MURDER MOST DELICIOUS
By Danielle Postel-Vinay
Harper Perennial
290 pgs
New York based Olivia Beech is suffering the worst days of her young life. Once one of the most admired Master Sommeliers (wine-taster) in the world, a bout of Covid took away her sense of taste and left her floundering. When a famous Parisian Chef invites her to come and possibly work for in his bistro. She hops the next flight to the City of Love only to have that chef drop dead in front of her within minutes of their meeting; a victim of poisoning. Talk about bad luck.
Which is where this fantastical cozy does an abrupt detour in the guise of a florist named Chantal. The nosy and flamboyant Chantal owns a shop a few blocks from the bistro. Having arrived in time to see the chef collapse, Chantal immediately spirits Olivia away from the police. She delivers her to the home of a former French detective named Augusta Dupin, supposedly a direct descendant of the famous C. Auguste Dupin immortalized in the stories of Edgar Alan Poe. Both Augusta and Chantal are members of the Gros-Caillous Neighborhood Watch, a quaint section of the city located in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. It is an informal club made up of several shop owners who live and work within a small quarter of the famous metropolis.
And therein lies the charm of Postel-Vinay’s tale. Like most successful mysteries, the real prize here is not so much the crime as the eccentric, unique and loveable characters invented to solve it. There are a half-dozen, all delightful, loyal to one another and all dedicated to prove a helpless American girl innocent and capture the real killer. It’s a task complicated by the fact that their one experienced investigator has suffered from agoraphobia and has been unable to step out of her house in five years. Augusta depends on the others to gather her clues.
“Murder Most Delicious,” is a literary entree of goodness much like the many French dishes and treats described throughout the novel. Enough that we’re disappointed Ms Postel-Vinay didn’t offer up an appendix of recipes. Still, her murder dish is most satisfying with the right amounts of clues, mis-directions and colorful suspects. All in all, she delivers a truly delightful read. Here’s hoping we haven’t seen the last of the Gros-Caillous Neighborhood Watch.
