| Title | : | Pork Pie Pandemonium (Albert Smith's Culinary Capers # 1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 223 |
| Publication | : | First published May 29, 2020 |
‘When Steve Higgs writes, he hits it out of the park. I find myself laughing out loud and often.’
When a retired detective superintendent chooses to take a culinary tour of the British Isles, he hopes to find tasty treats and delicious bakes …
… what he finds is a clue to a crime in the ingredients for his pork pie.
His dog, Rex Harrison, an ex-police dog fired for having a bad attitude, cannot understand why the humans are struggling to solve the mystery. He can already smell the answer – it’s right before their noses.
He’ll pitch in to help his human and the shop owner’s teenage daughter as the trio set out to save the shop from closure. Is the rival pork pie shop across the street to blame? Or is there something far more sinister going on?
One thing is for sure, what started out as a bit of fun, is getting deadlier by the hour, and they’d better work out what the dog knows soon or it could be curtains for them all.‘
This series has it all; everything I want in a story and series ... humour, suspense, and colourful characters. It’s one of my top all-time favourite series.’
This series of books contain no cussing and no graphic descriptions of violence or bedroom activities.
Pork Pie Pandemonium (Albert Smith's Culinary Capers # 1) Reviews
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This is a great book to read and relax during all the anxiety we have been bombarded with by the COVID. It will make you smile and actually laugh. This is the first in the series. Happy reading.
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I found this cozy mystery enjoyable. The two main characters are a man and his dog, named Albert Smith (human) and Rex Harrison (dog). They are both retired from police work, and I've decided to go on a culinary tour of the UK. Since the only thing Rex's owner Albert seems to enjoy is food. Of course it doesn't take them long to discover a mystery and a dead body.
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I picked this up (because of the dog) with no expectations and ended up enjoying it and loving both Albert and Rex Harrison. It made me laugh and read passages out loud to my husband. I’m going on to the next book in the series.
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A very nice, enjoyable cozy mystery. There aren't a lot of cozies that have senior adults, whether male or female, as the main characters but in Albert you have one. He is a retired police superintendent and has a flunked out police dog (Rex Harrison) as his service animal which makes for a few funny conversations between the two, especially from the dog's view point. They mystery side isn't real deep but fun to read. I'll look forward to reading more about Albert and Rex.
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Pork Pie Pandemonium by Steve Higgs is the first book in Albert Smith's Culinary Capers Mystery series. Retired police detectice Albert Smith embarks on a culinary tour of Britain starting with a Pork Pie cooking class, when unfortunately a severed finger is found in the meat. I loved this book and especially Albert's assistance and ex police dog Rex Harrison and how he tries to communicate and help. An interesting and fun investigation with a pair of entertaining and capable characters.
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I confess that I wouldn't normally have chosen this type of book but I am glad that I did.
I saw the cover of this recommended book as I arrived to flat/dog sit for my daughter. Lobo and Rex Harrison may look the same but whereas Rex Harrison is an adult dog with a basic discipline, Lobo is still less than a year old with puppyish behavior. Nevertheless, I recognized similarities in behaviors and perhaps now I understand more of Lobo's thoughtful glances.
In a nutshell, its the story of a retired Detective Superintendent who had started a happy retirement with his wife - then she died. His three grown children had started to worry about his failing health and memory and his lack of cooking skills. Instead of an official 'assistance' dog, he acquired a police dog school reject (because of his behavioral problems) and made him a fluorescent jacket and marked it 'Assistance Dog' so it could accompany him in places where dogs were not normally allowed.
To deal with his inability to cook , he has decided to undertake a culinary tour of UK's better know foods with Protected Geographical Status, and learn how to make them.
This first episode deals with his visit to Melton Mowbray and the problems he encounters there.
Its hard to categorize. Is it 'cozy' with all the death and the detached thumb that starts it all? Yes I believe it is and very amusing, as every dog owner will appreciate. There is also something for the armchair detective to sort out.
I thoroughly enjoyed the read. Not too serious, plenty to smile at. At the end a nice piece of additional pastry rounds off the story very nicely indeed. -
Very enjoyable. Onto book 2 in the series soon.
