A Man of Impeccable Taste

In the winter of 1957, Inspector Charles Maillot, a homicide detective in Paris, has been called away from a culinary sojourn in Lyon to solve a gruesome murder in the South of France. A man has been found crucified at the summer home of the archbishop of Toulouse. In order to solve the crime, Maillot must unravel a complex web involving Nazi collaboration, clerical abuse, and an outlawed medieval Christian sect. In the course of his investigation he meets Françoise, a captivating chef who shares not only his passion for food but a deep desire to heal from the traumatic events of the war. The many unexpected twists and turns of the case affords Maillot the opportunity to reflect upon how this horrific crime intersects with French history, culture, and cuisine.

R. Brooke Jeffrey is professor of radiology at Stanford University School of Medicine. He is the author of two other works of fiction, The Abbey at Valcourt and The Magician's Tale.