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Carolyn Blue Culinary Mysteries #6
Holy Guacamole!
While at a post-production opera party, housewife-turned-food writer Carolyn Blue comes face-to-face with murder when the company's artistic director fatally succumbs to bad guacamole, forcing Carolyn to follow a recipe of secrets and revenge to catch a killer.
276 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
9 people are currently reading
271 people want to read
About the author
Nancy Fairbanks
15 books55 followersA pseudonym used by Nancy Herndon.
Series:
* A Culinary Mystery with Recipes
Series:
* A Culinary Mystery with Recipes
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
January 10, 2020
I checked this one out when my granddaughter visited for a week. She liked the story and it was fun to read aloud.
March 16, 2011
I've seen this book on the shelf for months and it makes me laugh evey time so I finally checked it out. Story not that great and didn't really like the characters all that well. So the old saying - Can't tell a book by it's cover is accurate in this case!
September 23, 2010
This was an entertaining cozy culinary mystery. It was pretty fast paced and had a couple side stories that kept my interest. It wasn't quite the typical "script" for a cozy which I appreciated. I found Carolyn, our protagonist to be amusing and someone I would probably enjoy meeting, even if she is a little prissy. However, I found it incomprehensible that she, being a food writer living in El Paso, would be unfamiliar with jicama. If the author wanted to include that little bit about jicama, could not Carolyn have explained it to someone else. It just seemed so improbable that she herself would have had no idea what it was or tasted like. Even I have tasted it here in the midwest!
July 12, 2009
Generous with the 2. A ho hum mystery about the poisoning of an Artistic Director of an avant garde opera troup. Won't be reading this author again. Aaargh.
October 23, 2014
What a stupid book and what a stupid person I was for carrying it cross country to finish.
November 7, 2020
1 point for getting published. 1 additional point for...creativity?
This book was bad. The recipes are generic--think "back of Campbell's soup can". The "columns" accompanying the recipes don't advance the plot so I stopped reading them until after I finished the book. The characters were canned at the best of times, annoying at others, and flat out unbelievably stupid at the worst of times. The main character, who likely is how the author sees herself, was unbearable. The edgy ex-cop was bearable, but just. I like sci-fi/fantasy so I can suspend belief with the best of them, but this was ridiculous characterization left and right. The plot vehicle of a gluttonous opera director being murdered was--weak isn't the right word, but it comes close to the point--a stretch maybe? The dialogue was the worst aspect of the book. I don't know if there was a genuine emotion felt in this book besides love of food. If this were cast into a movie, the actors would need chops the likes of Kristen Stewart and Paris Hilton, with appearances by Hayden Christensen and Adam Sandler. To read the forced narratives throughout was about as exciting and interesting as reading a phone book.
The creativity point is that it certainly wasn't your formulaic whodunnit. There were red herrings and side trips (presumably, only so a character can offer up a few tidbits about the area). But I'll grudgingly admit, the setup was there and the perp wasn't an ass-pull. I certainly didn't guess it, but it didn't feel like the author's fault; rather, it felt like I discovered along with the main character. I think I only felt that way for about a total of three pages in the book, but that was enough for that second point.
Ultimately, it left me feeling like that teacher from the movie Billy Madison. In case you don't know it or don't remember: "At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul."
This book was bad. The recipes are generic--think "back of Campbell's soup can". The "columns" accompanying the recipes don't advance the plot so I stopped reading them until after I finished the book. The characters were canned at the best of times, annoying at others, and flat out unbelievably stupid at the worst of times. The main character, who likely is how the author sees herself, was unbearable. The edgy ex-cop was bearable, but just. I like sci-fi/fantasy so I can suspend belief with the best of them, but this was ridiculous characterization left and right. The plot vehicle of a gluttonous opera director being murdered was--weak isn't the right word, but it comes close to the point--a stretch maybe? The dialogue was the worst aspect of the book. I don't know if there was a genuine emotion felt in this book besides love of food. If this were cast into a movie, the actors would need chops the likes of Kristen Stewart and Paris Hilton, with appearances by Hayden Christensen and Adam Sandler. To read the forced narratives throughout was about as exciting and interesting as reading a phone book.
