Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for THE HARDWICK HEATH KILLER (DI Nicki Hardcastle Mysteries Book #3) by Michelle Kidd on this Books ‘n’ All Promotions book tour.
Below you will find a book blurb, my book review, and the author’s bio and social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Blurb
Two grisly murders. Three days apart. One brutal killer?
The call comes at midnight on a stormy March night. A body has been found hanging from a tree on Hardwick Heath. In the dead man’s pocket is a handwritten note: SORRY. LIFE IS JUST TOO HARD. LOVE TO YOU ALL.
Detective Nicki’s instincts tell her this was no suicide — but someone has gone to a lot of trouble to make it look like one.
Three days later, a second body is found floating in a pond, just a few miles away. But the victim didn’t drown.
The police are treating the deaths as separate cases. Then Nicki uncovers a link between the two dead men — and the case takes a shocking twist.
As she unearths a series of secrets stretching back twenty years, Nicki and her team find themselves in a race against time before more people die.
THE DETECTIVE Detective Nicki Hardcastle is in her early thirties. She’s an independent, determined woman who is good at her job and treats her team with the respect they deserve. When she was ten years old, her little brother Dean disappeared. Nicki was supposed to be watching him. Now, she is estranged from her family, and finds it difficult to let people get close to her. Contentedly single, Nicki’s perfect evening consists of a long run followed by a hot bath. Her closest companion is her cat, Luna.
THE SETTING Bury St Edmunds is a picturesque market town in the heart of Suffolk, on the east coast of England. Founded in the 11th century, the town is notable for its rich and colorful history. Tourists flock to see the ruins of the medieval abbey and maybe catch a glimpse of the infamous ghostly ‘Grey Lady’. It’s also home to the Angel Hotel, once frequented by Charles Dickens, and the Nutshell, famous for being Britain’s smallest pub. It’s an unlikely setting for murder. But its tranquil surroundings and stunning architecture hide a darker side.
DI NICKI HARDCASTLE Book 1: MISSING BOY Book 2: THE TROPHY KILLER Book 3: THE HARDWICK HEATH KILLER
DI JACK MACINTOSH Book 1: SEVEN DAYS TO DIE Book 2: FIFTEEN REASONS TO KILL Book 3: SIXTEEN CARVED PIECES Book 4: TWENTY YEARS BURIED Book 5: THREE BROKEN BODIES
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My Book Review
RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars
THE HARDWICK HEATH KILLER (DI Nicki Hardcastle Mysteries Book #3) by Michelle Kidd is a British police procedural crime thriller that builds to an exciting and surprising climax but is slow to get going in the beginning with its multiple subplots that are slightly confusing. This series also intertwines DI Nicki Hardcastle’s past throughout and I believe it is best to read the books in order to understand what is happening in this regard.
DI Nicki Hardcastle and her team are still recovering from their last major case when they are called to what appears to be a suicide, but it is not. Three days later, a major landowner in the district is found floating dead in a lake.
At first these murders appear to have nothing in common, but as the team investigates, there are secrets stretching back twenty years that begin to bring all the clues and players together. Nicki is in a race against time to stop the killer before more people die.
This is a good British crime thriller read, but I felt at times the pace was bogged down by too many subplots. I appreciate the work done by the author to bring these many threads together in the end to completely surprise the reader and I enjoy this series with Nicki’s complex and secretive personal life, but there were also times that Nicki did things that I thought were out of character for a smart and intelligent DI. Overall, while this was not my favorite in the series, the investigation was well written, and I am excited for book #4 because of the slight cliffhanger at the end of this book.
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Author Bio
Michelle Kidd is a crime fiction author best known for the DI Jack MacIntosh and DI Nicki Hardcastle series. Michelle qualified as a legal executive in the early 1990s, spending ten years practising civil and criminal litigation.
But the dream to write was never far from her mind and in 2008 she began writing the first book in what would later become the DI Jack MacIntosh series. Michelle now works full time for the NHS and lives in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. She enjoys reading, wine and cats — not necessarily in that order.
Ellery Wainwright is alone at the edge of the world.
She and her husband, Luke, were supposed to spend their twentieth wedding anniversary together at the luxurious Resort at Broken Point in Big Sur, California. Where better to celebrate a marriage, a family, and a life together than at one of the most stunning places on earth?
But now she’s traveling solo.
