03/11/2024
Julia Child returns in Cambridge’s sprightly second cozy featuring the legendary chef (after Mastering the Art of French Murder), who once again asks her American expat neighbor, Tabitha Knight, to help solve a mystery—this time, a series of wine-based slayings in 1950s Paris. During a cooking demonstration at L’École du Cordon Bleu, where Julia studies French cuisine, a famous chef dies after taking a sip of Volnay Clos de la Rouge from the rare 1893 vintage. Toxicology reports indicate that cyanide is the culprit—but who would add poison to such a precious wine? When a string of other figures in the Parisian culinary scene also die from poisoned vino, Julia taps Tabitha to flex her formidable powers of deduction, decipher clues, and risk her life and limb to ferret out the culprit. While fair-play fans will have plenty of fun following along with the friends’ investigations, it’s Julia’s sensuous recipes, lusciously described visits to the market, and fascinating tour of a subterranean mushroom farm that give this book its tantalizing flavor. The results will satisfy foodies, armchair travelers, and old-fashioned mystery lovers alike. Agent: Maura Kye-Casella, Don Congdon Assoc. (May)
Praise for the American in Paris Mysteries by Colleen Cambridge
“Wonderfully set, characterized, and paced, this is another winner in a delightful series.” —Library Journal on A Murder Most French
“It’s Child’s ebullient personality that is the heart of the book. Part historical fiction, part mystery, Mastering the Art of French Murder is totally delectable entertainment for fans of lighthearted detective fiction.” —The Washington Post on Mastering the Art of French Murder
“[An] enchanting series launch…Expect to leave this vacation hoping for a return trip.” —Publishers Weekly on Mastering the Art of French Murder
“Agatha Christie meets cozy mystery in this fun tale from Cambridge. Historical fiction readers and fans of cozy suspense will want to add this mystery to their to-be-read pile.” —Library Journal on Mastering the Art of French Murder
“The City of Light, whose ancient streets Tabitha traverses on her bike as she hunts for the truth, is vivified here, with even its cuisine described in mouthwatering detail…Mastering the Art of French Murder is a delectable historical mystery novel set in romantic postwar Paris.” —Foreword Reviews on Mastering the Art of French Murder
“This cute and clever mystery is perfect for historical fiction buffs.” —Buzzfeed on Mastering the Art of French Murder
“Cambridge skillfully blends fact with fiction… [and] captures Julia’s joie de vivre and passion for French cuisine, transporting readers into her kitchen during her early years at Le Cordon Bleu cooking school…Mastering the Art of French Murder is a love letter to the sights, sounds and delights of Paris, from the small daily markets to the thriving nightlife. Readers will enjoy navigating the city alongside Tabitha as she untangles the mystery, as well as getting to see a whole new side of the beloved Julia Child.” —BookPage on Mastering the Art of French Murder
“[Cambridge] 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…Witty, well-plotted, and full of délicieux culinary concoctions, Tabitha's first adventure is an entertaining start to Cambridge's new mystery series.” —Shelf Awareness on Mastering the Art of French Murder
“Clever…Cambridge has clear affection for both subject and setting. The amount of butter used is totally authentic, and Julia gets the last word.” —Christian Science Monitor on Mastering the Art of French Murder
“Who knew Julia Child and murder mystery was the crossover we needed for 2023?” —Country Living Magazine on Mastering the Art of French Murder
“We loved the descriptions of the atmosphere, architecture, history, and food to be found in the City of Light. But expat Tabitha Knight’s friendship with Julia—Tabitha is newly arrived from Detroit and learning how to cook so she can feed her French grandfather—is great fun too…Adding an intriguing murder mystery, which takes us to some of the grimier areas of the city, makes this series starter a thoroughly enjoyable read. For foodies and mystery fans though, spending time with Child is simply the cherry on le sundae.” —Amazon (May 2023 Editor’s Pick) on Mastering the Art of French Murder
“I don’t often find cozy mystery super accessible, but Colleen Cambridge has whetted my appetite by contextualizing her historical mystery in post-World War II Paris, where (fictional) American expat Tabitha Knight befriends none other than Julia Child.” —Paste Magazine on Mastering the Art of French Murder
“A first-rate traditional mystery with strong characterization that is certain to appeal to a broad readership, especially fans of Jacqueline Winspear, Rhys Bowen, and Cambridge’s own Phyllida Bright series.” —First Clue, STARRED REVIEW on Mastering the Art of French Murder
