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anerdlereadle's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
tealadytammy's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
karalyndawn's review
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
The first few chapters were difficult for me to get into because I was feeling put off by how much French there was and how little French I know lol. I realized the book has “French” in the title I just didn’t realize how much I would have to look up. Once I got over the fact that I didn’t know the majority of the words and had to look them up I started to enjoy the book a bit more. Overall it was a decent mystery that has you guessing who did it in the end. I will likely read the next book in the series.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
airgood's review
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
kimdavishb's review
5.0
It’s not often that I come across a new series and am blown away by the creativeness of the premise, but this definitely fits the bill! Combining cozy mystery with historical fiction and a few real people in a real setting, Mastering the Art of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge brings post WWII Paris to life. The fictional protagonist, Tabitha Knight, is an American expat staying with her grandfather and honorary uncle (who may or may not have been in the resistance). Their neighbor just happens to be Julia Child and has become a close friend to Tabitha. The author’s descriptive language will make you drool as you visit the French markets, or make you feel as if you’re huddled around the stove as Julia turns the simplest of poulet into mouthwatering fare as she barks out instructions (I can just imagine her iconic booming voice!), or experience the bitter bite of the cold winds off the Seine.
Set amongst the romantic backdrop of Paris, a brutal murder takes place in Tabitha and Julia’s apartment building. It turns out to be a young woman they both know and French investigators turn their attention to the two women when Julia’s knife turns out to be the murder weapon. Tabitha’s curiosity and desire to prove her and Julia’s innocence, pushes her to begin asking questions and tracking down people who knew the victim. It was a joy seeing the City of Light through the eyes of Tabitha and imagining the lyrical romanticism of the French language (this is one book that would be amazing in audiobook). The plot was well-paced and I enjoyed how Tabitha confers with her Grandpère and Oncle Rafe to put the clues together. The surprising reveal brings all the threads of the story together in a highly satisfying conclusion. My only lament is that there aren’t any recipes included because, you know, Julia Childs!
I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Set amongst the romantic backdrop of Paris, a brutal murder takes place in Tabitha and Julia’s apartment building. It turns out to be a young woman they both know and French investigators turn their attention to the two women when Julia’s knife turns out to be the murder weapon. Tabitha’s curiosity and desire to prove her and Julia’s innocence, pushes her to begin asking questions and tracking down people who knew the victim. It was a joy seeing the City of Light through the eyes of Tabitha and imagining the lyrical romanticism of the French language (this is one book that would be amazing in audiobook). The plot was well-paced and I enjoyed how Tabitha confers with her Grandpère and Oncle Rafe to put the clues together. The surprising reveal brings all the threads of the story together in a highly satisfying conclusion. My only lament is that there aren’t any recipes included because, you know, Julia Childs!
I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
honey_coated_chapters's review
°:. *₊ ° . ° .•
𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈: 1/5
𝑵𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒑𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒔: 304
𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆: cozy mystery
𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒊𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆: History with a dash of cooking. Or if you appreciate talks of the world war, spies and espionage.
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I’m not even sure where to start. First off, why is Julia Child in this book? I know that she was a spy, but spoiler alert that never comes to light in this book and it’s not common knowledge so 98% of readers aren’t in on the possible implication. This read like a middle school play, it was all really silly and juvenile. The main character has some serious pick me energy because she consistently refers back to her time working on planes during the war and how she’s so sMAlL and PeTiTe and TiNy and everyone underestimates her. She is insanely stupid and puts herself in danger just to be like “I’m not a part of this” and then proceeds to be a part of it. The plot was super flimsy and the motive for murder was lackluster at best. The potential suspects were hardly introduced and when they were it was with as little detail as possible so I ultimately couldn’t think it was anyone other than who it ended up being. Because he was really the main focus. The author tried to sway us other directions but that lasted all of 2 sentences. It was really so stupid.