White House executive chef Olivia "Ollie" Paras definitely has a full plate. Ollie and her fiancée Special Agent in Charge Leonard "Gav" Gavin have applied for a marriage license, which will be ready in three days. However, it will be a minimum of eight weeks before they will be able to find a justice of the peace to perform the ceremony. Meanwhile, Ollie is planning a State Dinner next week for the President of Durasi, who is coming to the White House for a discussion on peace talks.

Ex-agent Evan Bonder, who runs the Ainsley Street Ministry now, called Gav and said he needed to talk to Gav on a private matter. Since Evan can perform wedding ceremonies, Gav takes Ollie with him to meet the man. However, a horrible sight awaits them -- Evan and four other men are on the floor, bound and gagged and very dead. Within minutes of this discovery a group of FBI agents in hazmat suits are inside the Ministry, and taking Gav and Ollie out for questioning and decontamination. Since Gav is still on leave due to an on-the-job injury, he has no jurisdiction in this matter, and the lead agent, SA Tyree, doing the investigation, is no friend of Gav's.

HOME OF THE BRAISED moves from one crisis to another, and it seems that Ollie is involved in all of them. On top of the terrorist attack on the Ministry, the secretary of defense is murdered, and Ollie's body guard is acting rather strangely. Julie Hyzy has created one of this reviewer's favorite heroines in Ollie Paras. She is exciting, strong, very capable, and I'd love to cook like she does. The kitchen crew, plus Virgil, an irritating chef for the President's family; and Peter Everett Sargeant, III, Ollie's boss and one time nemesis, who is now the Chief Usher.

HOME OF THE BRAISED is exciting and dynamic with fully formed characters, and Ms. Hyzy's enthusiastic voice and story lines. This story can definitely be read as a stand- alone, but if you are new to this series you can do yourself a favor by reading the prior titles just for pure entertainment and insights into the White House kitchen.