Mastering the Art of French Murder

Colleen Cambridge (Murder at Mallowan Hall) whips up a delectable narrative of French food, unlikely friendships, and life in postwar Europe in Mastering the Art of French Murder, her first An American in Paris mystery. Narrator Tabitha Knight has come to stay with her elderly grand-père and her uncle Rafe after giving up her factory job in Detroit when World War II ended. She's loving her time in Paris, especially because Julia Child is a neighbor (and, thus, she can regularly sample Julia's delicious cooking). But when an acquaintance is found stabbed with Julia's kitchen knife, with a note in Tabitha's handwriting in her pocket, Tabitha undertakes a bit of amateur sleuthing to clear her friend's name and her own.

Cambridge, author of the Phyllida Bright mysteries, expertly evokes postwar Paris: its elegance and weariness, as well as the droves of Americans who bring fresh energy (and perhaps less-welcome elements) to the city. Julia's joie de vivre and enthusiasm for food will be familiar to fans of her cooking show or writings, and Tabitha proves an engaging narrator: she has a nose for clues and a total disregard of any danger she might encounter. As Tabitha investigates the expats who knew the dead woman (many of whom are involved in the same theater company), she uncovers several complex relationships and starts to wonder if the murder may have further-reaching consequences. Witty, well-plotted, and full of délicieux culinary concoctions, Tabitha's first adventure is an entertaining start to Cambridge's new mystery series. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams

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