Mastering the Art of French Murder
An American in Paris Mystery
A young American and her friend Julia Child are implicated in a murder in Colleen Cambridge’s vibrant cozy mystery novel Mastering the Art of French Murder.
It’s 1949, and Tabitha misses her former life as a riveter in a Detroit bomber plant. Bored and unsettled, she escapes to Paris, which is still recovering from its German occupation. She secures work as a language tutor while also serving as a live-in cook for her grandfather and his companion, both of whom served in the French Resistance. Her culinary skills are lacking, though, so she gets lessons from her neighbor, Julia Child, a student at Le Cordon Bleu.
When an acquaintance is murdered in Julia’s apartment building, the police inspector in charge of the case focuses his sights on Julia, whose knife was the murder weapon, and then on Tabitha, one of the last people to see the woman alive. But Tabitha, an avid mystery reader and the daughter of a detective, suspects that one of the dead woman’s coworkers may be the real killer. As the tally of clues mounts, Tabitha learns that the death may involve espionage.
Tabitha is a witty and intrepid amateur sleuth. Her occasional hat tips to classic mysteries are delightful. Beyond Julia Child herself, she’s also supported by some standout characters, including the charming elderly Frenchmen in her care. And 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.
The first entry in a series, Mastering the Art of French Murder is a delectable historical mystery novel set in romantic postwar Paris.
Reviewed by
Paula Martinac
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