I'm a fan of this author but I'll admit the formula for her books never really change. The setting and the characters never really change she has her cozy books and mysteries that follow the cozy formula. This is book two in this series and will I enjoyed the book it didn't make me stay up late to reading it, so no boom for me.

Great story by Tonya Kappes. Another winner from Henerey Press. Really wonderful cosy-mystery. Must read.

Another light and fun cozy mystery set in Cottonwood Kentucky. There are several humorous parts of this story because of the play on southern stereotypes. The sayings, the small town gossip and the expectations of women, as well as the women's groups and the roles they play in the society are all there. It has a touch of paranormal with Kenni's Poppa's ghost hanging around and a hint of
romance to come.

Sheriff Kenni Lowry is summoned to one of the resident's homes only to find a Cottonwood resident, Owen Godbey dead, lying in the patch of prize winning tomatoes. As Kenni and Finn investigate they find several motives and suspects. Is it Stanley, Owen's brother, who killed him to get his Mama's recipe book to grow a better okra crop? Maybe Sandy, his ex-wife, who was also after the recipe book for her own reasons? Finally, there were several people in a cook-off who might have offed him to have a better chance to win the lucrative prize? There are several surprises in this story and we meet some more of the residents of Cottonwood. Kenni is not sure about Finn and if she wants to pursue a relationship with him after her Poppa's warning about Big City Cops leaving to go home. The ending was a definite surprise and I enjoyed who it all worked out.This was a quick read that I finished in one day. A great Southern, Cozy Mystery for any cozy lover.

Book 2 in the Kenni Lowry Mystery series.

Gotta love this series! Kenni is a wonderful character and I absolutely LOVE her ghostly grandfather, he is awesome!

The mystery is well written and the characters are fun, the development is steady and the setting is 'typical' small town which is how I like most of my cozy mysteries.

Have books 3 and 4 to read so they're going on my list of 'to-read very soon' cozies, will hopefully start book 3 today but we shall see.

*Huge thanks to Tonya Kappes, Henery Press and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own*

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.)

This series is becoming one of my new favorites. I enjoy Sheriff Kenni Lowry and the interactions she has with her grandfather's ghost. The southern charm comes through in the writing and makes for a fun story.
This story has several twists and turns while Kenni tries to solve the murder of Owen Godbey. An old family cookbook and lots of small town gossip play a role in Kenni finding the killer.

Owen Godfrey is dead and his murder might revolve around a certain family cookbook that everyone is just dying to get their hands on because of a secret okra recipe. When Sheriff Kenni is forced to investigate another murder of a local Cottonwood resident, she and her new deputy Finn, her Poppa and trusted pooch Duke must uncover the secrets behind the cookbook that were worth killing over.

This was such a great read. I never read a Kappes book, but it definitely won’t be my last. Kenni has a lot on her plate, she is still trying to prove that she is fit to be the town sheriff, meanwhile with the re-election coming up the retired sheriff decides to throw his name in the hat, so Kenni must solve this new murder as quickly as possible.

I loved Kenni and I loved Duke and Finn. This book has a lot of Southern charm, wit and humor along with meddling mothers and busy body neighbors, if you like books set in the south you will enjoy this gem.

I found the writing to be fun and fast paced, I found myself just flying and enjoying this book. There is a bit of romance and a ghost of Kenni’s grandfather who was an ex-sherrif who still lingers in order to help Kenni protect the town. There is a lovable pooch named Duke that just melts your heart and a wonderful cast of characters.

If you like cozy mysteries but have not read this one I recommend it. It’s engaging, has a lot going on, and never a dull moment. I just kept flipping through the pages. It was nice to get lost in the town of Cottonwood and I cannot wait to go back.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

This is my second trip to Cottonwood and not much has changed. Sheriff Kenni Lowry is still trying to prove she can do her job even to her own mother. When another dead body is found some of the residents blame her for the surge in crime and a retired officer throws his hat into the ring to run against her in the next election. This doesn’t sit well with Poppa, her grandfather, the former sheriff, a ghost, that strives to help her protect the community. Time to use a little Southern wit and charm at a few local events to try to move her investigation along. A cook-off competition seems to connect her suspects but knowing this town it could be any little thing that caused one of the residents to turn on one of their own.

I knew when I loaded this book onto my Kindle it was going to put a smile on my face and it did. The story opens with Kenni and Finn on a Ferris wheel and I am thinking their relationship is about to take a big step but then they receive a call for assistance and the moment is totally lost. When the sheriff arrives at Petal Pusher’s Landscaping with her ghostly sidekick they find Owen Godbey dead in the greenhouse, face down in the owner’s prize tomatoes. Myrna Savage, the owner seems more concerned about the smashed fruit than she is a dead employee. Soon the investigation takes off and a certain amount of hilarity ensues.