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A delicious story
This story left me hungry for more. I let go of any realistic expectations of real dog thought and just enjoyed Sex and his older owner who is retired but not ready to go to pasture. The mystery was intriguing and I was holding my breath at one point. I enjoyed it immensely. My only regret is I don't have a pork pie to hand. Spam does not quite do it. I'm still hungry for more adventures withbAlbert and Rex. -
2022 bk 35. Steve Higgs writes lighthearted mystery tales. I had a read an earlier series that left me vaguely dissatisfied - but my sister insisted I try this out. They could stand to use some editing (it's hard to tell the difference between who is speaking, the dog or Albert as it feels like the same voice). They could definitely use some assistance in formatting the printed paperback versions (Chapter Headings should never be left justified and in a lighter print than the body of the book - Chapter numbers would also be nice.) The story itself is decently plotted. The author has some knowledge of the physical differences between a 75 year old and a teenager and does a good job of accounting for those. The wrapping of the books around the famous food of different British communities, the use of a failed police dog as a service dog, and the fleshed out side characters makes for an engaging book - enough that I will try more, but will probably switch to ebook versions to see if the editorial issues are less annoying in that format.
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I love how Albert Smith (a retired detective superintendent) and Rex (an ex-police dog fired for a bad attitude) get together on a culinary tour and are in the middle of a crime. I love the dog because he thinks he is smarter than humans and most dogs are smarter than humans in my opinion. Even though it was a murder mystery it brought me a smile. Looking forward to the next book in the series.
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Loved the characters and the mystery. It kept my interest from beginning to end! Now I'm ready to tackle the next "Albert Smith Culinary Caper": Bakewell Tart Bludgeoning".
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Not the most compelling cozy mystery I’ve ever read. I’m hoping that the next book in the series will bring Rex and Albert into a tighter working relationship.
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Quite a Refreshing Concept
New series and author for me. The idea of a late 70's, early 80's retired detective and his police search dog failure sleuthing is charming. The concept is good, and I hope the rapport between the two improves as they tour and sleuth through the UK. -
As a fun l ight read, this scores well. The dog is delightful as he finds clues and tries to clue in his clueless human, and the human cast in enjoyable also. I will read more for sure.
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This was an easy read. A lighthearted British mystery about a retired police detective and his dog on a culinary tour of England and they get caught up in mysteries that they help solve. While it was an enjoyable book, I did not "laugh out loud" per the advertisements about it. Maybe it's more suited to dog lovers?
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This was an outstandlingly fun read. It combined the interest and suspense of a who-done-it with the humanity of senior living and the company of a good and faithful dog. I especially liked the author giving voice to the dog, expressing what he was thinking, and how humans struggle to understand their non-speaking friends. I look forward to reading the rest of this series, and exploring other offerings from this talented writer.
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Passably good cozy mystery. Character development could have been stronger, but as the main character is only in town briefly, as a tourist, perhaps that’s unreasonable. The dog was funny - my dogs have never actually told me what they think about humans, but I can easily believe they think much as Rex does. Any book that has a German Shepherd as a main character is worth reading.
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A retired detective takes a culinary tour of the British Isles hoping to find tasty treats. His dog, Rex Harrison, an ex-police dog who was fired for having a bad attitude, cannot understand why humans struggle to solve mysteries when he can smell the answer. -
Long-retired Detective Superintendent Albert Smith is recently widowed and has decided to set off on a tour of the country sampling, and learning to make, famous British culinary offerings despite the misgivings of his three children who are all serving police officers. He's traveling with his dog Rex Harrison who is a K-9 school dropout. Rex shares his thoughts with the reader even though Albert can't hear him.
Albert's first stop is Melton Mowbray where he is visiting Agnew's Perfect Pork Pie Emporium to learn to make the iconic pork pie. However, things are quickly disrupted when a severed thumb is found on one of the piles of meat the members of the class are supposed to turn into their own pies.
With the owner of Agnew's in hospital after having her appendix removed, her seventeen-year-old daughter Donna is in charge. She is sure that it is just the latest prank by the owners of Simmons Pork Pie Palace which is just across the street, They have wanted to steal Agnew's business and reputation since they opened. It doesn't help that Donna and the Simmons son Toby had dated for a while.
Albert wants to help Donna. So, the first thing they need to do is try to identify the owner of the thumb which is made easier by the unique tattoo on it. Albert, Rex and Donna visit tattoo parlors and quickly identify the thumb's owner. They are surprised to learn that he is the night guard for the Simmons factory and is missing.