To add insult to injury, there’s a wedding at Broken Point scheduled during her stay. Ellery remembers how it felt to be on the cusp of everything new and wonderful, with a loved and certain future glimmering just ahead. Now, she isn’t certain of anything except for her love for her kids and her growing realization that this place, though beautiful, is unsettling.
When Ellery discovers the body of the groom floating in the pool in the rain, she realizes that she is not the only one whose future is no longer guaranteed. Before the police can reach Broken Point, a mudslide takes out the road to the resort, leaving the guests trapped. When another guest dies, it’s clear something horrible is brewing.
Everyone at Broken Point has a secret. And everyone has a shadow. Including Ellery.
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Elise’s Thoughts
The Unwedding by Ally Condie is her first attempt at adult fiction after being a successful young adult novelist. There are themes of grief, loss, family, trust, and healing. The plot is a locked mystery since the characters are “locked” into a hotel.
The setting is a remote luxurious hotel in Big Sur, California. Even though the main character, Ellery Wainwright, is surrounded by a cast of supporting characters she feels very much alone and lonely. The characters are stuck, “locked,” at the hotel after a huge storm hits, closing off the guests from the rest of the world. They are isolated with roads and bridges closed and no one able to rescue them for a few days.
Ellery decided to be a guest at the Broken Point resort since she had the reservations. She and her husband, Luke, were supposed to spend their twentieth wedding anniversary together until he tells her he wants a quick divorce since he already has a girlfriend. Unfortunately for her, after deciding to go swimming in the pool she discovers a dead body. It seems also at the resort is a wedding party. But the “un-wedding” is real since the dead body was that of the groom, dying under suspect circumstances. After another guest dies soon after, also under mysterious circumstances, she teams up with two guests who befriend her, Ravi and Nina. They become amateur sleuths trying to find the killer before more guests drop dead.
Readers see Ellery as relatable since she is suffering from heartbreak and a past trauma after witnessing the death of a bus accident victim. Her own life will never get the happily ever after.
The setting was very interesting, creating a sense of foreboding. There were twists to the plot and the main character’s emotional state will tug at readers’ heartstrings.
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Author Interview
Elise Cooper: You are known for your YA books. Is there a difference in how you write books for YA and adults?
Ally Condie: Yes and no. I always come from the character initially. This is where stories start for me, having an idea of a person doing something in a situation. When writing adult books, I can write themes and issues not as relevant to younger people. But sometimes it was from a different perspective. This was not my first mystery. I had previously written a juvenile mystery that was nominated for the Edgar Awards, titled Summerlost.
EC: Why mysteries?
AC: I have loved mysteries since I was a child. I read some Agatha Christies on a trip to England with my dad and sister. I have been a big reader of mysteries my whole life.
EC: Do you think divorce plays a role in the plot?
AC: In 2019 after I got divorced, I went on a trip by myself. I was sad since I had not expected the divorce and did not want it. I went on a trip to center myself and get away from everything. On the trip I found I was so lonely. I was paying attention to everyone there.
EC: Is that where you got the idea for the story?
AC: Yes. There was a wedding there. I thought if there was a murder here, I would be the only person who could solve it. I am the only one paying attention to everyone else. This is how I came up with the book idea. The rest of the week I plotted out the book and thought about a character in this situation. My experience was very different but some of the feelings between Ellery and myself are the same, particularly when the children are away. Suddenly I was missing out on a large chunk of their childhood. This feels painful. My ex-husband is not Luke.
EC: Is the book more plot oriented or character oriented?
AC: Both. Agatha Christie is the master of this, with a fantastic plot. The characters were also real. I hoped the readers felt that the characters were flawed people who make mistakes but there is something appealing about them as well.
EC: Did you have a character you did not like?
AC: I wanted to like all of them in some way. I was not sad when I figured out who the killer was. Each of them had a motive and a secret.
EC: How would you describe Ellery?
AC: She is, caring, anxious, an observer, and someone who connects the dots. She is very strong and has encountered a lot in her life, which comes to bear in the story. For example, she was involved in an accident that made her who she is. She felt after it that her hard experience was behind her, and then she finds a dead body here at the hotel. But by the end of the book, she is happy to see there is joy that comes from unexpected places.
EC: Other than Ellery who was your favorite character?
AC: Ravi. He is smart, sarcastic, and has a heart of gold. He is very urbane. He compliments her because he has some life experiences she does not have and vice versa.
EC: What about the hotel?
AC: It is based on a few hotels in Big Sur. I have not stayed at them because they are so expensive but did eat dinner there. There is one called Post Ranch Inn and another one Ventana Big Sur.
