Death of a Chef

Capucine Culinary Mysteries #4

by Alexander Campion

"Quel horreur! When the body of acclaimed Chef Jean-Louis Brault and a shotgun are discovered in an antique Louis Vuitton portemanteau, everyone is convinced it's suicide. Distraught at rumors perpetuated by the vituperative food critic, Lucien Folon, that his restaurant La Máere Denis might lose its precious third Michelin star, Brault was considered to be tráes dâesolâe by friends and family alike. But when Capucine is called to the mise-en-scáene, Capucine smells something fishier than a bouillabaissegone bad. And when Le Monde suggests that Capucine's investigation is a cover up for the lethal consequences of food critics everywhere--a profession in which her husband takes great pride--she will stop at nothing to solve the case. As evidence mounts, fine food, fraud, and kidnapping are all main ingredients in Capucine's search for the truth in this dâelicieux mâelange of cuisine et le mystáere."--Dust jacket.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Food

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Alexander Campion started out as a true New Yorker, graduating from Columbia and migrating downtown to Wall Street. Early on, someone, a little apologetically, proposed he spend six months maximum in Paris helping out with a new venture his firm had just acquired. He stayed thirty five years, eventually becoming a restaurant critic and progressing inevitably to gastronomic thrillers.

Reviews

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this fourth 'Culinary Mystery', Commissaire Capucine Le Tellier investigates two murders and an abduction. The book can be read as a standalone.



*****

Commissaire Capucine Le Tellier of the Paris police, married to a noted restaurant critic, often hobnobs with French high society.

As the story opens Capucine's friend Cécile opens a fashionable trunk she purchased at a street market and finds the nude body of Chef Jean-Louis Brault, owner of La Mère Denis - a restaurant with the phenomenal rating of three Michelin stars.



Chef Jean-Louis apparently had no enemies, with the possible exception of restaurant critic Lucien Folon. Folon frequently wrote unfair, scathing reviews of La Mère Denis, hoping it would lose one of its Michelin stars.



Soon afterwards, Fermin Roque, an activist who orchestrated the workers' takeover of a Faience pottery factory, is also found dead.



Finally, a wealthy businessman who invested in both the restaurant and the Faience factory is kidnapped, raising the suspicion of a connection among the three crimes.



Capucine and her detective squad investigate, and discover intriguing clues that eventually lead them to the truth. During all this Capucine dines in fine restaurants and elegant homes, and the delicious meals and wines are described in great detail. This adds a fun element to the story.



There are a variety of engaging characters in the book, including Capucine's snooty (but good-natured) mother and erudite father, her randy cousin, an elegant woman who owns a Faience stall at the street market, French villagers who keep secrets, and more.



This is an enjoyable cozy mystery with an engaging plot that leads to a satisfactory conclusion. I'd recommend it to fans of cozies.

You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot....

[Grey853 · Rating 2 out of 5]

The books started off well enough, but got bogged down in unnecessary detail and a web of back stories that really didn't add to the overall quality of the plot.

[Irene B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I asked a family member going to the library to pick out a new author and mystery for me, so I'd try something new. This novel was fine as a stand alone. I enjoyed the French challenge, and with Google translate on the phone, it was fine when I hit an obcure word. Didn't mind the recipes embedded in the text either, although I do wonder how Cappucine and her husband avoid weighing 200 kilos each from their continuous eating and drinking. The plot was satisfactory and the European ambience enjoyable. Am not keen on the irritating, unecessary, but seemingly "accepted", sexism, although it's good to have a strong female lead. Why is it necessary to have a cousin who is always lewd and touching inappropriately and this strong character tolerates it? Plan to try the first novel in the series next.

[Victoria · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring, tedious read. It felt like the author was trying to show off his extensive vocabulary using unnecessarily "fancy" words. Cousin Jacques was an annoying character and I don't know why his inappropriate behaviour towards Capucine was included or needed. I held out for the ending hoping the wrap-up would redeem the book, but it was just as mundane and underwhelming as the rest of the book. I should've stopped reading early on when I was tempted to.

[Kaaren Scanio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good plot

There were several times in the book when the plot seemed to become “disconnected.” Jumps between scenes were, without warning abrupt. I speak and read good French so that was not the problem.

[Deborah Wysinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Turn the TV off and finished in one day because I couldn't see where it was going, and I had to know.

[Dorothy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy this series although I think I am almost to the end.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very long and slow

[Christian Bantz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like this book would be good for a student in a French class, who is trying to gain a sense of cultural relevance and cuisine. There were several cultural items I had to look up, such as pastis and fougasse.

Sadly, I was displeased in the mystery department, which is why I picked up the book, despite its mundane title. I agree with another review that there is just way too many food descriptions. Sometimes it actually goes as far as describing how the food is made.

In addition to there being too much food, there were also way too many characters who didn't do much for the plot, like the Officers Isabelle and Momo, who kind of just came and went without contributing much, or the kidnapping specialist, who seemed really cool, but then just wasn't used. And what about Roque, who was central to the end, but wasn't even mentioned until the middle of the book when he was already dead? Furthermore, character archs didn't match up, and the majority of the characters were unrelatable or even dislikable, Like Lucien Folon's character. How did Folon go from attacking main characters and having strange incestuous, and murderous fantasies while cooking a hare covered in blood sauce, to not being the type that would kill people? Also, what was the deal with the random 4 guys that died, years after randomly gang banging Fannie? Were they not really murdered?

That brings me to the next issue I had with the book: the unlikable, stereotypical female characters. There's Fanny, who just randomly gets so horny that she just takes on a group of boys. Then there's the rich, smug woman who falls to pieces because her adulterous boyfriend doesn't want her anymore. Of course there is a female cop with a face full of piercings who disapproves of pretty much everything a male does. Then there's the main character, who doesn't want people to know she's a member of the elite/royalty even though she's always wearing high fashion brands, married to a food critic, and only hangs out with the social elites. She also spends at least 3 scenes in the book feeling jealous over her husband's focus or relationships with other women though she herself goes off on these lonely excursions with her cousin, who constantly whispers, seductively, into her ear and at one point feels up her thigh.

Despite all of its flaws, this was an "okay" book; it was a fast and entertaining read, and I did still want to know what happened to the chef all the way to the end of the book. The look into another society's culture was educational as well.

[Joseph Ribera · Rating 3 out of 5]

Should have had a clue by the subtitle, Capucine Culinary Mysteries. Every, and I mean every, event in this tale is accompanied by a description of the meal, its preparation, the matching of wines, pedigrees of ports and scotches, etc. Buried in all this is a police procedural concerning the murder of a well-known, up and coming Parisian chef. Capucine is the Commisaire of the police department assigned to the case. Not well known to her comrades is the fact that she is also a Comtesse. Her husband, Alexandre, is the well respected food column editor for Le Monde, and is always rattling on about some dish or wine. Her cousin, Jaques, also of the royalty, is connected to French intelligence and plays the fool in public, while carrying on what intelligence people carry on. All in all the case does not fit together well and at the end I really didn't care who or why. But, if you want to know how to make fougasse (a provencal bread) or a rabbit cassoulet, then there might be something in this book for you.

[Pontiki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. The Paris setting contributes to the atmosphere of the murder, and I love that the main character, Capucine, is a women in power.

I also enjoyed her husband, Alexsndre, being a food critic, and involved in some details of the crime. The brigadier, David, and his storyline was actually my favourite, because it intertwined with the rest of the book, but was an entirely different story-within-a-story.

I didn't enjoy the sexual overtones of the relationship between Capucine and her cousin, Jacques. Best to leave him as the mischievous gay cousin, that's naughty enough.

The crime was unusual, the tie in if another nurse was a good twist, and catching the criminal was satisfying.

I'm definitely reading the rest of Campion's books in this series. Such fun.

[Julie H. Ernstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting case, more food history and insights, antiques, auctions, and further involvement of Capucine's family makes for a very interesting read. The scene in which the oh-so imperious Mme. LeTellier dines at the working-class Benoit's with Capucine and her co-workers was hilariously funny. A good bit more politics in this story lent a greater sense of reality to the razor's edge Commissaire LeTellier walks in her position. The bit at the end with David felt rushed, but possibly a set-up for something interesting down the line. On balance, a fun read.

[Donna Church · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual Capucine finds herself drawn into the world of food and murder when her friend buys a trunk with a body hidden inside who turns out to be a noted chef. However, the conspiracy is multi-layered with forgeries, aristocratic history, and government cover-ups, including the involvement of her cousin, Jacques. At least amidst the difficulties, Alexandre always has the champagne chilled and a decent meal to feed her.

[Linda Smatzny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the fourth book in the Capucine Culinary Mystery series. This time Capucine is given the case of a murdered chef to solve. At first it is believed that the victim committed suicide but tests prove that it is murder. Then another murder follows and Capucine must figure the connection between the two murders and who committed the murder.The series is set in present day Paris and Capucine is a member of the French police. It was a quick and easy read.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved everything about Death of a Chef (a Capucine culinary mystery). Food, murder, Paris, the French language - it had it all for me. A visit to Paris is on my wish list but until then I get a little taste through this wonderful series.

[Karen Douglass · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mystery and haute cuisine--what a treat. I will read the two remaining books in this series as a treat, tasty and rich.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best in the series. He's really getting the weave of story and characters, and drawing me in.

[Caroline Ingvaldsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fourth Capucine Culinary Mystery, another entertaining entry starring the chic, clever detective and her aristocratic restaurant critic husband set in France seen through a Michelin lens.

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd like to bring a Campion or two along the next time I visit Paris. His books are fun mysteries and culinary guides.

[Jean Kovats · Rating 3 out of 5]

My high school French was inadequate to translate all the French used in the book and made me feel I was missing heaven knows what

[Robin Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy reading. Lots of holes in the story but the characters were interesting, I like French food and the Inspector was female. Good characters.

[Seema Rao · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm torn. I love a book that you can tear through in a sitting. And, the food descriptions are not quaint or forced. But the language is unnecessarily wordy--like someone practicing for a vocab test.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this mystery but had a little trouble liking any of the character. The only lead i liked was the Detective and her chef boyfriend.

[Ken Fredette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the book very much, but I liked his previous books better.

[Christine Abbey]

Cute murder mystery with great references to French cuisine