Loved this cozy mystery! The author did an excellent job on the theme and the story and plot were intriguing and captivating. Looking forward to reading more in the series

Great, engaging mystery! Plenty of twists and turns! Interesting, quirky, and relatable characters that are three-dimensional. Wonderful start to a new series!

I have always enjoyed books by Daryl Wood Gerber, so decided I needed to finally read the first two books in this series. With this being the first book in a new series, there is some character development that is necessary, so it is a little slower than some of her other books, but I still very much enjoyed this story.

Mimi Rousseau is preparing for a celebrity wedding at her bistro and inn. Just as things get started, Bryan Baker, the uncle of the bride as well as Mimi's mentor and financial backer, is found dead. What Mimi finds out is that in his will, her debt to him will be forgiven with his death. This makes her look mighty suspicious in the eyes of the law and she is obviously one of the main suspects. Afraid that she’ll lose both her business and her freedom, Mimi decides to do a little investigating herself.

Mimi is likable and friendly. She gets along well with her staff and is a great daughter. She is a good investigator, asks a lot of questions and sticks her nose in places that can get her into trouble. Her inn is the kind of place that sounds like it would make a fabulous place to take a vacation. The plot is well written and has just enough clues and red herrings to keep the reader guessing. Good food, great friends, and plenty of intrigue keep this story moving along. There are also some good recipes at the end of this book that would make any lover of culinary cozies happy in the kitchen.

I like the authors Cookbook Nook Mysteries but I was not overly impressed with this book and not in a hurry to read the next book in the series. For me there were too many characters to try and keep straight. I found that having the main character Mimi say she hated gossip was a joke since she did a whole lot of gossiping. I also think that Mimi's way of investigating is terrible she simply just accuses people by point her finger at people and saying you're lying and is surprised when they get mad at her. The author's description of the food and the settings are pretty good but not good enough to save the book, not with a main character like Mimi.

I was sent a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not financially compensated and all opinions are 100 percent mine.

I absolutely adore mystery books--cozy mysteries especially. There is almost nothing I enjoy more than cuddling up in a blanket and being whisked away to another place, another time and attempting to solve a delectable murder! (Okay, I guess it's okay to describe a murder as "delectable" since this is a cozy mystery, right??)

This is a brand new series from a very well-respected mystery author, and it was my first experience reading one of her books. And I have to admit that Daryl definitely lives up to her reputation! While I found the book a bit slow at first (I would give it a 4.5, not just a 4), that is to be expected when a new series. Characters have to be established just like what would be required when watching a new movie or television series. In fact, the fact that this is written in first person was refreshing but unexpected at first. I am not used to reading a mystery in this voice, but before long, I was in Mimi's corner, so to speak. And once I caught up with the characters and the situation, I was completely taken with the narrative.

About halfway through the book, I no longer found myself desirous of setting the book aside. I was so invested in the characters and stories that I longed to know who the guilty party was. I was unable to decipher the culprit, but Daryl did an expert job of setting all the pieces in place so that by the time the murderer was revealed, it made perfect sense.

I understand the importance of authors in this day and age establishing a series that causes the reader to long for more from the characters, and I am ready to read more from Mimi. There is more to the story than the murder--many elements that will keep avid readers coming back for more. I have no doubt that book two and following will be even better than this one. While I'm sure each mystery will be able to be read as a "stand-alone," I suggest everyone start with the first book in this series as I always find having the foundation makes further readings in the series a much more rewarding and enriching experience.

By the way, I could easily see this series becoming a movie series on a network like Hallmark. I don't have the movie cast in my mind, but I could see it resonating with their audiences!

I was so excited to get my hands on this book, as I am a huge fan of the author's Cookbook Nook Cozy Mystery series! I was right when I had high standards set for this book, and it exceed all expectations! The characters were well written and strongly created, leaving me with a sense of community already! I lost myself in the setting and the food, oh the food! I found myself hunting down recipes for anything written about and not highlighted in the back of the book, which is not much, the author is quite generous with sharing the recipes for the scrumptious food she talks about! And can we talk about the actual murder mystery? I was pleasantly surprised by not being able to nail down the whodunit of the mystery. There were so many twists and turns in the story and suspects. I know I can't wait to read the next book in the series, A Soufflé of Suspicion, set to be released July 10, 2018!

A Deadly Eclair
A French Bistro Mystery, Book #1
Daryl Wood Gerber
5 Stars

Synopsis:

It's always been Mimi Rousseau's dream to open her own bistro, but it seems beyond her grasp since she's been chased back home to Nouvelle Vie in Napa Valley by her late husband's tremendous debt. Until her best friend Jorianne James introduces her to entrepreneur Bryan Baker who invests in promising prospects. Now, working the bistro and inn until she's able to pay it off and call it her own, Mimi is throwing the inn's first wedding ever.
The wedding will be the talk of the town, as famous talk show host Angelica Edmonton, daughter of Bryan's half-brother, Edison, has chosen the inn as her perfect venue. Anxious, Mimi is sure things are going to turn south, especially when Edison gets drunk and rowdy at the out-of-towners' dinner, but by the evening, things begin to look up again. That is until six AM rolls around, and Bryan is found dead at the bistro with an eclair stuffed in his mouth. And the fingers point at Mimi, whose entire loan is forgiven in Bryan's will.
Now it's up to Mimi to clear her name and get to the bottom of things before the killer turns up the heat again in A Deadly Eclair, the scrumptious series debut by Agatha Award-winning author Daryl Wood Gerber. (Goodreads)

Review:

The characters are well written and well developed. Mimi is a smart strong caring woman. She is just about to fulfill her dream of owning her own bistro and inn. She is thrilled to be hosting the wedding of a famous celebrity and is praying that everything goes as good as it can. She was not planning for there to be a murder during the festivities. When she becomes a person of interest, she knows she has to find the killer before her life goes up in smoke.

The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. It defines the characters very clearly by their actions and words. It drew me into the story and carried me along at an exciting pace. The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and through most of the book I felt like I was right there watching all of the action taking place. And the descriptions of the foods had me salivating.

The mystery was well plotted and not easy to solve. There were enough clues to sift through and suspects to consider. There were a lot of red herrings thrown in and twists and turns to maneuver and i did not figure the identity of the killer until it was revealed at the end which in my opinion is great.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. And if you like eating food, this is a must read book.
The next book in the series is scheduled to be released in July.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Crooked Lane Books, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.

This was such a fun read and the recipes were very yummy too!

Mimi is finally opening her French bistro in picturesque wine country - Napa Valley. Gerber does a brilliant job of describing the scenery so well, you can easily imagine yourself there. With some authors, you forfeit some of the quality of character development if you have an author so talented in describing scenery but this isn't true for Gerber. You are right there with the characters who feel real. She's able to invoke the frustration between characters, the twitterpation of romance blooming, the excitement of your dream coming true, the ambivalence of a wedding party, and the devastation of loss. I couldn't put the book down to go to sleep until I had read it completely through. I zombie walked my way through the house, my nose stuck to my screen as I kept reading. I laughed out loud, I read it to my family members who happened to be in whatever room I was in, and I ended up getting them into the story as well.

If you are a fan of cozy mysteries, this will certainly delight you.

A Deadly Éclair is the first installment in the French Bistro Mystery series by Agatha Award-winning author Daryl Wood Gerber. Protagonist Mimi Rousseau has just returned to her hometown in Napa Valley to open her dream bistro and inn, financed by Bryan Baker, who believes in her and has served as her mentor. Bryan’s niece, who is a famous celebrity chef, is getting married, and the wedding is to be held at Mimi’s bistro. Things are looking good, until Bryan is found murdered and Mimi’s loan is forgiven in his will, making her a suspect. Mimi must find the murderer before she is arrested and locked up.

Gerber, who is a veteran writer of cozies and other thrillers, does an excellent job introducing her characters in this newest series. The characters are well-developed and likeable, making readers excited for the next installments. The bonus in this novel is that it contains recipes – good recipes – that readers will actually want to prepare. It is nice to read the novel while slurping authentic French Onion Soup, or scooping up an easy, but good version of Eggs Benedict. Of course there is a recipe for real French Éclairs (not deadly ones), and who can resist that!

Even though this is a cozy, there is suspense, and plenty of twists and turns. The book is a fun, fast read, but has plenty of good scenarios to keep the interest of readers. Thriller aficionados and foodies who want to read something a bit lighter than usual will definitely want to begin reading this delightful series.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

Life changes sometimes hard to flow with it but these characters make great decisions with up and down outcomes ending up! Terriffic ending

A Deadly Éclair's main character, Mimi Rousseau, captured my interest from the start. As she's realizing her dream of being the owner-operator of a bistro and inn, I found her easy to root for. The dynamic of the relationship between Mimi and her childhood best friend, Jorianne (Jo) James, is delightful. Another character I really cared for is Mimi's benefactor and mentor, Bryan Baker. I was dismayed that he was the murder victim.

I adored the story, told from the POV of Mimi. The gorgeous cover sets the right tone for a book set at a French bistro. The mystery is plausible, and kept me guessing. I like how Author Daryl Wood Gerber wrapped up several subplots after the big reveal. I am looking forward to the next French Bistro Mystery, A Soufflé of Suspicion.

I really enjoyed A Deadly Éclair, and recommend it to all fans of cozy mysteries. I think it will have special appeal to fans of Daryl Wood Gerber's other books, Avery Aames' books, and the Santa Fe Café Mystery series. And to foodies! Foodies will love the 14 recipes included, plus reading about all of the delicious-sounding cuisine.

I really like A Deadly Éclair by Daryl Wood Gerber, and bestow upon it Four Stars!

It’s always been Mimi Rousseau’s dream to open her own bistro, but it seems beyond her grasp until she is introduced to entrepreneur Bryan Baker who invests in promising prospects. Mimi is now spending her time working at the bistro and inn until she’s able to pay it off her debt to Bryan and call it her own. Everything is going great and now Mimi is getting ready to host a huge wedding for Brian's niece at the inn. His niece is famous and if all goes well it would be huge for the inn and bistro.

Unfortunately, things don't go as planned at the out-of-towners dinner gathering the night before the wedding and even worse when the bride goes out running early the next morning and finds Bryan dead on the patio of the bistro with an eclair stuffed in his mouth. To make matters worse, if that is possible, Mimi is the main suspect when it is discovered that Bryan was lured there by a text message from her cell phone !!!

While Mimi tries to resume business as usual and keep all the wedding guests comfortable, she also questions everyone trying to solve Bryan's murder, clear her name, and keep her business afloat. The cast of characters is well thought out and phenomenal. I look forward to reading other books with this zany cast of characters! This is a great read!

I think this is a great start to the series and I enjoyed it. I did have a little trouble getting into it, but once it caught my attention, I couldn't put it down.

Our main character, Mimi, is great. She's well-rounded, complex, and fun to read about. Her sidekicks, Heather, Jo, and Raymond are all great too. In fact, I almost like Heather and Raymond more than Mimi. Almost. :)

The setting descriptions were great, which I've come to expect from this author. She usually has a good balance of details and leaving some things to the imagination. I'm totally in love with the fact that the inn and gardens are based on Monet's house in Giverny. Visiting Giverny is on my bucket list of "someday I'll get there". :)

The plot line was well done and well-written. I didn't know who the villain was until very close to when they revealed it, which is always great in a mystery! I like mysteries that keep me guessing. :)

I really enjoyed this book. It didn't quite have enough sparkle and pizzazz to put it over the top into a 5 star book, and it did take me a bit to get into it, but it's a solid 4 out of 5 stars and I definitely recommend it for those who love cozies and/or other books by Daryl Wood Gerber! Enjoy it!

<http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=64354>

A Deadly Eclair

by Daryl Wood Gerber

This is a book I really wanted to like. The main character Mimi is a nice and capable person. She owns a restaurant, Bistro Rousseau, and an inn, Maison Rousseau, in Napa Valley. This is a second chance at happiness in her personal life and success in business. She is an understanding boss who has hired an interesting staff. She is creative, has good taste, and is a lover of Impressionism.

As the story opens Mimi is preparing for an out-of-towners’ dinner party for a celebrity wedding also scheduled to take place at the inn. One of the best parts of the book is the presentation of delicious sounding gourmet items on the bistro’s menu. The book closes with recipes the characters have shared.

The focus of the mystery is a murder. When it occurs, Mimi turns into an amateur detective. Unfortunately she is a pretty bad one. She discretely interviews lots of potential suspects, many of whom are guests at her restaurant and inn. They lie to her and she takes what they say at face value and bases her theories on those lies. She also places far too much emphasis on trying to read people’s lips or watch their reactions. Then she draws conclusions willy nilly based on whole conversations that she mentally fabricates.

A Deadly Eclair has a great setting and interesting characters. Past that, I was disappointed in the plot and its resolution, which for me is not very believable.

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Crooked Lane Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 3/5

Category: Mystery

Notes: #1 in the new French Bistro Mystery series

Publication: November 7, 2017—Crooked Lane Books

Memorable Lines:

Next, I worked as sous chef to a celebrated chef—celebrated was code for crazy—at a snazzy restaurant.

A strong woman is one who is able to smile this morning like she didn’t cry last night.

Of course, there were a lot of ifs in my speculation.

Daryl Wood Gerber's new series gets off to a fantastic start as restaurateur and hotelier Mimi Rousseau must unravel the murder of her mentor and benefactor. There's a great mix of foodie and wine segments in among the mystery. I wish Mimi's restaurant and hotel really existed!

