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theavidreaderandbibliophile's review
4.0
Southern Fried by Tonya Kappes is the second book in A Kenni Lowry Mystery series. It can be read as a standalone for those new to the series. The author provides background information on the main characters and updates the reader on what occurred in Fixin’ to Die. I thought it was easy to read thanks to the authors’ conversational writing style. The story moved along at a quick pace. Southern Fried is a humorous tale that features the cozy element with a light mystery. The story is full of quirky characters who love to meddle and gossip (especially Kenni’s mother). My favorite character is Poppa, Kenni’s grandfather. He is a charming man who dearly loves Kenni and provides keen insight. I hope Poppa will be featured more prominently in future books. I thought the mystery was well crafted. It is complex and there are a few fun twists. Those that enjoy figuring out whodunit will enjoy solving this one. I appreciate the entertaining Southern phrases in the book. It will be interesting to see how the re-election campaign plays out in future books. If you are looking for an amusing cozy mystery novel with a paranormal element, then check out Southern Fried.
sheri_lemay's review
5.0
Tonya Kappes kept me laughing again and I just hated putting it down. Poppa has got to be one of the best ghostly characters around. I put it up there with Janet Evanovich and her Stephanie Plum books.
katreader's review
4.0
SOUTHERN FRIED by Tonya Kappes
The Second Kenni Lowry Mystery
Prized tomatoes. okra, and a cooking competition have Sheriff Kenni Lowry in a quandary. Who would want Owen Godbey dead? And why dump him barefoot on top of Myrna's prize winning tomatoes? And what's the big deal about Owen's deceased momma's special okra recipe? Kenni will need all the help she can get from her deputy, her grandfather's ghost, and her dog, Duke as she deals with this puzzling crime, claims of incompetence, and her own growing feelings for Deputy Finn.
SOUTHERN FRIED is a complex mystery wrapped in Southern charm. Intelligent and funny, Sheriff Kenni Lowry is a delight. She's smart, competent, and tough, yet is able to show a slightly vulnerable human side. There's plenty of humor too. Author Tonya Kappes peppers her writing with "Southern Speak" that not only brings a down home warmth, but plenty of chuckles too.
The second Kenni Lowry mystery is another winner with an ending that'll put your heart in your throat!
FTC Disclosure – The publisher sent me a digital ARC provided through NetGalley, in the hopes I would review it.
The Second Kenni Lowry Mystery
Prized tomatoes. okra, and a cooking competition have Sheriff Kenni Lowry in a quandary. Who would want Owen Godbey dead? And why dump him barefoot on top of Myrna's prize winning tomatoes? And what's the big deal about Owen's deceased momma's special okra recipe? Kenni will need all the help she can get from her deputy, her grandfather's ghost, and her dog, Duke as she deals with this puzzling crime, claims of incompetence, and her own growing feelings for Deputy Finn.
SOUTHERN FRIED is a complex mystery wrapped in Southern charm. Intelligent and funny, Sheriff Kenni Lowry is a delight. She's smart, competent, and tough, yet is able to show a slightly vulnerable human side. There's plenty of humor too. Author Tonya Kappes peppers her writing with "Southern Speak" that not only brings a down home warmth, but plenty of chuckles too.
The second Kenni Lowry mystery is another winner with an ending that'll put your heart in your throat!
FTC Disclosure – The publisher sent me a digital ARC provided through NetGalley, in the hopes I would review it.
kidisitor's review
5.0
Southern Fried is a southern charmer. Great cozy mystery with some interesting and fun characters. (Including a some what overbearing mother, that we all love to hate, but we all know she means well.) A hint of romance. (Hubba Hubba) There are many suspects, and a few "I didn't see that coming" moments, including the big who-dun-it reveal. It reads easily and quickly. It is a safe, clean read suitable for all ages. It can be read as a stand alone. There are a few tid bits of information given in the first book, that you miss out on, but nothing that will take away from the mystery aspect of the story. (Primarily the beginning of the romance involved.)
meezcarrie's review
4.0
I love this series from Tonya Kappes for many reasons. For one thing, it makes me laugh. Kappes has got a small Kentucky town – and all its quirks – down pat. From lines like, “I wasn’t sure, but I think she just blessed my heart without saying it” to the Sweet Adelines (a Baptist Women’s church group), I spend a good deal of time chuckling between the pages of this series.
