#5 [2025/CBR17] Mastering the Art of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge

We chose Mastering the Art of French Murder (2023) by Colleen Cambridge for our next book club book. A young American woman who lives in Paris after World War II solves a murder with the help of her friend, Julia Child. I had never heard of this mystery novel before and wasn't too sure what to expect from it. I enjoy the occasional mysteries, and I like The Great British Baking Show, but I'm not much into cooking. I wasn't sure how I felt about reading about cooking--and/or how the mystery and cooking elements would mesh. But in the end, it was a fun, interesting book. The characters were likeable, and the story was often suspenseful. Apparently, this novel was the beginning of a trilogy, and I think I'll be reading the second book on my upcoming vacation.

Tabitha Knight moved to Paris to live with her grandfather after World War II. She grew up in Detroit, and during the war she'd fixed airplanes. However, since the war, Tabitha had been pushed out of her job by the returning servicemen, and she'd become disenchanted with her options. So she traveled to Paris, where she helps take care of her grandfather and his companion, whom she calls Oncle Rafe. Because of her French mother and grandmother, Tabitha speaks French fluently and sometimes tutors other Americans in Paris.

Tabitha first met Julia Child at the market, and they've become good friends. I only know Meryl Streep's version of Julia Child from Julie and Julia, and the book describes her in a very similar fashion. She seems delightful. Anyway, Julia, her husband Paul, and Julia's sister Dorothy all live together across the way from Tabitha's grandfather. One day, after a late theater party with Dorothy's friends at the Child flat, the body of a young woman who had been at the party, is discovered in the basement. She'd been stabbed to death with one of Julia Child's cooking knives. And Tabitha's name and number is discovered in her coat.

Tabitha's father was a detective, and her natural curiosity gets the better of her as she begins to nose around the case. The French inspector, M. Merveille does not appreciate her intrusions, and the two have an interesting dynamic throughout the book. Tabitha often finds herself in danger as she discovers clue after clue. There are a series of very lucky coincidences that allow Tabitha to solve the case, but the book acknowledges these with throwbacks to all the mystery novels Tabitha loved to read as a child.

In the end, the conclusion of the mystery was a little bit of a let down. But because the book itself was fun and sometimes suspenseful, it was easy to overlook the details of the murders. Recommended.