Review of "Death of a Chef: A Capucine Culinary Mystery" by Alexander Campion

In this fourth 'Culinary Mystery', Commissaire Capucine Le Tellier investigates two murders and an abduction. The book can be read as a standalone.



*****

Commissaire Capucine Le Tellier of the Paris police, married to a noted restaurant critic, often hobnobs with French high society.

As the story opens Capucine's friend Cécile opens a fashionable trunk she purchased at a street market and finds the nude body of Chef Jean-Louis Brault, owner of La Mère Denis - a restaurant with the phenomenal rating of three Michelin stars.



Chef Jean-Louis apparently had no enemies, with the possible exception of restaurant critic Lucien Folon. Folon frequently wrote unfair, scathing reviews of La Mère Denis, hoping it would lose one of its Michelin stars.



Soon afterwards, Fermin Roque, an activist who orchestrated the workers' takeover of a Faience pottery factory, is also found dead.



Finally, a wealthy businessman who invested in both the restaurant and the Faience factory is kidnapped, raising the suspicion of a connection among the three crimes.



Capucine and her detective squad investigate, and discover intriguing clues that eventually lead them to the truth. During all this Capucine dines in fine restaurants and elegant homes, and the delicious meals and wines are described in great detail. This adds a fun element to the story.



There are a variety of engaging characters in the book, including Capucine's snooty (but good-natured) mother and erudite father, her randy cousin, an elegant woman who owns a Faience stall at the street market, French villagers who keep secrets, and more.



This is an enjoyable cozy mystery with an engaging plot that leads to a satisfactory conclusion. I'd recommend it to fans of cozies.

Rating: 3 stars

Review of "The Fix: An Amos Decker 'Memory Man' Mystery" by David Baldacci

This is the third book in David Baldacci's 'Amos Decker' series, but it provides enough background information to be read as a standalone.

*****

Amos Decker, 6'5" tall and over 300 pounds, was a professional football player until a massive hit ended his career and left him with hyperthymesia and synesthesia.



The hyperthymesia gives Decker a permanent detailed memory of everything he's ever seen or experienced - like a combination photo album/video in his head. And the synesthesia makes Decker see things in false colors - like death scenes glowing blue. Unfortunately, Decker's hyperthymesia doesn't allow him to dim the memories of his dead wife and child, who were murdered a few years ago.

On the upside, Decker's phenomenal memory helped him in his career as a police detective, and he now works for the FBI.....on a team that investigates crimes. Decker's FBI partner is Alex Jamison, a woman who understands his problems and has his back.



Decker is on his way to a meeting in the FBI's Hoover Building in Washington DC when he sees a man shoot a woman in the head, then turn the gun on himself. The killer is identified as Walter Dabney, a former employee of the National Security Agency (NSA) who now consults with various government agencies, including the FBI.



And the dead woman is identified as Anne Berkshire, a substitute teacher at a Catholic school and a volunteer for a local hospice.



At first, the crime seems inexplicable since Dabney is a successful, happily married man with four grown daughters. As Decker's team investigates, though, they learn that Dabney had an inoperable brain tumor and an aneurysm, which would have killed him within months. Moreover, Dabney recently paid 10 million dollars to cover a huge gambling debt.

As for Berkshire, she seems to be an enigma. Despite having a modest salary, the teacher owned a multimillion dollar condominium and a very expensive Mercedes.



On top of that, Berkshire's searchable past ends ten years ago, beyond which there is no record of her.

Dabney's wife and daughters are unable to provide any information about the tragedy. They're grief stricken by Dabney's death and flummoxed by the gambling obligation. Or are they?



Things are more complicated than they seem, and get even more obscure when another murder occurs.

Decker's team is in the midst of investigating the Dabney murder/suicide when Agent Harper Brown from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) waltzes in, says she's taking over the case for national security reasons, and demands all the FBI's files.



Of course Decker isn't about to let his case get hijacked, and continues to make inquiries - raking his prodigious memory for relevant clues.



The DIA and FBI end up working together, which works out well all around.

