Simmer Down is the second Gourmet Girl mystery by Dog Lovers mystery author Susan Conant and her daughter, Jessica Conant-Park. Jessica clearly provided a lot of autobiographical input, as the story is dead on about the attitude and lifestyle of its 20-something grad student heroine, the Brighton / Boston setting (which I know well), and the insider's view of the restaurant world, all of which have references in her bio. I know that some readers found Susan Conant's Dog Lovers series too preachy at times. That is NOT a problem here, where there's a decidedly lighthearted, "girls just want to have fun" feel.

Chloe Carter is a 20-something foodie and grad student, balancing life between a dishy chef boyfriend (could anything be more perfect for a young, urban foodie?), her reluctant social work studies (school is to fulfill the terms of an inheritance, definitely not her idea) and field work under a gung ho, crunchy granola-type boss. When Josh gets hired as executive chef at a new restaurant, Chloe hooks him up to cook at a charitable event to help get him and the restaurant some publicity... she just didn't plan on it being because of a murder. Scared that someone she cares about is guilty, Chloe has to investigate. With luck she might find Josh's annoying ex did it instead.

This is a young feeling, fast reading, chick flick of a book. Chloe does actually investigate, but the book's really about her life and relationships. It had a couple of annoyances - her sister is that maddening cozy mystery cliché: the manipulative relative who continually imposes on the heroine for her own good. The denouement was a bit disappointing, with an imposed resolution vs one unveiled organically out of the investigation: but the whole is too much fun for things like that to really bother you. Settle back with a smile and a bowl of That Kielbasa Thing (recipe in the back of the book) and enjoy the ride.