Archive | Mysteries RSS feed for this section

Fabulous Foodie Fiction set in France: A Murder Most French and The Paris Novel

24 Apr

A Murder Most French
by Colleen Cambridge
A Murder Most French is the second in the charming An American in Paris mystery series which centers around Tabitha Knight who grew up in America, but travels to post-war France to learn more about her French heritage. She is staying with her Grandfather and his companion and works as English tutor. The hook of the first novel was that she had become best friends with Julia Child who was studying cooking and would pass along tips to clueless in the kitchen to Tabitha. In this novel Child again is found throughout and brought alive by Cambridge from what feels like considerable research into Julia’s life and interests, as well as, cooking. The mystery this time is culinary in nature. Famous chefs are being poisoned by rare vintages of wine. Tabitha can’t resist being curious about not only the mysterious wine gifter, but also who has been recently vandalizing shopkeepers’ stalls in the local market. I liked how like the last mystery this one works some history in with what triggers the murderer to act rather than feeling like it could be something set in any place or time. The novel will appeal to foodies, fans of Julia Childe, and historic mystery lovers; if like me you are all three than it is sure to be a fun, enjoyable read. It is also the perfect time to check out the first in the series Mastering the Art of French Murder since Hoboken resident card holders can borrow it for free from Hoopla this month without having it count as any of their 20 monthly checkouts as part of the Hoopla Bonus Borrows.

The Paris Novel
by Ruth Reichl
I’ve been a fan of Ruth Reichl since she was writing memoir pieces including about her time as a restaurant critic. She had published her first novel Delicious! in 2014 and most recently before this work, Save Me the Plums, a memoir about her time as editor of Gourmet. No one can bring to life the delicious smells and flavors of dishes the way Reichl can. The Paris Novel is broken into three distinctive sections that feel as if they could of each satisfyingly be separated into their own individual pieces, but together form the evolution of Stella, a damaged young woman into a happier life by following in the footsteps of two Parisian women before her. The novel is set in the 1980’s. The first section deals with Stella’s discovery of a beautiful couture dress in a shop that once belonged to women named Severine; a chance encounter with someone from Severine’s life leads Stella to many new friends and experiences in the city of light. In the second section Stella looks into the mystery of Victorine the famous muse for artworks like Manet’s Olympia whose own paintings were lost for years and only recently have works like her self-portrait been again displayed. Through these other courageous women, Stella finally explores her own history in third section of the book and through this exploration finds a love of cooking and the love of her life.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

Tags: , , , ,

Outstanding Stories in Outer Space: The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles and Chilling Effect

7 Feb

Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles
by Malka Older
The second in The Investigations of Mossa and Pleiti series, Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles, by Malka Older comes out February 13. We will be discussing the first book in the series The Mimicking of Known Successes during our February Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Discussion Group. Although both books clock in around novella length they are packed with interesting world building and fun mysteries. Mossa is a detective while Pleiti is a professor who studies the classics, as in the classical way things were done on Earth and that the human’s who are now living in Space hope they may be able to return one day. Platforms built around Jupiter, a Gas Giant, as well as life on IO one of the moon’s is detailed in the story with clever details like a bunker home being referred to as a “Hobbit” style. Although a couple in their younger days, the two women, have only have become reunited after Mossa’s last case and the tentative attempts between them to develop their relationship further add another sweet element to the plot. I hope we will see more adventures starring the couple in the future.

Chilling Effect
by Valerie Valdes
Chilling Effect is the first in the three book trilogy by Valerie Valdes that revolves around a spunky Cuban Captain Eva Innocente and her rag tag crew of La Sirena Negra (the black mermaid). I haven’t read a lot of Space Opera incorporating Latin American influences and it was cool seeing how Valdes incorporated cultural details and Cuban idioms in the novel; my favorite is arroz con mango or mango with rice which Eva uses when she gets in sticky situations (they happen often enough she also uses it as her code word at one point in the story in answer to what her favorite food is). Much of the story revolves around her blood family causing dramatic situations for her found family of crew. In this story she also is being stalked by a creepy space emperor and has a slow burning romance with one of her fellow crew members whose species gives off different scents based on their emotions and thoughts, which Valdes uses to clever effect. There is a great deal of humor and heart in the novel and if you are looking for cozy Space Opera (a colony of space cats lives on board the ship) than check this one out. I look forward to also reading book two, Prime Deception, and book three, Fault Tolerance, in the series.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

Tags: , , ,

← Older Entries