To reveal more about the mystery would give away spoilers, so I'll just say the story has lots of twists, Decker and Jamison run up against some extremely dangerous people, and the book has a dramatic climax.

A secondary thread of the story involves Decker and Jamison becoming apartment mates and building managers in a run-down edifice recently purchased by Melvin Mars - a man they helped in a previous book. Melvin plans to upgrade the tenement to provide nice apartments for low-income families.



As residents of the old building, Decker and Jamison become acquainted with a tenant named Tomas Amaya and his eleven-year-old son Danny.



Amaya is on the outs with neighborhood gangbangers, and Decker's interference in the situation leads to grave danger for himself and Jamison. This secondary plot introduces a second set of 'bad guys', which led to some confusion (for me) about which criminals did what.

For romance fans, there's a budding love story in the novel, which leads to friction between the female characters.....but not for the reasons you might think. There's also an interesting theme about the damage caused by sports-enhancement drugs, which I found intriguing.

All in all, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to fans of thrillers.

Rating: 3 stars

Review of "Exclusive: A Novel of Romantic Suspense" by Sandra Brown

After having coffee with First Lady Vanessa Merritt, whose baby recently died from SIDS, TV reporter Barrie Travis decides - with just about zero evidence - that the baby was murdered and sets out to prove it.





This leads to big trouble because President David Merritt, who is as corrupt as they come and has his own hit squad, doesn't relish adverse publicity for his administration.



Looking for evidence Barrie tracks down Gray Bondurant, a former advisor to the President who allegedly had an affair with Vanessa. Barrie travels to Gray's ranch in Wyoming and falls into bed with the handsome hottie minutes after meeting him.



He is the strong silent type though, and refuses to give out much info. Nevertheless, the reporter becomes more and more convinced that something is rotten in the Merritt administration and continues to snoop; Gray, apparently smitten after sex with Barrie, follows her back to Washington to watch her back.

As the President scrambles to hide his past actions, protect himself from bad publicity, and win a second term he plans to kill off anyone who might expose him, including his wife.



This all plays out more or less as you might expect and leads to a conclusion that doesn't quite jive with all the characters' personalities.

To me the plot of this book was unbelievable, over the top, and full of clichés. There were also too many gratuitous, repetitive sex scenes. This might be an okay beach or plane read, but I wouldn't have missed anything by skipping it.

Rating: 2 stars

Review of "Righteous: IQ Novel #2" by Joe Ide

This is the second book in Joe Ide's "IQ" series, about Isaiah Quintabe (nicknamed IQ) - a brilliant twentysomething investigator who uses Sherlock Holmes-like insights to resolve his cases.



IQ, who lives and works around Los Angeles, generally takes local jobs like getting a bully to stop bothering the science club kids and warning off an abusive spouse. Many of IQ's clients are financially strapped, so they pay in baked goods, produce, chickens, and the like.



Isaiah idolized his older brother Marcus, who was killed by a hit-and-run driver eight years ago. The incident devastated Isaiah and changed the trajectory of his life. Instead of heading off to Harvard as Marcus wanted, Isaiah dropped out of high school and became a thief. He then mended his ways and set himself up as the local detective.

Just recently, IQ was in a junkyard and spotted the vehicle that killed his brother. From clues in the car, Isaiah figured out that Marcus was deliberately murdered, and vowed to track down the perpetrator(s) and get revenge.



While IQ is looking into his brother's death he gets a call from Marcus's one-time girlfriend Sarita Van, who's now a lawyer.



Sarita tells Isaiah that her younger sister Janine, who works as a DJ in Las Vegas, is in bad trouble.



The DJ and her useless boyfriend Benny are gambling addicts and owe a lot of money to loan sharks. Thus the duo are in danger of getting beat up.....or even killed. Isaiah, who's had a crush on Sarita for years, says he'll go to Vegas to help out - hoping this gives him a shot with the beautiful lawyer.

IQ wants backup for the Vegas job, so he looks up his old partner in crime Juanell Dodson, who now owns a food truck and is an expectant father - looking forward to raising 'L'il Tupac' with his girlfriend Cerise.