EC: Why the Big Sur setting?
AC: It is gorgeous and beautiful. The weather does play havoc there just as in the story. Mudslides have taken out roads, bridges, and people had to be helicopter out. The murder I added, but people have been trapped there for several days.
EC: Next book?
AC: I am working on another adult and young novel plus four picture books coming out.
THANK YOU!!
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BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for FIRE ON THE ISLAND (DI Liam O’Reilly Mysteries Book #13) by Stewart Giles on this Books ‘n’ All Promotions book tour.
Below you will find a book blurb, my book review, the author’s bio and social media links. Enjoy!
Book Blurb
In the evening of the 4th of July 2019 four dozen drones descend on Guernsey, and the peaceful island is ablaze in minutes. 48 individual bombs have caused destruction in all four corners of the island.
Detective Inspector Liam O’Reilly takes this extremely personally. He was enjoying his honeymoon in the far north of the island at the time.
As the fire on the island continues to burn, O’Reilly can’t sit back and wait for it to die down. He needs answers to why this happened on the island he now calls home.
But the truth is going to take him to hell and back.
The fire on the island is only the start: this is a case that O’Reilly may never recover from.
FIRE ON THE ISLAND (DC Liam O’Reilly Mysteries Book #13) by Stewart Giles is another engaging and exciting addition to the DC Liam O’Reilly Mysteries series. This series never fails to keep me glued to the page from start to finish. Each book can be read as a standalone because the crimes mysteries are all unique, but I love watching characters reveal traits and quirks, and grow in their relationships, so I prefer reading the books in order.
DI Liam O’Reilly is enjoying his honeymoon when they are interrupted by a call. Several dozen drones have encircled the island and dropped bombs along the entire coast. As the smoke and fires are being taken care of, Liam is told four people have lost their lives. The Guernsey Border Agency has received a call that this is an attack from an Albanian terrorist group that plans to destroy even more if a ransom is not paid, but Liam does not believe it is terrorists at all.
Liam and his team discover the drones have come from the neighboring island of Herm, while the GBA agents look the other way. Liam is determined to discover what the four murdered victims have in common and why they were killed, while also looking forward to once again proving the GBA wrong.
This police procedural/murder mystery surprised me with the conclusion, and I love when that happens. Mr. Giles effortlessly intertwines new-to-me information on subjects that I did not know would fascinate me, plot twists and surprises, and main character developments that pull me in and keep me turning the pages. I love Liam and it seems to me he is becoming a bit less irascible, at least with those he cares about. Every one of the main characters is like a friend now and I love to catch up with them in each book.
This is one of my favorite DC mystery series and I highly recommend this police procedural/crime mystery, the entire series, and this author.
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Author Bio
After reading English at 3 Universities and graduating from none of them, I set off travelling around the world with my wife, Ann, finally settling in South Africa, where we still live.
In 2014 Ann dropped a rather large speaker on my head and I came up with the idea for a detective series. DS Jason Smith was born. Smith, the first in the series was finished a few months later.
3 years and 8 DS Smith books later, Joffe Books wondered if I would be interested in working with them. As a self-published author, I agreed. However, we decided on a new series – the DC Harriet Taylor: Cornwall series.
The Beekeeper was published and soon hit the number one spot in Australia. The second in the series, The Perfect Murder did just as well.
I continued to self-publish the Smith series and Unworthy hit the shelves in 2018 with amazing results. I therefore made the decision to self-publish The Backpacker which is book 3 in the Detective Harriet Taylor series which was published in July 2018.
After The Backpacker I had an idea for a totally new start to a series – a collaboration between the Smith and Harriet thrillers and The Enigma was born. It brought together the broody, enigmatic Jason Smith and the more level-headed Harriet Taylor.
The Miranda trilogy is something totally different. A psychological thriller trilogy. It is a real departure from anything else I’ve written before.
The Detective Jason Smith series continues to grow. I also have another series featuring an Irish detective who relocated to Guernsey, the Detective Liam O’Reilly series. There are also 3 stand alone novels.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for SLY AS A FOX (The Sylvia Wilson Mysteries Book #2) by Wendy Koenig on this AME Blog Tour.
Below you will find a book description, my book review, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Description
Sylvia Wilson’s brother, Aaron, is working with a joint bank robbery task force. When he goes missing, she joins forces with the FBI to search for him.
But nothing is what it seems.
With very little time left, Sylvia will burn Heaven to the ground to find her missing brother and bring him back alive. FBI, be damned.