These characters are a pure treasure. Kenni’s relationship with her grandfather warms my heart and the man had me laughing out loud more than once. Finn and Kenni work well together and would probably play well together too as soon as they sort out a couple of things. The residents of Cottonwood are an eclectic group, full of p&v as my grandmother used to say. We saw that you don’t want to mess with Kenni’s mama. It is okay if she tries to talk Kenni out of being Sheriff, but no one else had better say Kenni isn’t fit for the job. Talk about a turn around.

The murder mystery seems to revolve around a cookbook. Everyone is trying to find it because it contains a very important secret, something about okra. There are several twists and turns and I started to put things together a little quicker than Kenni, but not by much. I found the plot to be very clever and entertaining.

If you like your cozies with a bit of Southern sass and charm then this is the perfect story for you. It is sure to tickle your funny bone too.

This is the second book in the Kenni Lowery mystery series. Kenni is the sheriff of the small town of Cottonwood. Not much crime has happened since she was elected to replace her grandfather when he passed away. Of course that was because his ghost has been scaring the criminals away.
Now that he's stopped doing that crimes are happening & the citizens are worried. Kenni is the only one who can see "Poppa" with the exception of Duke. They think he's back so that he can help her to investigate crimes. The handsome reserve officer, Finn, who helped out previously has stayed in town to become her deputy. That's a good thing because she'll need all the help she can get when a man is found face down in some prize tomatoes being grown for a cook-off.

I absolutely loved this second book. It was a great mystery mixed with southern charm & humor along with just the right amount of paranormal. Poppa is a hoot & I love the relationship between him & Kenni. He can go places & find out things as a ghost that she & Finn can't.
It's cool how Kenni's dog, Duke, can wander the town & everyone looks out for him. The town is filled with funny, colorful characters & I can't wait until my next visit to Cottonwood.

Disclosure: A copy of this book was sent to me to review. All of the opinions are my own.

Having read Fixin To Die and enjoyed it, I was expecting more fun shenanigans with these colorful characters. And I got it.

It’s two years until the next election, but zany events leave Sherriff Kenni Lowry with no choice but to start campaigning early. She has a lot to overcome being the first female in office. And she needs to solve this murder case swiftly so the people will put their trust in her again.

When one of the towns residents is found lying on some prize tomatoes, it’s a juicy case of murder. Kenni is hard on the case, along with her poppa’s ghost, a former Sheriff and quite handy for solving cases. As with the first book, it tickled me how these two worked together and that Kenni had to be careful not to be caught looking like she was crazy and talking to herself.

And I’ve got to hand it to Kenni. She’s juggling campaigning to keep her job while trying to solve this case quickly, and fighting her attraction to the new handsome deputy. The possible romance isn’t the focal point of the story, but sure makes things interesting.

There’s lots of suspects and I had fun following Kenni as she eliminated them one by one until the culprit was revealed.

In a nut shell, if you like mysteries with a dash or two of southern charm and humor, you’ll enjoy this one.

Kenni Lowry is sheriff in the small town of Cottonwood, Kentucky. She's just gotten a call that a dead body has been found in the greenhouse of the town's only florist, Myrna Savage. When she arrives, she sees that it's Owen Godbey, a local who's been working as Myrna's delivery man, and she's none too happy about him falling dead in her prize-winning tomatoes. After checking out Owen's body with the help of her deputy Finn, it's her Poppa's ghost that tells her it looks like he was electrocuted with barbed wire fencing.

What Kenni does find out is that Myrna and Owen were in a heated rivalry regarding a cook-off competition, and that Myrna had recently fired Owen. While it might land Myrna at the top of the suspect list, Kenni doesn't believe she did it, and finds that the key might lie in Owen's mother's recipe book, which held a highly guarded secret okra recipe.

It seems more than one person wants to get their hands on the book; and when it's discovered that Owen was not only electrocuted, he was poisoned as well, Kenni knows she's after a killer who might not stop until the book is found. Unfortunately, there is a host of suspects doing their level best to lead her down the wrong path, and if she doesn't stay on the right one, she might just find herself next in line for murder.

This is the second book in the Kenni Lowry Mysteries, and I was both surprised and pleased to see that it began right where the previous book ended, with Kenni and Finn leaving the Cottonwood Festival and heading out to look at a dead body. It's not often we see mysteries in such a continuity, and it is refreshing, not only for the timeline, but because it brings back recollections from the first book as if we have read it only recently.