They discover all sorts of things as they look into the case including a drug sting. Albert and Rex attract the attentions of the villains and have his room at the B&B where he is staying firebombed.
I liked that Albert is 78 and quite a bit slower and creakier than he was in his working days. He's experiencing some memory issues and, at one point in the story, gets lost while doing some investigating. He also, like many of us older adults, finds himself in a crucial situation with a cellphone in need of a charge. I really like his relationship with Rex who has quite a mind of his own and who gets a chance to use his training in the story.
This was a fun story with a nicely quirky main characters who is determined to keep his independence and live his life in hos own way. -
The first in what I think will be a great new series by this accomplished author.
This story starts with a bored, retired Detective Superintendent Albert Smith and his dog Rex Harrison; who can talk, sadly no one can hear him no, matter how hard he tries. Rex is a failed police dog who has issues with obedience. To be honest, as soon as I read that I just knew that this was going to be a brilliant book!
Albert is retired and sadly, a widower. Consquently he has no schedule to keep to anymore. So, with a confident step out of the door, he has decided to do a culinary tour of Britain, tasting as many local delicacies as possible in every area he stops at, whilst hoping to learn a few tips and tricks about cookery along the way.
He begins in Melton Mowbray where arguably, the best pork pies in Britain are made.
When he arrives there and books his hotel, he decides to join a class where customers can learn how to make pork pies for a fee. The shop he chooses to take the class in is a small family run business with a reputation for making the best pork pies in the entire district. Albert goes to the class and before he can say "Sit Rex" to his dog, a woman screams and all hell breaks loose!
This story made me laugh out loud more than once. I love Albert, he was such a fun main character, and so was his failed police dog. Rex is an interesting character and I am a Rex Harrison the dog fan now. He gets up to all sorts with his master. He gets to have dialogue too in the story, but sadly his words stay in his head as no one can hear him except other dogs, oh, and us! He's almost as good a detective as his master Albert is.
With lots of characters that were really funny, the story brightened up a dull old day for me. So thank you to the author for that!
I think Albert and his dog Rex Harrison, are my absolute favourite characters in all the books by this author. I look forward to reading the next book in the series and if it's anything like this first book in the series, then it will be a really good book to read. -
Coming from the author of the Patricia Fisher cruise mysteries, it is no surprise that this is also a fast, fun read.
Long time retired police detective superintendent Albert Smith (who also comes from the same village as Mrs Fisher and appeared briefly in one of her stories) is off on a culinary tour of Britain, even though his three police children are overly concerned about him. Accompanying him is his dog, Rex Harrison, who has the distinction of being the only dog ever fired from the British Police force for his bad attitude. Rex is a hoot!
Albert's first stop is to a village famous for their pork pies. Albert's class ends abruptly when someone spots a human thumb on top of the meat destined for the pie. Albert feels bad for the teenaged Donna who is in charge of the pie factory while her mother is in the hospital with appendicitis.
Apparently Rex picked up some skills at the police academy before he was kicked out. He alerted when he smelled drugs and tried hard to communicate his findings with his human. Humans never listen. He also tried to tell Albert that the source of all the interesting smells, drugs and thumb, came from the mechanic shop next door. Of course, humans can be a bit slow on the pickup at times.
Albert, Donna, and Rex form a great team, but a casualty of their efforts is Albert's B&B. First Rex tracks oil and grease all over the white carpet, then when Albert gets up one night to relieve his aging bladder, a gas bomb is tossed into his bed.
Albert does realize that he needs a bit of help from his children, so he calls first one for information, then another, thinking they will not chat amongst themselves. A few phone calls to friends in high places help Donna's mother get her shop re-opened quickly once the bad guys are caught and put away - except for one, Gregory, the boss. I have no doubt we will see Gregory again in further episodes. -
Albert Smith, a retired Kent police detective
who was widowed exactly one year ago yesterday, is embarking on a culinary tour of his native England with his “assistance dog,” Rex Harrison. The German Shepherd is “the only dog in the history of the Metropolitan police to have been fired for having a bad attitude,” but he and Albert are fond of each other and work well together.
