Book Review: Chef Maurice & The Bunny Broiler Bake Off

Author: J.A. Lang
Title: Chef Maurie & the Bunny Boiler Bake Off
Publisher: Purple Panda Press
Publish Date: Oct 12, 2015
Buy: Amazon

Book Blurb: 

Spring has sprung, the bunting is up, and for the residents of the little Cotswold village of Beakley, this can only mean one thing: it’s time for the Beakley Spring Fayre.

Drawing the crowds this year is stiletto-strutting celebrity chef Miranda Matthews, a woman for whom making enemies is a piece of (shop-bought) cake. And one of them is lurking around the Fayre, ready to make sure Miranda hangs up her apron—for good.

Faced with a murderer with a possible penchant for top(ping) chefs, Chef Maurice must sift through the clues and weigh up the suspects—not to mention contending with a sous-chef with mummy issues, a food critic on a diet, and a bulletproof pudding—as he finds himself on the trail of a killer who’s not cooking by the rules...

Review: I love this series! The Bunny Boiler Bake Off is the third installment in the Chef Maurice series. These books are really so much fun and they get better and better.

Patrick and Lucy's relationship is progressing, and if you read the last book, you know they were having some issues. Chef Maurice has again found himself in the middle of a murder investigation when another celebrity chef is found dead.

The victim, Chef Miranda seemed to have a lot of enemies, so finding her killer is not an easy task, even for Chef Maurice. Just when things start pointing to one person, then something happens to send you on a different direction.

Miranda is just not a nice person, she's got an ex, a former co-worker and a few other people that just might want to end her existence.

I always love how well Ms Lang keeps you from figuring out all the particulars of the mystery until the very end, and this installment is no different.

I loved this book and this series.

My only gripe, is there's not enough with Hamilton. There can never be enough Hamilton. There is an awesome scene about the Hog Roast at the Fayre which will bring about quite a few giggles.

Highly recommended!

Rating: 5 flowers

Book Review: Chef Maurice And The Wrath of Grapes

Author: J.A. Lang
Title: Chef Maurice and the Wrath of Grapes
Publisher: Purple Panda Press
Publish Date: July 10, 2015
Buy Amazon

Book Blurb: 

In the rarefied world of wine collecting, murder isn’t exactly a barrel of laughs…

An invitation to dinner at the home of renowned wine collector Sir William Burton-Trent soon finds Chef Maurice in the middle of an all-too-real murder mystery party, when Sir William is found dead in his own wine cellar.

The guests are acting all innocent, but which one is only playing the part? The pushy Californian film director? The seductive French winemaker?

Or could it be, against all narrative decency, the butler who did it?

With the help of food critic friend Arthur Wordington-Smythe, a large kipper sandwich, and the newly formed Cochon Rouge Wine Appreciation Society, Chef Maurice must get to the bottom of matters before events turn decidedly sour…

Review: Chef Maurice is back and better than ever.  When a wine collector is found dead in his own wine cellar, things start to get crazy.

There were a lot of things I loved about this book.

1. Waffles the cat and the kipper sandwich that helped uncover a clue as how William's killer got in.

2. The reappearance of Hamilton the pig. I love this pig!!!

3. Chef's use of the word "Allonsy!"  Yes, he's French, but I'm a huge Doctor Who fan and seeing that word in print made me squee with joy!

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3. Patrick and his relationship with PC Lucy. Ahhh they are they so sweet.  I loved the extent Patrick will go to make her jealous, but that's all I'll say there.

4. Chef Maurice's quirky way of finding the killer. All cozy mystery sleuths get into trouble on their quest to solve a mystery, but Chef does it in a really fun way.

5. The attention to detail that JA Lang gives to wine. I actually felt like I learned a lot about wine collecting while reading this book. Its hard to imagine buying a bottle of wine and not drinking it.

If you are looking for a great new series, you can't pass this one up. You really don't have a clue who the killer was until it is revealed, because there are so many people that just might have a reason to commit the crime.

Loved this book, and can't wait for the next one!

Rating: 5 flowers

Great Escapes Book Tours Book Review: Chef Maurice & A Spot of Truffle

CHEF MAURICE and a Spot of Truffle

by J.A. LANG

Cozy Mystery (British, Culinary)

Number of Pages  228

Release Date: April 7, 2014

There is a free prequel available on Amazon right now.Chef Maurice and the Rather Fishy Tale: A Chef Maurice Mystery Short Story

Synopsis:

It’s autumn in the Cotswolds, and Chef Maurice is facing a problem of mushrooming proportion.

Not only has his wild herb and mushroom supplier, Ollie Meadows, missed his weekly delivery—he’s missing vital signs too, when he turns up dead in the woods near Beakley village.

Soon, Chef Maurice is up to his nose in some seriously rotten business—complete with threatening notes, a pignapping, and an extremely well-catered stake-out.

Can he solve Ollie’s murder before his home-made investigation brings the killer out for second helpings?

Review: There's so much to say about this short little cozy.

1. OMG the cover is precious. I would have picked this book up based on the cover alone! Really! How adorable is it!!!!

2. It is a quick read. Perfect for a lazy afternoon or late night reading.

3. Chef Maurice is really awesome, especially for people that like foodie fiction. He's a bit self centered, but he's oh so lovable.

4. Its the first book in the series, so no guilt about starting into an established series and getting lost. (There is a short story that's a prequel to the series though)

5. As you might have guessed from the cover, there is a pig!!!!! And the parts of the story written in Hamilton's point of view are fabulous.

6. There's a great relationship between Patrick and PC Lucy. Their first date is really laughale!

All I can say, is this British cozy is really not one to miss.

Rating: 5 flowers

About This Author

J.A. Lang is a British mystery writer, and author of the Chef Maurice Mysteries series.

She lives in Oxford, England, with her husband, an excessive number of cookbooks, and a sourdough starter named Bob.

Author Links:

Webpage: www.jalang.net

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/JALang

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/JA-Lang-Author/1557634614471851

Purchase Links:

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TOO2QW8/

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00TOO2QW8/

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/ebook/chef-maurice-and-a-spot-of-truffle

Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/chef-maurice-and-a-spot-of-truffle-ja-lang/1121687602?ean=2940151553179
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/book/id968424324

Googleplay:https://play.google.com/store/books/details/J_A_Lang_Chef_Maurice_and_a_Spot_of_Truffle?id=7lS0BgAAQBAJ

Goodreads Book link: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24955619-chef-maurice-and-a-spot-of-truffle

Giveaway details

Prize: Win a signed copy of Chef Maurice and a Spot of Truffle, as well as an extremely cuddly Pillow Pet Pig (RRP $19.99)!
Open to US and UK residents.
Further details at: http://www.jalang.net/chef-maurice-giveaway/

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

April 8 – Shelley’s Book Case - Review, Interview

April 9 – Babs Book Bistro - Review

April 10 – Cozy Up With Kathy – Review, Interview

April 11 – readalot – Review

April 12 – Melina’s Book Blog  Review

April 13 – Back Porchervations – Review

April 13 – A Chick Who Reads – Review

April 14 – The Gal in the Blue Mask – Review

April 15 – LibriAmoriMiei – Review

April 16 – Mochas, Mysteries and Meows – Review

April 17 – Tea and A Book – Review, Interview

April 18 – Community Bookstop – Review

April 18 – A Cozy Girl Reads – Review