Author: Julie Hyzy
Cover Artist: Ben Perini
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Binding: Paperback
Publication Date: January 2008
State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy was a great little read! Adventure, job issues, a deft touch with detail and enough danger to keep the pages turning. I’d label this one a cozy, because it has some of the standards; recipes, romance and sleuthing by an amateur. There were many a zany moment, but the heroine (Ollie—short for Olivia) didn’t end up in hot water due to incompetence or sloppy writing.
The story begins when White House assistant chef, Ollie Paras, stops an intruder from entering the White House. It was a rather serendipitous event, and Ollie actually gets in a bit of trouble for interfering with the Secret Service. Her boyfriend isn’t too pleased with her for being in danger either. Ollie really doesn’t need attention drawn away from her cooking skills; she’s trying hard to earn the head chef position in the White House kitchen.
Hyzy doesn’t overdo the politics—whether it be national or in the kitchen. She focused solidly on the story, keeping a steady stream of suspects parading through. She also doesn’t overdo food tips, but she has enough authenticity in the story to make it believable—from the description of the food and food preparation to the occasional description of things like the White House china. Ollie doesn’t have the most supportive of boyfriends—or I should say, the boyfriend is a bit inconsistent about whether to be supportive or just angry. There’s certainly room for the author to add character development to Ollie’s current boyfriend or have Ollie hunt up a new one as the series continues.
This is a terrific beach read that moves along at a good pace.
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