A most FANTASTIQUE beginning to a new series in A Deadly Eclair A French Bistro Mystery by Daryl Wood Gerber. Right from the first I was intrigued with the plot, characters and setting. What is better than a Bistro in Napa Valley where the food, and ambiance makes you want to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee or some wine while taking in the scenery only to be interrupted by a murder.

Mimi has a wonderful Bistro and Inn that is backed by Bryan who is a generous entrepreneur that believes in Mimi's ability to make it a success. With her best friend Jo helping by running the Inn and her chef and staff at the Bistro turning out delicious food it seems her dream was coming true. Then when Angelica niece to Bryan is having her wedding Mimi finds herself right in the middle of a murder investigation when Bryan is killed. Who would kill Bryan and why? It seems everyone might have a reason because at the dinner the night before he was killed it seems like he had an argument with almost everyone of the wedding party and these people seem to be holding secrets, and their true colors seem slip out during the investigation. Can Mimi clear herself as a suspect and figure out who killed her fri3nd Bryan, even though she is being threatened?

I really enjoyed this book. From the strong characters to the unique mystery and setting it is a delectable, keep you guessing, roller coaster ride to the very end. I couldn't put it down. It also has wonderful recipes too.

If you want a good mystery in a wonderful setting, with so many possibilities fo the outcome of whodunit then read this book. I don't think you will be disappointed. I can't wait to try some of the recipes either.

Another 5 star read and fun new series.

I received this book for my honest opinion and review.

Daryl Wood Gerber's A Deadly Eclair is the first book in the French Bistro Mystery Series. Thanks to a generous benefactor Mimi realizes her dream of owning her own bistro and inn. She is set to host the wedding of a famous talk show host, Angelica. The wedding guests are an eclectic mix that do not always get along. The weekend takes an awful turn when Mimi's benefactor and uncle of the bride is found murdered. Mimi sets out to avenge his murder. The setting is fun, and the characters definitely have room for growth and development. I look forward to seeing how the series develops since the first book left me wanting more!

I really enjoyed the characters in this first-in-series book. The setting with a french bistro and small in are perfect for a cozy and I generally just enjoyed the entire book. Good pacing, good reasons for our amateur sleuth to be involved and plenty of red herrings all around. I didn't see the motive coming which is always nice.

If you're looking for a new cozy series based around food this is a good place to start.

A Deadly Eclair
A French Bistro Mystery #1
Daryl Wood Gerber
Crooked Lane Books, November 2017
ISBN 978-1-68331-341-0
Hardcover

From the publisher—

It’s always been Mimi Rousseau’s dream to open her own bistro, but it seems beyond her grasp since she’s been chased back home to Nouvelle Vie in Napa Valley by her late husband’s tremendous debt. Until her best friend Jorianne James introduces her to entrepreneur Bryan Baker who invests in promising prospects. Now, working the bistro and inn until she’s able to pay it off and call it her own, Mimi is throwing the inn’s first wedding ever.

The wedding will be the talk of the town, as famous talk show host Angelica Edmonton, daughter of Bryan’s half-brother, Edison, has chosen the inn as her perfect venue. Anxious, Mimi is sure things are going to turn south, especially when Edison gets drunk and rowdy at the out-of-towners’ dinner, but by the evening, things begin to look up again. That is until six AM rolls around, and Bryan is found dead at the bistro with an éclair stuffed in his mouth. And the fingers point at Mimi, whose entire loan is forgiven in Bryan’s will.

An interesting thing occurred to me while I was reading this cozy—the main characters were not always very likeable, or relatable for that matter, but it didn’t really matter all that much. In fact, I’m usually bothered by a very large cast but not this time because Ms. Gerber makes them all so individualistic and memorable.

Most satisfying to me, the protagonist, Mimi Rousseau, has a very legitimate reason to do her own investigating because she’s been pegged as a prime suspect. That’s what happens when the death of a murder victim benefits one person in such a generous fashion. Mimi is a smart lady, not inclined towards putting herself in jeopardy (which I appreciate greatly) and a wedding party full of hostile relatives of both the bride and groom gives her a plethora of potential killers to check out. That’s the trouble, actually—too many possibilities send Mimi and the reader in so many directions that solving Bryan’s murder becomes something like wading through a bog but Mimi finally gets to the other side. As for me, I was kept guessing almost to the denouement, mainly because I kept changing my mind.

This author clearly has a sure hand with whodunnits. I haven’t read any of Ms. Gerber‘s earlier work and there’s a lot of it but, if A Deadly Eclair is any indication, I think I need to start reading.

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, November 2017.