The creativity point is that it certainly wasn't your formulaic whodunnit. There were red herrings and side trips (presumably, only so a character can offer up a few tidbits about the area). But I'll grudgingly admit, the setup was there and the perp wasn't an ass-pull. I certainly didn't guess it, but it didn't feel like the author's fault; rather, it felt like I discovered along with the main character. I think I only felt that way for about a total of three pages in the book, but that was enough for that second point.
Ultimately, it left me feeling like that teacher from the movie Billy Madison. In case you don't know it or don't remember: "At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul."
February 26, 2024
The University's artistic director dies. The police think someone poisoned him. Carolyn wants to protect the student who made the offending guacamole....and finds herself investigating along with a retired policewoman. The investigation takes them into Mexico after a supposed drug dealer; to a strip club, with lots of 'adventures' along the investigation.
What I didn't like about this book, besides to sheer improbability of the whole thing, was the switching of narrators between Carolyn, our heroine, and Luz, our retired policeman (or police woman). Even though the chapter heading tells us whose prospective it is, I found myself confused from time to time. Beyond that, the situations could not be more outrageous. And I couldn't have figured out who done it because it appears that the murderer had no real motive.
All in all, not a series I will continue.
What I didn't like about this book, besides to sheer improbability of the whole thing, was the switching of narrators between Carolyn, our heroine, and Luz, our retired policeman (or police woman). Even though the chapter heading tells us whose prospective it is, I found myself confused from time to time. Beyond that, the situations could not be more outrageous. And I couldn't have figured out who done it because it appears that the murderer had no real motive.
All in all, not a series I will continue.
February 20, 2019
Murder with a recipe and accompanying recipes to boot. This light amateur sleuth tale with a southwestern flavor whets the appetite with such delectable concoctions as guacamole tortilla soup and sangria. The murder circles around guacamole, drug dealing, illegal immigrants, and the seamier side of life in El Paso. Opera is the venue for this mix. A quick entertaining read made more readable with food columns interspersed throughout. If you are looking for a quick read for a long flight look for the Carolyn Blue murder mysteries by this author; if you are looking for suspense and intrigue look elsewhere. The plot is light though the characters are entertaining especially the counterpoint between the protagonist, Carolyn Blue, and Luz, the refined vice-squad officer.
August 29, 2019
Overall the book wasn't bad but not the best murder mystery I have ever read either. At times the story seemed to drag and the plot line seemed a little too far fetched to be 100% believable. On the plus side there are some really good Mexican food recipes in the book.
January 9, 2022
I couldn't bring myself to finish reading this one. This is definitely written for a very specific audience. Maybe Tupperware selling PTA church moms? It isn't terrible, just not for me. I find the main character incredibly annoying.
June 14, 2020
Interesting book but not my favorite in the series.
May 15, 2008
After traveling through several American states and quite a few foreign nations solving homicides along the way, Caroline finds a murder investigation in her own back yard in El Paso. They are attending the opera seeing a contemporary version of a Macbeth dealing in modern day illegal drug trafficking. Many are appalled at the changes artistic director Vladislav Gubenko made to the Bard's classic.
After eating tostados with guacamole, Vladislav leaves for home ignoring his irate critics. The next day his next door neighbor and former vice cop Luz finds Vladislav dead. The police think he choked to death in his vomit, but Luz believes otherwise; she feels a killer used a pillow to smother him. Luz and Carolyn try to learn who the killer is and why he murdered him. In the course of their investigation, they kidnap a Juarez based drug dealer and take him to the States for the bounty, rescue students from white slavery, and get men abusing their authorities by illegally jailing women for personal use. However, the Gubenko killer remains at the top of the list.
Many Americans and Mexicans see El Paso as a border town, but to Carolyn it is a cosmopolitan center with many of the good points that large cities contain with the additional influence of the borderland culture. Luz and Carolyn make a great crime fighting team who hopefully will continue to clean the streets from those felonious varmints. Nancy Fairbanks has written a serio-comic who-done-it in which Carolyn's trivial historical sputtering adds humor to the witty and exciting pursuit of a killer.
