Greetings, my fellow book lovers! The sun finally came out in my area after days of rain. My dog, Doozy dislikes rain intensely. I have to push him out the back door so he can do his business. Have you ever tried to push a 60 pound dog through a house and out a door? My mother finds it highly amusing!
French Fried by Kylie Logan is the
second book in An Ethnic Eats Mystery series.
Laurel Inwood has been in Hubbard, Ohio for the last six months running
Sophie’s Terminal at the Tracks. It was
supposed to be for a short time while Sophie had her knee surgery and
recovered. Recently, Sophie suffered
another knee injury requiring Laurel to extend her stay. Hubbard is getting ready for their Statute of
Liberty Festival to celebrate the 130th anniversary of the landmark. Terminal at the Tracks will be offering
French cuisine (French country/bistro type) in honor of the celebration. Laurel is waiting for Rocky Arnaud, a local
farmer, to arrive with a few items before heading over to the Book Nook. Aurore Brisson, author of Yesterday’s
Passion, is in town for a book signing event.
Rocky arrives looking quite unlike herself and slightly drunk. At the book event, Rocky accuses Aurore of
stealing the novel from her deceased friend, Marie Daigneau. They are watching the parade the next day
when Rocky suddenly takes off. She sends
a text assuring her friends that she is fine and will meet them for the
fireworks. That evening Rocky is a no
show. Worried about her, Laurel along
with Declan Fury (a handsome Irishman) go to Rocky’s farm to check up on
her. They discover all the lights on in
her home and the music blaring. Inside,
Laurel and Declan find Rocky dead in a chair.
The police rule Rocky’s death a suicide which enrages Laurel. She knows that Rocky would not kill herself
and sets out to find her killer. Can
Laurel prove that Rocky was murdered?
What happens when Laurel is offered a dream position that will take her
out of Hubbard?
French Fried is the second book
in the series, but it can be read alone.
I have not had the opportunity read Irish Stewed (first book in the
series), and it did not hinder my understanding in any way. The author provided the background
information on Laurel and a synopsis of what occurred in the first novel in AnEthnic Eats Mystery series. I did,
though, have trouble with the main character, Laurel Inwood. Sophie is family and asked Laurel to help
out. Laurel, though, cannot wait to
escape Hubbard which is mentioned in just about every chapter. Declan Fury (a very handsome Irishman with a
large family) wants to date Laurel, but she is unwilling to make a commitment (does
not want to form attachments that will hinder her from leaving town). I was shocked by Laurel’s choice at the end
of the book after all her ranting throughout the novel (I would say more, but
it would be a spoiler). Laurel’s
personality was unappealing. She has no
patience, trouble controlling her temper, and unreasonable. One thing I have discovered after reading
cozy mysteries for over fifteen years—you must like the main character in order
to enjoy the novel. I give French Fried 3 out of 5 stars (it was
satisfactory). There are three
storylines (murder, Laurel’s job prospects, and did Aurore Brisson write
Yesterday’s Passion) in French Fried that keep the story interesting. The murder mystery was appealing, but I could
identify the killer early in the book.
One detail gave away the murderer’s identity. There is some repetitive information in
French Fried along with numerous food descriptions (does every food item need
to be described in detail). The writing
style made the book hard to get into (it was not conversational). French Fried failed to capture and hold my
attention. While I am not a fan of French Fried, I do enjoy Kylie Logan's A League of Literary Ladies series (they are entertaining to read).
Thank you for stopping by today. I will be reviewing Once Upon a Spine by Kate Carlisle on Friday. May you have a nice, relaxing Thursday. Take care and Happy Reading!
Kris
The Avid Reader
No comments:
Post a Comment