The Murderous Macaron
by Ana T. Drew
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GENRE: Cozy mystery
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BLURB:
Julie has her freedom, a dream job as a pastry chef, and a corpse growing cold on her floor...
Welcome to Beldoc, a small town in the heart of Provence, imbued with lavender and fresh baked bread! You can idle around, or you can puzzle out a murder mystery.
When a man dies on her watch in her pâtisserie, newly divorced chef Julie Cavallo is dismayed. It isn’t that she’s a suspect. The local gendarmerie captain signs off the death as a natural event. A heart attack. But for a reason she won’t discuss, Julie suspects Maurice Sauve was poisoned. What’s a girl to do? She’ll ignore the risk and seek justice for Maurice on her own!
Well, not quite on her own. Julie’s eccentric grandmother, her snarky sister and her geeky sous chef are keen to help. The team’s amateurism is a challenge. But there’s also the pesky matter of no evidence, no clues, and soon, no body. The murder—if it was a murder—was planned and executed flawlessly.
Can a small-town baker solve the perfect crime?
"The Murderous Macaron" is a twisty whodunnit mystery perfect for fans of Janet Evanovich, Alexander McCall Smith, Jana DeLeon and Lilian Jackson Braun.
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EXCERPT
I sit down across a round table from the gendarme, Capitaine Adinian, and begin my sad tale of yesterday’s macaron-making workshop that didn’t go as planned.
He listens, barely taking any notes.
When I get to the part where I asked my students to mix the ingredients I’d prepared for them, Capitaine Adinian leans forward. “Who prepared and laid out the ingredients?”
“I did.”
“When?”
“Shortly before the class began.”
“Did you leave the shop, even for a brief time, after you had everything ready for the class?” he asks.
“No.”
He scribbles something in his little notebook. “Please continue.”
“Most participants struggled to get their batter to stiffen,” I say. “Some gave up, claiming it was impossible without an electric mixer.”
“Did Maurice Sauve give up?”
“Quite the contrary. He whisked unrelentingly, switching hands but never pausing. He was the first to complete the task.”
Capitaine Adinian writes that down.
“I gave him one of these.” I show Adinian the remaining badges that Flo had made for the workshop.
“Great Baking Potential,” he reads aloud.
“Then I went around with his bowl and had everyone admire the perfect consistency of the batter.”
“Did anything stand out or seem unusual at that point?”
I gaze up at the ceiling, picturing the scene of me praising Maurice Sauve’s firm, satiny batter, students giving him their thumbs-up, and him smiling, visibly stoked. But he isn’t just smiling, he’s also… Panic squeezing my throat, I zero in on his face. He’s panting.
Oh. My. God.
I clap my hand over my mouth. “What if he’d whisked too hard? What if that exertion caused his heart attack?”
“An intense workout, especially at freezing temperatures, can trigger a heart attack,” Adinian says.
“He whisked intensely.”
“Madame Cavallo, I’ve never heard of anyone whisking themselves to an early grave.”
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Review: The Murderous Macaron was really a delightful little cozy mystery. Julie is the owner of a fancy gluten free bakery. It was during one of her classes that a student ended up suffering a heart attack.
This should have been a cut and dry death. Heat attack = no foul play, but Julie had a vision and that makes her want to investigate, which turns up some reasons why people may want him dead.
I liked getting to know Julie and her friends while the mystery unfolded. I liked that there may or may not be a love interest coming in the series as it continues. I really want to get to know more about her school nemesis turned would be suitor. Of course there's also the inspector too.
This was a light and easy read and really fun.
I only wanted to shake Julie once or twice during her investigation. Usually with cozy mysteries I want to do it multiple times because the amateur sleuths are often like the hot chick in horror flicks. A little stupid when it comes to their own lives. I'm not saying Julie wasn't stupid with her life, cos she was but not in that super irritating way that often happens in this genre.
The ending was not what I expected, especially in regards to the second death. (I promise I won't spoil anything)
I can't wait to see what happens next for these characters! Especially with Magda next door!!
Rating: 4 flowers
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Ana T. Drew is the evil mastermind behind the recent series of murders in the fictional French town of Beldoc. When she is not writing cozy mysteries or doing mom-and-wife things, she can be found watching “The Rookie” to help her get over “Castle”. She lives in Paris but her heart is in Provence.
>>> Visit ana-drew.com for a free cookbook and a game!
Website: ana-drew.com
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/ana-drew
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnaDrewAuthor
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/ana-t-drew
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/anadrew
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/authoranadrew
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE
Ana T. Drew will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
RAFFLECOPTER:
