Kristina A. reviewed on 7/11/2018 + 1528 more book reviews

A Souffle of Suspicion by Daryl Wood Gerber is the second novel in A French Bistro Mystery series. Mimi Rousseau owns Bistro and Maison Rousseau in Napa Valley. It is Crush Week and the tourists are pouring into the valley. On top of that, Maison Rousseau is hosting the Sweet Treats Festival organized by Renee Wells, Chef Camille's sister. There are many delectable delights available for the attendees to enjoy. Mimi is relaxing at home after a long day when she receives a frantic call from Chef Camille. Mimi rushes to her house where Renee is dead on the kitchen floor from a whack on the head from the countertop mixer. Chef Camille is devastated and, unfortunately, Sgt. Tyson Daly's prime suspect. Renee had created quite a stir lately and there is no shortage of suspects to sift through. Mimi whisks into action to whip up the suspects and deliver the guilty party to the police on a silver platter.

A Souffle of Suspicion can be read alone. The author nicely summarizes A Deadly Ãclair along with the background information on Mimi. I found A Souffle of Suspicion to be well-written and it has a nice steady pace. The author has a conversational writing style that is engaging. I was drawn into the story which I found easy to read. Mimi likes to read cozy mysteries, so the author worked in references to Krista Davis and Kate Carlisle which I found amusing (I also love their books). There are some great characters in A French Bistro Mystery series. Mimi is a strong, intelligent female who runs two businesses with the aid of Jo James at Maison Rousseau and her wonderful kitchen staff at Bistro Rousseau. There were some humorous moments throughout the story that had me chuckling. The mystery is appealing with several suspects, misdirection and good clues. The one downfall was I identified the killer before Chef Camille found Renee deceased on her kitchen floor (is anyone else curious if the mixer survived). There are many delectable dishes mentioned throughout the book and recipes are provided at the end. My rating for A Souffle of Suspicion is 4 out of 5 stars (I liked it). A Souffle of Suspicion is a charming cozy mystery that pairs nicely with a glass of wine and a comfortable chair.

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