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Alexander Campion_Capucine Culinary Mystery 01
Part #1 of "Capucine Culinary Mystery" series by The Grave Gourmet
In Alexander Campion's witty debut, chic Parisian policewoman Capucine LeTellier plunges into a uniquely Parisian affair of gastronomic delights and bureaucratic intrigue to close ... show more ▼a case that could make her career--or kill it. . .After dining on such delicacies as oyster sorbet and avocado soufflé, Jean-Louis Delage, président of automotive giant Renault, has been found dead in the freezer of Le Diapason, a restaurant owned by Chef Jean-Basille Labrousse, a renowned restaurateur extraordinaire.Capucine is uniquely suited to the case, as her husband Alexandre is a food critic well-connected to the culinary world. In between sharing sumptuous meals and fine wine with Alexandre at some of Paris' finest eateries, Capucine struggles to win the respect of her new squad of detectives and crack both the case and the guarded secrets of the restaurant staff.From the Champs-Élysées to the twinkling banks of la Seine, The Grave Gourmet is a thrilling mystery gastronomique, combining the allure of the Parisian haute cuisine restaurant scene with corporate espionage and political scandal in a dish that is très magnifique!"A saucy detective, a spicy murder, a soupcon of haute cuisine with Paris as a backdrop. Ooh-la-la! What a feast. Alexander Campion captures the French flavor and Parisian personality perfectly in his tasty debut novel." --Kate Collins, author of the Flower Shop Mysteries"Alexander Campion gives us a delicious mystery and a glimpse at the heights and depths of high cuisine. A fun book with a very different flavor." --Carolyn Haines, author of the Bones Mysteries"It's all here. . .food, fashion, French women, and a murder plot served up piping hot!" --Jamie Cat Callan, author of French Women Don't Sleep Alone"Anyone who loves Paris will adore The Grave Gourmet. French flic Capucine LeTellier is sure to enchant readers with her Gallic charm as she tracks a cold-blooded killer in the City of Light. Bien fait!" --Leslie Meier, author of the Lucy Stone Mysteries"The witty and beautiful Paris police investigator, Capucine LeTellier, takes us on a tour of her fabled city the likes of which we've never known. This is an astonishing debut that raises the bar on today's detective novel." --Aram Saroyan, author of Door to the RiverFrom Publishers WeeklyCampion's debut introduces a beguiling heroine, 28-year-old Lt. Capucine Le Tellier of the Paris judicial police. Bored with her deskbound job pursuing white-collar crime, Capucine jumps at the chance to get involved in a possible murder investigation. The body of Jean-Louis Delage, the président-directeur général of the automaker Renault, has turned up in the refrigerator of Diapason, a three-star restaurant, where Delage dined earlier that evening with his lawyer. Diapason's owner, eminent chef Jean-Basile Labrousse, is well known to Capucine's restaurant critic husband, Alexandre. What at first appears to be a case of food poisoning is soon ruled a homicide. Capucine's family connections help open political doors and provide useful contacts as she uncovers a plot involving foreign nationals and industrial espionage. Full of amusing characters, this diverting gastronomic mystery builds to a most satisfactory conclusion. Readers will want a second helping. (July) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From BooklistThis new series offers a uniquely blended mix of “hooks” that will appeal to a vide variety of mystery lovers. The heroine is Capucine LeTellier, an elegant young Parisian police detective. So far she has worked white-collar fraud, but she longs for a more spectacular case. She gets exactly that when the body of an automobile executive is found in the food cooler of a famous French restaurant—a fortuitous crime scene, as Capucine's husband, Alexandre, is a food critic. Despite the bumbling of her team of detectives, Capucine gradually pieces the case together, tracing the crime's origins to industrial espionage and the CIA. So we have a culinary mystery set in Paris but blended with a police procedural and a little espionage, all taking place around the inner workings of the French wine and food industry. It really is an appealing combination. While recipes are not included in the text, the dishes sound delicious, and the intrepid cook can visit the author's Web site for details. --Judy Coon
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