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Carolyn Blue Culinary Mysteries #9
French Fried
Accompanying her husband to his lecture in France, author Carolyn Blue, after an unsuccessful attempt on both of their lives, discovers that murder is on the menu when several people perish after eating poisoned gourmet delights.
290 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 5, 2006
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267 people want to read
About the author
Nancy Fairbanks
15 books55 followersA pseudonym used by Nancy Herndon.
Series:
* A Culinary Mystery with Recipes
Series:
* A Culinary Mystery with Recipes
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
May 12, 2019
A fun adventure set in the south of France. I like how persistent Carolyn is and how she still eats and sight sees while being injured and pursued by a murderer. The mystery definitely kept me guessing in this one as the motive was not readily apparent.
August 13, 2007
Plot in Brief:
Carolyn Blue and her husband Jason are in Paris for his lecture tour-and she plans to enjoy the city's culinary delights. But delight turns deadly when a poisonous recipe appears on the local menus.
My Opinion:
He is in chemistry, she is in cooking. The mystery could have been dealt better, but the author mainly focused on looky feely approach thrown in with chunks of french history and recipes across the book. The plot is thin, but the treatment is what kept the book running. But towards the end, it thoroughly weared me out.
Would I recommend this to anyone else? No. Strictly for the mentally challenged.
Carolyn Blue and her husband Jason are in Paris for his lecture tour-and she plans to enjoy the city's culinary delights. But delight turns deadly when a poisonous recipe appears on the local menus.
My Opinion:
He is in chemistry, she is in cooking. The mystery could have been dealt better, but the author mainly focused on looky feely approach thrown in with chunks of french history and recipes across the book. The plot is thin, but the treatment is what kept the book running. But towards the end, it thoroughly weared me out.
Would I recommend this to anyone else? No. Strictly for the mentally challenged.
January 11, 2016
heroine Carolyn takes stupid to new heights; didn't solve the mystery just managed not to get killed
October 2, 2023
Carolyn tries to find out who is trying to kill her and her husband.
Sometimes a little amusing, other times just silly.
Sometimes a little amusing, other times just silly.
May 9, 2024
This book is extremely boring. It’s just written descriptions of Lyon, restaurants and food, over and over. The people aren’t described, other than their names, and there are so many people, that they all run together. And then there are 3 dogs, who also just run together. Pate, pate, pate, no one has any personality. No one does anything other than meet for meals. I dnf’d it at page 160 when the author launched in to song about how Carolyn doesn’t care if said man is a homosexual, she has no problem with homosexuals, one of her dear friends is a homosexual, blah blah blah. Nothing to do with the plot, the guy isn’t even a character, just some homosexual rando that showed up, so of course let’s use this time to give a lecture on homosexuals. Silly.
December 31, 2018
Found this in a Little Free Library by my house. Otherwise I never would have read it. Kinda dull, however I read it for the recipes plus it took place in France and that is my achilles heel. Would not recommend, unless you have nothing else to read. I will not reading another book in this series.
January 3, 2021
A fun read. I’d criticize the MC’s questionable sleuthing skills but she handled multiple assassination attempts better than I would. The dogs and the food are the best/ funniest parts. Some of these recipes sound delish.
March 8, 2018
3.5 stars
June 5, 2023
No, just no. Do not waste your time...dumb. I read about half way and put it away. Too many good books to waste time on drivel.
May 15, 2008
Toxin expert Professor Jason Blue and his wife food columnist Carolyn are in Lyons to meet with members of the university who will be attending a science conference in Avigon sponsored by the Chemistry Department. While Jason heads to the university, Carolyn returns to their hotel room to nap, but is shocked to find a man on her bed making a funny noise. An ambulance takes him to the hospital where he is pronounced dead. Carolyn believes he was a poison victim and plans to prove it.
Neither Jason nor Carolyn can think of anyone who would want them dead as they assume they were the intended victims. The next day while Jason is running, a black car ties to hit him; his reflexes save his life. At about the same Carolyn is thrown down a flight of stairs and left battered with a concussion. At the conference, some shoots Jason's graduate student. Carolyn, still recuperating, vows to uncover the identity of the assailant trying to kill them before he or she succeeds.
Neither Jason nor Carolyn can think of anyone who would want them dead as they assume they were the intended victims. The next day while Jason is running, a black car ties to hit him; his reflexes save his life. At about the same Carolyn is thrown down a flight of stairs and left battered with a concussion. At the conference, some shoots Jason's graduate student. Carolyn, still recuperating, vows to uncover the identity of the assailant trying to kill them before he or she succeeds.
February 24, 2010
This was the tenth in the series, I enjoyed it but need to go back and start with book one.
Carolyn is a middle aged professor's wife who attracts trouble like no other. She and her husband travel to France for his lecture series, and soon discover a body in their hotel room. The man whose body they discovered has died from eating Pate that was meant for them...Carolyn immediately knows that someone is out to get them. Attempts on their lives are numerous. However, despite the fact that the first murder occurred by pate--Carolyn is content to eat her way through France. The food sounds wonderful and there are some rather adventurous (delectable but time consuming) recipes included. The only unbelievable item is that Carolyn maintains a trim waist--not realistic with the way she eats!
