Mastering the Art of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge

April 6, 2023

Mastering the Art of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge

Set in post-World War II Paris, American expatriate Tabitha meets budding chef Julia Child, who lives in the building across the street. Tabitha lives with her grandfather and "uncle" and tutors students in French and English while enjoying the Parisian nightlife. When an actor is found murdered in the basement of Julia's building after a late-night party at Julia's apartment, Tabitha feels compelled to find the killer.

Since I credit Julia Child's television show and cookbook with the fact that I can cook well, the title of this book screamed my name (my mother didn't allow anyone in the kitchen while she prepared meals, although I did learn from my grandmother how to boil canned asparagus for 45 minutes until it was gray slime as a special Thanksgiving treat). It's a decent mystery but unfortunately the narrative is slow-moving. The main character has to explain everything in detail, usually more than once. It's more interesting to show the action rather than describe or explain. I started skimming about halfway through. The author does get Julia's voice right - you can almost hear her talking - and there are fun cooking tips along the way (like how to make the perfect mayonnaise).

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Julia Child in the tiny kitchen in her tiny Paris apartment, circa 1949

Razzmatazz by Christopher Moore

June 10, 2022

Razzmatazz by Christopher Moore

The characters from Christopher Moore's Noir are back for a new adventure. In post World War II San Francisco, Sammy Two-Toes Tiffin, his pals from Cookie's Coffee, and his girlfriend Stilton (aka The Cheese) are following new pursuits. Sammy and Eddie are trying to open a driving school while saving Eddie's uncle's opium den from falling into the hands of a vicious gangster. Stilton and her gal pals from the welding crew are especially up to something mysterious at night, after they get done slinging hash at their daytime gigs. Plus there is a new head of SFPD vice who is cracking down on activities like Mabel and the girls from her brothel going up to the state hospital for the annual Christmas party, like they do every December. There might also be a dragon who is waking up from a long sleep, ready to wreak havoc on the city.

This is a really fun sequel to Noir. There is so much happening that there's no way to describe it and do it justice. How can you not love a book where the highest compliment a man can give a woman is to call her a stand-up dame? Fast, funny, zany.

What Cookie's Coffee must have been like in 1940's San Francisco

A Rogue's Company by Allison Montclair

August 4, 2021

A Rogue's Company by Allison Montclair

The Right Sort Marriage Bureau is flourishing, with new clients, new offices, and a new secretary. Proprieters Iris Sparks and Gwendolyn Bainbridge are slowly starting to get their heads above water. But Gwen's life is disrupted when her father-in-law returns from Africa with his own plans for her son, including boarding school. At the same time, a new client with his own agenda signs on with the company. A murder and a kidnapping force Iris and Gwen to seek help from friends of Iris' underworld boyfriend.

This is Sparks and Bainbridge #3. It's an entertaining mystery series set right after World War II. The peripheral characters are highly entertaining. Gwen is kind of irritating and wishy-washy but she's getting better.

A Saint from Texas by Edmund White

July 30, 2020

A Saint from Texas by Edmund White

Yvonne and Yvette Crawford are twins from a wealthy Texas country family.  After their mother dies, their father brings home a new wife who immediately moves the family to a prestigious neighborhood in Dallas.  The sisters attend the University of Texas in Austin, but follow very different paths.  Yvette devotes herself to a life of service to others in Colombia, while Yvonne sets a goal to move to Paris (that’s Paris, France, not Paris, Texas) and marry a titled aristocrat.

This book was a real slog to get through.  It’s pretty obvious early on that Yvonne and Yvette were going to lead very different lives.  From childhood, Yvette dedicated herself to helping the poor in Colombia, while Yvonne had more superficial interests such as social standing, trendiness, and fashion.  There is a strong contrast between the letters that the twins write to each other.  The beginning was good, I was interested in the characters, but then the author spent a lot of time educating the reader about the trivialities of French culture and society.

There are some truly disturbing aspects to this novel.  On the night of Yvonne’s society debut, their father locks Yvonne out of the twins’ bedroom, then rapes Yvette while Yvonne listens outside the door (Yvonne refers to this as Yvette’s troubled history with their father, not as a sick, criminal act).

Ultimately, there is no point to the book, and no plot.  The narrative focuses almost entirely on Yvonne with very little about Yvette except her letters and a couple of scenes of the father's incest.  Even Yvonne admits at the end of the book that she has led a useless life.

The Right Sort of Man by Allison Montclair

July 12, 2019

The Right Sort of Man by Allison Sinclair

Post-World War II London is still in shock:  many residents died fighting in the war and during the Blitz, and some parts of the city are in shambles, especially the neighborhoods around the docks, the airport, and the industrial areas.  Both food and clothing are still rationed and in short supply.  With so much loss, a number of single Londoners no longer know where or how to go about making connections with others.

Iris Sparks and Gwen Bainbridge establish the Right Sort Marriage Bureau to assist single Londoners looking for a life partner.  Their combined skills help them identify what a client is really looking for and find a suitable match.  Both women also have secrets in their backgrounds.  The business has a promising start (seven marriages in three months!), until one of their clients is found murdered shortly before she was to meet up with her first potential match.

This was such an entertaining book, perfect in tone for vacation reading.  Gwen’s frequent crying gets to be a little annoying (but she is working on it), but Iris and the witty dialogue more than make up for it.  The Right Sort of Man almost a cozy, but the setting, atmosphere, and themes are darker.  Readers who enjoyed the Lady Hardcastle mysteries by T. E. Kinsey will enjoy this first title in a new series, and I for one look forward to future Sparks & Bainbridge mysteries.