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Summary
Summary
Escaping the demands of Paris police work, Commissaire Capucine Le Tellier embarks on a well-deserved Mediterranean cruise. But wherever the renowned inspector goes, murder is sure to be close on the horizon. . .
On the azure waters off the coasts of Corsica and Sardinia, what could be more relaxing and rewarding than traipsing around the Mediterranean enjoying the local culinary delights. Among the invited bon vivants are Capucine, her husband, the celebrated restaurant critic, her special agent cousin Jacques, a famed bar owner, and even her boss. To all appearances, the table is set for an affair to remember.
In the midst of this pleasure cruise, Natalie, the yacht's cook, is lost overboard. A sudden squall is the assumed cause. But once a bullet hole is discovered in her jacket, suspicions quickly shift and the onboard bonhomie suffers accordingly. When a shell casing is uncovered that matches the gun Capucine is authorized to carry, for the first time in her stellar career, the hardworking detective finds herself the prime suspect.
For Capucine, these are clearly not the deep waters she envisioned as part of her holiday. As the motives become murkier, the gifted Commissaire will need to harness all her powers of deduction to get to the bottom of the mystery--before she ends up at the bottom of the sea.
Praise for Alexander Campion and the Capucine Culinary Mysteries
"Francophiles love this series for its Parisian setting and police detective Capucine's culinary cases." -- Library Journal
"Delectable. . ..sure to please the most discriminating palates." -- Publishers Weekly on Killer Critique
"This intelligent series. . .will appeal to a diversity of readers. Devotees of G.M. Malliet and Charles Todd will especially enjoy this different and delicious series." -- Booklist on Killer Critique
"A feast of crime with a soup#65533;on of gourmet delight." -- RT Book Reviews , 4 Stars, on Crime Fraiche
"Full of amusing characters. . ..Readers will want a second helping." -- Publishers Weekly on The Grave Gourmet
"This new series offers a uniquely blended mix of 'hooks' that will appeal to a wide variety of mystery lovers." -- Booklist on he Grave Gourmet
"Features lively dialogue, much discussion of culinary delights, a peek into the French criminal justice system, and a pleasing mystery." -- Library Journal on The Grave Gourmet
Author Notes
Alexander Campion started out as a true New Yorker, graduating from Columbia and migrating downtown to Wall Street. Early on, someone, a little apologetically, proposed he spend six months maximum in Paris helping out with a new venture his firm had just acquired. He stayed thirty five years, eventually becoming a restaurant critic and progressing inevitably to gastronomic thrillers.
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
This zesty stew of a mystery, the fifth in Campion's culinary series (after 2013's Death of a Chef), takes police detective Capucine Le Tellier and her restaurant critic husband, Alexandre, on a Mediterranean pleasure cruise aboard a luxury sailboat. Except that it's not really a pleasure, since their shipmates include Ines Maistre, a judge obsessed with bringing down a corrupt banking family at any cost; the shrill Angelique Bethier and her lecherous husband, Dominique; and Capucine's lascivious cousin, Jacques. When the brooding and wanton Nathalie Martin, the "boat slave" hired to help with the cooking, cleaning, and sailing, is lost at sea, Capucine becomes the chief suspect in what turns out to be a murder case. After going ashore, she and Alexandre decide to hang out at a friend's rural estate rather than return home to Paris. While Capucine investigates from afar, Alexandre continues to discover, or make, drool-worthy meals. A resolution that suggests justice has not been served, however, may leave a bad taste. Agent: Sharon Bowers, Miller Agency. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Parisian police commissaire Capucine Le Tellier and her food-critic husband, Alexandre, have planned a vacation with six other friends on a chartered boat in the Mediterranean and are scheduled to go from Saint-Tropez to Corsica. Before the cruise begins, though, Alexandre invites another couple, raising the number to 10. The eleventh is the cabin girl, Nathalie. The party starts out in good spirits, enjoying the gourmet meals Alexandre produces from the galley. But a squall on the second night brings trouble: Nathalie is washed overboard. When her body is retrieved, there is a bullet hole in her life vest from Capucine's gun. As the local police begin to investigate, Alexandre and Capucine go into hiding, sort of. Covertly, they visit all their shipmates, but taking time to enjoy the best dining southern France has to offer as they go. Between the closed circle of suspects and a host of overlapping motives, the plot moves along, punctuated both by the lush food descriptions and surprise revelations and hidden connections among the cruisers. A tasty treat for cozy fans.--Muller, Karen Copyright 2010 Booklist
Library Journal Review
In Campion's fifth entry in his culinary mystery series (after Death of a Chef), French policewoman Capucine and her restaurant critic husband, Alexandre, attempt to go on a sailing vacation with friends. They plan to sail to Italy and experience some amazing food and wine along the way, but the trip soon takes a fatal turn when Nathalie, the local woman they hired to cook and clean, falls overboard. The Italian police view Nathalie's death as an unfortunate accident until new evidence implicates Capucine. When the Italians decide the incident actually occurred in French waters and hand the case over to the French police, Capucine and Alexandre make a swift exit off the sailboat in a dinghy to avoid arrest. They hide (and eat superb food) in the south of France while Capucine tries to find out what really happened to Nathalie. As Capucine uncovers the disturbing secrets of her sailing mates and their ties to corrupt politicians, she begins to piece together what transpired on the boat. Verdict Fans of the series, Francophiles, and readers with an appreciation for gourmet food will most enjoy this earthy mystery full of indulgences of all kinds.-Melissa DeWild, Kent Dist. Lib., Comstock Park, MI (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.