Eggsecutive Orders by Julie Hyzy is the 3rd book in the “White House Chef” cozy mystery series. Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime (Penguin), January 2009
With the White House big Easter celebration—along with a visit from her family—right around the corner, Olivia Paras has too many eggs in one basket. Ad the death of a government official and she’s starting to feel more like a basket case.
What’s worse than a guest not liking your food? A guest dropping dead from it. When NSA big shot Carl Minkus dies right after eating the dinner Ollie’s staff had prepared, all forks point to them. Now, the Secret Service is picking apart the kitchen, and scrutinizing the staff’s every move.
The timing couldn’t be worse. Ollie’s mother and grandmother are visiting—only to find her embroiled in a media frenzy. How’s she supposed to prep for the White House Easter Egg Roll without access to her kitchen? Ollie has no choice but to find the real culprit—before she cracks under pressure.
This was a very good read. A politician dies after eating a meal prepared by the White House staff who are banished from the kitchen and initially become suspects. When information comes sifting through to Ollie and she passes it Tom, her boyfriend, he tells her to not get involved. Ollie, having solved other cases, can’t let this one go since it’s her reputation that is being damaged. The more information that she discovers, the more her resolve is to bring the killer to justice. My rating: 4 stars