SLY AS A FOX (The Sylvia Wilson Mysteries Book #2) by Wendy Koenig is a fast-paced, action-adventure mystery/thriller with a wise beyond her years, Krav Maga fighting, female protagonist who is a bartender/bar owner. While this is the second book in the series, it can be read as a standalone, but to get more character background and action try out the first book, On the Sly, which I also recommend.
Sylvia Wilson is still procrastinating on her decisions for the rebuild of her bar after an arson fire destroyed it, getting back to her Krav Maga lessons, and dealing with nightmares and panic attacks after her run in with a killer in book one. Attempting to deal with all these personal problems, she is then notified of the disappearance of her police officer brother who has gone missing on an undercover operation for the FBI.
Sylvia will do anything, even go against the FBI agents who do not appear to be helping, to find her brother and bring him back alive.
This is an edge-of-your-seat mystery/thriller with plenty of misdirection, lies, and action. Sylvia is a complex character with a deep love of family, friends, and difficult animals, but also deeply scarred by the death of her parents for which she feels partially responsible. She is only 22 years old in the books, but very street wise and worldly from working in bars before she was legal. Because of her law enforcement father, she and her brother grew up playing games that ultimately help them in the present such as her knowledge of guns, her black belt in Judo and her current study of Krav Maga. The mystery plot in this book was well paced and interesting as Sylvia looks for her brother and then with his help looks for a mole in the FBI. The ending was not completely what I was expecting, but I liked it.
I recommend this exciting action-adventure mystery thriller and I am looking forward to Sylvia’s next adventure.
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About the Author
Wendy is a published author living in New Brunswick, Canada, with her husband, Vince, and two cats named after the Blues Brothers, Jake and Elwood. Her first piece to be printed was a short children’s fiction, Jet’s Stormy Adventure, serialized in The Illinois Horse Network. She attended University of Iowa, honing her craft in their famed summer workshops and writing programs. Since that time, she has published and co-authored numerous books. Several of her manuscripts and short stories have won international awards and have appeared in multiple venues.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for THE BIRTHDAY OF ETERNITY (A Comfort & Company Mystery Book #2) by A.D. Price on this Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tour.
Below you will find a book description, my book review, an excerpt from the book, the author’s bio and social media links, and a Kingsumo giveaway. Good luck and enjoy!
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Book Description
L.A. private investigators Kit and Henry become entangled in the city’s robust post-WWII occult trade when they’re hired to track down Lillian, the estranged wife of a prominent physician, and her spellbinding “spirit” lover Tashin. Fresh from her training in judo and “dirty fighting,” Kit poses as an eager recruit at a Hollywood cult run by the ambitious Reverend, while Henry takes on the city’s séance circuit, which has reinvented itself in the wake of war. Assisting them are Kit’s psychiatrist lover Luca and her combat veteran brother Stanley, who offer their own brand of expertise in unraveling the tricks of the conmen.
Plunged into the strange and deadly world of mediums and gurus, Kit and Henry soon discover that surviving the spirit trade will take all of their cunning and a whole lot of luck.
Genre: Historical Private Detective Mystery Published by: Indie Publication Date: December 6, 2023 Number of Pages: 358 ISBN: 9798986893044 Series: Comfort & Company Book 2
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My Book Review
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
THE BIRTHDAY OF ETERNITY (A Comfort and Company Mystery Book #2) by A.D. Price is a suspenseful historical P.I. mystery set post WWII in Los Angeles, California and features two memorable private investigators. This is the second book in the series, and I feel I understood and enjoyed all the characters and their motivations more by reading book one, After the Blue, Blue Rain, and book two in order.
P.I. Kit Comfort and her partner P.I. Henry Richman have barely recovered from their last case and find themselves quickly drawn into their next. Hired to track down the missing wife of a prominent L.A. physician, they find themselves involved in the world of cults and spiritualists. With the help of Kit’s psychiatrist lover and her combat veteran brother, Kit and Henry soon discover the spirits may be more dangerous than they believed.
I am really enjoying this historical mystery series. While it has a bit of a noir feel to the private investigation plot, it is not as dark or gritty as some others in this period. It has both Kit and Henry alternating the narrative of the story with the occasional insertion of the missing person’s narrative. It is a unique way of discovering the facts as the investigation gets closer to the solution. (The first book in the series was narrated in a similar way.) The investigation is interesting with none of the current advantages of technology, just plenty of personal contacts, shoe leather, ingenuity, and undercover work with some action interspersed throughout.