“This book is an absolute delight from beginning to end. Tabitha is a great character, intelligent and strong, whose natural curiosity leads her into dangerous situations. She is a big fan of classic mysteries, especially Agatha Christie’s, and the plot is definitely a tribute to Christie, but with a hint of Cold War intrigue. The scenes featuring Julia Child’s cooking are a highlight of the book, and made me hungry as I was reading them. Her gregarious personality and genius in the kitchen are conveyed very well. The book gives you a wonderful sense of Paris just after World War II and the German occupation as rationing is coming to an end, and the city is coming back to life.” —Historical Novel Society on Mastering the Art of French Murder
“A delightful and enchanting murder mystery full of charm and wit.” —Mystery and Suspense Magazine on Mastering the Art of French Murder
“A fun romp through post-war Paris in the company of the fictional Tabitha and the very real, very inspirational Julia. Viewing Paris through Tabitha’s eyes is such a delight…It’s wonderful to follow along as Tabitha sleuths and, just as importantly, learns how to cook under the tutelage of the charming Julia Child herself. What home chef hasn’t dreamt at least a little of learning to cook in Paris with one of the most famous names in culinary history?” —Criminal Element on Mastering the Art of French Murder
“A wonderfully and cleverly constructed mystery…The setting of post war Paris is wonderful, and Cambridge really gives the reader a feel of being there as things begin to open up again. There’s a wonderful scene where she describes watching all the lights come back on after the long wartime blackout, including the illumination of the Eiffel Tower. It brought a little tear to my eye and sometimes that’s all that’s required for a satisfying read.” —Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine on Mastering the Art of French Murder
02/01/2024
Cambridge's second in her charming cozy-adjacent series (following Mastering the Art of French Murder) picks up where the first left off, with American expat Tabitha Knight, best friend of Julia Child, still struggling to cook palatable food and involved in the caseload of inspector Merveille, he of the penetrating stares and ocean-gray eyes. After helping Merveille solve an earlier case and barely escaping with her life, Tabs is once again cast among the murderous when she is an eyewitness to a poisoning by wine. Set in Paris a few years after the end of World War II, the story conveys the devastation of the Nazi occupation of France, looking particularly at the Nazis' theft of wine. Some bottles survive however, and someone is using them to kill the best chefs in the city. Tabs, often with Julia's help, is on the case, using her skills, wits, and bravery to track a killer who wants to kill her. VERDICT Wonderfully set, characterized, and paced, this is another winner in a delightful series. Add it to sure-bet lists and suggest to readers wanting to sink into a good story.—Neal Wyatt
2024-01-20
More accurately, Four Murders Most French, since none of the homicides entangling Julia Child’s circle in postwar Paris seems any more Gallic than the others.
Joining Julia at a tasting during a monthly meeting of her wine club at L’École du Cordon Bleu, her neighbor, friend, and amanuensis Tabitha Knight is on hand to watch Chef Richard Beauchêne taste his very last wine, an 1893 Volnay Clos de la Rougeotte that he samples just before keeling over. Cyanide, thinks Tabitha, whose determination to stay away from anymore murders is on a collision course with her sense that she’s channeling Agatha Christie. Although Inspecteur Étienne Merveille wholeheartedly endorses her reluctance to get involved, she’s left with little choice after she recognizes Louis Loyer at another event as the chef who was arguing with Beauchêne on the evening of his last libation only moments before Loyer uncorks an 1871 Sauternes that turns out to be his last round as well. Assuming that the two poisonings (more will follow) can’t be a coincidence, Tabitha wonders if it’s a coincidence that she’s been on the scene for both of them and begins to make a cautious list of other people who were present for both deaths. Considering that she’s not much more interested in the suspects than her author, Tabitha does a highly effective job of identifying the culprit and tipping her hand in a way that forces her once again to employ her Swiss Army knife to rescue herself from certain death.
Neither the characters nor the mystery makes nearly as much of an impression as the setting and the cuisine.