Roux Morgue

Starred review from February 11, 2008
The growing rift between the “dinosaurs” and the “young brats” on the teaching staff at San Francisco’s École d’Epicure fuels the highly amusing action in Johnson’s superior second cozy to feature funky pastry chef Mary Ryan (after 2002’s Beat Until Stiff
). Mary is unpleasantly surprised when Inspector O’Connor of SFPD homicide shows up as a student claiming he’s on stress leave. Although the cop is her ex-husband’s married best friend, Ryan and the sexy O’Connor have obvious chemistry. Tension among École’s chefs escalates with public insults, a petition to fire one of the classically trained dinosaurs and a water fight in the school’s prestigious restaurant. When one chef dies after an allergic shellfish reaction with no shellfish on the menu, and another is strangled at home, Ryan suspects something more sinister than differences of culinary theory. In one of many farcical scenes, Ryan enlists the aid of a hostile friend-of-a-friend to hack into École’s computer system to dig for answers. This enjoyable romp should gain Johnson new fans.

February 1, 2008
It has been almost ten years since San Francisco pastry chef Mary Ryan made her mystery debut in "Beat Until Stiff", winner of the 1999 Malice Domestic Writer's Grant. Now she is back teaching the art of pastries at her old alma mater. On her first day, she finds her cop ex-husband's partner enrolled in her class, a war between the old-school chefs and more modern cooks, and a murder. Food Channel addicts will enjoy the inside details on cooking school politics, while fans of quirky mysteries will like the outrageous adult behavior on display. Johnson lives in Lafayette, CA.

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