Eggsecutive Orders

A White House Chef Mystery #3

by Julie Hyzy

Chef Olivia Paras has too many eggs in one basket-and is feeling like a basket-case...

When NSA big shot Carl Minkus dies right after eating the dinner Olivia Paras'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 with the White House Lawn Easter Egg Roll to prep for without access to a kitchen. Olivia must find the real culprit-before she cracks under pressure.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Contemporary, Cooking, Adult

341 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 23, 2009

About the author

New York Times bestselling author, Julie Hyzy, has won the Anthony, Barry, Phobos, and Derringer Awards for her fiction.

Novels include:
Virtual Sabotage
The White House Chef Mystery series
The Manor House Mysteries
Deadly Blessings
Deadly Interest
Dead Ringer
Artistic License
Playing With Matches


Visit:
www.juliehyzy.com

Reviews

[✨ Gramy ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

..
This was an interesting tale of the life of the White House kitchen staff. As always the main focus is on Olivia Paras, who demonstrates the ability to keep her wit and uses whatever is available to protect herself and others from danger. However, this volume was not as interesting, informative, or compelling as the previous two in the series. Hopefully, the next one will grab my attention more as much as the first two did.

Blurb: When NSA big shot Carl Minkus dies right after eating the dinner Olivia Paras'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 with the White House Lawn Easter Egg Roll to prep for without access to a kitchen. Olivia must find the real culprit-before she cracks under pressure.

👍 Ian: Eggsecutive Orders is another entertaining murder mystery set in the White House's kitchens. These books don't offer any real surprises but they're easy reading and good fun.

I would recommend this series to anyone interested in a clean and wholesome cozy mystery and/or the life of service in the White House. I look forward to reading more from this author. 😉

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not as great as the 2nd book but still wonderful!!

[❂ Murder by Death · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was reading this while I had a lot of stuff going on and kept getting interrupted, but I have to say this was just not my favorite of the series. It had elements I really liked, but also a lot of stuff I found myself skimming over.

The plot was strong and I didn't see who did it until the end, but I guess I just can't enjoy all the animosity Ollie is surrounded with - just way too much, although perhaps some of that was resolved towards the end of the story. I'm hoping the next book will pull me back in.

[Book Concierge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book number three in the series has Executive Chef Ollie Paras and her staff planning for the annual Easter Egg Roll at the White House. But everything comes to a screeching halt when a dinner guest dies suddenly. This was no ordinary guest, he was the head of the National Security Agency, and poison is suspected. Ollie and her staff are banned from the kitchen, and Secret Service Agent Tom Mackenzie is specifically tasked with keeping Ollie out of the investigation!

I like this cozy mystery series. There are interesting tidbits about the workings of a professional kitchen, and the sights of our nation’s capital. Ollie is a strong female lead character – tenacious, hard-working, and intelligent, if given to the occasional emotional outburst. This book features a visit from her mother and grandmother, so we get a little more information about her family relationships. Hyzy includes a variety of potential suspects and enough plot twists to keep the reader guessing right up to the reveal. A fast, enjoyable cozy mystery.

[Dawn Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well. I never saw THAT coming!!

Another great addition to this series; I really enjoy Ollie and how she solves mysteries. She never sets out to involve herself, she is just the type of person who people tell things to and she is smart and between her brains and google can really figure things out.

There is some sadness in this one, but overall it was a very good read. I enjoyed meeting Ollie's extended family [her Nana is one tough cookie] and the mystery was VERY good.

I highly recommend this series!!

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book this time with Ollie preparing for the annual Easter Egg Roll at the White House. Of course murder ensues and causes all kinds of problems. Ollie had her mom and nana visiting her and I really liked them and hope they come to visit again. The mystery was good and I was kept guessing right up to the end. Can't wait to see what happens next in the life of my favorite White House chef!

[Cathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. I keep reading this series because I like the DC and White House setting, but Ollie keeps getting more and more annoying. She's the worst kind of cozy mystery heroine, she didn't get involved in this situation by accident, she went after the investigation with singleminded determination and consistently rationalized her involvement. After she broke up with her Secret Service Agent boyfriend, Tom, she said, "Was I being selfish with my need for the freedom to poke my nose where I wanted to poke it?" Yes! You're a chef, not an investigator, was it really worth giving up the man who you described as, "...more than just lovers. We'd reached a level of comfort and intimacy..." but she dumped him so she could snoop in the case. She rationalized everything as being right according to her rules and her life, but she works at the White House in his world, that's what she signed on for, it's part and parcel to her job. And my credulity just doesn't stretch far enough to believe that the White House chef is so clever that she's consistently a better investigator than the Secret Service. It's just gotten to the point where it's ridiculous, by the end of the book it felt like a major Mary Sue situation. It would just be more fun if it was somehow more realistic, it's such an idealized fantasy at this point. And Ollie is just so eye-rollingly sure that she's right all of the time when she's obviously insanely wrong to anyone in the real world, it's just hard to buy into it all. All that being said, I did like having her mom and Nana in town, it added a nice layer to the story.

[Marian Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read aloud to my mother, and one of my criteria for a good choice is if she laughs or gasps or goes, "Oh, no!" or says things like, "Do you think he's the guy?" or "He's turn out to be different than they think he is." I got lots of reaction to this one.

To be honest, we think it could have used a little tightening up, but that's just us. Mom is all about the thrills and I'm all about the cooking, and romance and romantic relationship ins and outs get in our way. Even so, there wasn't enough of that to be a problem for anybody but those who are only in it for the chase scenes or the food.

We enjoyed seeing characters from previous books return or deepen, which is not to say you must have read previous books in order to enjoy this one. It stands firmly on its own.

We'll definitely be reading the next in the series: BUFFALO WEST WING.

[FangirlNation · Rating 5 out of 5]

Julie Hyzy presents her third White House kitchen series in Eggsecutive Orders, another book dealing with conspiracy at the highest levels. Olivia “Ollie” Paras gets a call one morning that the Secret Service will take her to the White House, but when she exits her apartment building, she is surrounded by hordes of press members asking if Ollie killed someone. As Ollie gets to the White House, she learns that a top NSA agent named Carl Minkus died the night before after dinner there. Thus, the kitchen is under suspicion. Getting interrogated by first the Secret Service and then the homicide police, Olivia finally is let go and told that the kitchen staff will not be allowed back into the White House until further notice. Her mother and grandmother arrive that day from Chicago for their first visit to Ollie in D.C., but this is not the way Ollie intended to spend their visit.

Read the rest of this review and other fun, geeky articles at Fangirl Nation

[Alyssa White · Rating 4 out of 5]

An eggcelent book!
This book I couldn't put down and I wanted to keep reading. There were so many twists and turns in the book that you kept wondering what was going to happen next. I laughed, cried, and longed throughout this book. Ollie is definatly one of my favorite book leading ladies!

[Linda Langford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent cozy mystery! A great, older cozy story/series I’ve picked up to read that has lots of action, characters supporting each other, and fantastic whodunits! The protagonist, Ollie, the executive White House Chef is tough, and she’s a fighter! I recommend this series.

[Li · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've been looking forward to this third book in Ms Hyzy's White House Chef series for ages, and unfortunately, it was a bit of a disappointment.

The story felt very disjointed, not helped by the very short chapters at the start, and the solution to the mystery didn't feel organic. I couldn't warm to Ollie either - she came across as unwilling to rely on / trust other people despite not having any real reason why, apart from her gut feelings. Too much was told, not shown. There also wasn't much of the White House in this one, which had been one of the big draws of this series to me.

I'll still get the next book, but with less eagerness than I had for this one.

[Melodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good cozy mystery series and I believe this one is the best of the series yet! Ollie is a very likeable character, as are the fringe characters. This one takes place just before Easter and the man in charge of the NSA turns up dead after a White House dinner. Ollie is out to prove it wasn't caused by anyone in HER White House kitchen!

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

When a heavy hitter from the NSA dies suddenly at a White House dinner, suspicion immediately falls on the kitchen and Executive Chef Olivia once again finds herself investigating.

Eggsecutive Orders is another entertaining murder mystery set in the White House's kitchens. These books don't offer any real surprises but they're easy reading and good fun.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was alright. It as a 3.5 star read but I am rounding down since it just seemed to drag on & on & on for me. I still love the series though and will read the next one in the series.

[Cozy Reader Lady · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Different Take on Cozy Mystery

"Eggsecutive Orders (A White House Chef Mystery #3)" by Julie Hyzy is a unique take on a cozy mystery being that its main character works as an executive chef at the White House. This particular book takes place around Easter time and events that often take place at the White House. So, there's a bit of an Easter theme going on.

