Synopsis (from
the publisher):
Meet Della Carmichael, owner of a cooking school in Santa Monica,
California, and, as of this week, star of a brand-new cable cooking
show. But she's about to add another credit to her resume: suspect. The
first live airing of In the Kitchen
with Della opens like other cooking shows - with a chef
surrounded by bowls of ingredients in a shiny studio kitchen. But it
ends like a crime scene detective show - and Della is the suspected
perp. Della's "killer mousse" lives up to its name when her
predecessor, Mimi Bond, taste tests it - and winds up dead on the
floor. Proving that she didn't poison the mousse will be no piece of
cake for Della. She'll have to expose unsavory secrets, get mixed up in
heated family affairs, and figure out why Mimi, who couldn't make
instant oatmeal, was hired in the first place.
— ◊ —
— ◊ —
Killer Mousse
A Della
Carmichael Mystery
Melinda
Wells
Berkley Prime Crime (Mass Market Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-425-21981-X (042521981X)
ISBN-13: 978-0-425-21981-2 (9780425219812)
Publication Date: February 2008
List Price: $7.99
— ◊ —
Review: Melinda
Wells introduces Della Carmichael, owner of a cooking school and the
newly hired star of a weekly cooking show on cable television, in Killer Mousse, yet another culinary
series featuring recipes of delectable and delightful meals and treats
featured in the book.
Della's first day on the set begins inauspiciously. Though the taping
goes well, she's thrown off a bit by the presence of Mimi Bond, the
previous host of her show, sitting in the front row. When Della asks if
anyone in the studio audience would like to try her Killer Mousse, so named because the
taste was to die for, Mimi volunteers. She declares it awful and
promptly drops to the floor, dead. Della's the obvious suspect, but she
knows a thing or two about murder investigations: her late husband was
a homicide detective. Knowing she is innocent, she decides that she may
be able to offer an independent, insider perspective on who might have
wanted Mimi dead ... and why.
It's hard to state definitively what, if any, original perspective Killer Mousse brings to this
crowded mystery subgenre. Being the widow of a detective, Della is
possibly more astute (or at least less flighty) than the typical
culinary amateur sleuth. And the other characters in the book lean more
towards the interesting than the merely odd. Both pluses. But the
murder mystery plot is straight-forward and offers nothing innovative
in terms of means, motive, or opportunity. Fans of culinary mysteries
will no doubt find this new series delightful, but those looking for a
mystery with a bit more substance may be disappointed. (The included
recipes, however, are definitely worth a try. The author's often
humorous notes add a personal touch that makes them seem particularly
special.)
Special thanks to Melinda Wells for providing a copy of Killer Mousse for this review.
Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Have you read Killer Mousse? How would you rate it?
Mysteries in this series …
Killer Mousse
Berkley Prime Crime (Mass Market Paperback), February 2008
ISBN-10: 0-425-21981-X (042521981X)
ISBN-13: 978-0-425-21981-2 (9780425219812)
Death
Takes the Cake
Berkley Prime Crime (Hardcover), February 2009
ISBN-10: 0-425-22642-5 (0425226425)
ISBN-13: 978-0-425-22642-1 (9780425226421)
Omnimystery keywords for Killer Mousse ...
Location(s) referenced: Santa Monica, California.
