All the President's Menus

A White House Chef Mystery

By: Julie Hyzy

Narrated by: Eileen Stevens

It's an old adage that too many cooks spoil the broth. But when a tour of the White House kitchen by a group of foreign chefs ends in murder, it's Olivia Paras who finds herself in the soup....

Due to a government sequester, entertaining at the White House has been severely curtailed. So executive chef Olivia Paras is delighted to hear that plans are still on to welcome a presidential candidate from the country of Saardisca - the first woman to run for office - and four of that nation's top chefs.

But while leading the chefs on a kitchen tour, pastry chef Marcel passes out suddenly - and later claims he was drugged. When one of the visiting chefs collapses and dies, it's clear someone has infiltrated the White House with ill intent. Could it be an anti-Saardiscan zealot? Is the candidate a target? Are the foreign chefs keeping more than their recipes a secret? Once again Olivia must make sleuthing the special of the day....

©2015 Tekno Books LLC (P)2015 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A compulsively readable whodunit full of juicy behind-the-Oval Office details, flavorful characters, and a satisfying side dish of red herrings." (Publishers Weekly)

"Stellar adventure.... Delightful." (Carolyn Hart, New York Times best-selling author of Death Comes Silently)

"This series burns as bright as the sun during a sweltering D.C. summer." (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

Taut and engrossing

White House Chef Olivia “Ollie” Paras is bored. The government is under sequester which means no state dinners, practically no guests, and not much more to do than the first family’s meals. Chief Usher Peter Sergeant visits Ollie in the kitchen to tell her that a visit from four chefs from Saardisca planned over a year ago will still occur, with the chefs arriving shortly. Their visit coincides with a visit from Saardisca‘s female presidential candidate.

Four big men are escorted into the kitchen. They do not pay attention to Ollie who is welcoming them to the US. When her first assistant, Bucky, speaks up, they stop talking among themselves. Ollie knows this will be a difficult experience, especially if they view women as inferior. A trip to the pastry kitchen to meet Marcel ends in disaster when Marcel faints from a double dose of medication, breaking his arm in the fall. With Marcel hospitalized, Ollie turns to the foreign chefs to help out. All they want to do is work. They do not believe this little kitchen has served hundreds of people at once. They have been taught it is all propaganda.

Marcel returns, so the men visit the chocolate shop with him, and again Marcel collapses. As the Saardiscan chefs return to the kitchen, two fall ill, and one chef dies! Just what was in that chocolate drink they all shared? Ollie insists the chefs speak English since she has a bad feeling about what they are whispering. Ollie’s request for a translator posing as a new chef is grudgingly granted. The woman fumbles her way through part of the day until she goes pale listening to what the chefs are saying and refuses to stay. Ollie sneaks in a tape recorder to catch some of those conversations and takes them to the translator at home. On the way, however, Ollie is followed and threatened, yet she makes it to the translator’s home just in time. They call the police and review the tape. The translator confirms Ollie’s suspicions that they are planning an attack. Two men wearing pantyhose masks burst in. Was this part of their plan? Saardisca had already sent the chefs’ boss to keep an eye on them. Would he help pick up where the others left off?

This eighth entry in the White House chef mysteries was just as taut and engrossing as the earlier entries. Even with Eileen Steven’s excellent narration, I had some difficulty understanding the heavy accents of the Saardiscan chefs even while speaking English. I found this annoying, but then perhaps that was the point, since Ollie was just as frustrated. The Saardiscan view of America compared to their country was so skewed that I began thinking of the world as it exists today. The entire series has brought the reader almost too close to the real world, which is part of what creates the believable tension that kept me reading way too late into the night. Definitely recommended.

Great storyline

I really enjoy the story of the Ollie Perez series. Strong characters who seem real I their idiosyncrasies. Fun!

Another great book with an awesome narrator

Love the whole series! Eileen Stevens is one of my favorite narrators. Overall, the experience was wholly enjoyable!

Another Great Book in a Delightful Series

This is an entertaining series with engaging characters. I look forward to read about what happens next.

Good story

Really like the characters, they are well developed and the story is fast paced. The ending is usually a surprise.

Super Chef

I have mixed feelings about this engaging series which features White House chef Olivia (Ollie) Paris. I love how the author made Ollie a strong, confident woman who isn't afraid to speak her mind. Ollie is a refreshing change from all the wimpy, submissive female characters who have been featured in popular fiction the last few years.

Unfortunately, the plot of All the President's borders on the ridiculous. No way in hell would the Secret Service allow unknown chefs from an unfriendly country assess to the White House kitchen and the food eaten by the First Family. I am afraid that the author is running out of credible ideas for amateur detective Ollie.

FYI, these books contain absolutely no swearing or sex scenes (not even for the newly married Ollie).