The mystery centered around a special agent dying after having had dinner at the White House with the president and several other guests. Olivia, the main character, and her staff get put on leave while the secret service investigate what happened. Honestly, I kinda saw that ending coming but was for sure doubting it at the same time. I just was thinking of a different motive for that particular culprit, with the whole special agent aspect.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great cozy mystery featuring Chef Olivia Paras. As she tries to solve a mystery, members of her family come to a visit. It was nice to know more about the main characters past and family.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I absolutely love about this series that even though it takes place at the White House, it isn't political. I really enjoyed how this book was full of surprises. Not only with the mystery, but with character revelations, too. With Ollie's Mom and Nana visiting, and Ollie, Cyan and Bucky away from the White House kitchen, we really get a chance to see a different side of them.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Award-winning author Julie Hyzy does not disappoint in this latest installment in her White House Chef series of culinary mysteries.

White House chef Olivia (Ollie) Paras finds herself and her staff in hot water early one morning when she is escorted to the White House by the Secret Service following the death of a prominent guest at the White House. Suspicions that he was poisoned by something served up by the White House kitchen swirl around Ollie and her staff, as a local newspaper columnist stirs the pot with innuendo that could end up costing Ollie her job! Despite efforts to dissuade her from becoming involved in this latest high-profile case, Ollie can't help but investigate in order to clear her kitchen of any wrong-doing. Complicating matters is a visit from her Mom and Nana, as well as the fast-approaching White House "Egg Roll" a Washington tradition, that she hopes won't be canceled.

I highly recommend Julie Hyzy's White House Chef mysteries for anyone who is a fan of the burgeoning culinary mystery genre. Also recommended is Diane Mott Davidson's Goldy Schultz series.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been a few months since I read the second in this series, and I had forgotten how good it was. This was entertaining, fun, light, and well-crafted!

I simply adore the characters, Tom, Ollie, Cyan, Bucky, Mrs. Wentworth, and Stanley. They're all well-crafted and lovable.

How could the setting get better? It couldn't. I simply love the setting of the White House and the setting gives the story a spy-thriller feel.

The mystery was well-crafted and I didn't have a clue who the killer was until Ollie did.

There were only two real drawbacks to this story. First, Ollie and Tom's relationship in the beginning. Don't get me wrong, I really like both characters, but in the beginning it felt like Tom was being almost rude to Ollie. Second, I was really hoping to know more about Craig, though now that's impossible.

Overall an amazing book and series! I already have the next one ordered!

[Steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, light, and it had one thing I really liked.

She broke up with plot device boyfriend Tom! I hope it sticks in later books but remain skeptical it won't. Still, I like her admitting that he was constantly trying to make her into someone she wasn't.

Everything else was a pretty standard for a cozy mystery. Body turns up, main character is a suspect and has to figure out who the real killer is. One thing I do like about this series so far is that the majority of the regular antagonistic characters who pop up to annoy the main in these sorts of books, actually have good reason to be be hard asses or telling Ollie to stay out of it and she can acknowledge that even if it is frustrating. These sorts of petty character squabbles can easily become one sides but the author does a good job of making the reader see both sides when it's needed. Except for Peter, screw him.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book #: 5
Title: Eggsecutive Orders
Series: White House Chef Mysteries #3
Author: Julie Hyzy
Format: Paperback omnibus, first three novels in the series, mystery
Pub Date: Published January 5th 2010 by Berkley Books (first published 2009)
Started: 1/13/23 Ended: 1/15/23
Awards: none
Categories: Next Book in a Series, Culinary Cozy, A book with a recipe in it
Rating: **** four out of five stars

An NSA special agent dies right after dining with the President and the First Lady. The Secret Service has shut down Ollie's kitchen until they can determine whether he was poisoned or died of natural causes. But the traditional White House Easter Egg Roll is this weekend and Ollie has 30,000 eggs to hard boil and dye. Somebody better solve this puzzle fast!

[Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh what a great read ! I have enjoyed the first two books in this series, but this one takes the cake. When a top NSA official dies while eating dinner at the White House Ollie is under suspicion.
so she does what she does best - next to cooking. she sets out to find out who done it. In the course of events we meet Ollies Mother and grandmother who are visiting . We also meet some new characters who I hope to meet again. Readers, this one has great twists and turns and gives a surprise ending that will wow you. Don't miss this one,

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

White House executive chef Ollie is horrified when a guest dies after eating a dinner that her staff prepared. They're barred from the White House kitchen, and the annual Easter egg roll is coming up. Ollie's widowed mother and grandmother are visiting her, too, and Mom is showing interest in a man Ollie instinctively distrusts. And Ollie's significant other, a secret service agent, warns her to stay out of the investigation.