Their first stop is Agnew’s Perfect Pork Pie Emporium, where Albert has signed up with the premier pork pie maker for a class that will teach him exactly how to make their famous pork pies. However, his class is abruptly halted when a fellow student finds a human thumb atop her neat pile of pork. With the company shut down and no class to keep him occupied, Albert reverts to form and begins looking into how a severed digit ended up in the pork pie shop.
In the meantime, Donna’s mother, Agnew’s owner, is in hospital after an emergency appendectomy, and Donna is worried about the continuation of their longstanding company combined with the threat of Simmons Perfect Pork Pie Palace directly across the street. so she and Albert team up to root out the origin of the thumb and just who is threatening Agnew’s and why. Rex is indispensable in the search — he quickly tracks down the site where the thumb was separated from its owner, but is frustrated by his inability to communicate with his master. Although they can’t speak to each other, Albert recognizes many of his clues and signals, and they eventually zone in on the culprits, only to find themselves in peril.
Steve Higgs has cooked up another sizzling mystery for fans of his cozy mysteries. It’s a delicious treat for all. -
Albert Smith, a 78-year-old retired Detective Superintendent in West Malling, Kent, is a man who became widowed just one year ago today, and is really tired of fast food. So is Rex Harrison, his German Shepherd Metropolitan Police dog who is the only dog ever actually fired by the police force for his bad attitude. Albert makes a bucket list of his favorite British meals and purchases online a harness and jacket for Rex, who now magically becomes an assistance dog and can accompany him anywhere. They will go by rail on this marathon cooking tour, taking lessons at places that serve the well-loved classic meals renowned in the British Isles. Most everyone in England is offering classes for their trademark specialty dishes now.
Recipe #1, Pork Pie Pandemonium. The first stop on the tour is Agnew's Pork Pie shop in West Malling, Kent. Everything is going quite well until the tattooed thumb arrives on the top of a pile of pork in front of one of the students. Things all seem to fall apart from there. Only Rex, when all eyes are distracted by the local police, has the pleasure of enjoying the nicely done chopped pork... But all is not lost. They are both now retired. They can hang around at the nice B&B down the street and retake the class when the health department clears the retail shop and their kitchens at Agnew's. Assuming, of course, that only PORK will be found in the place.
Reviewed on February 17, 2023, ay Goodreads, AmazonSmile, Barnes&Noble, and BookBub. Not available for reviews on K0b0 or GooglePlay. -
Pork Pie Pandemonium is a mystery novel and the first of the Albert Smith’s Culinary Capers series. The story follows Albert Smith, a retired detective living in England, as he takes a culinary tour around the country. His vacation is almost immediately interrupted by an incident in a pork pie cooking class he is attending. Despite the warnings of local police, Albert decides to investigate the incident himself, along with the help of his service dog, Rex Harrison, and the pie shop owner’s teenage daughter, Donna. Together, they follow the clues to solve the mystery and save the shop, all the while getting into more and more trouble.
Pork Pie Pandemonium is a fun mystery set in modern day England. Albert Smith is an interesting character. He is friendly, but can also be grumpy and stubborn, insisting on solving the mystery. Donna is eager to solve the caper as well, driven and desperate to save her mother’s pie shop. The story even takes us inside of Rex’s head and hearing the dog’s thoughts on the matter is quite amusing.
Overall, Pork Pie Pandemonium is a fun story. The circumstances surrounding the incident in the pie shop are mysterious and more dangerous than initially believed. Rex is quite a character himself, often providing some comedy with his antics, but never to the detriment of the story. Mystery fans and dog lovers will be sure to enjoy this book and will be looking forward to reading the rest of the series. -
Steve Higgs is a new-to-me author, and while parts of the book were a disappointment, the story itself was delightful, and I’ve already placed a hold on Book 2 through my local library. Albert Smith is a retired police detective who decides to go on a culinary tour of England after his wife passes away. He has the itinerary for his solitary trip all planned, despite the objections from his three adult children. But at his first stop in Melton Mowbray, he attends a class learning to make pork pies when one of the participants finds a human thumb among her supplies, and Albert is immediately intrigued. He is drawn into the mystery by the shop owner’s daughter, who’s temporarily running the show while her mother is hospitalized. The mystery is well told, but there were a few editing problems, and the print layout is not great. There are no page numbers and the chapter titles are in light gray and hard to read. Still, I want to find out what happens at Albert’s next stop, where he’ll learn how to bake tarts.
