Mimi can't believe her good fortune, her best friend
introduced her to an entrepreneur who made all her dreams
about running an inn and bistro come true. Bryan's made a
true difference in her life and not just because of his
financial backing, he also believes in her. Of course,
the company isn't Mimi's yet; she still has to pay him
back. But she couldn't be happier.
She's even happy to host a wedding as a favor to Bryan.
His niece is getting married and he wants everything to
be perfect. Angelica's fame as a talk show host will
bring publicity to the bistro. Three months after the
opening, they have steady support from the local
community, but this wedding could push other weddings
their way.
A pre-wedding dinner is a complete
disaster with sharp words and fights culminating in the
death of Mimi's backer. He's found the next morning with
an éclair, the dessert from the dinner, stuffed in his
mouth. Mimi's phone was also found at the scene of the
crime. Those two pieces of evidence combined with Bryan's
will forgiving Mimi's business loan make her the main
suspect.
She's determined to clear her name and not let murder
destroy her business. She pulls out a white board and
gets to work stating motive, alibis, and opportunity.
She's not going down for a crime she didn't commit.
A DEADLY ÉCLAIR is first book in the French Bistro series from Daryl
Wood Gerber and it is
off to a delicious and promising start. It's not the type
of book you want to read when you're hungry, the
descriptions of food will make your mouth water. Several
suspects arise from the tense dinner party in the opening
chapters of the book, leaving the reader turning the
pages quickly to learn the guilty party, discovering
secrets from others along the way.
Parallel to the murder, romance takes center stage in the
book with the love between Angelica and Lyle as well as a
new romance blossoming between Mimi and Nash. The romance
balances out the darkness of murder.
A DEADLY ÉCLAIR is an engaging read that will leave
readers looking forward to the next book in the series, A
SOUFFLÉ OS SUSPICION out in July.
* This book includes recipes discussed in the novel
It’s always been Mimi Rousseau’s dream to open her own bistro, but it seems beyond her grasp since she’s been chased back home to Nouvelle Vie in Napa Valley by her late husband’s tremendous debt. Until her best friend Jorianne James introduces her to entrepreneur Bryan Baker who invests in promising prospects. Now, working the bistro and inn until she’s able to pay it off and call it her own, Mimi is throwing the inn’s first wedding ever. The wedding will be the talk of the town, as famous talk show host Angelica Edmonton, daughter of Bryan’s half- brother, Edison, has chosen the inn as her perfect venue. Anxious, Mimi is sure things are going to turn south, especially when Edison gets drunk and rowdy at the out-of- towners’ dinner, but by the evening, things begin to look up again. That is until six AM rolls around, and Bryan is found dead at the bistro with an éclair stuffed in his mouth. And the fingers point at Mimi, whose entire loan is forgiven in Bryan’s will. Now it’s up to Mimi to clear her name and get to the bottom of things before the killer turns up the heat again in A Deadly Éclair, the scrumptious series debut by Agatha Award-winning author Daryl Wood Gerber.