CAPTAIN COOKED by S.P. Grogan

Fiction, Mystery

3***

Blurb: A new style and modern update to the old fashioned culinary mystery…not your Mother’s cozy read. All she wanted-A quiet beach where she could go topless–Not happening. Captain Cooked is a foodie travel mystery featuring special recipes from the top chefs on the Big Island of Hawai’i. Videographer Madison Merlot Dayne arrived on the Big Island to shoot the HDTV of her culinary father’s popular television food show. From her arrival on, Madison and her father are caught up trying to discover who may have poisoned a revered Hawaiian singing star. Her working vacation involves riots, suspicious accidents, earthquakes, flowing lava, dangerous Hawaiian war weapons–and a ‘real cliffhanger’. Madison is likewise having men problems. She desires island romance but not prepared for three men in her life…at the same time. And there is the mystery of the boiling cauldron. Will Maddison get off the island alive? 

Thoughts: Right from the beginning, I was sure I wasn’t going to like this book – it definitely needs better editing. The tenses are all over the place and more. But then… the story pulled me in. It is a good story – just poor editing. Madison and her father, Jeffrey, arrive on the big island of Hawaii to shoot a portion of her father’s TV food show. Things go wrong from the beginning with the death of a popular singer from eating what was supposed to be Madison and her father’s buffet meal. Though I pretty much had the killer pegged from the start, there is more than one death – and more than one killer. And just when you think the story is over… it goes on.

What I liked: all the recipes from actual chefs and restaurants on the island. And the facts about Hawaii (including correct spellings of things). The mysteries were pretty good, too. It’s obvious the author has visited (or lived) on Hawaii and did his research, though some of the facts could have been cut just a little.

What I didn’t like: Madison was a little too “I want to get laid” for me. She’s there for a job and all she can think about is how to get laid (which never happens). It got old real fast. Also the relationship between her and her father is a little…off-putting at times. And the end with the Hawaiians… um…ick.

Interesting fact: “Captain Cooked” is a Quest Mystery involving GPS; a real shark teeth war club is geo-cached (hidden) somewhere on the Big Island and when discovered can be redeemed for a cash prize. The clues are in the book. Twenty five cents ($.25) of each book sold will be contributed to the Food Basket — Hawai’i Island’s Food Bank. 25 recipes featured from the top chefs and restaurants on the Big Island. Local artists are showcased in the book. There is a Hawaiian war club hidden somewhere on The Big Island of Hawaii. When found and redeemed it is worth $5,000. The clues are in the book or at the website CaptainCooked.com

Recommendation: Maybe. As noted before, this is a good story, but needs a competent editor to make it better.

Disclaimer: Disclosure of Material: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”