A review by kimdavishb
Deep Fried Revenge by Lynn Cahoon

5.0

DEEP FRIED REVENGE, the fourth book in the Farm-to-Fork Mysteries by Lynn Cahoon, is another strong addition to a highly enjoyable series! The protagonist, Angie Turner, is co-owner of the County Seat restaurant with her best friend, Felicia. Their banter with the restaurant employees is pure entertainment and I greatly appreciate the way they treat each and every one of them as family. Thrown into the mix in this newest release is a runaway teen, Bleak (I know, a sad, sad name...). Angie and her team show their true worth as they take the girl into their midst and show her heartwarming kindness and help create a stable life for the girl. One of Ms. Cahoon’s greatest strengths is character development for all of the players in the book. It helps the reader connect to and feel invested in the story as it unfolds. Not only are the human characters well-developed, but the animal characters also have their individual personalities, like Dom, the adorable St. Bernard, Precious the goat, and Mabel the chicken. Their antics adds a layer of humor to the book.

In addition to fun characters, Ms. Cahoon writes a compelling mystery set at the Boise, Idaho fair. The reader is treated to the sights, sounds, smells, and especially tastes of the setting with the author’s vivid descriptive passages. Taking place at the fair is a Restaurant Wars / Top Chef type of competition. Since I love watching those types of shows, I found it entertaining reading about Angie’s participation in the multi-day event and about all the work that goes into preparing for that kind of contest. But the fun and games comes to an end when one of the chefs competing is poisoned after winning the first round and another chef falls gravely ill after winning the second round. Tantalizing clues are sprinkled throughout the book as Angie starts asking questions and the author adds twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. Ms. Cahoon writes a roller coaster worthy ending that had me sitting on the edge of my seat until I’d read the very last page.

One of the things I admire about the Farm-to-Fork Mystery series is the downhome food served at the County Seat. Ms. Cahoon writes such enticing descriptions of the delectable dishes it makes me want to call for a reservation. She does include a family recipe at the back of the book and I am anxious to try it.

I was provided an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.