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An American in Paris #4
In the Spirit of French Murder
After moving to France, Tabitha Knight has a new friend in fellow expat and Cordon Bleu student Julia Child, whose culinary tips can come in quite handy. But something’s cooking in postwar Paris, and it isn’t just cheese soufflé…
Tabitha has enjoyed an entertaining afternoon in Julia’s kitchen, but her return home is a bit jarring. As she arrives at her grandfather’s rue de l’Universitémansion, a woman bursts out the door babbling about messages from spirits and a warning Grand-père must heed. Oncle Rafe angrily sends the woman on her way, and neither man will answer Tabitha’s questions.
It’s not the last she sees of the mysterious visitor. While she’s on a date that evening, she’s accosted by her again—and learns that Madame Vierca is a medium who claims to have visions of a dark fate that awaits Grand-père and Oncle Rafe. The very next night, Tabitha’s messieurs host a soiree at their new restaurant, inviting fellow Resistance fighters from the war known as the Nine Bluets. To commemorate the work of the Resistance network, the vase on the dinner table sports nine of the pretty blue flowers.
But shortly after the revelers leave the restaurant, one of Grand-père’s old friends is found dead on the street . . . and one of the nine flowers is missing from the vase. When a second member of the Nine Bluets is found poisoned the next day, and a bluet flower is left with the body, Tabitha cannot ignore Madame Vierca’s frightening predictions about her dear messieurs. She has no choice but to share her suspicions and fears with the enigmatic and unruffled Inspecteur Merveille.
Tabitha soon finds herself caught up in an investigation that takes her and Merveille to the seediest, most dangerous parts of the Left Bank—home of strange, fantastical legends, disquieting events, and unusual people. As she and Merveille desperately try to find a killer, they know they don’t have much time before the rest of the Nine Bluets are targeted . . . including Grand-père and Oncle Rafe.
Tabitha has enjoyed an entertaining afternoon in Julia’s kitchen, but her return home is a bit jarring. As she arrives at her grandfather’s rue de l’Universitémansion, a woman bursts out the door babbling about messages from spirits and a warning Grand-père must heed. Oncle Rafe angrily sends the woman on her way, and neither man will answer Tabitha’s questions.
It’s not the last she sees of the mysterious visitor. While she’s on a date that evening, she’s accosted by her again—and learns that Madame Vierca is a medium who claims to have visions of a dark fate that awaits Grand-père and Oncle Rafe. The very next night, Tabitha’s messieurs host a soiree at their new restaurant, inviting fellow Resistance fighters from the war known as the Nine Bluets. To commemorate the work of the Resistance network, the vase on the dinner table sports nine of the pretty blue flowers.
But shortly after the revelers leave the restaurant, one of Grand-père’s old friends is found dead on the street . . . and one of the nine flowers is missing from the vase. When a second member of the Nine Bluets is found poisoned the next day, and a bluet flower is left with the body, Tabitha cannot ignore Madame Vierca’s frightening predictions about her dear messieurs. She has no choice but to share her suspicions and fears with the enigmatic and unruffled Inspecteur Merveille.
Tabitha soon finds herself caught up in an investigation that takes her and Merveille to the seediest, most dangerous parts of the Left Bank—home of strange, fantastical legends, disquieting events, and unusual people. As she and Merveille desperately try to find a killer, they know they don’t have much time before the rest of the Nine Bluets are targeted . . . including Grand-père and Oncle Rafe.
265 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 28, 2026
About the author
Colleen Cambridge
25 books1,182 followersColleen Cambridge is the pen name of Colleen Gleason, an award-winning USA Today and New York Times bestselling author.
Colleen Cambridge writes mostly historical-set mysteries with famous people as the sidekick or friend of her protagonists and has a blast doing so. She's written about Agatha Christie's (fictional) housekeeper, Abe Lincoln's (fictional) aide, and Julia Child's (fictional) best friend in Paris.
Colleen lives in the midwest United States with her family and two dogs, and is always plotting her next murder—er, book.
Colleen Cambridge writes mostly historical-set mysteries with famous people as the sidekick or friend of her protagonists and has a blast doing so. She's written about Agatha Christie's (fictional) housekeeper, Abe Lincoln's (fictional) aide, and Julia Child's (fictional) best friend in Paris.
Colleen lives in the midwest United States with her family and two dogs, and is always plotting her next murder—er, book.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews
May 6, 2026
4 solid stars - this series keeps getting better! Really enjoyed the slight Parisian paranormal aspects of this post-WWII cozy - just enough for a vibe but not so much it jumped the Seine shark, and we got ore background on the characters actions in the Resistance along with a real Dame Aggie type of mystery. Will keep up with this series!!
March 14, 2026
Such a great series! From the fictionalized (based on truth tho) relationships in Julia Child's real life, to the mysterious organization of 9 (or is it 10), there is so much to love in this book. I can't get enough of the character creation and how Cambridge brings to life people from a century (almost) ago and the way it feels so real and current. She has a few series like this, and each is unique but also nostalgic for a past that sometimes seems so much better than modern times. The killer wasn't a surprise but there were enough diversions where it could've gone in many directions. I would love to see Tabitha and the detective get together but he is engaged to be married. What may come of that tho!?! Can't wait for another in the series.
May 6, 2026
4.5 stars rounded up 🌟 The new installment in this Parisian mystery series was just as engaging as the others. The main character is friends with Julia Child, so the author not only weaves in delectable food, but also many post-war historical elements into each novel. If you enjoy learning about food, culture, the French occupation, and post-war France, then definitely give this series a try!
March 1, 2026
Every time a new book in this series comes out, I think I have a new favorite in the series. The books keep getting better and better, which is saying something because I adored the very first one!
Post-WW2 Paris is a fascinating setting and the impact of Nazi occupation is evident throughout the series. This installment dives deeper into the resistance work of the main character Tabitha’s grandfather and his partner. It also includes some supernatural elements that are based on real events and people. Do not miss the author’s note, which shares those real stories. It’s fascinating!
The secondary plot of Tabitha’s love life is inching along (I love a slow-burn romance!) and her two love interests are equally appealing.
It bears mentioning that Julia Child, Tabitha’s neighbor and friend, has limited time on page in this story, but she is as delightful as ever!
Post-WW2 Paris is a fascinating setting and the impact of Nazi occupation is evident throughout the series. This installment dives deeper into the resistance work of the main character Tabitha’s grandfather and his partner. It also includes some supernatural elements that are based on real events and people. Do not miss the author’s note, which shares those real stories. It’s fascinating!
The secondary plot of Tabitha’s love life is inching along (I love a slow-burn romance!) and her two love interests are equally appealing.
It bears mentioning that Julia Child, Tabitha’s neighbor and friend, has limited time on page in this story, but she is as delightful as ever!
May 4, 2026
Another interesting read in this post-WWII mystery series set in Paris. In this book, we are heavily into the consequences of the resistance activities of Tabitha's monsieurs and their friends. There's also a bit of the supernatural, when a tarot card reader gives an ominous message to Tabitha. Tabitha also later learns about some strange legends of people seemingly haunting the darker quarters of Paris.
I enjoyed this, and look forward to the next in the series.
I enjoyed this, and look forward to the next in the series.
May 28, 2026
When a murder happens at the restaurant’s opening among the old French Resistance group, a malevolent psychic message given to her “messieurs” takes on a whole new ominous meaning for ex-pat, Tabitha Knight. Colleen Cambridge’s historical cozy mystery series set in post-WWII France featuring Cordon Bleu chef Julia Child as a detecting assistant continues to be *chef’s kiss*
In the Spirit of French Murder is the fourth installment in this sparkling American in Paris mystery series that is best read in order.
Tabitha is coming home when a seeming crazy woman is exiting her grandpere’s home and sped along by his partner, Oncle Rafe. The woman’s words of dire predictions chill Tabitha. Grandpere and Oncle are caught up in the opening of their restaurant and choose to have their former French war resistance group gather for this august occasion. Nine blue flowers grace the table representing their Nine Bluets group. When one dies during the occasion, one of the flowers goes missing. Tabitha is really het up when the next victim has a familiar blue flower on the scene. It is time to annoy a certain dour police inspector into solving another dark mystery.