[Andrea Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Olivia Paras and her kitchen staff are suspended from the White House when a very important dinner guest dies after eating one of their meals. Are they responsible for his death? Who will save Easter events at the White House? How will Ollie get out of this jam? Another suspenseful and delicious read from Julie Hyzy and I'm already into the next book in the series.

[Fred · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series keeps getting better.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

White House intrigue, fine dining, and a wonderful peak into the workings of our government. And then there is Ollie, the unflappable chef. Really enjoyed this book.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one as much as the prior books in this series.

I don't think that we had enough clues in advance to actually solve it, though - perhaps one suspicious clue, but nothing conclusive. I had my eye on a different suspect.

I hadn't realized that this series is holiday themed. "Hail to the Chef" is around Thanksgiving and Christmas, and "Eggsecutive Orders" is around Easter. I don't generally read holiday-themed books out of season, but had this one on hand. Poor Ollie is always too busy preparing for the various holidays to actually enjoy them. They seem like more stress and work to her, although she does get the satisfaction of a job well done.

Tom still does not give Ollie the benefit of the doubt, although I realize that even off-duty skepticism is a career hazard for law enforcement. He refused to listen to the strong distinction between Ollie sleuthing, and people telling her things without her questioning them or bringing up the topic. I'm not sure that Ollie herself really thought this through with such clarity either.

I liked the apology that Ollie gave her family. It is genuine, without being manipulative. Gary Chapman, in "The 5 Apology Languages" would've labeled her apology as Acts of Service, but with the high quality of the food involved, I could've also seen it labeled as a Gift.

I also liked meeting Ollie's family, and seeing that they usually get along well. Too many authors only write about dysfunctional families, and so it's good to see a family enjoying being together.

"The Church - and in particular, our parish - fed their need to be needed." It's an interesting thought, worth the self-reflection. I hope I help out because of the genuine needs of others, and not to boost myself, either in my own eyes or the eyes of others.

"Why do you need to understand? Why can't you just accept the facts as presented to you?" I can relate to that statement, even if it's not in the realm of solving mysteries. I do want to see the underlying data first, to see if it's been verbally described accurately and charted accurately. At our office party, they wanted each of us to take a personality quiz, and mine came up as "Skeptic." Everyone else's read some light-hearted version of "Encourager" or "Harmony", which is, I suppose, fitting for educators but not engineers.

If someone had asked me, "Why do you need to understand? Why can't you just accept the facts as presented to you?" I would've responded, "Because I have a brain." Or, if I were being more polite, perhaps I'd say, "I think. That's who I am."

I was a little disappointed in Mrs. Campbell's lack of help in this one.

Yes, Ollie should've informed security when one character claimed to know whodunit. Why is that even a question rather than something she decided not to do, just because he is an unusual character? He still might know something.

I wanted to know more about that last-mentioned meal for and with the Campbells. What did they eat and who prepared it and what did they talk about?

SPOILER ... One other reader complained that Ollie talked about her relationship with Tom as "...more than just lovers. We'd reached a level of comfort and intimacy...". and then this reviewer added, "but she dumped him so she could snoop in the case."

SPOILER CONTINUED ... Well, I am not on the pro-Tom side. After reading the first book, I wrote, "I didn't care much for Ollie's boyfriend, Tom. He should've cared more about what matters to her, and he was sulky and uncommunicative for a long time. Demanding, rude, not giving her the benefit of the doubt, not even listening to her. Admittedly, he can't talk about his job, but he shut her out entirely. Other than his good looks, I don't see that he has anything good to bring to a relationship." I am not sorry to see him go, even if, as I suspect, he might come back later in the series.

SPOILER STILL CONTINUED ... I prefer to think of Ollie's dumping him as she came to her senses. She thinks of it in terms of not being able to be herself around him, herself being, primarily a snoop. Eh, that one I'm not so worked up about. She can mature and work on the morality of when it is and isn't appropriate, and they might've been able to come to a consensus. But I hope she also realizes his other red flags and moves on.