After eating tostados with guacamole, Vladislav leaves for home ignoring his irate critics. The next day his next door neighbor and former vice cop Luz finds Vladislav dead. The police think he choked to death in his vomit, but Luz believes otherwise; she feels a killer used a pillow to smother him. Luz and Carolyn try to learn who the killer is and why he murdered him. In the course of their investigation, they kidnap a Juarez based drug dealer and take him to the States for the bounty, rescue students from white slavery, and get men abusing their authorities by illegally jailing women for personal use. However, the Gubenko killer remains at the top of the list.
Many Americans and Mexicans see El Paso as a border town, but to Carolyn it is a cosmopolitan center with many of the good points that large cities contain with the additional influence of the borderland culture. Luz and Carolyn make a great crime fighting team who hopefully will continue to clean the streets from those felonious varmints. Nancy Fairbanks has written a serio-comic who-done-it in which Carolyn's trivial historical sputtering adds humor to the witty and exciting pursuit of a killer.
May 11, 2016
The cover and the recipes pulled me into reading this book. I still don't know what the dog on the cover had to do with the story but it's still cute. And I will try a couple of the recipes.
Reading the book had its ups and downs. I do hope the author got paid for product placements as there were lots of them. But then again, the main character is supposed to be a food writer and critic.
Once the story got going well and most of the products were behind, the book was a good read. The most enjoyable part was when the chapters bounced between two points of view, Carolyn's and Luz's.
Carolyn is the food writer, speaks no Spanish and is strictly middle to upper class.
Luz is retired police, vice squad, and knows her way around the seamy part of El Paso and Juarez. She has an older former drug dog. She has Spanish heritage, speaks Spanish and has rheumatoid arthritis in her knee requiring expensive medications she has trouble paying for.
Then there is the opera director who puts on an updated Macbeth the audience doesn't care for then makes a pig of himself with the guacamole at the party, gets sick and ends up dead.
The director is not quite what he seems to be. Many shady characters seem to be involved with him. But which one wanted him dead? Or are they innocent (of that crime anyway)?
Oh, Carolyn is a history of El Paso buff so lots of historical facts sift into the book. The history text books never told us about this side of history.
Take your time reading this book so you can bone up on the history trivia and savor the recipes. On your way, enjoy the murder mystery.
Reading the book had its ups and downs. I do hope the author got paid for product placements as there were lots of them. But then again, the main character is supposed to be a food writer and critic.
Once the story got going well and most of the products were behind, the book was a good read. The most enjoyable part was when the chapters bounced between two points of view, Carolyn's and Luz's.
Carolyn is the food writer, speaks no Spanish and is strictly middle to upper class.
Luz is retired police, vice squad, and knows her way around the seamy part of El Paso and Juarez. She has an older former drug dog. She has Spanish heritage, speaks Spanish and has rheumatoid arthritis in her knee requiring expensive medications she has trouble paying for.
Then there is the opera director who puts on an updated Macbeth the audience doesn't care for then makes a pig of himself with the guacamole at the party, gets sick and ends up dead.
The director is not quite what he seems to be. Many shady characters seem to be involved with him. But which one wanted him dead? Or are they innocent (of that crime anyway)?
Oh, Carolyn is a history of El Paso buff so lots of historical facts sift into the book. The history text books never told us about this side of history.
Take your time reading this book so you can bone up on the history trivia and savor the recipes. On your way, enjoy the murder mystery.
September 2, 2015
This is the first book I've read in the series although it is not the first book in the series. I don't think you have to read them in order. Carolyn or Caro is a food writer living in El Paso. While she was attending an Opera at the University where her husband is on faculty, "the artistic director eats some bad guacamole that disagrees with him right to death. A scorned soprano admits to mixing the dish to get back at him for passing her over for her dream role. But Carolyn learns that foul play, not foul food, was the real culprit--and uncovers some unsavory secrets that lead to a full menu of suspects." An interesting tidbit- when the characters go to a Mexican restaurant or even eat in general, the recipes are put in at the end of the chapter. I shelved this as arm chair traveler because the character is also prone to spitting out streams of historical nuggets about El Paso. Reminds me of a character in Bones.