The mystery takes them into the darkest corners of the Parisian scene and the encounters with spiritualism and the supernatural haunt their trail. Julia is at her bubbling best feeding Tabatha her mouthwatering creations. Tabitha is juggling two intriguing gentlemen in a slow-going love life that has baby step advances. But the ongoing mystery of her grandpere and Oncle’s pasts during the war years also gets some reveals as she delves into the case.
I really love the attention to the Parisian settings, the historical backdrop and interests that get introduced with each book, this was spiritualism of the day based on real-life accounts according to the author. The characters are fleshed out and the relationship developments over the course of the series are just as welcome as the mysteries. Oh, and who could not walk away starving for Julia Child’s cheese souffle by the end?
All in all, a series that started and remains strong. Historical mystery fans will find there are darker edges to the cozy in these and there are echoes from the past of modern issues today so the series will appeal to a broader reading range.
I rec'd an eARC via NetGalley to read in exchange for an honest review.
My full review will post at Books of My Heart on 5.20.26.
In the Spirit of French Murder is the fourth installment in this sparkling American in Paris mystery series that is best read in order.
Tabitha is coming home when a seeming crazy woman is exiting her grandpere’s home and sped along by his partner, Oncle Rafe. The woman’s words of dire predictions chill Tabitha. Grandpere and Oncle are caught up in the opening of their restaurant and choose to have their former French war resistance group gather for this august occasion. Nine blue flowers grace the table representing their Nine Bluets group. When one dies during the occasion, one of the flowers goes missing. Tabitha is really het up when the next victim has a familiar blue flower on the scene. It is time to annoy a certain dour police inspector into solving another dark mystery.
The mystery takes them into the darkest corners of the Parisian scene and the encounters with spiritualism and the supernatural haunt their trail. Julia is at her bubbling best feeding Tabatha her mouthwatering creations. Tabitha is juggling two intriguing gentlemen in a slow-going love life that has baby step advances. But the ongoing mystery of her grandpere and Oncle’s pasts during the war years also gets some reveals as she delves into the case.
I really love the attention to the Parisian settings, the historical backdrop and interests that get introduced with each book, this was spiritualism of the day based on real-life accounts according to the author. The characters are fleshed out and the relationship developments over the course of the series are just as welcome as the mysteries. Oh, and who could not walk away starving for Julia Child’s cheese souffle by the end?
All in all, a series that started and remains strong. Historical mystery fans will find there are darker edges to the cozy in these and there are echoes from the past of modern issues today so the series will appeal to a broader reading range.
I rec'd an eARC via NetGalley to read in exchange for an honest review.
My full review will post at Books of My Heart on 5.20.26.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
3.75 stars
This series is a delight, both light-hearted and serious at the same time. The main character Tabitha Knight is half French and lives with her grand-pere and his partner in Paris. Her next door neighbor and friend just happens to be the pre-famous Julia Child. Sometimes books featuring actual historic characters are cringe worthy, but Julia is portrayed with great affection, humor and respect.
Tabitha is making a living teaching French and trying to learn to cook from Julia. She is interrupted by the occasional dead body now and then. She has a knack for being fearless and finding out information that eludes the French police. And of course, the local Inspector is hunky and Tabitha hankers after him, but he is engaged.
Tabitha's grandfather and partner -- she calls them her "messieurs", are opening a new chic restaurant and the preview is limited to a small group of their very close friends and former comrades in the French Resistance. A troubling message from a medium, and the death of one of the group, foretells trouble. Tabitha tries to figure out what's happening as the old friends get picked off one by one.
Great Parisian atmosphere, nice banter, and such a strong sense of place and time, a thoroughly enjoyable read. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This series is a delight, both light-hearted and serious at the same time. The main character Tabitha Knight is half French and lives with her grand-pere and his partner in Paris. Her next door neighbor and friend just happens to be the pre-famous Julia Child. Sometimes books featuring actual historic characters are cringe worthy, but Julia is portrayed with great affection, humor and respect.
Tabitha is making a living teaching French and trying to learn to cook from Julia. She is interrupted by the occasional dead body now and then. She has a knack for being fearless and finding out information that eludes the French police. And of course, the local Inspector is hunky and Tabitha hankers after him, but he is engaged.
Tabitha's grandfather and partner -- she calls them her "messieurs", are opening a new chic restaurant and the preview is limited to a small group of their very close friends and former comrades in the French Resistance. A troubling message from a medium, and the death of one of the group, foretells trouble. Tabitha tries to figure out what's happening as the old friends get picked off one by one.
Great Parisian atmosphere, nice banter, and such a strong sense of place and time, a thoroughly enjoyable read. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
May 4, 2026
This is the fourth book in this series that is my escape, fun read. Set in the 1950's in Paris after WWII with Julia Child as a character - I find them hard to resist.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This cozy mystery has its roots in World War Two, as the members of the Paris underground network Tabitha's grandfather and his partner belonged to are being stalked by a vicious killer. The first killing takes place at the soft opening of their new restaurant and another soon follows. Tabi is determined to protect her elderly Grandpere and solve the mystery.
This is the fifth in the American in Paris series involving Tabi and her friend and neighbor Julia Child. There's less of Julia and her wonderful recipes in this book than the previous, but this is balanced by a better plotted mystery. Reading the previous books in the series is helpful but not necessary. It's a fascinating look at postwar Paris although the occasional modern slang does grate on the reader.
Thanks to Netgalley for an advance copy in return for an honest review of the book.
This is the fifth in the American in Paris series involving Tabi and her friend and neighbor Julia Child. There's less of Julia and her wonderful recipes in this book than the previous, but this is balanced by a better plotted mystery. Reading the previous books in the series is helpful but not necessary. It's a fascinating look at postwar Paris although the occasional modern slang does grate on the reader.
Thanks to Netgalley for an advance copy in return for an honest review of the book.
May 18, 2026
I have absolutely loved the “An American in Paris Mystery” series by Colleen Cambridge, author of “In the Spirit of French Murder”, so I was excited about this fourth addition to the series. The first three books had this charm, wit, and cozy-yet-clever energy that completely pulled me in. They were atmospheric, fun, fast-moving, and genuinely hard to put down. This one, unfortunately, just didn’t hit with the same spark. I’m still giving it 4 stars because I genuinely love the characters and the world Cambridge has created, but this was definitely the weakest installment in the series for me.
First—and I cannot stress this enough—the chapters were SO long. Painfully long. There were multiple points where I would look down thinking surely I had to be near the end of a chapter… and somehow still have 20 more pages to go. The pacing suffered badly because of this. Scenes dragged on much longer than necessary, conversations wandered, and the overall story felt bloated in a way the earlier books never did. The previous books had a smooth rhythm that kept me engaged and constantly wanting “just one more chapter.” This one felt more like a marathon.
Second… why did EVERYTHING smell like cigarettes?! I understand the setting and the era, and yes, people smoked constantly back then. I get it. But after a while it became unintentionally funny because literally every room, person, object, hallway, café, curtain, breath of air, and passing thought seemed to smell like smoke. I swear if someone opened a croissant box, I expected “the scent of stale cigarettes” to come wafting out. Once I noticed it, I couldn’t stop noticing it. It became distracting.
Another major disappointment was Julia’s reduced presence in the story. One of the biggest strengths of the first three books was the dynamic involving Julia Child. Her personality added so much warmth, humor, and life to the series. In this installment, she felt oddly sidelined. The chemistry and magic that made the earlier books feel so unique just wasn’t there as much this time around, and I definitely missed it.
The mystery itself was also an extremely slow burn… and not necessarily in a good way. This book moved at a crawl for most of the story, with very little payoff along the way. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, BAM—here’s the murderer. The ending felt rushed compared to how drawn out the buildup was. What frustrated me most was that the supposed suspect reveal didn’t feel properly developed. It was one of those endings where the book tells you, “Well technically the clues were there,” but emotionally it didn’t feel earned because the suspect barely felt important until the very end. After such a slow pace, I wanted a much stronger and more satisfying payoff.
All that said, I still enjoyed being back in this world because I genuinely adore this series and these characters. Even a weaker entry from this series is still more entertaining than a lot of other cozy mysteries out there. I just kept waiting for the magic of the first three books to kick in—and for me, it never did.
Here’s hoping there’s a fifth book, because I would absolutely read it. I just hope the next installment brings back the energy, pacing, humor, and charm that made the earlier books so fantastic. And maybe… just maybe… Colleen should drink a little less wine while writing the next one. 🤷♂️
First—and I cannot stress this enough—the chapters were SO long. Painfully long. There were multiple points where I would look down thinking surely I had to be near the end of a chapter… and somehow still have 20 more pages to go. The pacing suffered badly because of this. Scenes dragged on much longer than necessary, conversations wandered, and the overall story felt bloated in a way the earlier books never did. The previous books had a smooth rhythm that kept me engaged and constantly wanting “just one more chapter.” This one felt more like a marathon.
Second… why did EVERYTHING smell like cigarettes?! I understand the setting and the era, and yes, people smoked constantly back then. I get it. But after a while it became unintentionally funny because literally every room, person, object, hallway, café, curtain, breath of air, and passing thought seemed to smell like smoke. I swear if someone opened a croissant box, I expected “the scent of stale cigarettes” to come wafting out. Once I noticed it, I couldn’t stop noticing it. It became distracting.
Another major disappointment was Julia’s reduced presence in the story. One of the biggest strengths of the first three books was the dynamic involving Julia Child. Her personality added so much warmth, humor, and life to the series. In this installment, she felt oddly sidelined. The chemistry and magic that made the earlier books feel so unique just wasn’t there as much this time around, and I definitely missed it.
The mystery itself was also an extremely slow burn… and not necessarily in a good way. This book moved at a crawl for most of the story, with very little payoff along the way. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, BAM—here’s the murderer. The ending felt rushed compared to how drawn out the buildup was. What frustrated me most was that the supposed suspect reveal didn’t feel properly developed. It was one of those endings where the book tells you, “Well technically the clues were there,” but emotionally it didn’t feel earned because the suspect barely felt important until the very end. After such a slow pace, I wanted a much stronger and more satisfying payoff.
All that said, I still enjoyed being back in this world because I genuinely adore this series and these characters. Even a weaker entry from this series is still more entertaining than a lot of other cozy mysteries out there. I just kept waiting for the magic of the first three books to kick in—and for me, it never did.
Here’s hoping there’s a fifth book, because I would absolutely read it. I just hope the next installment brings back the energy, pacing, humor, and charm that made the earlier books so fantastic. And maybe… just maybe… Colleen should drink a little less wine while writing the next one. 🤷♂️
May 23, 2026
Wow! I love these books so much! I’m such a fan of Julia Child. If you’re not a fan you will become one after reading these books. She is an extraordinary person. These books do an amazing job of letting us spend time with Julia and Paul, young and in love in Paris, while Tabitha and her “Messieurs” (no idea how to spell that) solve murders. The budding romance between Tabitha and the inspector (again, no idea how to spell his name) is adorable. The history that underlies these stories, only five years after the German occupation, is detailed and personal. Very well done. I suggest the audiobooks for the French pronunciations. I find stumbling over unpronounceable words takes me out of the story. Highly recommended!
May 6, 2026
Unfortunately, this series seems to have hit a wall.
Though this one is better than the last installment, we continue to move away from anything involving Julia Child and food-driven content, which left only a mystery that was just okay.
What was so good about this series at the beginning was Julia and Tabitha’s friendship and the incorporation of Julia’s cooking into the plot. Both the character and the food itself now appear only anecdotally, taking away any uniqueness the series had to set itself apart from what could now be any amateur detective series set in Paris.
The city has never been especially well employed in these, but it used to at least be better rendered for sense of place, and that’s another thing that has faded pretty consistently since the series began.
And while the mystery here is fine in the structural sense, like the last installment it is predicated on some pretty heavy subject matter that feels very out of place in this style of historical mystery.
If you aren’t too picky about setting and atmosphere and just want a whodunit, these books are fine enough. But it’s disappointing to see the series meander so far away from what made it uniquely compelling in the first place.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
Though this one is better than the last installment, we continue to move away from anything involving Julia Child and food-driven content, which left only a mystery that was just okay.
What was so good about this series at the beginning was Julia and Tabitha’s friendship and the incorporation of Julia’s cooking into the plot. Both the character and the food itself now appear only anecdotally, taking away any uniqueness the series had to set itself apart from what could now be any amateur detective series set in Paris.
The city has never been especially well employed in these, but it used to at least be better rendered for sense of place, and that’s another thing that has faded pretty consistently since the series began.
And while the mystery here is fine in the structural sense, like the last installment it is predicated on some pretty heavy subject matter that feels very out of place in this style of historical mystery.
If you aren’t too picky about setting and atmosphere and just want a whodunit, these books are fine enough. But it’s disappointing to see the series meander so far away from what made it uniquely compelling in the first place.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
May 27, 2026
Fourth book in this historical mystery series has Tabitha trying to solve the mystery of who is killing off the nine Bluets, all former members of a cell of the French resistance during WWII. For Tabitha, this is personal, as her grandpere and Oncle Rafe were part of this group. Interactions between Tabitha and her neighbor, Julia Child, and the latter’s fantastic meals that she creates and shares with Tabitha and her Grandpere and Oncke are interspersed in this mystery. This was an interesting, non-spicy mystery, somewhat slow paced, with what may develop into more romantic elements in future books between the inspector Merveille.
June 5, 2026
Cozy and cute
June 14, 2026
Good mystery with nod to Agatha Christie. Lovely history both of Paris and the resistance.
May 10, 2026
I love this series. Tabitha is an engaging, intelligent protagonist who seemingly has the problem of having murders to solve, much to the dismay of handsome Inspecteur Merveille. In the latest installment, Tabby and the Inspecteur follow clues that are filled with plenty of twists and turns along the way that result in a satisfying conclusion. Joined by her fellow ex-pat best friend and neighbor, Julia Child, Tabitha enjoys Julia's cooking and 1950's Paris. I love how well the author has obviously researched the time period and her subject materials to add such depth to her books!
May 14, 2026
I just love this series!
May 7, 2026
An excellent historical mystery.
I enjoy this mystery series very much. In the Spirt of French Murder is an excellent continuation to the series. I eagerly awaited its release. It was my birthday present to myself. The author crafts, a narrative that puts the listener into post World War II Paris. The story. Is well paste it made me feel like I was actually in 1950s Paris. It was so well crafted that the clues to the identity of the murderer. Were right there in plain sight but I dismissed them. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series I highly recommend this to any mystery lover or lover of historical fiction.
May 4, 2026
This is my new comfort series. Or at least it will be when the next book comes out.
I love everything about this! The setting, the characters, and the character ~development~ Tabitha is so Nancy Drew coded and Merveille is the reincarnation of Nathan Page’s Detective Inspector Jack Robinson. The slow burn be BURNING! I am a happy clam.
The mystery this time around was pretty easy to solve, but the spooky aura gave it a fun Halloween in spring kind of vibe.
And Julia Child! She’s such a fun addition to the cast and she makes everything better!
If you like cozy mysteries and/or food, for the love of all that is good and holy, get started on this series! Bon appetite or whatever Julia says!
I love everything about this! The setting, the characters, and the character ~development~ Tabitha is so Nancy Drew coded and Merveille is the reincarnation of Nathan Page’s Detective Inspector Jack Robinson. The slow burn be BURNING! I am a happy clam.
The mystery this time around was pretty easy to solve, but the spooky aura gave it a fun Halloween in spring kind of vibe.
And Julia Child! She’s such a fun addition to the cast and she makes everything better!
If you like cozy mysteries and/or food, for the love of all that is good and holy, get started on this series! Bon appetite or whatever Julia says!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Five years hasn’t been nearly enough time for Parisians to heal from the devastation of World War II and the brutal occupation of their city and country by the Nazis. As this fourth story in the American in Paris series begins, American expat Tabitha Knight hopes that the re-opening of her messieurs’ restaurant, Maison de Verre, is at least a sign that the healing has begun.
Or that at least it heals something for her beloved grand-père and his life partner ‘Oncle’ Rafe, as well as the gang of their old colleagues from the Resistance who are gathering to celebrate their new but well-loved and well-remembered old haunt. It’s just one link in the chain of Paris reclaiming her nickname as the “City of Light” they all love.
But the first complete gathering of their Resistance cell, “Les neuf bleuets”, after the war tragically turns out to be their last. The evening ends with the murder of one of these old clandestine warriors, the man’s throat slit just down the street where the party is still winding down.
