A Souffle of Suspicion

May 28, 2018
In Agatha-winner Gerber’s lively sequel to 2017’s A Deadly Éclair, the residents of the small, unincorporated Napa Valley enclave of Nouvelle Vie are celebrating harvest time. Tourists flock to the area to participate in crush week—when the newly picked grapes are pressed. Along with the usual “hoedowns, hayrides, and farm tours,” this year Mimi Rousseau’s inn, Maison Rousseau, will be the venue for the Sweet Treats Festival, a week-long food fair complete with baking contests. When festival organizer Renee Wells is murdered, her sister, Camille Chabot, is included in the list of suspects. Unfortunately for Mimi, who owns Bistro Rousseau, Camille happens to be the bistro’s head chef. The only way for Mimi to get her business back on track is to find the murderer. Gerber ticks all the boxes for a successful cozy: a capable protagonist, intelligent dialogue, a fine sense of place, eccentric yet plausible suspects, and clues galore. Rounding out the volume are 14 recipes, including, of course, one for Soufflé au Chocolat. Agent: John Talbot, Talbot Fortune Agency.

May 1, 2018
When a festival of sweets is imperiled by the murder of its organizer, the owner of the host restaurant investigates to clear her chef of the crime.Mimi Rousseau may have bitten off more than she can chew when she offered Maison Rousseau, her Napa Valley restaurant, as a site for the new Sweet Treats Festival. She's relieved that she can rely on her executive chef, Camille Chabot, known informally as Chef C, to helm the kitchen while Camille's sister, Renee Wells, runs the festival. Though Mimi knows Renee only through Camille, she trusts her chef, and Renee seems to have a real handle on supervising all the goings-on the Sweet Treats Festival entails. The only one who's not so sure about Renee is Allie O'Malley, who regrets selling the festival to Renee and wants a cut of the profits. Renee isn't sympathetic about Allie's bad business decision and isn't afraid to gloat. Allie may get the last laugh, however, after Chef C discovers that someone's killed Renee. The town's shocked to be the scene of yet another murder (A Deadly Éclair, 2018, etc.), and Mimi's determined to clear Chef C of the crime even if her sleuthing implicates Allie or uncovers more enemies of Renee. Concentrating on what happened to Renee is the perfect distraction for Mimi, who's afraid to scrutinize her feelings for Nash Hawke, who may be trying to get closer than she's ready for.Spicing the mix with an impressive 14 recipes, from Autumn Quiche to Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies, Gerber balances a beautiful setting with a predictable but enjoyable cozy plot.

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