Genre: Mystery
Hardcover; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9781643857381
Crooked Lane Books
320 Pages
$26.99; $13.99 Amazon
August 10, 2021
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In Pelican, Louisiana, Valentine's Day has a way of warming the heart, despite the February chill. But the air at Crozat Plantation B&B turns decidedly frigid when celebrity chef Phillippe Chanson checks in. And when the arrogant Phillippe -- in town to open his newest Cajun-themed restaurant -- perishes in a fiery boat crash, Maggie Crozat's dear friend JJ lands in very cold water.
Did JJ, proprietor of Junie's Oyster Bar and Dance Hall, murder Phillippe because he feared the competition? Might Maggie's mother, Ninette, have bumped off the chef for stealing one of her cherished recipes? Or was the culprit a local seafood vendor, miffed because Phillippe was somehow able to sell oysters for a remarkably reasonable price, despite an oyster shortage?
Maggie had planned to devote her February to art lessons in New Orleans, a present from her sweetheart, Bo. But now she has to focus on helping her friend and her mother cross a murder charge off the menu. Meanwhile, Maggie receives a series of anonymous gifts that begin as charming but grow increasingly disturbing. Does Maggie have an admirer -- or a stalker? And are these mysterious gifts related somehow to Phillippe's Murder?
Blood may be thicker than water, but this case is thicker than gumbo. And solving it will determine whether Maggie gets hearts and roses -- or hearse and lilies -- this Valentine's Day...
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Maggie Crozat is an artist who also works at her family's B&B, Crozat. They've been preparing for the arrival of renowned chef Phillippe Chanson, who is opening a Cajun-themed restaurant nearby. But no one expects the drama that comes along with their guests -- his ex-wife is his business manager, which makes it uncomfortable when his newest girlfriend is the sous chef. Along with them is an author who is writing a biography of the chef -- but only to the 'specifications' of his ex, which frustrates him.
But worse is the fact that his new restaurant is able to secure oysters at a low price, when there's a shortage, and it's causing Junie's, the local restaurant and bar, to lose major business. Not to mention that Phillippe has apparently been pilfering copycat recipes from the locals, including Maggie's mother, Ninette, causing the woman to have a very public confrontation about it. So when Phillippe is murdered, Ninette and JJ are both suspects. To make things worse, Maggie's been receiving anonymous 'gifts' from someone and it has her worried enough to enlist Bo's help. Now she has to try and solve the murder to keep her mother and friend out of prison, and try and find out who's stalking her, so she can stay alive to do so...
This is the seventh book in the series, and I have read every one of them. The only thing that really bothered me about this book are the reference to personal politics from the author which are scattered throughout the book (not a lot of them, but enough to irritate me). Maybe I'm the only one who it bothers, but I read to escape from the world, not have it thrust back at me, regardless of whether I think the same way or not.
Anyway, the mystery was fine itself. There were plenty of people who were angry with Phillippe, and it could have been any one of them, including someone he worked with. But then something else occurs, and the stakes are rising for the police to widen their net to find a killer. Maggie, meanwhile, is just trying to find a balance in her life among all this, and it's not easy. When things come to a head the killer is discovered and the reason is as old as time itself, but it makes for a good ending. Yet things are ending for Maggie yet, and another event occurs that disturbs her. The ending to that is fairly interesting and I enjoyed it.
There is an epilogue which makes me believe that the series is ending; otherwise I can see no reason why it was added. Still, I have enjoyed this series and all the characters, and loved spending time with them and would like it to continue. Recommended.
More on Ellen Byron's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/ellen-byron/
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