The murder is not as much of a surprise to Tabitha as she wishes it were – and not only because she has an unfortunate tendency to trip over dead bodies. This time, it’s not just her penchant for discovering death, it’s that a creepy but rather formidable old fortune teller visited her messieurs just the day before, attempting to warn them that death was coming for all of their old comrades. Very, very soon.
Once the prediction is proven true, Tabitha, along with her best friend and sometime sidekick, the larger-than-life, not-yet-famous, soon-to-be chef Julia Child, hunt down that fortune teller near the old – and infamous – rue des Maléfices. The street of witches.
Madame Vierca may not actually be a witch, but her predictions are frighteningly accurate. So accurate that the killer eliminates her along with as many of the original members of the old Resistance cell as they can get their hands on.
It eventually becomes clear that the killer is re-enacting Agatha Christie’s 1939 classic, And Then There Were None. Which means that one of the supposed early victims is most likely the killer. It’s up to Tabitha, with the able assistance of Inspecteur Étienne Merveille of the Paris police – or the other way around – to unmask the murderer before Tabitha’s beloved messieurs are numbered among the victims.
Escape Rating A+: The title is more apt than it first appears. In the Spirit of French Murder is a story about hauntings. Not ghosts – well, not exactly ghosts – but the haunting of the spirit. And possibly, haunting by spirits.
And all of that is intriguing and fascinating, making this a, pardon the pun, haunting fourth entry in the American in Paris series.
From the outset, this story is about the way that World War II and the Occupation still haunt both the city and the people within it. Everyone was touched by the Occupation. Everyone did things they regret. Everyone lost people they deeply miss. Ultimately, the murder spree in this story is wrapped around one person who survived but lost everyone they loved along that terrible way. A person who, as people often do, assigned blame to those who were still available for retribution instead of the vast anonymous machinery of the war and the dark souls of those who enabled its brutality.
Alongside the murders and the investigation that stalks Tabitha, her messieurs and all the remaining members of ‘les neufs bleuets’ there’s another type of haunting. The story is also haunted by the spirits that both hide and embody the soul of a place where the veil is thin and porous to both memory and the disturbing myths and legends of the weird and the wonderful that can’t be explained – only told and re-told until they become part of the, well, spirit of the place.
As part of her investigation, Tabitha is exposed to many of those old legends, as they loom over the story every bit as much as the late war. One of those myths even comes to life, right before her eyes, and then vanishes in the smoke. As all the best legends do.
I initially picked up this series with Mastering the Art of French Murder for Julia Child. As, I’m sure, did a LOT of readers. She was a fascinating figure, and even more so after the records of her wartime exploits with the OSS were declassified. In this series, she serves as a terrific introduction to life in post-war Paris as an American in Paris.
But if Julia is the bait, Tabitha Knight and her messieurs are the hook that keeps the reader coming back for more, from A Murder Most French through A Fashionably French Murder and now into the dark haunting of In the Spirit of French Murder.
Tabitha Knight is a fascinating amateur detective. On the one hand, she is very much an outsider, an American expat coming to Paris for a fresh start as the city is itself experiencing the same. OTOH, she has connections both to the city’s past and present through her messieurs and an introduction to her new home through Julia.
Between Julia’s friends at Le Cordon Bleu and her messieurs’ wide circle of friends and colleagues, Tabitha is well-within those six degrees of separation to anything and everything. And yet she’s still just a bit outside and sees things through fresh eyes. So she’s both charmed and scared by those Parisian spirits, and yet determined to keep her loved ones safe – even from themselves and their dangerous assumptions about their old friends.
The case is as twisted as the narrow rues and alleys of the old quartiers of Paris. The red herrings are as tasty as anything served up by Julia Child. Julia herself is a marvelously fluting addition to every scene in which she appears – particularly as she introduces Tabitha and the reader to the delights of post-war Paris, especially its open-air markets, its tiny kitchens, and its delicious food. But Tabitha’s quest is dark and dangerous and pokes into shadows that someone does not want to have exposed. That she has a police Inspecteur at her side – or he has her – for the nearly deadly denouement makes the whole misadventure just that much more captivating – and even more impossible for this reader to put down until the last page was turned.
Hopefully, Tabitha will eventually manage to find a way into the heart of that handsome police Inspecteur, who often sees her as an infuriating nuisance. This series cannot stop until they figure themselves out. After all, as much as Paris is the “City of Light”, it is also the “City of Love”.
Originally published at Reading Reality
Or that at least it heals something for her beloved grand-père and his life partner ‘Oncle’ Rafe, as well as the gang of their old colleagues from the Resistance who are gathering to celebrate their new but well-loved and well-remembered old haunt. It’s just one link in the chain of Paris reclaiming her nickname as the “City of Light” they all love.
But the first complete gathering of their Resistance cell, “Les neuf bleuets”, after the war tragically turns out to be their last. The evening ends with the murder of one of these old clandestine warriors, the man’s throat slit just down the street where the party is still winding down.
The murder is not as much of a surprise to Tabitha as she wishes it were – and not only because she has an unfortunate tendency to trip over dead bodies. This time, it’s not just her penchant for discovering death, it’s that a creepy but rather formidable old fortune teller visited her messieurs just the day before, attempting to warn them that death was coming for all of their old comrades. Very, very soon.
Once the prediction is proven true, Tabitha, along with her best friend and sometime sidekick, the larger-than-life, not-yet-famous, soon-to-be chef Julia Child, hunt down that fortune teller near the old – and infamous – rue des Maléfices. The street of witches.
Madame Vierca may not actually be a witch, but her predictions are frighteningly accurate. So accurate that the killer eliminates her along with as many of the original members of the old Resistance cell as they can get their hands on.
It eventually becomes clear that the killer is re-enacting Agatha Christie’s 1939 classic, And Then There Were None. Which means that one of the supposed early victims is most likely the killer. It’s up to Tabitha, with the able assistance of Inspecteur Étienne Merveille of the Paris police – or the other way around – to unmask the murderer before Tabitha’s beloved messieurs are numbered among the victims.
Escape Rating A+: The title is more apt than it first appears. In the Spirit of French Murder is a story about hauntings. Not ghosts – well, not exactly ghosts – but the haunting of the spirit. And possibly, haunting by spirits.
And all of that is intriguing and fascinating, making this a, pardon the pun, haunting fourth entry in the American in Paris series.
From the outset, this story is about the way that World War II and the Occupation still haunt both the city and the people within it. Everyone was touched by the Occupation. Everyone did things they regret. Everyone lost people they deeply miss. Ultimately, the murder spree in this story is wrapped around one person who survived but lost everyone they loved along that terrible way. A person who, as people often do, assigned blame to those who were still available for retribution instead of the vast anonymous machinery of the war and the dark souls of those who enabled its brutality.
Alongside the murders and the investigation that stalks Tabitha, her messieurs and all the remaining members of ‘les neufs bleuets’ there’s another type of haunting. The story is also haunted by the spirits that both hide and embody the soul of a place where the veil is thin and porous to both memory and the disturbing myths and legends of the weird and the wonderful that can’t be explained – only told and re-told until they become part of the, well, spirit of the place.
As part of her investigation, Tabitha is exposed to many of those old legends, as they loom over the story every bit as much as the late war. One of those myths even comes to life, right before her eyes, and then vanishes in the smoke. As all the best legends do.
I initially picked up this series with Mastering the Art of French Murder for Julia Child. As, I’m sure, did a LOT of readers. She was a fascinating figure, and even more so after the records of her wartime exploits with the OSS were declassified. In this series, she serves as a terrific introduction to life in post-war Paris as an American in Paris.
But if Julia is the bait, Tabitha Knight and her messieurs are the hook that keeps the reader coming back for more, from A Murder Most French through A Fashionably French Murder and now into the dark haunting of In the Spirit of French Murder.
Tabitha Knight is a fascinating amateur detective. On the one hand, she is very much an outsider, an American expat coming to Paris for a fresh start as the city is itself experiencing the same. OTOH, she has connections both to the city’s past and present through her messieurs and an introduction to her new home through Julia.
