State of the Onion (White House Chef Mysteries, No. 1)

Very slow getting started

I have been lucky as of late to come across the debut volume of several wonderful new mystery series' and "State of the Onion" has to rank right up there with the best of them. This book was not only a delicious mystery but was also a fascinating look behind the scenes at the White House. There are in fact several threads running through this book beyond the actual mystery and this author does a masterful job of keeping the threads interesting while at the same time never losing sight of the mystery. Olivia is an assistant White House chef and with the impending retirement of the executive chef she is up for that job along with an obnoxious TV chef that she has crossed paths with before. Every move that Olivia makes seem to impact her chances for the job and usually the impact is negative despite the best of intentions on her part. The whole story gets going as she enters the White House grounds on her way to the kitchen and spots the secret service in pursuit of an intruder who has jumped the fence. The agents are having trouble catching the guy so when he runs by her she bops him over the head with a frying pan. From that point on she is unwillingly drawn into a web of spies, assassins and general international intrigue. As with any heroine in this genre Olivia does have an inquisitive streak about her though and sometimes her curiosity does get her into trouble. Beyond the actual mystery and the battle for the head chef position the author does a superb job of integrating the work that goes on in the White House kitchen into the story and this backdrop is indeed fascinating. She also works in an incredibly obnoxious character that is so believable that by the end of the book I was as anxious to see if he got his comeuppance, as I was to find out the solution to the mystery. The only real problem that I had with this book was the boyfriend. He was always yelling at Olivia if she didn't do just what he wanted her to do, he didn't want his friends to know that they were involved and he left her on her own at a time when she really needed him. By the end of the book I found that I disliked him almost as much as I did the character that was intended to be obnoxious. I do suppose however that if in the short span of one book I had become attached enough to the Olivia character to worry about how her boyfriend treated her the author must have done a commendable job of bringing Olivia to life and making her seem like a real flesh and bones person. Hopefully in future books the boyfriend will either straighten up or Olivia will dump him but however that works out I believe that this is destined to be an incredible series. I loved the story, the setting and the author's writing style and I hope that Olivia and her gang are around to entertain me for many years to come.

As a librarian and a professional reviewer, I want to urge mystery fans not to miss this book! State of the Onion has something for readers who like police procedurals, cozies, recipes, action, humor - in other words, this has something for everyone! Others have said it here, but I want to reiterate that Ollie is one of the strongest, most intelligent women sleuths seen in a long time in mystery fiction. The White House details are also well researched and fascinating, especially the information on diets of different cultures and history of the furnishings in the famous building. But the action begins on page one and continues through to the end. What I also liked about this one, and I've given it a positive review in two places, is that Ollie is neither too tough to be believed nor too perfect in her piecing of the clues. She is likeable and human, and easy to relate to even in her exotic setting. The plot has plenty of surprises. It's well paced and realistic, and readers will be eagerly waiting for the next in the series. I've bought this for gifts for most of my family and suggested it to many patrons of the library. All have enjoyed it! -Amy Alessio, Schaumburg Township District Library

First of all, I'd like to thank Ms. Hyzy for giving us a female protagonist who is intelligent, strong, very likable, and most of all, believable! This heroine doesn't stubbornly throw herself in harm's way over and over again because she refuses to listen to reason again and again, causing the reader to want to shake some sense into her. None of that nonsense for Assistant White House Chef Olivia "Ollie" Paras! What a breath of fresh air! In State of the Onion, the first in a new series, Ms. Hyzy has married a culinary cozy with a spy/thriller novel - two of my favorite mystery subgenres - and she has done it well. We meet Olivia Paras, an assistant chef at the White House who is auditioning for the position of Executive Chef - a position held by Ollie's mentor and friend, Henry Cooley. As she is returning to the White House after picking up Henry's retirement gift, Ollie finds herself caught up in a foot chase between Secret Service agents and an unknown male intruder on the White House lawn. When it appears that Ollie is the only thing standing between the intruder and freedom, she comes out of hiding and wallops him with Henry's gift, an engraved skillet. After a short debriefing, Ollie is happy to leave the matter in the capable hands of her friends, agents Thomas MacKenzie and Craig Sanderson, and the rest of the Secret Service, that is, until she watches a news clip of the incident that evening. What follows is a veritable smorgasbord of intrigue and fine dining. Ollie witnesses a murder, and to complicate matters, auditioning against her for the executive chef position is Laurel Anne Braun, a master chef with her own TV show who is well known to the White House Staff - having worked there previously as a sous-chef. To say she is a prima donna is putting it mildly, and her antics add a lot of interest and angst to the story. Ollie's love interest, Secret Service Agent Thomas MacKenzie, is a very likable character who adds tremendously to the overall story line, and his and Ollie's relationship is fleshed out quite nicely without any resemblance whatsoever to a trashy romance novel, so no skimming necessary - thank you very much for that, Ms. Hyzy! The book has a very satisfying ending that will sate the reader's appetite for happy endings and fair play, while leaving the reader hoping for more. I'll be anxiously awaiting the next installment of White House Chef Ollie Paras et al. Well done, Ms. Hyzy, well done. Carol Ann Hopkins 2/29/2008

