Prepared for Murder

Charly Poisson #3

by Cecile Lamalle

Cecile Lamalle scores another five-star triumph with the return of Charly Poisson, the much-feted chef and amateur detective whose delectable garden grows with murder most wild?Ķ

A COLD HARVEST

On early May mornings, Charly Poisson, the chef of La Fermette, loves prowling his fields through clusters of buttercups for young nettles to make his finest spring tonic ... until he comes across a most unappetizing discovery -- the thawed remains of a murdered man. Was the victim, soon identified as a philandering local, killed by an irate husband? Charly knows he should be slicing, not sleuthing, and leaving the mystery to the very able Klover Police Department. But helas, that's before he gets a taste of Fabulous Foods, a culinary supplier whose additive-heavy shrimp are so fresh, they bounce. Now to investigate this fishy outfit and serve up justice, Charlie will have to leave his cozy kitchen...and face the heat of a killer's ire.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy, Cozy Mystery

304 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Sandy]

Quit after 100 pages.

[Karlyne Landrum · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I started reading this, I prematurely decided that it was a nice read, but probably not worth more than 3 stars. However, then I realized that it deserved 4 just for its zippy one-liners, great food recipes and wildcrafting references. It also added to my knowledge of filthy seafood that is sold to us as "fresh" or "FDA approved". I already thought I didn't want to ever eat shrimp again after reading about how irradiation solves the bacteria problem that occurs when shrimp is contaminated by sewage (yes, human sewage), but now I'm sure I don't. I think I need to stick to food I know.
Favorite line, uttered after a sumptious funeral: "He was the kind of person I never want to be."

[Grey853 · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like a little food and cooking with your murder, you'll love this book. It's a little dry in some spots, but it makes up for it in the recipes. I'll likely look for the other books in the series.

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do not remember the murder in this book. I remember talk about the protagonist's garden and gourmet frozen dinners. It feels problematic for a mystery novel to have a forgettable mystery. Still I enjoyed the read and the part about growing plants together that would naturally grow together.

[Teritat · Rating 5 out of 5]

awesome culinary mystery - wished cecile wrote more.

[Berna · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book, the details about the restaurant and how it is prepared and served, was not so boring to read but the murder mystery was not interesting at all. The ending especially was a fiasco.

[Cathleen Bauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

great story