Carolyn is a middle aged professor's wife who attracts trouble like no other. She and her husband travel to France for his lecture series, and soon discover a body in their hotel room. The man whose body they discovered has died from eating Pate that was meant for them...Carolyn immediately knows that someone is out to get them. Attempts on their lives are numerous. However, despite the fact that the first murder occurred by pate--Carolyn is content to eat her way through France. The food sounds wonderful and there are some rather adventurous (delectable but time consuming) recipes included. The only unbelievable item is that Carolyn maintains a trim waist--not realistic with the way she eats!
September 19, 2014
Carolyn Blue, culinary columnist, goes to Lyon, France with her husband, Jason, when he is invited to speak at an international conference. It's a great opportunity for her column and Jason is thrilled that some of the expenses can be written off due to her job. However, before they even arrive someone dies in their hotel room in what seems to have been poisoned pate that was meant for them. There is an interesting blend of French history and cuisine throughout the book, mixed in with the young grad student making a play for Jason and the multiple attempts on one or both of their lives. Liked it but don't think I'll search out more.
August 7, 2012
#9 in the Culinary Food Writers series; not #10 as shown. Book listed as #9 on list, Three-Course Murder is actually an omnibus of titles 1-3. This was a tough one for me; from one chapter to the next, I couldn't make up my mind whether or not I liked the characters, the culture, or the plot.
Culinary Food Writer series - Dip into the bestselling Culinary mystery series. Carolyn Blue and her husband Jason are in Paris for his lecture tour-and she plans to enjoy the city's culinary delights. But delight turns deadly when a poisonous recipe appears on the local menus.
Culinary Food Writer series - Dip into the bestselling Culinary mystery series. Carolyn Blue and her husband Jason are in Paris for his lecture tour-and she plans to enjoy the city's culinary delights. But delight turns deadly when a poisonous recipe appears on the local menus.
January 24, 2013
I am always looking for novels I can have students read to get more French history or culture in a painless way. This qualifies, especially for the students who decided to take French because they are foodies at heart. I learned a lot about Lyon & Avignon, had never heard about the "traboules" of Lyon. The food explorations are fun & interesting, definitely give an insight into the french-foodie mentality. A light, fun read with a lot of french culture in it, it made me want to go spend a week in Lyon. A couple of the recipes are of interest - and manageable - as well.
February 10, 2012
Finished the book as it is one of a series with culinary recipes from Lyon and Avignon
restaurants in France. I didn't like the husband, a chemist, at a convention to present his
paper. Did find some interest in the sights Carolyn, the wife, visited and the history. The
recipes were long and detailed and something I would never make. I read it to recommend to my
mother but I don't think she will like it unless she wants to know more about French sites.
restaurants in France. I didn't like the husband, a chemist, at a convention to present his
paper. Did find some interest in the sights Carolyn, the wife, visited and the history. The
recipes were long and detailed and something I would never make. I read it to recommend to my
mother but I don't think she will like it unless she wants to know more about French sites.
July 26, 2008
This was interesting, but I noticed it must be later in a series with the wife and husband in this story. I'll look for the previous book(s). The main character is one who loves food and is constantly looking over her shoulder for someone she feels may be trying to kill her. That doesn't stop her from sampling some fabulous French cuisine and sharing the recipes with the readers.
October 1, 2008
I usually enjoy all the foodie cozies from Nancy Fairbanks, but this one left me feeling stale. Although I have not an ounce of French in me, it irked me to no end how often the French were bashed repeatedly in this novel. It definately left a bad taste in my mouth and may make me think twice about reading anything further from this author.
May 6, 2010
2.5, I guess. There was nothing objectionable about this book. Cozy little mystery. My main problem is that it is one of those books where the author has clearly made the characters quirky in the hopes that it is a sustainable series. But I didn't find anything in any of them to make me care about them much either way.
June 2, 2012
This was a good entry in this series - better than some of the others I have read. I like the series, but have found that some entries are better than others. This one is one of the good ones, and it takes place in southern France, a lovely location which adds to the story. The reader easily figures out the mystery, but that does not detract from the pleasantness of reading the story.
April 26, 2010
This was very disappointing. Jumping back and forth between the 2 main characters' point of views was jarring. The plot moved slowly and it was very predictable. It didn't grab me and take me on a ride.
February 13, 2014
The book dragged a bit. The characters were very funny. I know who the killer was oh maybe 1/2 way through the book.
A fun book. I looked forward to reading it each time. I also loved the recipes.
A fun book. I looked forward to reading it each time. I also loved the recipes.
June 1, 2016
This book was hilarious! Loved all the foodie references and recipes. Of course, the French setting was wonderful, too. I really enjoyed all the history and scenic asides to Lyon & Provence. There were so many red herrings and it was a total comedy of errors & misdirection. Really well done.
August 28, 2012
Hijinx among chemists on symposium in France. Pretty good recipes.
February 8, 2014
Interesting mystery set in France. There were a lot of characters that I had a hard time keeping track of. I would read this author again.
May 14, 2014
This book was great!
July 3, 2014
Nancy Fairbanks' books always keep my interest because they can be read quickly for an escape.
September 30, 2014
I really enjoyed this book. It was hard to put down once I started reading.
June 11, 2016
Can you guess why it's called French Fried? :) Light hearted murder mystery. A little bit of drama. Complete with French recipes.
May 12, 2012
I liked the book
March 6, 2013
There's always a good laugh when reading her books.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews