Book 18, 2026

[chez_jae]

If Fried Chicken Could Fly by Paige Shelton

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


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I had so little left to read of my “work” book that I brought it home and finished it this evening. The book was If Fried Chicken Could Fly by Paige Shelton, and it’s the first in her “Gram’s Country Cooking School” series of cozy mysteries. The main character is Isabelle “Betts” Winston.

Betts and her grandmother are busy running Gram’s Country Cooking School and preparing for the upcoming cook-off competition. Everything is going smoothly until they discover the body of Everett Morningside in their supply room. Everett owned the local theater in Broken Rope, and now his widow is accusing Gram of murdering him. Betts knows her grandmother didn’t murder Everett, but she also knows Gram is keeping secrets from her. The biggest secret of all is the ghost of Jerome Cowbender, Broken Rope’s most infamous outlaw. Legend has it that Jerome robbed a bank and buried the gold somewhere in Broken Rope. Jerome may be able to help Betts solve the mystery, if only he could remember his past.

I liked this story. I loved the ghost aspect. Characters were fleshed out (even Jerome!), and the plot proceeded in an orderly fashion. There was the added drama of Betts’ high-school sweetheart, Cliff, having recently returned to town to accept a job in the sheriff’s office. I do wish we’d seen more of Betts living her life instead of investigating. She wasn’t even shown all that much working, either.

Favorite lines:
♦ Having a watch-ghost made me relax completely.
♦ “Ghosts, coins in tombstones, bartenders who resemble dead contortionists. Interesting.”

Interesting and enjoyable, four stars.


1. Does the mc work at/as one of the following: baker/bakery/sweet shop/tea shop/coffee shop, library/librarian, antique/vintage shop, book store, fashion/boutique, bed & breakfast? Yes, kinda—cooking school
2. Does the mc live at her (or his) place of occupation? No
3. Is the love interest involved in law enforcement? (Police officer, sheriff, detective, PI, FBI) Yes
4. Does the mc have a dog/cat as a pet? No, she has no pets
5. Is the mc's BFF either a gay guy or a ditzy/zany woman? No
6. Did the mc find the body? Yes
7. Did the mc wind up in mortal danger at the end of the book? Yes
8. Is the mc's mother either: dead, absent, far removed, ditzy and dithering, or overbearing/disapproving/meddling? No
9. If mother is dead/absent, does the mc have another mother-figure (grandmother, aunt, mom's friend, or an older friend)? NA
10. Is the mc child-free? (Either no children or else grown children--i.e. no small children to look after) Yes