December 31, 2008
Delicious cozy mystery filled with mouth-watering recipes that I can't wait to try.
Carolyn Blue is a culinary writer residing in Texas. At an opera production "after party" the artistic director eats too much guacamole and hours later he is dead. Carolyn doesn't believe it was food poisoning and does a little investigating herself. She teams up with ex-cop Luz Vallejo and they make a hilarious team trying to solve the case. This delightful novel includes scary Russian and Mexican mobsters, exotic dancers, opera, and mouth-watering recipes.
This is book six in the series.
Carolyn Blue is a culinary writer residing in Texas. At an opera production "after party" the artistic director eats too much guacamole and hours later he is dead. Carolyn doesn't believe it was food poisoning and does a little investigating herself. She teams up with ex-cop Luz Vallejo and they make a hilarious team trying to solve the case. This delightful novel includes scary Russian and Mexican mobsters, exotic dancers, opera, and mouth-watering recipes.
This is book six in the series.
September 1, 2012
#6 in the Culinary Food Writer series. A less than average entry in the series has writer in her home state of Texas.
Culinary Food Writer series - At an opera party in Texas, the artistic director eats some bad guacamole that disagrees with him right to death. A scorned soprano admits to mixing the dish to get back at him for passing her over for her dream role. But Carolyn learns that foul play, not foul food, was the real culprit--and uncovers some unsavory secrets that lead to a full menu of suspects.
Culinary Food Writer series - At an opera party in Texas, the artistic director eats some bad guacamole that disagrees with him right to death. A scorned soprano admits to mixing the dish to get back at him for passing her over for her dream role. But Carolyn learns that foul play, not foul food, was the real culprit--and uncovers some unsavory secrets that lead to a full menu of suspects.
June 3, 2016
A fun easy read. Had some good recipes included.
The main character is a professor's wife and she manages to get involved in finding the killer of the guy who directed an opera she went to. He was not a well liked person and at first his death was thought to be an accident. Carolyn teams up with a former police detective who is suffering from severe arthritis. They are an unlikely combo and very much opposites. They travel to some of the seedier parts of El Paso and Mexico in search of answers. They help out a pair of Russian college students and capture a fugitive in the process.
The main character is a professor's wife and she manages to get involved in finding the killer of the guy who directed an opera she went to. He was not a well liked person and at first his death was thought to be an accident. Carolyn teams up with a former police detective who is suffering from severe arthritis. They are an unlikely combo and very much opposites. They travel to some of the seedier parts of El Paso and Mexico in search of answers. They help out a pair of Russian college students and capture a fugitive in the process.
January 19, 2010
I enjoyed this entry in the series, which took place in El Paso, TX. I really enjoyed the story and especially the character pairing of the prissy Carolyn with former cop Luz. A lot of the recipes in the book sounded good and totally put me in the mood for some Mexican food.
January 16, 2012
A food writer in El Paso gets involved in yet another murder-to-be-solved, the death of an opera director. She teams up with a tough-as-nails retired lady police officer to solved the case. Lots of recipes!
Read
August 2, 2012An operatic Macbeth, murder and Mexican food feature in this Carolyn Blue mystery. By the time it is all over, she rescues some students, takes on a strip club owner and solves the murder of the opera's director (with the aid of her new friend and potential sidekick, Luz Vallejo).
Read
October 2, 2007The title got me on this one because it's a fun title. The book was okay.
Read
September 8, 2009Couldn't finish...very bad language.
September 3, 2010
Fun, there's a Russian guy in this book:) recipes, music and humor:)
August 14, 2011
Great Recipes!!! Mystery ok.
December 29, 2011
Quick read. Nice mystery. Great recipes.
Read
November 13, 2012Just for fun!
February 14, 2013
Cute. Love the new people she brings into the mix in each new book.
May 12, 2012
I liked the book
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews