her purse. Back home she finds that she has ruined her friend's beautiful handbag, but that's nothing compared to having the dead body of her waiter found underneath her apartment stairwell with her name and number along with it, she becomes the prime suspect, as well as the main course on the murder menu. Now Jordan is the prime suspect, as well as the main course on the murder menu.. Life has a way of screwing things up. Let's start with a boyfriend who isn't worth my time, leaving a job to get away from him, finding a new job and a reasonable place to live. Jordan's new job isn't exactly what she dreamed of, instead of writing about the local sports scene, she's writing the personal ads for lonely people, Yuck! While sitting at her desk composing her own personal ad as a way to vent her anguish at the way her life is going, Jordan is called into her boss's office for a talk. She hopes it is a transfer to the sports desk, but that is just not in the cards. Mr. Egan (her boss) called her into his office to discuss offer her a temp position as the paper's culinary reporter, writing a weekly column and reporting on the restaurant scene. The column is called The Kitchen Kupboard. Her first night out is at a new restaurant that had been closed due to the death of one of the partners. Let's face it, Jordan doesn't know anything about being a critic or what to order. She doesn't like beef and can't cook her way out of a paper bag, and the restaurant is named "Longhorn Prime Rib". Jordan does NOT eat beef, how the heck is she going to pull this off? She introduces herself to the maitre d' as being the food critic from the Ranchero Globe. After being seated at a table in the center of the restaurant her waiter J.T. introduces himself and there begins our tale of intrigue and murder. Jordan will be forced to use all her wits, charm, and investigative skills to get her story and stay alive to see things to the end. No spoilers, no teases, no hints! Liver Let Die is the first book in the new "Clueless Cook Mystery" series. Liz Lipperman will have you scratching your head, pondering the whodunit and making you wish you were the type of person who cheated by reading the back of the book first. FTC Full Disclosure: I received this book from the author who hoped I would choose to review it.
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