Dodson is always trying to prove that he's just as smart as Isaiah, and constantly attempts to get the jump on IQ's lightning-quick insights. This doesn't work and leads to friction between the pair.

The action in the book jumps back and forth between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, and is interspersed with flashbacks to the backstories of some characters. This can be confusing so the reader needs to pay close attention.



In Los Angeles, IQ drops in on various gang members and criminals, thinking they might have information about his brother's death. This leads to run-ins with dangerous Mexican gangbangers like Frankie - who thinks Marcus robbed him; Ramona - who'd kill you as soon as look at you; and Manzo - a tough guy who's trying to take his gang into upscale enterprises like real estate.



Isaiah also seeks out Seb - a dapper little real estate magnate/money launderer whose leg was chopped off by a Tutsi tribesman in East Africa; and Gahigi - Seb's enigmatic right-hand man, who looks a bear gouged grooves into his head. Step by step, Isaiah gains insight into his brother's death.



Meanwhile, in Las Vegas Janine and Benny decide to steal computer records from Ken Van (Janine and Sarita's father), who's the accountant for a Chinese gang of human traffickers. The DJ and her boyfriend figure they'll extort the gang for cash to pay their debts.



After this idiotic maneuver, the duo are in the deadly sights of the Chinese mob AND Leo the loan shark, who runs around with a 7-foot-tall gargoyle called Balthazar who 'only needs bolts in the side of his head to look like Frankenstein's big brother' and whose 'backpack fit like a cupcake stuck on his spine.'



When IQ and Dodson try to help Janine and Benny, the gangbangers and thugs go after them as well. Thus there's plenty of action - with pain, injuries and near-death (or real death) experiences for everyone involved.

Isaiah, who was a colorful firecracker in the first book, is more subdued and less interesting in this second installment. He constantly daydreams about Sarita (this is too icky) and demonstrates very little of the sparkling repartee that made him so much fun the first time around. On the upside, Isaiah is solicitous of his new pit bull Ruffin, and meets an interesting girl in the junkyard....who provides good advice about training the pooch.



As Isaiah works to identify his brother's killer and to solve Janine's predicament, the two cases come together in an unforeseen - and rather inventive - fashion.

Though 'Righteous' isn't quite as good as 'IQ' (IMO) I enjoyed the book and recommend it to fans of thrillers. I look forward to the next IQ book, where I hope Isaiah will recapture his zing. :)

Rating: 3 stars

Review of "Vertigo 42: A Detective Richard Jury Mystery" by Martha Grimes

In this 23rd book in the 'Richard Jury' series, a classic movie and two well-known novels provide clues when the Detective Superintendent investigates a number of deaths.

The novel can be read as a standalone, but readers familiar with the series would probably enjoy the story more.



*****

Twenty-two years ago - at a children's party thrown by Tess Williamson - young Hilda Palmer was found dead at the bottom of an empty swimming pool. No charges were filed but Hilda's mother held Tess responsible. Five years later Tess was found dead at the bottom of a steep staircase. The general consensus was that her vertigo resulted in a fatal fall.



In the present day, Tess's husband Tom - thinking his wife's death was no accident - asks Detective Superintendent Richard Jury to look into the old case. Meanwhile, other recent deaths come to Jury's attention: a beautiful blonde in a designer dress and shoes dies of a 'fall' from a tower; and an unidentified man who was looking for a lost dog is found shot.

As usual in Martha Grimes books Jury's friends in Northamptonshire - Melrose Plant and his eccentric cohorts - get involved in Jury's investigations.



There are also two 'found' dogs in the tale, Joey and Stanley.

During their investigations, Jury and his tea-loving assistant Sergeant Wiggins question everyone who was at the party where Hilda died.



They learn that Hilda was a bully, disliked by children and adults alike.



They also discover some possible links behind the recent deaths of the blonde and the dog-lover with those of Hilda and Tess.

The movie "Vertigo" and the books "A Passage to India" and "Tess of the d'Urbervilles" keep popping into Jury's mind as he looks into the cases, which seem to provide him with clues to the crimes.



The plot meanders and the resolution of the cases seems unlikely but it's fun to visit with the familiar, well-liked characters in the series. An okay book to pass some time.

Rating: 3 stars

Review of "Color Me Murder: Pen and Ink Mysteries #1" by Krista Davis

This is the first book in Krista Davis's new 'Pen and Ink' cozy mystery series.

*****



Twentysomething Florrie Fox is the manager of the 'Color Me Read' bookstore in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, DC. This is the perfect job for Florrie, because she loves to read mysteries AND she creates her own line of adult coloring books.



Florrie is trying to find an apartment closer to work when her boss, peripatetic Professor John Maxwell, offers her the carriage house on his nearby estate.....rent-free.



Maxwell's only caveat is that Florrie has to move in immediately because his sister, Liddy Woodley, wants her good-for-nothing son Delbert to occupy the premises.



It seems that Delbert - who scams/steals from everyone he meets - has been thrown out by his roommates and needs a new place to live. Florrie gets her things into the carriage house in the nick of time, just before Liddle and Delbert come snooping around.

When Florrie comes across Delbert in the bookstore the next day, he nastily tells her that he's going to inherit his uncle's estate and her job will be toast. Professor Maxwell tells Florrie not to worry, that he'll take care of Delbert. A day or so later Delbert's dead body is found in an old bootlegger's hidey-hole in the bookstore, with an ornamental spear in his back.



The police are called, and Florrie is immediately taken with Sergeant Eric Jonquille, a hunky beat cop who has 'delphinium blue eyes and auburn curls.'



After a very minimal investigation (this only happens in cozies), Professor Maxwell is arrested by hard-headed Detective-Sergeant Guy Zielony - who won't consider any other suspects.



As Maxwell is being led away in handcuffs he tells Florrie to use her little gray cells and artistic skills to find the real killer. So - employing the detective smarts she's gleaned from mysteries and the clues she doodles in her sketchpad - Florrie investigates.

Before long strange things start to happen. Professor Maxwell's mansion is ransacked and his butler/houseman Mr. Dubois is seriously injured; someone tries to break into the carriage house; a woman is badly hurt by an electrical mishap; mysterious noises are heard; and so on. With all this going on, guards are brought in to protect Maxwell's estate, and Jonquille becomes Florrie's 'bodyguard.'

During Florrie's inquiries, she collects clues, speaks to people who knew Delbert (most of whom he's wronged), and cogitates about the peculiar things that have been happening. In the end, Florrie identifies the culprit - who I didn't guess.....and who doesn't quite ring true IMO.

Florrie is a short, amiable young woman who dresses nicely and likes to bake delicious pastries - like blueberry buns and strawberry tortes.



She has a kitty named Peaches and - for safety purposes - borrows her parents' dog Frodo - who everyone loves.



In short, Florrie is a charming girl who's considerate of the bookstore's employees; gets along well with Professor Maxwell's eccentric erudite friends; and always brings breakfast to Jim - a homeless man who sits on a bench near the bookstore every morning. Florrie's not too hip though, and - when she has to check out a nightclub for clues - Florrie's tall blonde sister Veronica has to advise her to wear ripped jeans, a short glittery shirt, and high heels.

In addition to the central mystery in the book (Who killed Delbert?), there are lots of other things going on. Professor Maxwell's ex-wife goes missing; a writer whose books were plagiarized by Delbert gives a talk at the bookstore; a family friend named Norman pursues Florrie romantically....and Florrie's white lie about 'another boyfriend' leads to amusing trouble; people accuse Florrie of sleeping with Professor Maxwell; Florrie has to deal with her kind but intrusive parents; Florrie's sister Veronica has a new boyfriend; and so on.



The book has a lot of secondary characters, which gets confusing, but they'll presumably make good fodder for future books in the series.

This is an entertaining cozy mystery that I'd recommend to fans of the genre. I listened to the audiobook version on Hoopla, but I understand the front and back covers are colorable....so that's an added treat. :)

This is an entertaining cozy mystery that I'd recommend to fans of the genre. I listened to the audiobook version on Hoopla, but I understand the front and back covers are colorable....so that's an added treat. :)

You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot.com/

Rating: 3 stars