A Souffle of Suspicion: A French Bistro Mystery

Daryl Wood Gerber

Jul 2018 · A French Bistro Mystery Book 2 · Crooked Lane Books

About this ebook

When Chef Camille’s sister turns up dead in the kitchen, it's up to Mimi Rousseau to tease the real killer out of a mélange of menacing characters

Crush Week in Nouvelle Vie is a madhouse—in a good way. Tourists pour into town for the pressing of the Napa Valley’s world-renowned grapes and all the town’s businesses get a nice lift, including Bistro and Maison Rousseau. Mimi is raising the ante this year with a Sweet Treats Festival, a wonderland of croissants, cakes, tarts, and soufflés crafted with expert care by the area’s top talents.

Chef Camille’s sister Renee is managing the festival with a cast-iron fist, upsetting everyone, including her sister. Which is bad for Camille when Renee turns up dead in the chef’s kitchen. Mimi is still building her business, so her first course of action is to whip up answers and catch the unsavory perpetrator before Camille takes a dusting and gets burned.

Fans of JoAnna Carl and Joanne Fluke will want a succulent second serving of A Soufflé of Suspicion, Daryl Wood Gerber’s appetizing second French Bistro mystery.

Ratings and reviews

A Souffle of Suspicion by Daryl Wood Gerber is the second novel in A French Bistro Mystery series. Mimi Rousseau owns Bistro and Maison Rousseau in Napa Valley. It is Crush Week and the tourists are pouring into the valley. On top of that, Maison Rousseau is hosting the Sweet Treats Festival organized by Renee Wells, Chef Camille’s sister. There are many delectable delights available for the attendees to enjoy. Mimi is relaxing at home after a long day when she receives a frantic call from Chef Camille. Mimi rushes to her house where Renee is dead on the kitchen floor from a whack on the head from the countertop mixer. Chef Camille is devastated and, unfortunately, Sgt. Tyson Daly’s prime suspect. Renee had created quite a stir lately and there is no shortage of suspects to sift through. Mimi whisks into action to whip up the suspects and deliver the guilty party to the police on a silver platter. A Souffle of Suspicion can be read alone. The author nicely summarizes A Deadly Éclair along with the background information on Mimi. I found A Souffle of Suspicion to be well-written and it has a nice steady pace. The author has a conversational writing style that is engaging. I was drawn into the story which I found easy to read. Mimi likes to read cozy mysteries, so the author worked in references to Krista Davis and Kate Carlisle which I found amusing (I also love their books). There are some great characters in A French Bistro Mystery series. Mimi is a strong, intelligent female who runs two businesses with the aid of Jo James at Maison Rousseau and her wonderful kitchen staff at Bistro Rousseau. There were some humorous moments throughout the story that had me chuckling. The mystery is appealing with several suspects, misdirection and good clues. The one downfall was I identified the killer before Chef Camille found Renee deceased on her kitchen floor (is anyone else curious if the mixer survived). There are many delectable dishes mentioned throughout the book and recipes are provided at the end. A Souffle of Suspicion is a charming cozy mystery that pairs nicely with a glass of wine and a comfortable chair.

About the author

Agatha Award-winning author Daryl Wood Gerber writes the Cookbook Nook mysteries, and as Avery Aames, she pens the Cheese Shop mysteries. As an actress, Daryl appeared in Murder, She Wrote. She has also jumped out of a perfectly good airplane and hitchhiked around Ireland by herself. She loves to read and cook, and she has a frisky Goldendoodle named Sparky. This is her second French Bistro mystery.