Review: "A Murder Most French," Colleen Cambridge

By Liz Soares

A major pleasure of Colleen Cambridge’s “An American in Paris” series is the author’s spot-on depiction of the fabulous Julia Child.

"Her eyes widened as she bit into it, and she grinned. ‘Ye gods, do you taste that. Magnifique! And we picked them ourselves! That’s why they’re so damned perfect!'"

Of course, I never met Child. But I think I gained a solid impression of the grande dame through watching “Julia” on Max (Sarah Lancashire’s portrayal is peerless) and a PBS documentary, as well as reading Child’s memoir, My Life in France. Not to mention all the bits and pieces of “The French Chef” I saw while growing up.

And so I declare, that passage above is Julia Child, in a Paris kitchen in 1950, sautéing les campignons de Paris in slabs of butter. The mushrooms were indeed picked off the walls of the Catacombs by Julia and our protagonist/sleuth, Tabitha Knight.

Yes, the Catacombs. This is a murder-mystery, mind.

Tabitha is an American who lives with her French grandfather and his partner—the “monsieurs”—in an elegant townhouse right across the street from the Childs. Tabitha is resourceful and has certain mechanical skills gained from her wartime work as a riveter.

In this, her second case, she investigates the death of two prominent chefs. Both drank from bottles of rare vintage wines they had received as gifts. But didn’t the Nazis, who occupied Paris during World War II, ravage famous wine collections all over the city?

Meanwhile, the merchants in Tabitha and Julia’s neighborhood market are being attacked and vandalized. What is going on?

Grand-père and Oncle Rafe, who fought for the Resistance during the war, tell Tabitha all about the Germans actitivies during the occupation. Monsieur Michel, the mushroom vendor, leads the two women on an expedition to the grim, maze-like Catacombs, where bones and skulls line the walls.

Tabitha is intrigued to learn that both chefs were involved in a famous restaurant, now long closed—the Maison de Verre (House of Glass). The wine, the Nazis, the Catacombs—they all must have something to do with the murders. Tabitha presses on with her detecting, even though she is greatly testing the patience of the handsome Inspecteur Merveille. If they weren’t at such odds with each other, might they have a romance?

No time for that. There’s another killing, her two beloved monsieurs are placed in danger, and Tabi herself must physically outwit the murderer before the crime is solved.

This series is lightweight and fun and utterly enjoyable. I appreciate the fact that while Julia is a significant presence in the book, she’s not the sleuth. She’s Julia, chopping garlic on the double-quick, roasting a savory “Madame Poulet” and whipping up petites charlottes de pommes for dessert. Bon appétit!

Review: "Mastering the Art of French Murder," C. Cambridge

By Liz Soares

One of Julia Child’s prized kitchen knives used as a murder weapon? If you find that idea to be beyond delightful, this is the book for you.

Colleen Cambridge had already captured my interest with her two fun cozies featuring Phyllida Bright, chief housekeeper to Agatha Christie.

Now she brings readers Tabitha Knight, who has come to Paris after spending World War II helping to build bomber planes—a real life “Rosie the Riveter.”

Tabs, as Julia calls her, is living across the street from the fledgllng chef, on the Rue de l'Université. Paul Child works for the U.S. State Department, while Julia is studying at the Cordon Bleu. The Childs have whimsically dubbed their flat the “Rue de Loo.”

Dort, Julia’s sister, has also landed in Paris. She’s working at the American Club Theater, and her actor pals often overtake the Rue de Loo for late-night soirées.

As Tabs and Julia return home from the street market, laden down with fresh produce, chicken and eggs, they hear a blood-curdling scream. The Childs’ maid has discovered a body in the basement of their building.

It turns out to be another employee of the theater, a woman who’d been at the previous evening’s party. The police interview Tabitha. They’re wondering why her contact information was in the victim’s pocket.

Tabs, calling on all the skills she learned by reading the Nancy Drew mysteries, starts snooping. She soon realizes that the murderer must be someone involved with the theater—and that her own life is in peril.

I’m not an expert on Julia Child, but I did watch the wonderful series on HBO Max last year and also read her book My Life in France. I felt her depiction in Mastering the Art of French Murder is solid. For example, a subplot involves Julia’s attempt to achieve a perfect mayonnaise. She makes dozens of batches to achieve her goal.

Tabs is an interesting character. She was raised by her French mother and grandmother in the states. Now she’s living with her eccentric Grandpère and his partner, whom she calls Oncle Rafe. Though they now rarely leave their elegant townhouse, the men did fight for the Resistance, and their savvy and connections prove useful to Tabitha’s investigations.

Meanwhile, despite her French DNA, she can’t cook. No matter. The inexhaustible Julia is at the ready with some exquisite gourmet comfort food to take the edge off the stress suffered by amateur gumshoes. Salmon soufflé, anyone?