Book Description
American expat Tabitha Knight has found a new life in postwar Paris, along with a delightful friend in aspiring chef Julia Child. Yet there are perils in peacetime too, as a killer infiltrates one of the city’s most famous fashion houses.
If there’s one art the French have mastered as well as fine cuisine, it’s haute couture. Tabitha and Julia are already accustomed to sampling the delights of the former. Now fashion is returning to the forefront in Paris, as the somber hues of wartime are replaced by vibrant colors and ultra-feminine silhouettes, influenced by Christian Dior’s “New Look.”
Tabitha and Julia join a friend for a private showing at an exclusive fashion atelier, Maison Lannet. The event goes well, but when Tabitha returns later that evening to search for a lost glove, she finds the lights still on—and the couturier dead, strangled by a length of lace. The shop manager suspects that a jealous rival—perhaps Dior himself—committed the crime. Tabitha dismisses that idea, but when another body is found, it’s apparent that someone is targeting employees of Maison Lannet.
Meanwhile, Tabitha’s Grand-père and Oncle Rafe are in the midst of their own design-related fracas, as they squabble over how to decorate their new restaurant. And there are strange break-ins at a nearby shoe store—but are the crimes related? It’s up to Tabitha to don her investigative hat and find answers before someone commits another fatal fashion faux pas.
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My Book Review
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
A FASHIONABLY FRENCH MURDER (An American in Paris Mystery Book #3) by Colleen Cambridge once again returns the reader to post WWII Paris as experienced through the eyes of an inquisitive young American who continually happens upon dead bodies. Her best friend and neighbor is Julia Child who is attending classes to learn French cuisine. This addition to the series is another well-paced murder mystery which is easily read as a standalone historical mystery, but I have read this series in order of publication to follow the evolution of all the charming characters.
Tabitha Knight is helping one of Julia’s friends as a translator at an exclusive haute couture fashion house. When she realizes she lost a glove and goes back to retrieve it, she discovers the famed designer dead. On the same night, a fashion shoe store across the alley is broken into.
Inspector Merveille once again must deal with the inquisitive Tabitha who is asked to investigate the shoe store break-in. He knows she will not stop there and after a second murder at the fashion house, both are determined to bring the killer to justice.
I always enjoy Tabitha’s escapades and drool over the recipes Julia is teaching Tabatha to prepare or she is cooking for others. Tabitha is a wonderful protagonist and amateur sleuth even as she “accidently” stumbles over so many dead bodies. The relationship between her and Merveille is still up in the air and that makes it always interesting. In this book in the series, besides the food, the reader gets a glimpse into the workings of a Paris house of fashion after the war and the beginning of Dior’s reign at the top of Paris fashion scene.
Ms. Cambridge does an exceptional job of balancing all the interesting historical facts of postwar Paris life and atmosphere with the twists and red herrings of the murder mystery plot. She is able to intertwine everything together into an entertaining, intriguing, and satisfying historical mystery read.
I highly recommend this addition to the series, and I am looking forward to following Tabitha and Julia in future books.
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About the Author
Colleen Cambridge is the pen name for an award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. From a young age, Colleen has loved reading mysteries and now she couldn’t be happier that she is able to write them.
Under several pseudonyms, she has written more than 36 books in a variety of genres and is always plotting her next murder—er, book.
Social Media Links
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