This time out, we not only have the murder of Owen to deal with, but also Kenni's growing attraction to Finn and her Poppa's displeasure of the fact. While she's telling herself (and her ghostly grandfather) that she has no intention of getting involved with her deputy, she's finding that everyone in town (including her mother) has them paired up already regardless of how she denies that fact.

Cottonwood is peppered with characters who are amusing and prone to gossip (which is how Kenni manages to get much of her information, so that's a good thing); they are people who are deeply rooted in the southern way of life, which puts good manners above all and regard for one another...while they're filing away information about you for later use. This is a town filled with a lively populace whose individual quirks are indeed fun to watch.

At the end, when Kenni finally puts it all together and finds out the real reason Owen was murdered, it's a story of twisted loyalties, lies, and greed that comes together in a well-written tale, one that kept my interest throughout and came to a satisfying end. The story was funny and fast-paced, and I look forward to the next in the series. Highly recommended.

In all fairness, I didn't read the entire book. I started it, then realized had a ghost as a main charcter. I tend to stay away from paranormal or stories with ghosts. Had I realized the protagonist would be dependent on a ghostly relative, I would not have chosen it at all.

I'm sure others will find it delightful. I don't think I can give a honest review of this book since I didn't read it all. I am sorry.

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.

Author Tonya Kappes has served up another helping of southern sass!

If there is one thing you count on in a book from Tonya Kappes, it’s a laugh out loud until you cry story filled with southern characters that are as eclectic as they come. SOUTHERN FRIED is written proof of that.

I need to amend my statement from above. There are two things you can count on from this author. All the laughing out loud of course, but also a well written mystery. Ms. Kappes can spin a tale so full of twists and turns, and ups and downs, you’ll have vertigo by the end of the book.

Para-cozy fans, you are going to fall in love with Kenni’s ghostly grandfather. What a delight he is! Not into para-cozies? No worries, you’ll love Elmer “Poppa” Sims so much, you’ll forget he’s a spook.

SOUTHERN FRIED was a delightful read. Even better than book one in the series, FIXIN’ TO DIE, and I would not have thought that possible. The characters and the situations they find themselves in, will have you turning pages (or for you eBook readers, scrolling the pages ) faster and faster as you near the end of the story. It is one of the best reading rides you’ll have this year.

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!

Sadly, I wasn't aware that there was a first book in this series, but the synopsis for this second book - I had to read it. I am waiting for this book to become available at my library to pick it up though...
One thing I really enjoyed about this book was that it was still light and humorous.I really enjoyed the suspense with the murder mystery but yet it wasn't a dark read.I loved the southern touch; my grandmother was southern so that was fun for me. This was a relatively quick read with an even tempered pace that doesn't drag on. This is a read that most everyone should be able to enjoy.

Tonya Kappes had me laughing from the opening pages of Southern Fried, when Kenni Lowry is shushing her ghost.

Kenni is the Sheriff of the small of Cottonwood and the ghost is her Grandfather. It was no surprise that she carried a gun, but there were those who frowned on her being the Sheriff.

Even though Cottonwood is a small town, the characters are far from being small.

The story contains funny quotes and unique characters that will have you smiling and laughing, and shaking your head.

“It’s hotter than a prostitute’s doorknob on pay day in here.”

Murder, the supernatural and humor are the norm in a Tonya Kappes novel.

There are plenty of suspects to keep me guessing, with some romance on the side and a lovable hound dog that, even though he’s not a guard dog, acts like one.

The small town of Cottonwood is like all small towns. Even with all the personality conflicts and disagreements, the people come together in the end.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of Southern Fried by Tonya Kappes.

Oh my heavens this is one funny book. The author has really gotten the southern lingo and charm down for her characters. I loved everything about this book including the delicious southern dishes that made my mouth water. If you haven't had fried okra you are really missing out. There are many ways to make okra, but someone has the perfect recipe to kill for.

Kenni is the sheriff of the town of Cottonwood, Kentucky. She is good at her job and it doesn't hurt to have a hunky deputy named Finn by her side. She does have a secret weapon that could prove to be very valuable . What is her secret weapon? Well that's easy to answer once you read this laugh out loud book. The people in the small town are quirky, funny and hiding secrets . When a body turns up in Myrna's greenhouse, she is more concerned about her prized tomatoes than the dead body. Those tomatoes were going to win her a big prize in the cooking contest, but now they probably aren't good to use. Who had it in for the poor person who died?

