Deep Fried Revenge

Deep Fried Revenge by Lynn Cahoon has Angie Turner, a co-owner in the County Seat, participating in the Idaho State Fair’s Restaurant Wars. At the end of the first day of competition, the winner fails to appear and is found dead in his competition trailer. Soon a second man falls ill after eating tainted tacos. Is someone trying to eliminate the competition? Angie intends to find out without finding herself the killers next target. Deep Fried Revenge is the fourth A Farm-to-Fork Mystery. It can be read alone for those new to the series. Angie Turner is a friendly chef with a big heart. She is dating Ian McNeal who suits Angie. Angie’s lovable St. Bernard, Dom is just as busy and friendly as ever. Angie is busy with the restaurant as well as the farm plus she is now competing in the Boise State Fair’s version of Restaurant Wars. The competition is stiff with the front runner ending up dead after the first round of competition (which Angie’s team should have won). Angie cannot help but ask questions and dig for clues (she is naturally curious). I liked the carnival atmosphere with the rides, exhibits and the food that will clog your arteries (but is too good to resist). The mystery had a handful of suspects. I wish there had been more action and sleuthing. One detail pointed me in the direction of the killer. The mystery did not become a priority until late in the story. The gang was more concerned with a new arrival, Bleak. She is a teenage runaway in need of assistance. She provides few details about herself, but she does make it clear that she will not go back home. Bleak gets a job at the County Seat and goes to live with the sheriff and his wife. Bleak finds herself in a sticky situation that will need Angie and the gang to come to her rescue. Lynn Cahoon has an engaging writing style. It is friendly and casual which makes Deep Fried Revenge easy to read. The story had a good flow and moved along at a steady pace. I enjoyed joining Angie, Ian, Felicia and the group at the fair. There is also romance in the air between Felicia and a certain sous chef. Deep Fried Revenge is an upbeat cozy mystery with fun fair food, the darling Dom, a killer cooking competition, a worrying runaway and a crafty killer.

AWESOME! Loved it! The best yet! When the first Farm-to-Fork Mystery came out, I hoped I would love it at least half as much as I love Lynn Cahoon's other series. I was amazed to discover that I loved it even more, and the more I have gotten to know the kitchen crew of The County Seat, the harder I have fall. Throughout the series, Ms. Cahoon builds Angie’s world by creating a realistic daily life that makes the intrigue easier to buy into. Time spent with Dom and the rest of the zoo is precious and draws me into the books as much as the humans and the mystery. One of the things I enjoyed most about Deep Fried Revenge was getting to watch the guys work and play outside of the restaurant. The family feel made the free time feel so fun and once work kicked in, I appreciated seeing them work like a well-oiled machine. I loved spending more time with Ian than usual. We always get a good view of their growing romance, but this time he actually helped with the investigation. Angie, girl, that man is marriage material! Watching Estebe and Felicia together is awesome, and a bit worrisome; I have my fingers crossed for you two! And yes, there was a complex murder dropped in their laps. I requested and was thrilled to receive an ARC of Deep Fried Revenge via NetGalley. If you follow me anywhere, you already know how much I love Lynn Cahoon's work.