Topped Chef: A Key West Food Critic Mystery

"Topped Chef" is Lucy Burdette's third book in her Key West Food Critic Mystery series. Although I thought the first and second books were stronger, this one is still an enjoyable read.Hayley Snow has been asked by her boss to be a judge for the Key West Topped Chef contest whose winner just might be television's next big-name star chef. The contestants have been given different challenges to cook in front of an audience and the judges, then the judges must taste their foods and give a critique. Just before the contest, Hayley visited the restaurant of fellow judge, Sam Rizolli, three times and wrote her first negative review. Sam was not very happy about the review in Key Zest magazine for which Hayley works.By the time the contest starts, there is a murder in Key West that affects the cooking contest. However, all involved decide to continue with the contest since a lot of time, money and kitchen equipment has gone into the preparations for the contest. Hayley sees and hears a few things that just don't add up in her mind and decides to launch her own investigation since the police seem to be going in the wrong direction. Before long, Hayley's own life is in danger. If all of this isn't enough, she must begin to help her best friend, Connie, try to change Connie's fiance's mind about a pirate-themed wedding which is not far off.It's a good thing that Hayley still lives aboard Miss Gloria's houseboat with her cat, Evinrude, and Miss Gloria's feline friend, Sparky, because that is the only place where Hayley can relax and truly feel at home. That is, when she isn't on Skype with her mother. Her mother is making plans to attend Connie's wedding, but at least she isn't in Key West directing Hayley's life or at least trying to this time.I thought the ending of the book was a bit weak, even though the rest of the book kept me reading right along. It was a bit confusing as to just what the role of the judges was in the Key West Topped Chef contest and the motive for murder could have been stronger. However, it is always fun to read this series because of the location, and I do like the characters of Hayley Snow and especially Miss Gloria. I will continue to read the series.Recipes are included at the back of the book and there are a couple of them that I want to try. It is best to start this series with book #1.

In Key West, Florida, Hayley Snow is tooling around town on her little pink motorcycle, tasting and reporting in the KEY ZEST MAGAZINE, on all the restaurant meals she has eaten there. Too bad that she had to pan the last restaurant, but Sam Rizzoli was a selfish councilman and an even worse restauranteur. She loves her new job and her life with elderly, Miss Gloria, and their two cats aboard Miss Gloria's docked boat. The hope of great dates with dreamy detective Bransford kept her blood warm also. But when her boss all but forced her into the roll of Topped Chef judge for the new reality TV show, trouble brews when Sam is murdered.This third book in the Key West Food Critic series is a real treat, full of references to true life chefs and wonderful sounding foods, plus literary references to foods from other books that head every chapter. My favorite is a take on the French phrase for preparing individual ingredients before putting a food dish together--mise en place. The quote from Pete Wells that Lucy Burdette used was: " Mise en place ( meez en PLASS) comes from restaurant kitchens, where a brigade of helpers spends the day gathering everything ready for the dinner rush. It comes from the French phrase meaning 'make the new guy do it." Loads of humor, food references, and a delicious mystery fill the pages. Her interesting characters return in this book, including her homeless characters that Burdette wonderfully humanizes, her Tarot card reading friend, her gay psychologist best friend, and her take-charge mom from New Jersey. This mystery draws you in immediately and keep you on a merry chase through food exploits and near dangerous escapes till the culprit is finally captured In the end. I think this book builds interest with the great fun of food and mysteries in Key West.

Hayley has been roped into becoming a reality TV show judge. Someone has decided to do a search for a TV chef from Key West, and treat the search itself as a reality competition. Hayley is less than thrilled at the prospect, but she is willing to dive in and make the best of it.Hayley’s resolve waivers when she learns one of her fellow judges is Sam Rizzoli, a man whose new restaurant she had just deservedly panned that morning. However, she is shocked when he is murdered that evening. Suddenly, Hayley is left wondering just what she’s gotten herself into. Did Rizzoli’s local political stands play a part in his death? Does someone want this TV chef job enough to kill?Being a fan of a few reality TV shows, I thought I’d enjoy this mystery set behind the scenes of a fictional one. Unfortunately, that aspect overshadowed the plot a bit, slowing the mystery down, especially in the beginning. The ending was also weaker than I like. Fortunately, Hayley is a fun main character, and she carried me through the book easily. Miss Gloria, her boatmate, comes into her own here, and I loved seeing how she was developed.Even if this isn’t the strongest entry in the series, it is still very fun. Fans of the series or culinary cozies in general will enjoy reading it.