The Spice Box

LIVELY ANIMATED BOOK. BRIDGET HEANEY A YOUNG IRISH WOMAN IS HIRED INTO SERVICE AS A COOK IN THE HOME OF MR. GOLD. HE OWNS THE GOLD DEPARTMENT STORE IN MANHATTAN. THE WHOLE STORY TAKES PLACE DURING THE CIVIL WAR PERIOD IN NEW YORK CITY. THROW IN SOME FAMILY DEATHS AND THE INTRIGUE MOUNTS. BRIDGET IS ALSO TRYING TO LOCATE HER SISTER.

I don't like changes. I want the next Heaven Lee mystery in the series YESTERDAY. But I caved and bought this book recently. It is a great read. Well written, thoughtful plot, interesting and tough female characters. So I promised myself, even though I don't like change, I will order and read the next book in the "Spice Box" series. The second book has a new heroine and yet another historical time period, but I will trust that I will enjoy the works of this author! :-)

Lou Jane Temple is famous for her culinary mystery series featuring caterer Heaven Lee. This is a new culinary series set before 1900. I did not realize this until I started reading it. I normally shy away from historical mysteries, but I am so glad I read this one. Bridget Henry is an Irish Immigrant. She is all alone now. Her friend helps her get a job as a cook in the home of Isaac Gold, the wealthy owner of a department store. She finds the body of Mr. Gold's son in the dough box on her first day. He'd been shot twice in the chest. Mr. Gold has no faith in the police finding his son's killer, so he decides he'd better do it. He enlists Bridget's help. He also ends up assisting her in her search for her sister. They set off on many adventures until Mr. Gold's wife tries to put a stop to it. Bridget still assists, but Mr. Gold is not as free to join in. Bridget finds herself in quite a few interesting situations. She is such a wonderful character, and her interaction with Mr. Gold as well as the rest of the staff is terrific. The setting of the late 1800s really adds to this story. I can't wait to read more in this new series. Ms. Temple has a real winner! I highly recommend it.

What a great blend of food lore, history and mystery. A wonderful view of the teeming NYC life both above and below the stairs-- An Irish immigrant becomes a cook in a Jewish businessman's home I enjoyed the Heaven Lee series and look forward to Temple's next story.

Irish Immigrant Bridget Henry has not had an easy life. Her family was forced to leave Ireland during the potato famine by their English landlord; her mother died on their ship while en route to America; and when they finally arrive, she and her younger sister have to survive on their own because their father disappears for months at a time. They both get sent to the orphanage where Bridget learns to be a cook and she lands a job at the home of wealthy department storeowner Isaac Gold. On her first day on the job she finds the body of Mr. Gold's son in the dough box. He was shot twice in the chest and the police are so incompetent Mr. Gold decides to find his son's killer with Bridget's help. While they are chasing down every clue, Bridget is also looking to solve the mystery of her sister's disappearance, a quest that she can finally do now that she has Mr. Gold to help her. This is one book that should not be read on an empty stomach because the mouth-watering descriptions of the food that the chefs serve to the Gold family will make the reader very hungry. Bridget and Mr. Gold are a great pair of amateur sleuths and readers get a look at life in New York City during the Civil War. The division between upstairs and downstairs classes gives the reader a feel for what it was like to be a servant for the rich and powerful. Lou Jane Temple has written a delectable culinary historical mystery. Harriet Klausner . Harriet Klausner