Southern Fried: A Kenni Lowry Mystery

Happy Book Release Day!  Some wonderful books are coming out today.   I have listed some of them for you:  Of Books and Bagpipes by Paige Sheldon, A Frying Shame by Linda Reilly, The Last Chance Olive Ranch by Susan Wittig Albert, Occult and Battery by Lena Gregory, Ruddy Gore by Kerry Greenwood, The Ebb Tide by Beverly Lewis, Dying on the Vine by Marla Cooper, Behind the Scenes by  Jen Turano, Caramel Crush by Jenn McKinlay, Southern Fried by Tonya Kappes, Cut in Darkness by Heather Sunseri, Silence of the Jams by Gayle Leeson, Miss Julia Weathers the Storm by Ann B. Ross, Town in Maple Madness by B.B. Haywood, The Chapel Car Bride by Judith Miller.   I bet you will be adding some new books to your TBR list (I know I did).

Southern Fried by Tonya Kappes is the second book in A Kenni Lowry Mystery series. Kenni Lowry is the sheriff in Cottonwood, Kentucky.  Kenni is enjoying time with Finn Vincent, her new deputy and romantic interest, when she is called out to a scene.  Kenni arrives at Myrna Savage’s greenhouse to find a person face down on her prize tomatoes.  Myrna is not a happy camper since she needs those tomatoes for a food competition.  When the body is turned over, they discover it is Owen Godbey, Myrna’s delivery driver.  Myrna owns Petal Pusher Landscaping (she does flower arrangements as well).  Owen was a contestant in the food competition along with Myrna.  Is someone trying to wipe out the competition?  Upon further investigation, Kenni discovers that there is a secret family cookbook in Owen’s family.  Everyone wants the cookbook, but no one knows where Owen hid it.  Kenni, with the help of her newly sworn in deputy, Finn along with Poppa, her ghostly grandfather, set out to get answers and round up the guilty party.  When Kenni gets a little too close to the killer, they take something that Kenni loves dearly.  Kenni will not stop until she catches the culprit and gets back what belongs to her.

I found Southern Fried to be easy to read and to have a fast pace.  It is a humorous novel that is more cozy than mystery.  The book is full of quirky characters who love to meddle and gossip (especially Kenni’s mother).  My favorite character is Poppa, Kenni’s grandfather.  He is a charming man who dearly loves Kenni and provides keen insight.  I hope Poppa will be featured more prominently in future books.  While Southern Fried is the second book in the series, it can be read alone.  The author provides background information on the main characters and updates the reader on what occurred in Fixin’ to Die.  I give Southern Fried 4 out of 5 stars.   I thought the mystery was well crafted.  It is complex and there are some twists involved.  Those that enjoy figuring out whodunit will enjoy solving this one.  I appreciate the entertaining Southern phrases in the book.  It will be interesting to see how the re-election campaign plays out in future books.  If you are looking for an amusing cozy mystery novel with a paranormal element, then check out Southern Fried.  My mother picked up my Kindle by accident and was soon laughing out loud while reading this story.  It is a good thing I have more than one Kindle.

I hope you found my review helpful.  May each of you enjoy a sunny Tuesday.  We are in the high 80s in my area with allergy season in full swing.  I will see you tomorrow when I return with another book evaluation.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader