Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Blog Tour and Giveaway: Chef Maurice and the Wrath of Grapes by J.A. Lang


Chef Maurice and the Wrath of Grapes by J.A. Lang is a humorous cozy mystery released July 13, 2015 by Purple Panda Press. This is book 2 in the Chef Maurice series. The good Chef and his friend Arthur have quickly become one of my favorite sleuth pairings. A sample chapter is available on J.A. Lang's website. My review is below the synopsis. And don't forget to enter the giveaway via the link below.

Synopsis:
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…


My Review:
Chef Maurice is at it again along with his close friend and food critic Arthur Wordington-Smythe. Someone has killed the host of the first meeting of their wine appreciation club. It appears to be a locked room murder case. Chef Maurice is on the spot and on the case immediately much to the chagrin of Lucy the head of the local police department.
Will our bumbling chef to all appearances be able to solve the mystery before someone gets away with murder? 

I absolutely love Chef Maurice and Arthur. The good Chef has so much up his sleeve at any given time there is no telling where they will end up or what they will do in the name of solving the mystery. The sprinkling of French from the Chef adds to his character. Arthur is the perfect foil to the Chef's actions.


PC Lucy is also on the case and trying to keep the Chef from accidentally destroying evidence. She is also dating one of Chef's assistants, Patrick, who is less than skilled in the art of dealing with women. It is a wonderful subplot.


The action and pace are perfect. The writing is well done. And the characters are really rather perfect for the mystery. I love humorous mysteries. I give this one 5 stars.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Now for the giveaway - from the author:

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