While the plots of both mysteries are well paced and plotted, it is the characters that I love. Kit is an emancipated woman for her times and yet she still has a very loving heart towards her brother, partner and friends and she also loves a good hat. Henry has a complicated history and an even more complicated marriage. While he gives off a hard guy persona, I felt so much sympathy for him. All the related characters in this series are fully drawn and believable for the period.
I highly recommend this compelling historical P.I. mystery series.
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Excerpt
PROLOGUE
DAIVIKA
(Preface, “Survival: My Journey to Enlightenment,” CoEB Press, 1948)
Happy New Year! Today, I begin the story of my death. The story of my death and my rebirth. The story of my journey to enlightenment. It won’t begin at the beginning. It won’t unfold in chronological order, or in subject order. Instead, it will flow in psychic order. An order marked by change—the before and the after—and its place in my eternal existence, in the circle with no beginning and no end.
Some in my position might shy away from sharing their story. They might prefer to keep their past a secret. However, from my experience—the experience that brought me to this point today—secrets destroy. They destroy trust, of course, but they also destroy hope. We can’t profess to love nature’s sunshine while keeping a part of ourselves in the darkness. Our past, our histories, are as much a part of our being as our beliefs and our actions.
Of course, it’s impossible to recall everything, and not all revelations are suitable for all audiences, but as far as common decency and memory will allow me, I will be truthful and open with my history. It’s the least I can do for my new friends and colleagues. Now more than ever, I need your trust. So, I will give you my secrets—some of them anyway.
And circle or not, I must start my story somewhere, and when I think about the past, I find myself returning to one moment, one place, one hot summer afternoon. It was a moment whose significance grew over time, like a soft mew swelling to a roar. It’s there I’ll begin the story of my life, a not-so-long-ago moment, fresh from death’s door.
Chapter 1
DAIVIKA
(Excerpt from “Survival: My Journey to Enlightenment.” CoEB Press, 1948)
Death, as a concept, bubbles up often in my current existence, but in my previous life, I did my best to keep the topic at bay, to push down my fears and ignore any pain. Months after the war’s end, I was still rationing my sadness, still offering fake smiles and unearned laughs.
That began to change with the death of my grandmother. Days before, she had taken a bad fall and her recovery had been fitful. I dropped by the hospital once or twice, but on that last Sunday, I canceled my planned visit and attended one of my husband’s archery competitions instead. She passed during the night.
Gramma had always been the kind constant in my life—more giving than my mother—and her departure from this world was a blow to my defenses. Its full impact, however—my shame especially— didn’t hit me until later. Even then, as I first stood by her open grave under that scorching sun, dry martinis in ice-cold glasses were all I was thinking about.
In her will, Gramma instructed she be buried at Forest Lawn, in the Everlasting Love section, next to her beloved husband, my grandpa. He had succumbed to a stroke a few years earlier, and his demise rendered Gramma spiritually unbalanced. Or as she put it, without him by her side, her life had no joy. At the time, I didn’t associate Gramma’s spiritual imbalance with a literal imbalance, the type of vertigo that caused her to misjudge a step, take a spill and break her hip, but the connection seems obvious to me now.
I also see now the deep imprint that my grandparents’ long and loving marriage left on my psyche. My parents’ marriage was fragile and my own romances were flops. But Gramma and Grandpa’s bond truly was everlasting—in life and beyond. Who doesn’t yearn for that?
No doubt that if my native Californian Gramma had been in charge of the matter, her burial would have taken place on a rainy dawn in winter. As it turned out, however, the fates preferred a cloudless afternoon in July. The night before, a Santa Ana wind had blown in, delivering a day of gusts so hot and dry they all but set fire to the lungs. The service at the Wee Kirk o’ the Heather Church had been reasonably well-attended, but most of the mourners, including my husband, skipped the burial. While immaculate and stubbornly green, the lawn the cemetery was famous for had absorbed the wind’s heat, making standing graveside more hellish than heavenly.
The minister-for-hire went through his rituals as quickly as was socially acceptable. But as he was delivering his final words over Gramma’s coffin, the birds and insects of Forest Lawn went abruptly silent. I felt the silence more than I heard it, but I sensed instantly that something was off and something else was eminent. And just as that anticipation hit, the sky’s light dimmed and the air dulled. We had been plunged, midday, into dusk.