But I also love these books because Kenni is such an endearing character. She’s tough – sometimes not really as tough as everyone sees her and other times a lot tougher than she thinks she is. But she’s also a little quirky and a little insecure, and she is the only one who can see her Poppa’s ghost (the former sheriff) who pops in and out to help her solve the murder mysteries she encounters. Her budding relationship with her Deputy Sheriff Finn makes me smile and I’m looking forward to seeing where it goes from here.
And lastly? I love these books because the whodunit isn’t all that obvious. Just when I think I’ve figured it out, a new wrench is thrown into the mix and I’m back to square one. Twists and turns are made all the more entertaining by the gossipy-catfighting Euchre players and the equally gossipy dispatcher.
Bottom Line: Southern Fried picks up right after the ending scene in Fixin to Die but I think it would still do just fine as a stand alone. Fun characters, a quirky town, and Southern phrases will all keep a smile on your face … though you may also find yourself swooning at Finn on more than one occasion. Kenni Lowry is one of my fave cozy mystery heroines, and I look forward to joining her on more adventures!
(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.)
see my full review at Reading Is My SuperPower
But I also love these books because Kenni is such an endearing character. She’s tough – sometimes not really as tough as everyone sees her and other times a lot tougher than she thinks she is. But she’s also a little quirky and a little insecure, and she is the only one who can see her Poppa’s ghost (the former sheriff) who pops in and out to help her solve the murder mysteries she encounters. Her budding relationship with her Deputy Sheriff Finn makes me smile and I’m looking forward to seeing where it goes from here.
And lastly? I love these books because the whodunit isn’t all that obvious. Just when I think I’ve figured it out, a new wrench is thrown into the mix and I’m back to square one. Twists and turns are made all the more entertaining by the gossipy-catfighting Euchre players and the equally gossipy dispatcher.
Bottom Line: Southern Fried picks up right after the ending scene in Fixin to Die but I think it would still do just fine as a stand alone. Fun characters, a quirky town, and Southern phrases will all keep a smile on your face … though you may also find yourself swooning at Finn on more than one occasion. Kenni Lowry is one of my fave cozy mystery heroines, and I look forward to joining her on more adventures!
(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.)
see my full review at Reading Is My SuperPower
lilyelement's review
4.0
Southern Fried is book 2 in the Kenni Lowry series. I had fun with book 1 when I tried it forever ago and was glad to see this at my library along with the next book. Yall know how much I love to binge a series so I grabbed them both. This series is so interesting, it's a cozy mystery but with a touch of paranormal (ghost) mixed in.
Kenni Lowry is on the case when a dead body shows up in Cottonwood. It seems that someone had it out for Owen Godfrey, but there are no solid leads. Kenni has to find this mysterious cookbook that everyone seems up in arms about and figure out why someone would want Owen dead. There's a lot of family drama going on and too many suspects to narrow down. Things get dangerous and I was worried if Kenni would be able to solve this case before it was too late.
Southern Fried was a delight to read. I really enjoy TKappes writing style and I don't figure out who the killer is before it's revealed. Kenni's grandpa is the ghost in the novel and I'm glad he's there to help her think about what to do next if she's stuck on the case. I'm still waiting on the romance aspect, because I can tell it's going to happen, just not sure when. All in all, if you like cozy mysteries try this series!
Kenni Lowry is on the case when a dead body shows up in Cottonwood. It seems that someone had it out for Owen Godfrey, but there are no solid leads. Kenni has to find this mysterious cookbook that everyone seems up in arms about and figure out why someone would want Owen dead. There's a lot of family drama going on and too many suspects to narrow down. Things get dangerous and I was worried if Kenni would be able to solve this case before it was too late.
