Aside from the occasional kitten in a tree, Stanley Grace’s biggest challenge as Sheriff of the tiny town of Merit has been his heiress wife and her thinly veiled attempts to speed up the ‘til death do us part’ clause in their wedding vows. However, that peace ended when the national news picked up a local story about a violent gang war in Merit. Unfortunately, the story ignored that the rival … gangs are in the 4th grade and actually best friends. Stanley and the town get shoved unwillingly into the spotlight as national media, celebrities (including the recently dead), and a visiting circus pounce on them wagging the national finger in shame over the supposed race-related violence.
But when danger follows behind the chaos in the form of a bloody uniform found just outside the town, Stanley finds himself facing bigger problems than just the entire country calling his town racist. Armed with a cup of luke-warm coffee, his smelly dog, and a little supernatural help, it’s up to Sheriff Stanley to save his town from newshounds, killers, and circus clowns alike.
more
I was pulled in right from the first page and read it in one sitting. This is a well written story that had me laughing for most of the story. The characters are strong and made the story come alive. First you have fourth graders in gangs, than you have the circus come to town, plus a dead actor comes back as a ghost and on top of all that Sheriff Stanley has his own issues going on. Their story will keep you reading just waiting to see what will happen next. I highly recommend this book.
4 Stars
Of War and Taters by Ashley Chappell is a delightfully fun read, full of hilarious tongue-in-cheek moments which took the story from just a clever book, to a whole new level of enjoyment. I have read a couple of Ms. Chappell’s books previously and have really enjoyed them, but this book has just become my firm favourite read of hers!
There is so much to like about this small-town Southern Satire, from the clever storyline, to the witty dialogue, the colourful & quirky characters, paranormal elements, mystery, danger, creepy/spooky details, clever touches, and even a little bit of mayhem.
I thought the characters were ALL so superbly developed- with their own individual personalities, quirks, and flaws. They were entirely interesting and likeable. I thought it was quite clever of Ms. Chappell to follow several characters, and have several threads unravelling through the story. There was quite a lot going on, but she choreographed it all wonderfully well. And for such a zany story, it also had a touching and heart-warming quality as well.
If you’re looking for a hilarious and incredibly entertaining story, with a clever and intriguing plot, and fantastic characters to entice you into the story- then this is definitely the book for you!
Thank you, Ms. Chappell!
I am not sure what I was expecting with a title like OF WAR AND TATERS but I had to give it a read. I loved Ashley Chappell other stories so I knew it was going to be good. This story had me laughing so hard that my dog even looked at me like I was crazy. When you take a small town that have a variety of characters and what do you get? OF WAR AND TATERS is the answer. Ashley Chappell has created a great small town atmosphere. There is chaos a foot. The town of Merit really does not know what will be happening next. There is media coming into the town, a circus, and no one is getting along. If that was not bad enough there is a ghost bringing even more trouble in the town. Sheriff Stanley is on the case and he is trying to keep everyone safe. Will the chaos ever settle down? Will Sheriff Stanley figure out what is going on? Just take some time and read the fun story OF WAR AND TATERS.
At first, I really struggled to get traction on this book. It had several different, seemingly unrelated, plots going on at the same time. By halfway through, though, I’d dug in and was along for the ride. Will definitely check out more from this author.