A chef-turned-culinary-sleuth, the Gourmet Detective takes on the job of unraveling difficult recipes for rival restaurateurs, until a guest drops dead at the Circle of Ca+a3eme dinner and the Gourmet Detective must find a killer before it is too late.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
David Baker attributes his fascination with wine to a chance train stop in Beaune which led to time spent working in commercial vineyards, a film, a novel and a dozen years making passable pinot noir in his garage. He holds an MFA from Columbia College Chicago and is the director of American Wine Story. He currently lives in Oregon's Willamette Valley with his wife and daughter.
The unnamed Gourmet Detective is an ex-chef, whodunit buff, and hopeful hero and narrator of a projected series. He makes a living consulting on hard-to-create menus and hard-to-trace ingredients--until drawn into a more practical challenge by a London restaurateur who feels that his operation is being sabotaged. When a hated investigative reporter is murdered at the prestigious Circle of Cƒreme dinner--Tartelettes ... la Dijonnaise, Brouillade d'Oeufs MystŠre, and, for the poison course, eels marinated in Tintulinum botulinum--the Gourmet Detective is fired by his client but tapped for assistance by Inspector Hemingway of Scotland Yard's ``Food Squad.'' Sleuthing follows in a frenetic but somewhat flavorless round of cocktail-hour flirtation, back-alley spying, and brain-picking under false pretenses. It concludes with a second Circle of Cƒreme dinner featuring Asparagus Vinaigrette Mimosa, Nougatine Glac‚e au Caf‚, and a denouement revealing the murderer--a surprise only because, given the author's demi-glac‚- thin characterization, we may have forgotten meeting him/her before. Cordon Bleu chef/first-novelist King crams his pages with food and fictional allusions, writing like a dedicated hobbyist who, unfortunately, can't be bothered with style. A derivative series idea that falls flat. -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
FREE
Within U.S.A.
Shipping:
US$ 3.00
Within U.S.A.
Seller: SecondSale, Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. Item in good condition. Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc. Seller Inventory # 00052574799
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. First American Edition. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Seller Inventory # 4967086-6
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: HPB-Emerald, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!. Seller Inventory # S_409070793
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Goodwill of Silicon Valley, SAN JOSE, CA, U.S.A.
Condition: good. Supports Goodwill of Silicon Valley job training programs. The cover and pages are in Good condition! Any other included accessories are also in Good condition showing use. Use can included some highlighting and writing, page and cover creases as well as other types visible wear. Seller Inventory # GWSVV.031214346X.G
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: The Bark of the Beech Tree, Depoe Bay, OR, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. First U.S. edition. First U.S. edition, and first hardcover edition, of the first book in the Gourmet Detective series; followed by "Roux the Day", "Dying on the Vine", "Death al Dente", etc. (First published in the U.K. in 1994 as a paperback original by Breese.) Minor softening at spine ends, still a fine copy in price-clipped but otherwise fine dust jacket. Seller Inventory # 000070
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Craig Hokenson Bookseller, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. First Edition/First Printing. Jacket a little scratched. Seller Inventory # 9025
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Ziebarth Books, Coal Valley, IL, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. First Edition. First edition, first printing, hardcover. 256 pages. Very good unread with head/tail of spine bumped and bruise to bottom edge of front board, in a fine dust jacket. Mylar cover on jacket. Author's first mystery, introducing the Gourmet Detective. Seller Inventory # 133766
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Craig Hokenson Bookseller, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine+. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine+. First Edition/First Printing. Seller Inventory # 10246
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Books Unplugged, Amherst, NY, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. Buy with confidence! Book is in good condition with minor wear to the pages, binding, and minor marks within 0.9. Seller Inventory # bk031214346Xxvz189zvxgdd
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: GF Books, Inc., Hawthorne, CA, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. Book is in Used-Good condition. Pages and cover are clean and intact. Used items may not include supplementary materials such as CDs or access codes. May show signs of minor shelf wear and contain limited notes and highlighting. 0.9. Seller Inventory # 031214346X-2-4
Quantity: 1 available