Cathy C. (cathyskye) - , reviewed on 6/7/2022 + 2307 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

New Orleans, vintage cookbooks and kitchenwares, a book thief, a fabulous Garden District mansion... Ellen Byron's Bayou Book Thief was an irresistible siren call to my imagination, and reading it was a delight.

Ah, New Orleans, which dubs itself as the home of the original foodies. From streetcars to peacocks named Gumbo and Jambalaya to po'boy contests, the city is a character in this enjoyable mystery. I had to smile at a running thread throughout the book which concerns Ricki's air conditioner breaking down, her investigation of a repairman, and her purchase of a swamp cooler-- an item that I'm quite familiar with here in the Sonoran Desert (where it works much better than in soggy New Orleans).

The cast of characters is rich and varied, and I enjoyed learning about them all: Ricki herself, Cookie the "recovering children's librarian," Madame Noisette whose signature color is purple, nonagenarian German Guillory, Eugenia Charbonnet, and all the rest. Byron has peopled the first book of her series with just enough characters to keep the focus moving from mystery to mystery.

For someone who doesn't like to cook, you'd think I wouldn't enjoy books with strong ties to vintage cookbooks and kitchenware, but I do. Possibly because those things bring back memories of my mother and grandmother creating amazing things in their kitchens with tools and books similar to the ones Ricki has in her shop.

Let's see... a fantastic setting, characters who will become your fictional friends, a good mystery to solve, and plenty of (often laugh-out-loud) wit, Bayou Book Thief is a great beginning to a series that I will be returning to again and again.

(Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley)

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