Between Julia’s friends at Le Cordon Bleu and her messieurs’ wide circle of friends and colleagues, Tabitha is well-within those six degrees of separation to anything and everything. And yet she’s still just a bit outside and sees things through fresh eyes. So she’s both charmed and scared by those Parisian spirits, and yet determined to keep her loved ones safe – even from themselves and their dangerous assumptions about their old friends.
The case is as twisted as the narrow rues and alleys of the old quartiers of Paris. The red herrings are as tasty as anything served up by Julia Child. Julia herself is a marvelously fluting addition to every scene in which she appears – particularly as she introduces Tabitha and the reader to the delights of post-war Paris, especially its open-air markets, its tiny kitchens, and its delicious food. But Tabitha’s quest is dark and dangerous and pokes into shadows that someone does not want to have exposed. That she has a police Inspecteur at her side – or he has her – for the nearly deadly denouement makes the whole misadventure just that much more captivating – and even more impossible for this reader to put down until the last page was turned.
Hopefully, Tabitha will eventually manage to find a way into the heart of that handsome police Inspecteur, who often sees her as an infuriating nuisance. This series cannot stop until they figure themselves out. After all, as much as Paris is the “City of Light”, it is also the “City of Love”.
Originally published at Reading Reality
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
In the Spirit of French Murder is the fourth book in Colleen Cambridge's An American in Paris Mystery series set in post-World War II Paris, about Tabitha Knight, a former Rosie the Riveter and best friend of Julia Child. At the time this novel takes place, in March of 1950, Tabitha, the daughter of an American policeman father and a French mother, has been in Paris for almost a year. After growing up near Detroit, she has gone to live with her French grandfather and his life partner, Oncle Rafe. Tabitha's cooking skills are not up to making the French dinners her "messieurs" love, but, luckily for her, she has Julia Child as a neighbor. At this time, Julia is a student at the prestigious Cordon Bleu chef school, and she is happy to cook meals for Tabitha and her messieurs or to direct Tabitha in making them.
As she is returning from Julia's house one day, after Julia has a rare failure in the kitchen, Tabitha is confronted by a woman leaving her messieurs' house, warning of danger to them. Tabitha's grandfather and Oncle Rafe are clearly upset, and unwilling to talk about who the woman is, and what she said to them. Later, the woman follows Tabitha when she goes on a date with Jean-Luc, the veterinarian who helped her rescue an alley cat in the previous book. It turns out this mysterious woman is Madame Vierca, who has a reputation as a medium. She has a cryptic message for Tabitha, saying that nine bluets (a blue flower, like a cornflower) are fading.
Tabitha doesn't know what to think of this. She doesn't really believe in mediums and fortune tellers, but she is fascinated by them, and she is afraid for her messieurs. She agrees to meet with Madame Vierca at her house, and Julia insists on accompanying her. Madame Vierca's fortune for Julia, that she will appear in many living rooms, is very amusing. Julia, of course, has no idea what she's talking about. Tabitha's fortune is much darker. The medium knows that she often comes across dead bodies, and predicts that this will happen again, and warns of more danger for Tabitha's grandfather and Oncle Rafe. She also claims to have spoken to the spirit of Tabitha's late grandmother, even mentioning an incident that happened when she lived in Michigan, and which very few people knew about. But when Tabitha asks what she meant by the flowers losing their bloom, Madame Vierca doesn't remember.
Shortly after this visit, Tabitha attends the pre-opening party at the restaurant that her messieurs own, and which they are opening for the first time since the war. Julia and the restaurant's chef cook the delicious-sounding dinner. The guests are members of her messieurs' Resistance group. Tabitha is alarmed when she sees a bouquet of nine bluets at the table, and she recalls the medium's warning. It turns out that the Resistance group was known as the Nine Bluets. During the war, the members of the group had to keep their identities secret, and not all the members were known to each other until the war was over.
After the dinner, one of the Nine Bluets is found stabbed to death shortly after he leaves the restaurant, and one of the bluet flowers is missing from the bouquet and later found with his body. Inspecteur Merveille is called to the scene. As readers of the earlier books will know, Tabitha finds Merveille very attractive, even though he is engaged to be married and she is beginning her own romance with Jean-Luc. In the previous book, Tabitha noticed that the picture of Merveille's fiancée was missing from his desk. Has the engagement been broken off? I will not spoil it here, but we get an indirect answer to that question in this book. Merveille rarely shows his feelings, so Tabitha doesn't really know how he feels about her, except that he gets annoyed by her interference in his cases. That seems to be diminishing a little more with each book, though.
Tabitha and Merveille agree that the murderer had to be someone who was at the dinner, which means a member of the Resistance group. Why would one member of the group want to kill another? Tabitha thinks her grandfather and Oncle Rafe are not taking Madame Vierca's warnings seriously enough. The next day, Tabitha insists on accompanying her messieurs when they visit an empty house, which had served as a safe house for the group during the war. They used it to hide Jews and other refugees until it was safe to get them out of occupied Paris. Another member of the Resistance group is supposed to meet them there, but he doesn't answer the door. When Tabitha and her messieurs go inside, they find his dead body--and another bluet.
Even though the method of murder is different--this man was poisoned, not stabbed--Tabitha is certain it must be the same killer, and that one member of the Nine Bluets is killing the others. Tabitha and Merveille must find the killer before her beloved messieurs become the next victims. Their search takes them into the dark alleys of the Left Bank and some of the seediest parts of Paris, including a hashish den, a tattoo parlor, and a crowded bar run by a woman. When Tabitha returns to Madame Vierca's house, the medium has disappeared, leaving behind three tarot cards, which Tabitha interprets as a warning to her: the Devil, the King of Swords, and Death. All very ominous, she knows, but will the message in the cards help her find the killer?
This is a wonderful series, and I absolutely love Cambridge's descriptions of postwar Paris. The city comes alive for the reader. This book focuses on the work of the Resistance during World War II, and how much danger they faced. Even though the war had been over for five years at the time the book takes place, the memories are still alive for the people of Paris. Tabitha worked at a bomber plant in Michigan, but, even though that was hard and potentially dangerous work, she is amazed and horrified when she learns of all that the Parisians suffered under the Nazi occupation. Her grandfather and Oncle Rafe rarely talk about the war, and it is the only point of contention between them. For Oncle Rafe, the difference between resisting and collaborating is clear-cut, and he sees things in black and white: either you were a resistor or a collaborator, and there was nothing in between. But Tabitha's grandfather sees the gray areas. He was a banker during the war and had to work with the Nazis. While he pretended to collaborate, he was secretly helping the Resistance.
Each book in the series features a different aspect of French culture: food, wine, and fashion in the first three, and spiritualism in this one. For the first time in the series, there are supernatural elements, and Cambridge brings in several legendary figures from Parisian folklore, such as The Old Man Who Appears After Midnight and Lancelin the Sleeper. These stories are fascinating, and it is up to the reader to decide how "real" they are. We see less of Julia in this book, though. She appears fairly often toward the beginning, and then not again until the end, as Tabitha and Merveille search the Left Bank for clues without her. But her appearances are an absolute delight, as always. Tabitha's conversations with her help her to straighten things out in her mind, about the case she's working on. And, of course, Julia makes mouth-watering food in this book, including, besides the dinner at the restaurant, cheese soufflé, coq au vin, and French onion soup. I am looking forward to seeing Tabitha's and Julia's adventures continue.
As she is returning from Julia's house one day, after Julia has a rare failure in the kitchen, Tabitha is confronted by a woman leaving her messieurs' house, warning of danger to them. Tabitha's grandfather and Oncle Rafe are clearly upset, and unwilling to talk about who the woman is, and what she said to them. Later, the woman follows Tabitha when she goes on a date with Jean-Luc, the veterinarian who helped her rescue an alley cat in the previous book. It turns out this mysterious woman is Madame Vierca, who has a reputation as a medium. She has a cryptic message for Tabitha, saying that nine bluets (a blue flower, like a cornflower) are fading.
Tabitha doesn't know what to think of this. She doesn't really believe in mediums and fortune tellers, but she is fascinated by them, and she is afraid for her messieurs. She agrees to meet with Madame Vierca at her house, and Julia insists on accompanying her. Madame Vierca's fortune for Julia, that she will appear in many living rooms, is very amusing. Julia, of course, has no idea what she's talking about. Tabitha's fortune is much darker. The medium knows that she often comes across dead bodies, and predicts that this will happen again, and warns of more danger for Tabitha's grandfather and Oncle Rafe. She also claims to have spoken to the spirit of Tabitha's late grandmother, even mentioning an incident that happened when she lived in Michigan, and which very few people knew about. But when Tabitha asks what she meant by the flowers losing their bloom, Madame Vierca doesn't remember.
Shortly after this visit, Tabitha attends the pre-opening party at the restaurant that her messieurs own, and which they are opening for the first time since the war. Julia and the restaurant's chef cook the delicious-sounding dinner. The guests are members of her messieurs' Resistance group. Tabitha is alarmed when she sees a bouquet of nine bluets at the table, and she recalls the medium's warning. It turns out that the Resistance group was known as the Nine Bluets. During the war, the members of the group had to keep their identities secret, and not all the members were known to each other until the war was over.
After the dinner, one of the Nine Bluets is found stabbed to death shortly after he leaves the restaurant, and one of the bluet flowers is missing from the bouquet and later found with his body. Inspecteur Merveille is called to the scene. As readers of the earlier books will know, Tabitha finds Merveille very attractive, even though he is engaged to be married and she is beginning her own romance with Jean-Luc. In the previous book, Tabitha noticed that the picture of Merveille's fiancée was missing from his desk. Has the engagement been broken off? I will not spoil it here, but we get an indirect answer to that question in this book. Merveille rarely shows his feelings, so Tabitha doesn't really know how he feels about her, except that he gets annoyed by her interference in his cases. That seems to be diminishing a little more with each book, though.
Tabitha and Merveille agree that the murderer had to be someone who was at the dinner, which means a member of the Resistance group. Why would one member of the group want to kill another? Tabitha thinks her grandfather and Oncle Rafe are not taking Madame Vierca's warnings seriously enough. The next day, Tabitha insists on accompanying her messieurs when they visit an empty house, which had served as a safe house for the group during the war. They used it to hide Jews and other refugees until it was safe to get them out of occupied Paris. Another member of the Resistance group is supposed to meet them there, but he doesn't answer the door. When Tabitha and her messieurs go inside, they find his dead body--and another bluet.
Even though the method of murder is different--this man was poisoned, not stabbed--Tabitha is certain it must be the same killer, and that one member of the Nine Bluets is killing the others. Tabitha and Merveille must find the killer before her beloved messieurs become the next victims. Their search takes them into the dark alleys of the Left Bank and some of the seediest parts of Paris, including a hashish den, a tattoo parlor, and a crowded bar run by a woman. When Tabitha returns to Madame Vierca's house, the medium has disappeared, leaving behind three tarot cards, which Tabitha interprets as a warning to her: the Devil, the King of Swords, and Death. All very ominous, she knows, but will the message in the cards help her find the killer?
This is a wonderful series, and I absolutely love Cambridge's descriptions of postwar Paris. The city comes alive for the reader. This book focuses on the work of the Resistance during World War II, and how much danger they faced. Even though the war had been over for five years at the time the book takes place, the memories are still alive for the people of Paris. Tabitha worked at a bomber plant in Michigan, but, even though that was hard and potentially dangerous work, she is amazed and horrified when she learns of all that the Parisians suffered under the Nazi occupation. Her grandfather and Oncle Rafe rarely talk about the war, and it is the only point of contention between them. For Oncle Rafe, the difference between resisting and collaborating is clear-cut, and he sees things in black and white: either you were a resistor or a collaborator, and there was nothing in between. But Tabitha's grandfather sees the gray areas. He was a banker during the war and had to work with the Nazis. While he pretended to collaborate, he was secretly helping the Resistance.
Each book in the series features a different aspect of French culture: food, wine, and fashion in the first three, and spiritualism in this one. For the first time in the series, there are supernatural elements, and Cambridge brings in several legendary figures from Parisian folklore, such as The Old Man Who Appears After Midnight and Lancelin the Sleeper. These stories are fascinating, and it is up to the reader to decide how "real" they are. We see less of Julia in this book, though. She appears fairly often toward the beginning, and then not again until the end, as Tabitha and Merveille search the Left Bank for clues without her. But her appearances are an absolute delight, as always. Tabitha's conversations with her help her to straighten things out in her mind, about the case she's working on. And, of course, Julia makes mouth-watering food in this book, including, besides the dinner at the restaurant, cheese soufflé, coq au vin, and French onion soup. I am looking forward to seeing Tabitha's and Julia's adventures continue.
May 22, 2026
We’re getting closer to Merveille making his move! Please let it be in the next book, Ms Cambridge. Once again, another engaging and satisfactory continuation from the 1st to 3rd books in this delightful series [See my review on Mastering the French Art of Murder (2023) for more.]. Both the CHs and Paris setting, once again, take center stage in an intriguing series of murders that take place in March of 1950 around the opening of Tabitha’s grandfather and uncle’s restaurant, the Maison de Verre opening, seamlessly integrating fashion (Dior gown!), the preparation and enjoyment of delicious cuisine from early strawberries to vichyssoise, some interesting flower and plant facts (Bluets, Lily of the Valley) with Paris’s WWII history, especially specifics about Tabitha’s gentlemen’s involvement in the resistance as a reunion takes place and a murder spree begins. Relentless Tabitha finds herself involved, of course, proximity again, but also because her beloved grand-père and Oncle Rafe are in the bull’s eye. Both gentlemen, like Julia Child, are secondary CHs that add zest to the plot as it unfolds, as well as an assortment of other CHs like the older Parisians who were in the underground, and retired police Superintendent Devre (the Inspector’s Uncle) and Madame Vierca, a Tarot card reader and psychic. Tabitha’s involvement continues to disquiet the formidable and entrancing Inspector Etienne Merveille; however, in this outing he seems a bit more accepting of her detecting gifts, almost openly admiring her contributions. The Sexual Tension (ST) continues to build between Tabitha and the Inspector at a slower boil than I like; however, the ST is delicious, and Tabitha’s dates with the veterinarian, Jean-Luc, provide some additional tension and a conflicting attraction. The food and wine descriptions are divine as are Julia Child’s raptures over the food, and the market scenes are always humorous, the dialogue both LOL and clever, as this story explores postwar Paris as it still recovers from the Nazi Occupation. Cambridge uses the supernatural legends of Paris well as it infuses the Tone with an eerie quality that adds to the darkness of the threat. Good Red Herrings, excellent procedural detail, and plotting as Tabitha uses her mystery-reading and her father’s police experience to good effect. Cambridge explains Tabitha's abilities in a way that makes me believe she could succeed when challenged physically and when in jeopardy. The contrast between Tabitha and Merveille’s approach to the crimes inform their CHs and add to the narrative arc, as well as the on-going fun of their dialogue. Amusing and compelling—I look forward to #5. RED FLAGS: Graphic Violence; WWII Sadness. Again, for fans of Cambridge’s Phyllida Bright series, and also for those who enjoyed Jessa Maxwell’s The Golden Spoon, and Emilia Bernhard’s Death in Paris.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Check out all my reviews at: https://www.avonnalovesgenres.com
IN THE SPIRIT OF FRENCH MURDER (An American in Paris Book #4) by Colleen Cambridge is another wonderful addition to this entertaining, intriguing, and informative historical mystery series featuring Tabitha Knight, an American in Paris and her best friend and fellow ex-pat, Julia Child. While the main cast of characters continue to evolve in their relationships, each book contains a complete mystery, so these books can be read as standalone books. I have read them all in order and loved every single one.
Tabitha is excited about the opening night party of her Grand-pere and Oncle Rafe’s new restaurant. While she still has questions regarding an old medium, Madame Vierca, who visited the pair yesterday and warned her of danger as she left, she is fascinated by the Resistance group that her Grand-pere and Oncle reunited. Called the Nine Bluets, Tabitha is told tales of the group as they worked against the Nazis.
As the revelers depart the restaurant, one of the group of fighters is found dead on the street with his throat slit. Another is found the next day poisoned in an old home previously used as a safe house by the group. Tabitha is extremely worried about her messieurs as the predictions from the old medium appear to be coming true with a wilted bluet found by each dead body. Once again, she is caught up in a murder investigation with Inspecteur Merveille.
As Tabitha and Merveille investigate the murders, Tabitha is especially frantic when her Grand-pere and Oncle are kidnapped. Can she follow to clues to discover the killer in time to save those she loves?
I always look forward to getting a new book in this series. Tabitha is a wonderful protagonist who just seems to have dead people fall at her feet to the eternal consternation of Inspecteur Merveille. These two follow the clues with plenty of twists and surprises along the way to an always satisfactory resolution. Having Julia Child as Tabitha’s best friend sets the stage for wonderful, mouthwatering descriptions of recipes and cooking, as well as a sounding board for Tabitha’s adventures. The descriptions of Paris and its inhabitants in 1950 demonstrate the author’s obvious research and add to the richness of the story. This time period and location is especially intriguing because while Paris is free and rebuilding, it has only been five years since the war and the atrocities of the Nazi occupation.
I highly recommend this engaging historical mystery and encourage you to try all the books in this series.
IN THE SPIRIT OF FRENCH MURDER (An American in Paris Book #4) by Colleen Cambridge is another wonderful addition to this entertaining, intriguing, and informative historical mystery series featuring Tabitha Knight, an American in Paris and her best friend and fellow ex-pat, Julia Child. While the main cast of characters continue to evolve in their relationships, each book contains a complete mystery, so these books can be read as standalone books. I have read them all in order and loved every single one.
Tabitha is excited about the opening night party of her Grand-pere and Oncle Rafe’s new restaurant. While she still has questions regarding an old medium, Madame Vierca, who visited the pair yesterday and warned her of danger as she left, she is fascinated by the Resistance group that her Grand-pere and Oncle reunited. Called the Nine Bluets, Tabitha is told tales of the group as they worked against the Nazis.
As the revelers depart the restaurant, one of the group of fighters is found dead on the street with his throat slit. Another is found the next day poisoned in an old home previously used as a safe house by the group. Tabitha is extremely worried about her messieurs as the predictions from the old medium appear to be coming true with a wilted bluet found by each dead body. Once again, she is caught up in a murder investigation with Inspecteur Merveille.
As Tabitha and Merveille investigate the murders, Tabitha is especially frantic when her Grand-pere and Oncle are kidnapped. Can she follow to clues to discover the killer in time to save those she loves?
I always look forward to getting a new book in this series. Tabitha is a wonderful protagonist who just seems to have dead people fall at her feet to the eternal consternation of Inspecteur Merveille. These two follow the clues with plenty of twists and surprises along the way to an always satisfactory resolution. Having Julia Child as Tabitha’s best friend sets the stage for wonderful, mouthwatering descriptions of recipes and cooking, as well as a sounding board for Tabitha’s adventures. The descriptions of Paris and its inhabitants in 1950 demonstrate the author’s obvious research and add to the richness of the story. This time period and location is especially intriguing because while Paris is free and rebuilding, it has only been five years since the war and the atrocities of the Nazi occupation.
I highly recommend this engaging historical mystery and encourage you to try all the books in this series.
May 8, 2026
🎧 Listened in audio
📢 Narrated by Polly Lee
⏱ Duration: 10 hours
🏷️ Publisher: Kensington Cozies
I cannot get over the fact that we have Julia Child casually dropping into a murder mystery series like she's borrowing sugar. The sheer brilliance of Colleen Cambridge weaving her into this world adds this foodie, almost magical layer to the whole vibe. And Tabitha Knight is the kind of amateur sleuth I want to grab coffee with. Her slow-burn thing with Inspector Merveille is chef's kiss. Every scene between the crackles with tension. I keep screaming "just kiss already!" at my audiobook app, but then she goes and dates that vet and I want to shake her. But I get it. Cambridge is playing the long game with their chemistry, and honestly, I am here for the torturous wait.
This installment puts Tabitha's messieurs front and center, and I absolutely loved it. These octogenarian Resistance fighters are sharp, witty, and fearless. They're not background characters waiting to be rescued. They're in the thick of it, driving the plot forward with their wartime secrets and stubborn heroism. The way Cambridge layers the mystery with their past, the symbolism of the bluet flowers, the eerie medium's warning, it all screams classic Cambridge mystery with that unmistakable Parisian flair. Polly Lee's narration brought every cobblestoned street and tense confrontation to life. The pacing never let up, the stakes felt real, and that final twist was so out of the blue(et). I'm already impatient for book five.
Would I recommend it?
This book is perfect for historical cozy lovers looking for richly drawn characters, atmospheric postwar Paris settings, murders that weave through wartime secrets. Tabitha and Merveille's chemistry alone is worth the listen, but add in Julia Child cameos, clever octogenarian sleuths, and a killer who leaves flowers as calling cards, and this book becomes absolutely irresistible. This series just keeps getting better.
📢 Narrated by Polly Lee
⏱ Duration: 10 hours
🏷️ Publisher: Kensington Cozies
I cannot get over the fact that we have Julia Child casually dropping into a murder mystery series like she's borrowing sugar. The sheer brilliance of Colleen Cambridge weaving her into this world adds this foodie, almost magical layer to the whole vibe. And Tabitha Knight is the kind of amateur sleuth I want to grab coffee with. Her slow-burn thing with Inspector Merveille is chef's kiss. Every scene between the crackles with tension. I keep screaming "just kiss already!" at my audiobook app, but then she goes and dates that vet and I want to shake her. But I get it. Cambridge is playing the long game with their chemistry, and honestly, I am here for the torturous wait.
This installment puts Tabitha's messieurs front and center, and I absolutely loved it. These octogenarian Resistance fighters are sharp, witty, and fearless. They're not background characters waiting to be rescued. They're in the thick of it, driving the plot forward with their wartime secrets and stubborn heroism. The way Cambridge layers the mystery with their past, the symbolism of the bluet flowers, the eerie medium's warning, it all screams classic Cambridge mystery with that unmistakable Parisian flair. Polly Lee's narration brought every cobblestoned street and tense confrontation to life. The pacing never let up, the stakes felt real, and that final twist was so out of the blue(et). I'm already impatient for book five.
Would I recommend it?
This book is perfect for historical cozy lovers looking for richly drawn characters, atmospheric postwar Paris settings, murders that weave through wartime secrets. Tabitha and Merveille's chemistry alone is worth the listen, but add in Julia Child cameos, clever octogenarian sleuths, and a killer who leaves flowers as calling cards, and this book becomes absolutely irresistible. This series just keeps getting better.
June 20, 2026
In 1950, Tabitha Knight is enjoying life in Paris with her "messieurs" - her grandfather and uncle, and her friend (and fellow ex-pat) Julia Child. She has a startling encounter with a medium. Then she attends a dinner for former Resistance fighters along with her messieurs, and witnesses the aftermath of a murder. Tabitha becomes involved in solving the mystery, with the help of Julia, and also her crush, Detective Merveille.
I wanted to read In the Spirit of French Murder because I have loved the earlier books in this series. It has so much that I enjoy - historical fiction, a cozy mystery, and life in Paris! I love the atmosphere in this series, with passages like:
"We were silent on the short walk back to his car. The night had turned colder, and the air was still, carrying only the faintest tinge of cigarette smoke. A spray of stars glittered above, joined by a chunk of moon that had dipped lower since we’d walked along the quai hours ago." (eBook location 191).
Tabitha is a wonderful amateur detective. She has sharp intuition and often discovers clues even before Merveille. I especially enjoyed the scenes of their forays into Paris at night, looking for clues in quirky and unexpected places. And of course I enjoyed their chemistry - they both seem to want to get together, but they are also both reticent.
Julia Child is a delightful character in this book. I love her rhapsodies about fresh strawberries and the produce market, and her excitement to try new recipes and new cooking techniques. The food descriptions in this series are unparalleled!
The mystery aspect of this book was interesting, with a glimpse back at the French resistance movement, and several plausible suspects. The murderer took me by surprise!
I highly recommend In the Spirit of French Murder, and this series, for other fans of historical mysteries, cozy mysteries, Paris settings - and Julia Child. Five stars!
I wanted to read In the Spirit of French Murder because I have loved the earlier books in this series. It has so much that I enjoy - historical fiction, a cozy mystery, and life in Paris! I love the atmosphere in this series, with passages like:
"We were silent on the short walk back to his car. The night had turned colder, and the air was still, carrying only the faintest tinge of cigarette smoke. A spray of stars glittered above, joined by a chunk of moon that had dipped lower since we’d walked along the quai hours ago." (eBook location 191).