Olivia "Ollie" Paras is the White House Assistant Chef, a job that she loves but she'd also love to be promoted to Executive Chef since her boss is retiring. There are just a couple of problems: first, the other candidate for the job is a TV chef and Ollie's least favorite person, and second, Ollie accidentally got involved in stopping a man fleeing the Secret Service and now it appears Ollie is in danger. Tom, Ollie's Secret Service boyfriend, tries to convince Ollie to stay out of the mystery of the fleeing man and let the Secret service do their job-but Ollie's curiosity keeps putting her right in the middle of things. Will Ollie's involvement in the mystery spell the end of her relationship with Tom, or even worse, cost her the job of Executive Chef? When Ollie figures out that she is the only person alive who can identify an international assassin, will she even live long enough to be offered her dream job? I have really enjoyed several "culinary" mystery series but I think this is my favorite. State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy is the first book of a new White House Chef Mystery series, and this series is off to a wonderful start. This isn't just a book for people who like the mixture of recipes, cooking, and a mystery-this is a first-rate thriller that is filled with interesting tidbits of Presidential history, White House trivia, and of course cooking tips and secrets. Ollie, the main character in State of the Onion, is intelligent, curious, ambitious, tenacious and fun. I would love to know her personally. Several wonderful secondary, support characters help round out the story too. Tom, Ollie's Secret Service boyfriend, is an interesting character although I wanted to kick him a time or two for being so stubborn and not being there when Ollie needed him. State of the Onion is an exceptionally well done first book of a new series. Author Hyzy keeps the reader in suspense, entertained, and wanting more throughout the entire story. She is a talented author and one that will be on my favorite author list from this point forward. I can't wait for the next installment in this fantastic new series! Armchair Interview says: Highly recommend this series to those who love a good mystery, whether you are interested in cooking or not.

Assistant chef Olivia Paras works at the White House under the outgoing executive chef Henry Coley who has fed five administrations. Olivia hopes to succeed him and is on her way back to the kitchen with a going away gift for Henry a man Naveen is spotted running away from the Secret Service. Olivia bangs him over the head with a frying pan and she thinks he is hauled off to jail. She later learns he is an agent from one of the other espionage agencies with news that the Chameleon, an assassin has a hit out either on the president or his guest. Naveen contacts Olivia to meet him to give her the information because he believes the Secret Service is compromised. She agrees to meet him but witnesses instead a secret service operative killing the agent and later learns the culprit is Chameleon. She is the only person alive who knows what he looks like which puts her life in danger. He comes after her but she always manages to escape. The president is hosting guest from countries that been at war for years and while Olivia is getting ready the meals she starts investigating who the target of the Chameleon really is. STATE OF THE ONION is a combination political thriller and amateur sleuth mystery. The protagonist is a strong willed woman who tries to balance her job with her romance to a Secret Service agent; she also hopes to replace Henry instead of a rival. She is also dealing with the newly appointed head of the Cultural and Faith Based Etiquette Affairs Dept who makes it plain he hopes Olivia's rival gets the job. Julie Henry has written a delightful and mesmerizing crime caper with the added bonus of seeing the support staff who works behind the scene at the White House. Harriet Klausner