Reviews

Killer Green Tomatoes by Lynn Cahoon

wulfwyn's review against another edition

Go to review page

lighthearted mysterious relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

ssejig's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

We return to Angie Turner's farm-to-table restaurant where she is preparing for the summer season. For Angie, nothing says summer like her grandmother's fried green tomato recipe. Thank goodness her sous chef has a cousin who has an organic farm. Too bad the man's a Lothario. One who's latest girlfriend has turned up dead. The night after she and Javier had an argument. Now Estebe, Angie's employee, has asked her for help.
In the rule of most mystery novels, Javier had a lot of people who might have wanted to see him arrested for murder. Angie is reluctantly drawn into the murder. Adding that on to her regularly busy life as well as the fact that she's caring for her elderly neighbor while the neighbor's granddaughter is away.
The subplot wasn't really well developed and I thought it didn't needed to really be there but overall a nice addition to the series.

dollycas's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

Dollycas’s Thoughts

I have never been a fan of fried green tomatoes but I am a fan of this story.

Angie Turner’s farm to fork restaurant is becoming a big success. She wants to add her Nona’s fried green tomatoes to her menu and sous chef, Estebe Blackstone, tells her he has the perfect supplier, his cousin, Javier. Estebe takes her to his farm to check things out. Javier is not what she suspected, he’s a bit of a “player”, a flirt, thinks he God’s gift to women, but his produce is fantastic so she places her first order. Shortly thereafter, Javier’s current girlfriend is dead and he is the police’s #1 suspect. He begs Angie to help him clear his name. She doesn’t want to get involved but again she ends up right in the middle of the investigation.

We meet more of Estebe and Javier’s family and Angie’s steps up to take care of her elderly neighbor while her granddaughter takes a vacation. Mrs. Potter is not a very happy houseguest and adds more stress to Angie’s life. I applaud Angie, she kept her wits about her and her sense of humor. I don’t think I would have handled things half as well. As for the Blackstone family, they are planning for the Basque Festival in Boise. It is a very important event for the family. Estebe has taken the week off from the restaurant and has invited all the staff to come for a special breakfast.

I don’t know how Ms. Cahoon packs so much into these pages. The characters are well defined including Dom, Angie’s growing St. Bernard puppy, Mabel, a black and white chicken and Precious, the goat. The mystery is well plotted out and the setting is wonderfully described. The romance between Ian and Angie is comfortable and doesn’t overtake the mystery. The pace is quick too. I was unable to set the book down, I read it all in one sitting.

I am really enjoying this new series from Lynn Cahoon. I am excited for One Potato, Two Potato, Dead coming March 19, 2019.

amythebookbat's review against another edition

Go to review page

mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

I find it interesting that a chef lives on a farm and owns a farm-to-table restaurant. Her relationships can get messy and she always seems to end up finding trouble. I like that there is some diversity in the characters as her sous chef is Basque, which is probably uncommon in Idaho (it seems to be somewhat uncommon in the US). I do think there could be a bit more diversity, but that may be on the horizon as this is only the second book in the series. There was a lot of interaction with the Basque community. I would also like a little more time on the farm and in the restaurant so that those plot lines can develop and become stronger. I have read this author's Cat Latimer series, so if that is anything to go by, then those things will fill in as the series progresses. Overall, I really enjoy this series so far and will be picking up the next one soon.

missmarketpaperback's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

A cute series and a cute book! I liked the elements of Basque culture. I can’t wait to read more in this series, especially as the secondary characters get more fleshed out.
More...