DEEP DISH

Isabel Keating gives her all—and more—to liven up this second-rate Southern novel by a usually first-rate writer. Curiously, it is with the two main characters—competing Atlanta TV chefs Gina Foxton and Tate Moody—that she is least successful. The dialogue and rapport between the rivals, who later become lovers, sounds flat as the proverbial pancake, and they never really connect. But the production’s biggest problem is the story’s predictable plot—Andrews telegraphs all the moves far in advance. Nonetheless, Keating is hilarious and endearing in her portrayals of the supporting cast of Southern characters—from crackling old ladies to good old boys and mumbling country bumpkins. M.T.B. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2008]