Southern Fried was a delight to read. I really enjoy TKappes writing style and I don't figure out who the killer is before it's revealed. Kenni's grandpa is the ghost in the novel and I'm glad he's there to help her think about what to do next if she's stuck on the case. I'm still waiting on the romance aspect, because I can tell it's going to happen, just not sure when. All in all, if you like cozy mysteries try this series!
morticia32's review
3.0
Book 2 in the series.
A fast, fun read featuring Sheriff Kenni Lowry, her dead granddad, Duke the dog and of course the hot deputy, Finn. It's a little bit silly, but an enjoyable romp through Southern small town life full of family secrets and kooky characters.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, via NetGalley.
A fast, fun read featuring Sheriff Kenni Lowry, her dead granddad, Duke the dog and of course the hot deputy, Finn. It's a little bit silly, but an enjoyable romp through Southern small town life full of family secrets and kooky characters.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, via NetGalley.
lunifur's review
5.0
**I voluntarily read this ARC**
Oh my gosh I had so much fun reading this one! Small southern towns are fun, quirky settings, and Tonya Kappes is an expert at writing about them. The mystery was quite shocking. I honestly couldn't figure any of it out. I also love how the paranormal element is very light - the only ghost is her grandpa, and there is no other hocus-pocus stuff going on. It would be perfect for someone wanting to ease their way into reading paranormal cozies.
Oh my gosh I had so much fun reading this one! Small southern towns are fun, quirky settings, and Tonya Kappes is an expert at writing about them. The mystery was quite shocking. I honestly couldn't figure any of it out. I also love how the paranormal element is very light - the only ghost is her grandpa, and there is no other hocus-pocus stuff going on. It would be perfect for someone wanting to ease their way into reading paranormal cozies.
verityw's review
3.0
***Copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review****
This is the second Kenni Lowry mystery and I liked it more than I did the first one. Quite a lot more in fact. Kenni seems a much more balanced competent character in this, which helps to distract from the fact that she's getting advice from a ghost. Having the detective be the sheriff deals with some of the issues you get in cozies with why the person is investigating and the access that they have, although it does make the lead character's job more difficult in some ways. Kenni is still a little bit spacey, and makes some odd decisions but it's fairly copeable with in the main - although if you think too hard about some of the decisions that she's making/stuff that she's doing as the sheriff you do wonder about police procedure!
The mystery is good, although some of the explanations/explications could do with being a little clearer - I was still getting some characters confused in my head right up until the end of the book. The focus on reelection seemed a little alien to me - but then I'm a Brit and elected sherrifs and tiny independent police departments are not something we have here. There were still a few hanging strands at the end of this book - which i wasn't entirely sure was deliberate, but may well have been. I'll keep an eye out for book three to see if the upward progression continues.
This is the second Kenni Lowry mystery and I liked it more than I did the first one. Quite a lot more in fact. Kenni seems a much more balanced competent character in this, which helps to distract from the fact that she's getting advice from a ghost. Having the detective be the sheriff deals with some of the issues you get in cozies with why the person is investigating and the access that they have, although it does make the lead character's job more difficult in some ways. Kenni is still a little bit spacey, and makes some odd decisions but it's fairly copeable with in the main - although if you think too hard about some of the decisions that she's making/stuff that she's doing as the sheriff you do wonder about police procedure!
The mystery is good, although some of the explanations/explications could do with being a little clearer - I was still getting some characters confused in my head right up until the end of the book. The focus on reelection seemed a little alien to me - but then I'm a Brit and elected sherrifs and tiny independent police departments are not something we have here. There were still a few hanging strands at the end of this book - which i wasn't entirely sure was deliberate, but may well have been. I'll keep an eye out for book three to see if the upward progression continues.
bwilhoite8's review
5.0
I LOVED this book! Tonya Kappes is a genius! I enjoyed how the plot played out. Totally didn't see where it was going. Usually the first book in a series is my favorite but not with Tonya's. I love each book more and more.