DEBUT NOVEL Merinac, KS, has two fried chicken joints, Chicken Mimi's and Chicken Frannie's. Originally started by sisters, the restaurants have a deep history and rivalry. Owned by the Moore family, Mimi's has kept true to its original old-fashioned menu, while Frannie's, run by the Pogociello family, has expanded to include a more modern menu and bar. Amanda Moore switched allegiances when she married Frank Pogociello. Her mother owns Mimi's, but now Amanda works at Frannie's. Amanda contacts the producers of the reality television show Food Wars and suggests that they host a fried chicken cook-off between the two restaurants. The producers accept, and with $100,000 at stake for the winner, Frannie's and Mimi's are both in it to win it. When Amanda's estranged sister Mae, a reality television star, returns to Merinac to throw her support behind Mimi's, the Food Wars episode quickly becomes about much more than fried chicken. With a little prodding from the show's producer, long-held family secrets are revealed, pitting sister against sister. VERDICT Mae and Amanda are spirited characters, and their foibles are told with care and humor. Recommended for Food Network and HGTV watchers, this first novel is plucky, heartwarming, and a welcome distraction from the news of the day.--Emily Hamstra, Seattle

Rival fried chicken restaurants Mimi's and Frannie's have been staples of a small Kansas town since 1886. Initially run by sisters, the restaurants become even more intertwined when Amanda, daughter of the owner of Mimi's, marries the son of Frannie's owner. Forbidden to ever enter Mimi's again after the marriage, Amanda instead works for Frannie's. Though she was widowed young, Amanda is happy if restless. This uneasiness causes her to apply for Food Wars, a reality TV show that pits rival restaurants against each other. When Food Wars picks them, Amanda is ecstatic. She is less than happy with the reappearance of her sister Mae. Mae was just fired from her own reality show, Sparkling. Mae is hoping that an appearance on Food Wars will be her ticket back to TV, and she throws herself into helping Mimi win. As the sisters battle, old wounds resurface, and secrets they hoped to hide from the cameras are revealed. Chicken Sisters is a charming first novel about family, regrets, and second chances. Dell'Antonia deftly deals with issues of mental illness, marriage troubles, and dreams deferred, all the while telling a funny satire of reality TV. An utter delight from start to finish.