Favorite quote:
"~ boosted our morale by his very presence." I've known people like that. Although I hope to be someone like that, I feel I don't have the necessary effervescence and extroversion for it.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, fast read. White House chef Olivia once again finds herself in the middle of a mystery; this time a guest dies not long after eating dinner at the White House. She and her staff are under suspicion; did their food kill him. Secret Service boyfriend Tom is tasked with keeping Olivia out of the investigation. She tries, really she tries. In fact, her mom and nana are in town to visit and she is not even allowed at the White House so she's staying out of things. But, while visiting Arlington, where her dad is buried, she accidentally runs into the grieving widow and son of the dead guy; the widow is mean to her because right now everyone thinks the food killed him. But later she calls to apologize for being mean to her. How is any of that Ollie's fault? It's not. Two of her friends, celebrity chefs, were in the kitchen filming that day and they gave her the footage; they also reached out to her because the press had been following them around. Again, not Ollie's fault. Craig, Tom's boss, doesn't care. He doesn't like Ollie and so it doesn't matter that she's not intentionally doing anything. This is also right before Easter and the White House Egg Roll. Ollie, her mom and nana, and Cyan, go to Bucky's house to boil and dye the eggs so they are ready for when they are allowed back into the kitchen. In the kitchen Ollie gets questioned again, this time by the sensitivity director, which leads her to a google search, that leads her to figuring out just how the guy was killed. Again, she wasn't getting involved, just being curious. So, when, at the Egg Roll, who we originally are led to believe is the killer ends up with similar symptoms, we know what the poison is and are able to get the medics and save him. I was very surprised at who the killer was; their motives made sense once they were laid out, but I was still surprised. Oh, and Ollie broke up with Tom for a lot of reasons, but mostly because she feels like she can't be herself with him. After the Egg Roll, the original killer has only killed one of her targets and accidentally killed herself, and Ollie is questioned by Craig. He thinks Tom is the one who told her about the poison; he didn't she asked after she figured it herself and she can honestly say that she figured it out after being questioned by the sensitivity director. What she can't say is that before meeting with Secret Service she met with the CIA and the informed her that the dead guy was selling government secrets to China; the guy her mom has been flirting with during her trip is undercover CIA. Craig says he's going to demote Tom and get Ollie fired, but he can't; the head of the Secret Service demotes him and gives Tom his job instead. But Ollie and Tom are still broken up. I really enjoy this series and am looking forward to the next book.

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

These books are still missing something. Or something isn't being conveyed right. I find myself annoyed with how things are progressing in the story. But I like the characters. I like the overall story. I like the writing. I think it's the plot execution that is killing me. The way the author gets us from Part A in the story to Part B isn't ringing true for me.

This story takes place at Easter and Ollie's mother and nana are flying in from Chicago. But as Ollie is getting ready for work she receives a call (from the White House) that tells her to follow the secret service that's at her door. And instead of just complying she's questioning, and arguing, and pushing, and when confronted by reporters outside she can't keep her mouth shut. For someone working at the White House I find this baffling. I would think "ask no questions" til you're at a secure location would be sensible. But this is where the author derails again. We're introduced to more White House people that must have failed communication school. Ollie really isn't given any information about the situation.

So, the situation is that after a dinner the President held the night before, one of his guests died. There was a chance it was something he ate so the kitchen is under suspicion. There also happened to be a tv show filming in the White House kitchen that day. But it doesn't appear that the White House staff is interested in what Ollie has to say, more about treating her as a suspect.

She's stuck at the White House and can't get her family. Tom surprises her and picks them up and takes them to her place. Tom has also been tasked with specifically making sure Ollie does not get involved with the investigation. His job is on the line. This immediately causes problems for the two of them.

Meanwhile the Easter Egg roll is in a few days and the kitchen is closed but they have to make thousands of Easter Eggs. They go to Bucky's house and learn he has a girlfriend named Brandy.

A columnist named Liss starts stalking Ollie and immediately accuses her of killing Carl, and then the next is calling her asking for her help. Makes no sense. But he threatens to expose her relationship with Tom. So between Liss and her and Tom disagreeing on most everything due to his responsibility of "overseeing her" Ollie breaks up with him.

We learn that Carl's wife killed him with puffer fish poison. Then she tried to kill Ollie. Ollie got away.

I will still keep reading these but I am a little disappointed with them.