Synopsis (from
the publisher):
Owner of a Santa Monica cooking school and cable cooking show star
Della Carmichael is one of three judges for an A-list
cook-off—but it’s the celebrities who are getting knocked
off.
— ◊ —
— ◊ —
The Proof Is in the Pudding
A Della
Carmichael Mystery
Melinda
Wells
Berkley Prime Crime (Mass Market Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-425-23311-1 (0425233111)
ISBN-13: 978-0-425-23311-5 (9780425233115)
Publication Date: February 2010
List Price: $7.99
— ◊ —
Review: Cooking
school owner Della Carmichael, also the star of her own cable channel
cooking show, agrees to judge a celebrity cook-off ... but has second
thoughts when murder is on the menu ... in The Proof Is in the Pudding, the
third mystery in this series by Melinda Wells.
Life is good for Della. Her school is going well, she has a mail-order
business called "Della's Sweet Dreams", and her cable show In the Kitchen with Della is a hit.
The head of publicity for the network asks Della to participate in
judging the Celebrity Cook-Off
Charity Gala, in which twenty celebrities, all amateur chefs,
prepare their favorite dishes. Her fellow judges are Keith Ingram,
syndicated food columnist, and Yvette Dupree, bestselling author of a
series of global gourmet books. But before the judging can begin, LAPD
officer John O'Hara confronts Keith -- known to some as a "bad dude" --
and knocks him to the ground. It seems Keith had dumped John's daughter
Eileen to marry Tina, the daughter of wealthy Eugene Long, sponsor of
the cook-off. When a smoke bomb is thrown into the room, there's a
brief panic among the judges, chefs, and spectators ... and when the
smoke clears, Keith is found dead, lying in a pool of blood from a
knife wound to the throat.
Naturally, John O'Hara is the prime suspect. But Della, who is friends
with his daughter Eileen, is told that Keith kept a hidden camera in
his bedroom and had videotaped their love-making. In an effort to
protect her friend, Della breaks into Keith's house, stealing the tape.
But she wasn't all that careful, as the police find her fingerprints in
the house and begin to believe she may have had a reason herself to
kill Keith. Della and John, now both suspects, decide to team up to
find evidence that will clear their names.
The Proof Is in the Pudding
is a delightful culinary mystery. The main ingredient (as it were) is
the central character of Della Carmichael, who is an entertaining,
smart, endearing protagonist. The whodunit plot is nicely paced with
credible suspects and good misdirection, the killer's identity
remaining unknown until the end. And after the story concludes, there's
still more: the reader can enjoy preparing the delicious recipes
provided at the end of the book.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of The Proof Is in the Pudding and to Melinda Wells for providing a copy of the book for this review.
Review Copyright © 2010 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Have you read The Proof Is in the Pudding? 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 (Mass Market Paperback), February 2009
ISBN-10: 0-425-22642-5 (0425226425)
ISBN-13: 978-0-425-22642-1 (9780425226421)
The Proof Is in the Pudding
Berkley Prime Crime (Mass Market Paperback), February 2010
ISBN-10: 0-425-23311-1 (0425233111)
ISBN-13: 978-0-425-23311-5 (9780425233115)
Omnimystery keywords for The Proof Is in the Pudding ...
Location(s) referenced: Santa Monica, California.