The suspects are plentiful and the secrets are many among this small town . As the investigation heats up, it seems there is a very special cookbook that everyone wants to get their hands on. I really loved how family members were ready to throw each other under the bus to take the suspicion off themselves. Sometimes blood isn't always thicker than water. When Kenni starts to get close to the truth, someone wants to teach her a lesson. What do they take from her that is very special? Once again the author writes an intriguing book filled with great characters . I loved trying to figure out who the killer was and it sure was a surprise to me. I can't wait for the next book in this wonderful series.

I received a copy of this book from The Great Escapes Book Tour. And Netgalley. The review is my own opinion.

Frothy, down home fun. Sheriff Kenni Lowry is back in a second adventure. Kenni and her temptingly sexy deputy Finn are investigating a murder. Plausible? Not so much, but light-hearted and full of Southern charm.

I received an ARC via Net Galley in return for my honest review.

This fetching little cozy mystery is the second in a series, but I didn’t read the first one, and I was able to keep up with it finer than frog hair. You might could, too. I am grateful to Net Galley and Henery Press for the DRC, which I received absolutely free of charge in exchange for this review. But don’t you worry none, cause you can buy it now.

Our protagonist is Sheriff Kendrick Lowry, and she tells us the whole story in the first person. The problem starts when Myrna finds Owen in the greenhouse on top of her prize tomatoes. Why did he have to go and die there? She says it took her months to get them that plump, and if you’ve ever grown great tomatoes—an impossible feat in Seattle, I am sorry to admit—you know it’s true.

Sheriff Kendrick, locally known as “Kenni”, is assisted in her law enforcement activities by Poppa. Poppa was the sheriff around these parts, but he’s dead now, and his ghost can only appear when she has a case to crack, so in a strange sort of way, this murder is a blessing in disguise. The local stigma against a woman as sheriff in this small Kentucky town is offset by the venerable family tradition Poppa cultivated before he departed.

I believe my favorite part is the day following the discovery of the body, when Lowry arrives to find the crime scene tape destroyed and Myrna moseying around the greenhouse like nothing ever happened. You know this happens in real life, but you never see it in fiction, except here. I also love the part when someone suggests the sheriff call for backup, and she notes that her deputy is out of town, and so exactly who is she supposed to call? Again, fictional cops always seem to have unlimited resources in even the most unlikely situations, and Kappes leaned hard on my funny bone. What a hoot.

A lot of this book doesn’t make much sense, but then it doesn’t have to. It’s a romp. However, if a couple of inconsistencies had been cleared up and a hot-stove issue hadn’t been grazed, it would be better still.

Would anyone kill for an okra recipe, for example? (I was told as a child that okra tastes like a bowl of warm snot.) Because there’s so much camp in this very funny story, I can’t tell whether I should be suspicious of this as motive or not; in the real world I don’t see it, but in this story, I feel as if anything goes. And while I love the feminist spirit in the sheriff’s assertion that she doesn’t cook anything, period, later she goes to try out the secret recipe and I find myself wondering how she knows how to glaze a cast iron pan. This woman doesn’t even know how to boil water, and yet a fairly obvious cooking skill that nobody puts into a recipe seems to present no problem at all.

But these are just li’l thangs.

Despite the occasional feminist overtones, there are some tired devices and stereotypes that are harder to disregard. Why does half the story obsess with her crush on her deputy? It’s kept light, but the notion that a woman is nothing without a man, while not openly asserted, seems to float in the air. I would have liked to see more women, especially older women, depicted in a positive light. It seems as if every story that features a heroic young woman has to also feature an impossible mother, and so I moaned when she introduced her momma. And there’s the “cat fight”, which while there’s no denying that the narrative is straight-up hilarious, is also a stereotype that suggests women can’t get along once you put us in a room together.

The thing that knocked a star off what would have been a four star review is the place where her Poppa’s ghost notes that when he saw Deputy Finn carry Kenni’s drunken, unconscious body to her bedroom and put her in her bed, he had feared the deputy was about to “take advantage” of her. The word is rape, and it’s never funny. The deputy didn’t, but the suggestion, accompanied by the euphemism, left an after-taste in my mouth that I couldn’t quite get rid of.

If you can get past these brief but clear obstacles, you will get a lot of laughs out of the main thread here. Kappes has a raucous sense of humor, and I had immersed myself in too many dark stories. I was ready for a good laugh, and this title provided several. But unless your pockets are deep or your interest great, I recommend you get this one cheaply on kindle while you can, or at your local library if available.