During the next few seconds, my ears started to ring, or rather, hum. My heart raced, and I gasped. Then I fainted. My knees gave out and I tumbled to the ground. I toppled just inches from the open grave, my left arm dangling over the side. I quickly recovered but when I opened my eyes, the world was tinged with red and the air that swirled around me was frigid. I could hear murmurs of concern and felt someone touching my back. Embarrassed, I struggled to my feet and assured everyone I was fine.
And for a time, I fooled myself into believing that I was fine. On the drive home from the cemetery, I heard radio bulletins describing the total solar eclipse that had just occurred in the Northern Hemisphere. Everything I had experienced during the funeral was unusual but explainable. A natural phenomenon.
Or was it? Was Gramma’s funeral occurring at the same time as a rare astronomical event a coincidence? Or had Fortuna influenced the scheduling somehow? What had I seen? What had I felt? Had I felt through that cold wind Gramma’s spirit heading for the Afterlife? Or was it the stirring of my own sorrow, blowing around me in warning? Or both?
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Author Bio
A native of Washington, D. C., A. D. Price is an Emmy-winning screenwriter and author. Her publications (as Amy Dunkleberger) include educational books and feature articles on historical and arts-related subjects. In 2022, she published After the Blue, Blue Rain, her first novel and the first book in her Comfort & Company mystery series. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two dogs.
Postwar Paris is surging back to life, and its citizens are seizing every opportunity to raise a glass or share a delicious meal. But as American ex-pat Tabitha Knight and chef-in-training Julia Child discover, celebrations can quickly go awry when someone has murder in mind . . .
The graceful domes of Sacré Coeur, the imposing cathedral of Notre Dame, the breathtaking Tour Eiffel . . . Paris is overflowing with stunning architecture. Yet for Tabitha Knight, the humble building that houses the Cordon Bleu cooking school, where her friend Julia studies, is just as notable. Tabitha is always happy to sample Julia’s latest creation and try to recreate dishes for her Grand-père and Oncle Rafe.
The legendary school also holds open demonstrations, where the public can see its master chefs at work. It’s a treat for any aspiring cook—until one of the chefs pours himself a glass of wine from a rare vintage bottle—and promptly drops dead in front of Julia, Tabitha, and other assembled guests. It’s the first in a frightening string of poisonings that turns grimly personal when cyanide-laced wine is sent to someone very close to Tabitha.
What kind of killer chooses such a means of murder, and why? Tabitha and Julia hope to find answers in order to save innocent lives—not to mention a few exquisite vintages—even as their investigation takes them through some of the darkest corners of France’s wartime past . . .
A MURDER MOST FRENCH (American in Paris Mystery Book #2) by Colleen Cambridge is an entertaining amateur sleuth historical mystery featuring an American woman in Paris living and befriended by the not yet famous Julia Child in 1950 postwar Paris. This second book in the series is easily read as a standalone.
Tabitha Knight is trying to decide what she wants to do with her life. She has travelled from her home in Detroit to live in Paris with her Parisian grand-pere and his longtime friend who she refers to as oncle. She also becomes friends with Julia Child and her husband who lives nearby. Julia is attending The Cordon Bleu cooking school and helps Tabitha with her cooking as well as being a sounding board for the murder investigations Tabitha seems to continually fall into.
When Julia and Tabitha attend a cooking demonstration at the Cordon Bleu, the instructing chef falls dead of poison after tasting a rare vintage wine he has been gifted. The very next day at a wine gathering the same thing happens to another famed French chef. Tabitha is once again in the middle of one of Inspector Mervielle’s murder investigations and while she promises to not interfere, when her grand-pere and oncle are almost poisoned in the same way, she cannot help but get involved, but it may be the last investigation she ever attempts to solve.
I love the characters in this series and the murder mystery is well paced and plotted. Tabitha is a wonderful protagonist who has led an interesting life to date but is still deciding on her future. With her curiosity, varied interests, and tidbits she learned from her detective father in America, how could she not become involved? Adding Julia Child and her cooking to the story, not only makes my mouth water, but acts at times as a very effective red herring. I also enjoy the growing personal interest between Tabitha and the Inspector. With discussions of fine wines, French cooking, the Parisian catacombs, the German Occupation, which is only a few years past, and more clues about Tabitha’s grand-pere and oncle’s pasts in the Resistance, this story is captivating as a cozy amateur sleuth historical mystery. I am anxiously waiting for the next.
I highly recommend this historical murder mystery, both books in the series to date, and this author’s other mystery series as well.
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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.
