It’s 1949 in post-war Paris and the City of Light is coming back to life again. A young Julia Child has recently arrived with her husband Paul who was working at the US Embassy. To keep herself busy she has enrolled at the Le Cordon Bleu cooking school and is working on perfecting the classic French dishes that she will later publish in her iconic cookbook. Across the street lives her fictional neighbour, Tabitha who has also recently arrived from America to live with her French grandfather and his partner, who she calls Oncle Rafe. Tabitha worked in an aircraft factory during the war but after the war found herself out of a job. Raised by her French grandmother, she is paying her way by tutoring French to Americans living in Paris. Since Tabitha is a terrible cook, Julia has taken her under her wing and is teaching her how to shop (and pick up local gossip) at the markets and to cook simple dishes, much to her grandfather and Oncle Rafe’s delight.

Julia’s sister Dort is currently visiting and working at a theatre that puts on plays in English and often invites the cast and crew back to Julia’s to party after a show. When a body of a young woman is found one morning in the cellar of Julia’s building, Tabitha recognises her as one of Dort’s guests from the night before. Although neither she nor Julia knew the woman, Inspector Merveille of the police judiciare discovers she was stabbed by a knife from Julia’s kitchen. In order to protect Julia from being accused of her murder, Tabitha must take on the role of amateur sleuth. Meanwhile, Julia has her own mystery to solve – that of why her mayonnaise recipe doesn’t always work.

This is a delightful and enchanting murder mystery full of charm and wit. The sights and sounds of springtime in Paris make a wonderfully atmospheric setting for the mystery and the characters are all lively with interesting personalities. Grandfather and Oncle Rafe were both members of the French resistance and have clearly had interesting lives, with many useful contacts. Although Julia is not involved in investigating the murder, her cooking journey and friendship with Tabitha makes a wonderful backdrop to the mystery and it’s hard not to smile at Tabitha’s cooking disasters and relish the wonderful delights being created in Julia’s tiny kitchen (as well as her many disastrous experiments with mayonnaise). Tabitha is resourceful and plucky, ready to take on anything, even at the risk of being harmed. The mystery is a good one and after a slow build up becomes very suspenseful as the reason behind the murder emerges. Inspector Merveille is clever but enigmatic, a mystery to be investigated further in the future perhaps, as this happily appears to be the first of a new series.

1949 Paris. Tabitha Knight, 29, has come to Paris to live with her grandfather Maurice Saint-Leger and his friend Rafael Fautrier. There she meets Julia Child. One evening she is invited to a party at their home but the next morning one of the guests is discovered dead. Inspector Etienne Merveille investigates but as Tabitha is also one of the suspects she decides to start asking questions. But what could be the possible motive.
An entertaining and well-written cozy mystery with its likeable cast of characters. A good start to this series.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so much fun and I cannot wait for more!

Tabitha is a great character; smart and charming and a fun sleuth to follow. Her willingness to jump right in and try and figure out some of the nefarious things going on and piecing them together pretty quickly was impressive. She had everything figured out before I did which I love, and I enjoyed her explaining her thought process to the detective. The characters in this book and so much fun, and not even too over the top, the perfect amount of vivid and charming. Julia Child being a friend was such an interesting aspect, and I think she was portrayed perfectly. There were a lot of historical elements based on true events sprinkled in which I really enjoyed.

I'm excited to see how Tabitha and Julia's cooking progresses along with future sleuthing!

I had never heard of this author before I was offered the book through Netgalley. I am so very happy that I had the opportunity to be introduced to the author and this series.

I was spell bound by the story, told in the first person by our protagonist Tabitha Knight. Tabitha lies across the street from Julia Child and at present is not a very good cook, but with Julia's help, she will become a master, I am certain. But I digress.

Julia's sister Dort is living with her and working with an American theater company. When one of the members of the group is murdered right in the Child's building, it is clear that the murderer must be someone who was in the Child's apartment late the evening Therese was killed. And Tabitha knows it can't possibly be her friend Julia! Therese worked in the coat check at the theater and her death meant that someone was needed to handle coats during the play's show times. Tabitha steps up to help and becomes involved with trying to find the murderer to clear her friend.

Tabitha lives with her elderly grandfather and uncle and their pets also bring some light heartedness to another wise dark story. And we shouldn't forget the French police inspector Merveille who is constantly telling Tabitha not to get involved (as all inspectors must do in all these mysteries because the protagonist is so headstrong).

The story flows well and flys past. The book could be read in just a few hours if one set one's mind to it and didn't keep stopping to try and make some of the things Julia is concocting in the kitchens. (I ate several omelettes while reading this book and almost perfected how to roll one on to the plate)

I am certainly looking forward to the next installment and in the meantime, I will be looking for Ms. Cambridge's other books!

Julia had a rule for managing husbands: feed them, flatter them, and er,
fornicate with them. (She usually used a different f-word when
mentioning the last item of the Rule of the Three Fs.)
Colleen Cambridge, Mastering the Art of French Murder, Kindle Loc. 3464

As Paris rediscovers its joie de vivre, Tabitha Knight, recently arrived from Detroit for an extended stay with her French grandfather, is on her own journey of discovery. Paris isn’t just the City of Light; it’s the city of history, romance, stunning architecture . . . and food. Thanks to her neighbor and friend Julia Child, another ex-pat who’s fallen head over heels for Paris, Tabitha is learning how to cook for her Grandpère and Oncle Rafe.

Between tutoring Americans in French, visiting the market, and eagerly sampling the results of Julia’s studies at Le Cordon Bleu cooking school, Tabitha’s sojourn is proving thoroughly delightful. That is, until the cold December day they return to Julia’s building and learn that a body has been found in the cellar. Tabitha recognizes the victim as a woman she’d met only the night before, at a party given by Julia’s sister, Dort. The murder weapon found nearby is recognizable too—a knife from Julia’s kitchen.

Tabitha is eager to help the investigation, but is shocked when Inspector Merveille reveals that a note, in Tabitha’s handwriting, was found in the dead woman’s pocket. Is this murder a case of international intrigue, or something far more personal? From the shadows of the Tour Eiffel at midnight, to the tiny third-floor Child kitchen, to the grungy streets of Montmartre, Tabitha navigates through the city hoping to find the real killer before she or one of her friends ends up in prison . . . or worse.
Amazon.com

I found Mastering the Art of French Murder intriguing from the Paris setting, the post WWII era, and the characters—fictitious main character Tabitha Knight and very real Julia Child, no less! Two independent American women secure in their situations befriend each other. Julia older than Tabitha Knight becomes a mentor of sorts, and yet they also have a symbiotic relationship.

Colleen Cambridge must have done an enormous amount of research to write this book. But I can also imagine that the research was fun. She brings Julia to life as a progressive woman and hints that her past life during the war with the State Department is best left buried. But as the above quote reveals, Julia was unequivocal.

Please welcome Colleen Cambridge to WWK. E. B. Davis

In your Phyllida Bright mystery series, you team an ordinary housekeeper with her boss, Agatha Christie. In this An American in Paris mystery series, you pair Tabitha Knight with Julia Child, a fun pairing. What summoned the idea of placing talented, but amateur, fictional sleuths with famous and strong real women of the past?

Well, to be honest, it was something my editor and publishing team came up with. I love writing historical mysteries, and had written a series featuring an aide of Abraham Lincoln (the Lincoln’s White House Mysteries, writing as CM Gleason) and one day my editor called and asked if I’d be interested in doing a similar sort of thing with Agatha Christie’s housekeeper. I jumped on that chance and haven’t looked back.

The fun part about making the protagonist be the friend of the historical person is that I can do whatever I want with the protagonist’s character, life, story, etc. Everyone knows Agatha Christie’s and Abe Lincoln’s and Julia Childs’ stories…but now people get to experience that piece of history through the eyes of Phyllida Bright and Adam Quinn and Tabitha Knight…and I can give them their own lives.

Are there any legal rules about putting real historical people into fiction? Do heirs have to give their approval?

Not unless you write something libelous, which of course I wouldn’t do. 

Did Julia really have a “potty” mouth?

Absolutely! She was very earthy and relaxed and bawdy, enthusiastic about learning and experiencing new things—and I’m certain that was part of why Paul, her husband, and her many friends were attracted to being with her.

Julia becomes enamored by French food and its history. She starts taking classes at Le Cordon Bleu. The action takes place in 1949 after Julia’s husband Paul is transferred to Paris by the US Information Service as a diplomat. Did that department become or was the precursor to something we know of today?

Yes. The US Information Service became the US Information Agency in the late 1950s, I believe.

Tabitha is a transplant to Paris from Detroit. What happened that brought her to Paris? What skills does she have from her war experience?

Tabitha’s mother is French, and her grandfather still lives in Paris. When he invites her to come and live with him, she eagerly leaves the US for one of the most intriguing cities in the world. She’d worked as a Rosie-the-Riveter at the Willow Run Bomber Plant in the Detroit suburbs, and since the war ended, she has been at loose ends. She’s not the sort of woman who wants to get married and have children (at least, not yet), and she’s not really interested in the other traditional female occupations of nurse or teacher. And so she is eager.

Why does Tabitha think that cooking will be like fixing an engine?

Because she figures everything just fits into place, each part, like the parts to a mechanical thing.

Did Julia’s six-foot, two-inch robust frame affect her trajectory in the cooking arena? Did men have less of an intimidation factor on her?

In her kitchen, the counters and the stove were low enough that she would have to bend over a little. Must have been hell on her back!

I have no idea whether she ever felt intimidated by men because of her height; from everything I’ve read about Julia it’s that she wasn’t shy and she wasn’t retiring, and wasn’t easily intimidated. I will say that the thing that intimidated her at first in Paris was not being able to speak the language, and feeling left out of conversations.

