Mimi Rousseau and her staff at both the Bistro Rousseau and Maison
Rousseau are swamped with business. Not only is it Crush Week
featuring the pressing of the grapes at all the local wineries, but Mimi is
also hosting the Sweet Treats Festival. Chef Camille's (aka Chef C)
sister, Renee, is in charge of her first festival and she's determined to
make it a success. Unfortunately, Renee ruffles a few feathers along
the way, but who hated her enough to kill her?
A SOUFFLÉ OF SUSPICION is the
second book in the French
Bistro series but can easily be read as a standalone story.
There are a few references to the first book but no major spoilers to
ruin it for readers who want to jump in with A SOUFFLÉ OF SUSPICION first.
Daryl Wood Gerber really hits her stride with A SOUFFLÉ OF SUSPICION as we are starting to get
familiar with the characters and their various quirks. I still love Heather
Holmes, although she's only a minor character. However, Mimi is really
growing on me. Her dedication to her employees is endearing and it
really shines with her support for Chef C. And oh, Chef C! She is
definitely a lot of fun and I'm glad we get to know her better in A SOUFFLÉ OF SUSPICION.
Daryl Wood Gerber excels at the culinary cozy mystery genre and A SOUFFLÉ OF SUSPICION is another
delectable entry into the genre. I love how much I learn about food and
cooking in the midst of a great story and the information about Crush
Week and wines fascinates me. The setting is enchanting and fits
perfectly with the scrumptious recipes included. If you love culinary
cozies, you'll never go wrong with anything written by Daryl Wood
Gerber and A SOUFFLÉ OF
SUSPICION is another prime example of her stunning talent.
The buoyant mood at Bistro Rousseau deflates when Chef Camille’s sister, Renee, turns up dead in the chef’s kitchen, and Mimi Rousseau must tease the real killer out of a mélange of menacing characters. Crush Week in Nouvelle Vie is a madhouse—in a good way. Tourists pour into town for the pressing of the Napa Valley’s world-renowned grapes and all the town’s businesses get a nice lift, including Bistro and Maison Rousseau. Mimi is raising the ante this year with a Sweet Treats Festival, a wonderland of croissants, cakes, tarts, and soufflés crafted with expert care by the area’s top talents. Chef Camille’s sister Renee is managing the festival with a cast-iron fist, upsetting everyone, including her sister. Which is bad for Camille when Renee turns up dead in the chef’s kitchen. Mimi is still building her business, so her first course of action is to whip up answers and catch the unsavory perpetrator before Camille takes a dusting and gets burned.