The Gourmet Detective

I liked the playful writing of this author. Reminding me of several classic mystery authors. He does not let the plot get in the way of an educational and interesting distraction. I learned about classical music, movies and simple gourmet cooking.

When I first picked up this book, i was looking for a mystery to read for a class. This book made my assignment a bit more difficult because it is not exactly the step by step detective story that we are used to. The Gourmet Detective is actually in a catagory all its own. Not only does the reader drool from all the exotic and interesting foods the detective encounters, but the reader is forced to use a dictionary. Unless you are a chef specializing in food like that in the book, a dictionary is required. If you are looking for the average detective story, dont look here, if your palet is open to new tastes and you are willing to try something different for dinner, by all means open this book and enjoy.

I really enjoyed this mystery. My usual technique is to devour mysteries, quickly trying to figure out the whodonit. This book forced me to detour into The Joy of Cooking, Simca's Cuisine, and even the Dictionary. I love books that make me look up works like sabayon, cêpes, and the more than one meaning of flan. I thought I knew a bit about cooking, but was quickly humbled by the author's extensive knowledge. As a lover of light but witty fiction (it sure beats the sitcoms) and cooking (I loved reading about his detailed preparation techniques of even the simplest of meals!), I will definitely move on to the next title in this series.