Call number
MYST CAM
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Publication
Kensington (2023), 272 pages
Description
Fiction. Mystery. Historical Fiction. HTML:Fans of Jacqueline Winspear, Marie Benedict, Nita Prose, and of course, Julia Child, will adore this magnifique new mystery set in Paris and starring Julia Child's (fictional) best friend, confidante, and fellow American. From the acclaimed author of Murder at Mallowan Hall, this delightful new book provides a fresh perspective on the iconic chef's years in post-WWII Paris. "Enchanting...Cambridge captures Child's distinct voice and energy so perfectly. Expect to leave this vacation hoping for a return trip." �??Publishers Weekly As Paris rediscovers its joie de vivre, Tabitha Knight, recently arrived from Detroit for an extended stay with her French grandfather, is on her own journey of discovery. Paris isn't just the City of Light; it's the city of history, romance, stunning architecture . . . and food. Thanks to her neighbor and friend Julia Child, another ex-pat who's fallen head over heels for Paris, Tabitha is learning how to cook for her Grandpère and Oncle Rafe. Between tutoring Americans in French, visiting the market, and eagerly sampling the results of Julia's studies at Le Cordon Bleu cooking school, Tabitha's sojourn is proving thoroughly delightful. That is, until the cold December day they return to Julia's building and learn that a body has been found in the cellar. Tabitha recognizes the victim as a woman she'd met only the night before, at a party given by Julia's sister, Dort. The murder weapon found nearby is recognizable too�??a knife from Julia's kitchen. Tabitha is eager to help the investigation, but is shocked when Inspector Merveille reveals that a note, in Tabitha's handwriting, was found in the dead woman's pocket. Is this murder a case of international intrigue, or something far more personal? From the shadows of the Tour Eiffel at midnight, to the tiny third-floor Child kitchen, to the grungy streets of Montmartre, Tabitha navigates through the city hoping to find the real killer before she or one of her friends ends up in prison . . . or worse. "Certain to appeal to a broad readership, especially fans of Jacqueline Winspear, Rhys Bowen, and Cambridge's own Phyllida Bright series." �??First Clue, STARRED… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member SquirrelHead
The setting is Paris 1949. Julia Child is the star of this historical fiction which is also a cozy sort of mystery. Normally I like a gritter mystery novel but this was a pleasant beach-read kinda book. There are scenes in the Parisian markets, Le Cordon Bleu and Julia's tiny kitchen at
Julia becomes friends with Tabitha, another American living in Paris. The murder mystery is fairly tame and the plot predictable.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced readers copy of this novel. This will be published April 25, 2023 by Kensington Books. Genre: Historical Fiction and Mystery.
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Montmartre.Julia becomes friends with Tabitha, another American living in Paris. The murder mystery is fairly tame and the plot predictable.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced readers copy of this novel. This will be published April 25, 2023 by Kensington Books. Genre: Historical Fiction and Mystery.
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LibraryThing member jetangen4571
historical-novel, historical-figures, Paris, amateur-sleuth, law-enforcement, murder, murder-investigation, culinary, cultural-differences, new-series, atmospheric, family, famous-persons, friendship, relatives, 1949, ex-pat, pet-dog*****
Tabitha Knight is from Detroit, Michigan, has French
No recipe section at the end, but there are so many hints and tips that are so well added that I could smell the deliciousness.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and will definitely read any others as they come along!
I requested and received a free temporary e-book copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
Tabitha Knight is from Detroit, Michigan, has French
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grandparents, is living with French relatives and has been taken under the wing of Julia Child. Tabitha is the one to find the woman's body, but it is Julia's knife that did the deed. That pitted Tabitha as amateur sleuth against the steely-eyed police detective. Witty and totally entertaining mystery with characters that certainly are, interesting plot twists, and mystifying red herrings. And the setting is so well described!No recipe section at the end, but there are so many hints and tips that are so well added that I could smell the deliciousness.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and will definitely read any others as they come along!
I requested and received a free temporary e-book copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
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LibraryThing member Vesper1931
1949 Paris. Tabitha Knight, 29, has come to Paris to live with her grandfather Maurice Saint-Leger and his friend Rafael Fautrier. There she meets Julia Child. One evening she is invited to a party at their home but the next morning one of the guests is discovered dead. Inspector Etienne Merveille
An entertaining and well-written cozy mystery with its likeable cast of characters. A good start to this series.
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investigates but as Tabitha is also one of the suspects she decides to start asking questions. But what could be the possible motive.An entertaining and well-written cozy mystery with its likeable cast of characters. A good start to this series.
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LibraryThing member Madison_Fairbanks
Mastering the Art of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge
An American in Paris series #1. Historical mystery, amateur female sleuth. Post WWII Paris.
Tabitha Knight has recently arrived in Paris from Detroit, Michigan in the US. She’s staying with her grandfather and learning to cook from her
🎧 I listened to an audiobook version narrated by Polly Lee. The performance was absolutely wonderful, filled with French and American accents and the voice of Julia Child that sounded to me exactly as you’d expect. The flipping between voices of male and female, French or other was seamless and sounded close to a full cast recording. The tension of suspense was clear as was Julia’s mayo frustration.
I listened to this at 1.5 which is about standard for me. On this, anything faster and the accent was lost in the jumble.
Amusing, intriguing, and a good mystery.
I received a copy of this from NetGalley and RB Media.
An American in Paris series #1. Historical mystery, amateur female sleuth. Post WWII Paris.
Tabitha Knight has recently arrived in Paris from Detroit, Michigan in the US. She’s staying with her grandfather and learning to cook from her
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neighbor and friend, Julia Child. One cold December night a body is found in the basement and the knife is discovered to be from Julia’s kitchen. Tabitha had briefly met the victim after a party and feels like she needs to help investigate. The danger quickly mounts as Tabitha finds herself searching out clues before the inspector and now the killer may be after her!🎧 I listened to an audiobook version narrated by Polly Lee. The performance was absolutely wonderful, filled with French and American accents and the voice of Julia Child that sounded to me exactly as you’d expect. The flipping between voices of male and female, French or other was seamless and sounded close to a full cast recording. The tension of suspense was clear as was Julia’s mayo frustration.
I listened to this at 1.5 which is about standard for me. On this, anything faster and the accent was lost in the jumble.
Amusing, intriguing, and a good mystery.
I received a copy of this from NetGalley and RB Media.
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LibraryThing member cathyskye
In Mastering the Art of French Murder, author Colleen Cambridge does for Julia Child what she's done for Agatha Christie in her other historical mystery series featuring Christie's housekeeper, Phyllida Bright. As in the Phyllida Bright series, Julia doesn't take center stage in the investigation.
Young Tabitha Knight shows the dilemma many women faced at the end of World War II. She thrived as one of the many Rosie the Riveters, but when the war ended, her job disappeared, and it's almost impossible to find an alternative that feels just as important and just as fulfilling. Although Tabitha is a dab hand with a Swiss Army knife, I did find her to be annoying. Always pushing. Always snooping. Always taking just one more risk. There were times I wished she'd stay in the kitchen with Julia, and that's not normal because I don't like to cook.
The mystery surrounding the young woman's death is an excellent one, and Julia Child's cameos kept me from paying as much attention to it as I should have. All in all, Mastering the Art of French Murder is a good start to a new series and should appeal to readers who are interested in solving an intriguing mystery vividly set in a Paris still recovering from World War II.
(Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley)
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She is there to provide Tabitha with a sounding board, a little encouragement, and plenty of cooking tips. For someone like me who is familiar with Child through her television series The French Chef and the movie Julie & Julia, this book brought a smile to my face.Young Tabitha Knight shows the dilemma many women faced at the end of World War II. She thrived as one of the many Rosie the Riveters, but when the war ended, her job disappeared, and it's almost impossible to find an alternative that feels just as important and just as fulfilling. Although Tabitha is a dab hand with a Swiss Army knife, I did find her to be annoying. Always pushing. Always snooping. Always taking just one more risk. There were times I wished she'd stay in the kitchen with Julia, and that's not normal because I don't like to cook.
The mystery surrounding the young woman's death is an excellent one, and Julia Child's cameos kept me from paying as much attention to it as I should have. All in all, Mastering the Art of French Murder is a good start to a new series and should appeal to readers who are interested in solving an intriguing mystery vividly set in a Paris still recovering from World War II.
(Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley)
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LibraryThing member Manhattanite
I liked this mystery. It is every bit a cozy with warm, likeable characters in a quaint, charming setting. Although the descriptions are a bit wordy, I felt they added to the overall feel of the story. And I loved the characterization of Julia! I don't know how accurate it was but I enjoyed the
Why did Mark kill Johnny? I can hazard a guess but no explanation was provided. Nevertheless, despite that oversight I did enjoy reading this and I like the author's writing style.
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depiction. However, the ending reveal fell a bit short with one of the main questions being left unanswered (spoiler)Why did Mark kill Johnny? I can hazard a guess but no explanation was provided. Nevertheless, despite that oversight I did enjoy reading this and I like the author's writing style.
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LibraryThing member mrsgrits
Tabitha Knight is an American living in Paris after WW2 and is befriended by her neighbor, one Julia Child. This book follows the tale of her cooking mishaps as well as an investigation into a murder that takes place one night after a gathering at Julia and Paul’s home. It starts slow, but picks
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up and includes delightful details of life during this time as well as cultural differences between Americans and the French. Show Less
LibraryThing member lbswiener
Mastering the Art of French Murder is a story about a woman who was briefly known and murdered. The main characters are not well liked who look down upon the local police officers in an effort to solve the mystery of the death themselves. Only three stars were awarded to this book.
LibraryThing member ethel55
At loose ends after the death of her French grandmother and end of a very long engagement, Tabitha Knight jumps at the chance to go live with her Parisian grandfather and honorary Oncle Rafe as she sorts out the next phase of her life. After working in a factory during the war, Tabitha is happy to
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tutor Americans in French, with her new friend Julia's husband Paul's connections with the embassy. In addition, Julia is willing to teach Tabitha how to cook, much to the delight of her grandfather and oncle. The author does a great job of describing Julia's big personality without overwhelming Tabitha. Julia's sister Dort provides Tabitha with some young, single companions and at one very late soiree, Tabitha is the last to see Therese. She is found dead the next morning. The inspector is maddingly secretive, but Tabitha feels her input will help clear Julia's chef knife and those that had access to it from murder. The descriptions of the city, coming back to life after the war were wonderful and I especially liked the market visits and all the gossip the small area of a big city relayed. Show Less
LibraryThing member Baochuan
I enjoyed the story line, it has interestingly layout. However, the characters seem a bit flat to me.
LibraryThing member TheQuietReader
Tabitha Knight has recently arrived from Detroit to stay with her French grandfather in Paris. Between tutoring Americans in French, visiting the market, and eagerly sampling the results of her new friend Julia Child’s studies at Le Cordon Bleu cooking school, Tabitha has been enjoying her new
This was my first time ‘reading’ this author. The 1950’s is not usually a time period I read, but the description of this book caught my attention. The narrator and author caught the high energy of Julia Child, though I will admit I found the constant food references a little tedious. Tabitha herself was an interesting main character.
The plot was interesting, though I did guess the ending early on. I did think the motivation for Tabitha to investigate herself was a little weak. Inspector Merveille was a character I would have liked to know more about. Hopefully, in future books, the reader will learn more about him.
My one criticism was that the constant “everything is better in Paris than in America” was tedious. Otherwise, the pacing was great and the details were delightful.
Readers who enjoy mysteries and fiction set in the 1950’s will no doubt enjoy this one. I received a free copy through NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own.
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life. When the body of a woman Tabitha just met is found, she becomes determined to keep herself and her friends free of suspicion.This was my first time ‘reading’ this author. The 1950’s is not usually a time period I read, but the description of this book caught my attention. The narrator and author caught the high energy of Julia Child, though I will admit I found the constant food references a little tedious. Tabitha herself was an interesting main character.
The plot was interesting, though I did guess the ending early on. I did think the motivation for Tabitha to investigate herself was a little weak. Inspector Merveille was a character I would have liked to know more about. Hopefully, in future books, the reader will learn more about him.
My one criticism was that the constant “everything is better in Paris than in America” was tedious. Otherwise, the pacing was great and the details were delightful.
Readers who enjoy mysteries and fiction set in the 1950’s will no doubt enjoy this one. I received a free copy through NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own.
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LibraryThing member rmarcin
This is a great start to a new series! Tabitha is happily living in Paris with her grandfather and "uncle". She has also made friends with Julia Child, and Julia includes Tabitha while she cooks meals. Tabs's gentlemen love that, as Tabs is not a great cook. After a party at Julia's, theatre
This is a new mystery series with enough clues to help you decipher the mystery. I also liked the humor!
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friends invited by Julia's sister, Dort, a dead body is found. Tabs makes it her mission to investigate, although the inspector repeatedly warns against it. Everyone at the theatre is a suspect. Due to the coat check girl's death, Tabs fills in. Handsome doctor, Mark, helps her some nights. But there are additional murders, and even Tabs is in danger. This is a new mystery series with enough clues to help you decipher the mystery. I also liked the humor!
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LibraryThing member BoundTogetherForGood
I really didn't expect to enjoy this book since I mostly only listened to it because it was available. I found myself looking forward to listening to it, though.
Awards
LibraryReads (Monthly Pick — April 2023)
Pages
272
ISBN
1496739590 / 9781496739599