Tabitha is a wonderful amateur detective. She has sharp intuition and often discovers clues even before Merveille. I especially enjoyed the scenes of their forays into Paris at night, looking for clues in quirky and unexpected places. And of course I enjoyed their chemistry - they both seem to want to get together, but they are also both reticent.
Julia Child is a delightful character in this book. I love her rhapsodies about fresh strawberries and the produce market, and her excitement to try new recipes and new cooking techniques. The food descriptions in this series are unparalleled!
The mystery aspect of this book was interesting, with a glimpse back at the French resistance movement, and several plausible suspects. The murderer took me by surprise!
I highly recommend In the Spirit of French Murder, and this series, for other fans of historical mysteries, cozy mysteries, Paris settings - and Julia Child. Five stars!
May 7, 2026
Colleen Cambridge's An American in Paris Mysteries series is a wonderful melange of memorable characters, luscious-sounding food, and intricate plots, and I haven't missed one yet. Tabitha tutors fellow American expatriate women in the French language in 1950 Paris and enjoys her interactions with a special friend, Julia Child, who is attending the famous Cordon Bleu to become the chef we all know and love.
In the fourth book, In the Spirit of French Murder, there is also a supernatural tinge to the mystery, as a self-professed medium warns Tabitha's beloved grandfather and his partner that death may be coming their way. Grand-pere and Oncle Rafe nevertheless host a soiree for seven other former Resistance fighters that is quickly followed by the death of one of the attendees, with a bluet flower found at the scene. As more dead bodies follow, each sporting a bluet, Tabitha joins with the alluring Inspecteur Merveille to find out who is behind the mayhem before her "monsieurs" become the next victims.
I think this is the best (so far) in a standout series that features Cambridge's immersive writing style and a look at Paris after World War II. Julia Child doesn't figure as prominently in the plot of this book, but she makes her presence known with her delightful personality and her to-die-for dishes. Not to be missed, and I hope the series continues indefinitely.
In the fourth book, In the Spirit of French Murder, there is also a supernatural tinge to the mystery, as a self-professed medium warns Tabitha's beloved grandfather and his partner that death may be coming their way. Grand-pere and Oncle Rafe nevertheless host a soiree for seven other former Resistance fighters that is quickly followed by the death of one of the attendees, with a bluet flower found at the scene. As more dead bodies follow, each sporting a bluet, Tabitha joins with the alluring Inspecteur Merveille to find out who is behind the mayhem before her "monsieurs" become the next victims.
I think this is the best (so far) in a standout series that features Cambridge's immersive writing style and a look at Paris after World War II. Julia Child doesn't figure as prominently in the plot of this book, but she makes her presence known with her delightful personality and her to-die-for dishes. Not to be missed, and I hope the series continues indefinitely.
June 17, 2026
I love this series set in post WW2 Paris, featuring a fictional young Julia Child studying the art of French cooking, while her American friend Tabitha Knight has a nose for finding and solving murders.
In this episode, Tabitha, who lives with her French grandfather and his partner, is warned by a medium that a dark fate is looming over her two Gentlemen. And indeed after a grand dinner for the opening of their new restaurant one of her grandfather’s old friends who served with him in the Resistance is killed on the street outside. Tabitha once again finds herself working once again with the delectable Inspecteur Merveille to find a killer targeting her grandfather and his group of Resistance fighters.
As always, I love the atmosphere Colleen Cambridge creates around life in Paris post WW2 – the markets, the tiny apartments, the restaurants and cafés and the seedier side of Paris alongside some historical details as Paris recovers from the shadow of Nazi occupation. I also enjoy reading about Julia’s cooking journey and the delicious dishes she is learning to cook to perfection one at a time. I’m also enjoying the slow burn romance as Tabitha tries to deny her attraction to Merveille, who she believes has a fiancée (but does he – there might be a story there yet to come). 4.5★
With thanks to Kensington Publishing via Netgalley for a copy to read
In this episode, Tabitha, who lives with her French grandfather and his partner, is warned by a medium that a dark fate is looming over her two Gentlemen. And indeed after a grand dinner for the opening of their new restaurant one of her grandfather’s old friends who served with him in the Resistance is killed on the street outside. Tabitha once again finds herself working once again with the delectable Inspecteur Merveille to find a killer targeting her grandfather and his group of Resistance fighters.
As always, I love the atmosphere Colleen Cambridge creates around life in Paris post WW2 – the markets, the tiny apartments, the restaurants and cafés and the seedier side of Paris alongside some historical details as Paris recovers from the shadow of Nazi occupation. I also enjoy reading about Julia’s cooking journey and the delicious dishes she is learning to cook to perfection one at a time. I’m also enjoying the slow burn romance as Tabitha tries to deny her attraction to Merveille, who she believes has a fiancée (but does he – there might be a story there yet to come). 4.5★
With thanks to Kensington Publishing via Netgalley for a copy to read
April 29, 2026
IN THE SPIRIT OF FRENCH MURDER is the fourth book in the American in Paris Mysteries by Colleen Cambridge. This charming historical mystery featuring expat Tabitha Knight and her sidekick, pre-famous Julia Child, is like sitting down for a full-course dinner... highly satiating while savoring each and every word, and entirely scrumptious! Set in post-war Paris, it is clear the author has done extensive research to capture the residents, the sites of the city, and the general attitude of the occupants as they continue to recover from the war. I was intrigued by how she wove in a network of Resistance fighters who survived only to have one of their members murdered right after they connected several years after the war. With a limited number of suspects from the Resistance group, the stakes are high for Tabitha, her Grand-père, and Oncle Rafe, since they seem to be targeted. With Julia Child aiding Tabitha in her investigation, there is some lighthearted humor provided along with some mouthwatering dishes served. If you enjoy historical mysteries, a bit of humor, delicious food, a hint of romance, a smidge of spiritualism, and Paris as the backdrop, you’ll enjoy In the Spirit of French Murder.
I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
April 29, 2026
One March afternoon, Tabitha Knight is returning home from Julia Child’s when she sees a strange woman leaving the house where Tabitha lives. It turns out that she is a medium, and her warning to Grand-pere has left him shaken. But the next night, when Tabitha’s messieurs are hosting a dinner for the seven other members of their old resistance network, the evening ends with a murder. Should Tabitha be taking the warning seriously?
I tend to avoid the paranormal in the books I read, and I was disappointed to see it was a major part of this book. Worse yet, it really slowed down the beginning of the mystery. Fortunately, we did get a decent mystery with some good twists and a nice climax. And the book, at least the ARC I read, could never decide which part of March the story was set in. However, I was interested to see what happened to the characters next. And I appreciated the look at what life was like in the resistance in Paris during World War II. All told, this was a mixed bag that fans of the series will still appreciate.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
I tend to avoid the paranormal in the books I read, and I was disappointed to see it was a major part of this book. Worse yet, it really slowed down the beginning of the mystery. Fortunately, we did get a decent mystery with some good twists and a nice climax. And the book, at least the ARC I read, could never decide which part of March the story was set in. However, I was interested to see what happened to the characters next. And I appreciated the look at what life was like in the resistance in Paris during World War II. All told, this was a mixed bag that fans of the series will still appreciate.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
April 29, 2026
I think this series gets better and better. I wait for a new book very impatiently each year and I loved it! The trips to the market for groceries every day and interactions with the merchants, the treks around Paris, hilarious and uplifting conversations with Julia Childs and the coziness of the Uncles' home. Something about it, despite all the murder and mayhem, just screams coziness and I can feel the light of Spring approaching in this book as it is also outside. I loved seeing more of Julia and having her even assist in the investigation. She cracks me UP and brings so much needed levity to this book. I enjoyed the smidge of mystical in this book and how it adds to the atmosphere. I love learning about post-WWII Paris and seeing things being put back together. I always learn so much about the Resistance and even though there is always a heartbreaking story, I enjoy seeing this side of Paris. This book always makes me wish I could slow down and shop daily for dinner, or settle into a small cafe for a meal with friends. The mystery was twisty and I was NOT expecting the reveal and ending. And the romance, we are seeing a glimmer!
I cannot wait for the next one!
Thanks to the publisher for a free ARC; my thoughts and review are my own.
I cannot wait for the next one!
Thanks to the publisher for a free ARC; my thoughts and review are my own.
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