I loved your descriptions of what American food consisted of during the mid 20th century. Grilled Spam topped with pineapple slices was considered a fancy appetizer. Condensed soup as sauces, and instant coffee! Those descriptions show just how much Julia Child changed American cooking and culinary standards. Did you look at old cookbooks to find these “recipes?”

No, not at all. Some of them are simply from my growing up and knowing what my parents ate. And some of them were things mentioned specifically by Julia in her autobiography as what she’d grown up eating as well.

What is a suspended food box? (What did they do in summer if they didn’t have an icebox?)

Basically it’s a box hung outside the window. I don’t know what the Childs’ did in the summer without an icebox! Julia never says…probably never bought things that would go bad quickly without being refrigerated.

What is Tabitha’s sprite?

It’s her internal curiousness, her tendency to want to stir things up, to find out more, to have adventures and do fun and different things.

If a woman wore pants in Paris, except when bike or horse riding, it was illegal. What did they do to women who wore pants—lock them up? How could they justify this ridiculousness?

Well, I don’t think the women were ticketed very often, if at all. But the law was still on the books, and it was unusual for women to wear pants…though not unheard of. Especially in the more bohemian areas like Saint-Germain La Prés, you would see lots of the Existentialist women wearing slacks.

What was “Coca-Colonization?”

It was the fear that Coca-Cola would take over in France, ruining or affecting the wine industry, and helping to make France too “American” and “capitalistic.” The promotion of Coca-Colonization was mainly from the Communist Party, which was a very powerful force in France at the time.

Did Julia and Paul meet during the war when they both worked for the Office of Strategic Services, which was then our intelligence department? What did they do?

Yes, Julia and Paul met while working at the precursor to the CIA. They were both stationed in Ceylon for a time. Julia was a secretary, managing the files and data on the employees—including any that were spies. Part of Paul’s role was to help design war rooms, as he was an architect and also very artistic. Who knows if either of them did anything else…

What is a képi hat?

A képi hat is the familiar stove-pipe shaped cap worn by Parisian police with the slanted top and a little brim. Think Inspector Clouseau. ;-)


What’s next for Tabitha and Julia?

I’ve just finished the second book in the series, titled A Murder Most French (May 2024). In this book, Tabitha accompanies Julia to a cooking demonstration at Le Cordon Bleu. The chef doing the demonstration opens a very rare and expensive bottle of wine, takes a taste, and promptly drops dead.

Mastering The Art of French Murder takes us to Paris in 1949, just a few years after World War II. Tabitha Knight is an American, trying to find her way in the world after being a “Rosie The Riveter” during the war. Since she is half-French, she has moved to Paris to live with her grandfather and “Oncle Rafe”, his live-in partner. She refers to them as “her messieurs”, which I loved. The unique premise of the book is that Tabitha and family live across the street from Julia and Paul Child. Julia is just starting her journey in food, taking cooking lessons at Le Cordon Bleu. Julia has befriended Tabitha and is teaching her how to choose foods at the local market and how to cook them, as Tabitha is a total novice in the kitchen.

A woman is discovered murdered in the basement of Julia’s building, after a party in her apartment, and so the mystery begins.

Although well written and full of details on how Parisians lived at that time, somehow this book just didn’t fully pull me in and sustain my interest. The tips on cooking, courtesy of the (fictional) Julia Child were fun. (Tip: massage a chicken with tons of butter before trying to roast it.)

I bounced between the audiobook and the ebook for this title, which was very convenient. The audiobook was well narrated by Polly Lee.

Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book and to HighBridge Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

Mastering the Art of French Murder: An American in Paris Book 1 by Colleen Cambridge: I adored this clever historical mystery! What a delicious start to a new series. I cannot wait for more!

Set in post-WWII Paris, this mystery stars Julia Child’s (fictional) best friend, confidant, and fellow American, Tabitha Knight. The details were so delightful–I felt like I was riding my bike in cold December weather in Paris with Tabitha. And I especially loved the scenes with Julia cooking. I could picture, hear and smell everything. The mystery was solid and took a turn I was not expecting. If you like Maise Dobbs or Maggie Hope, I think you’ll find yourself a fan of Tabitha. It was just wonderful. 5 glowing stars

Foodies, historical fiction fans, and murder mystery lovers will thoroughly enjoy Mastering the Art of French Murder. When Julia Child’s chef’s knife is found to be the murder weapon in the death of a young women, Julia best friend Tabitha can’t help herself from investigating what really went down that night. Even if it puts herself in danger.

While the book got off to a slow start and the main character, Tabitha Knight, can at times be frustrating, there is any interesting supporting cast from, of course, Julia Child to the stoic Inspector Merveille that help move the book along. There are some interesting twists and turns as the book picks up that will keep you engaged and guessing until the end about whodunnit!

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for access to an advance copy to review.

The debut novel of Colleen Cambridge’s An American In Paris mystery series finds our plucky young heroine, Tabitha Knight, staying in the French capital with her beloved Grandpère and Oncle Rafe. While the end of the Second World War was a relief to her and to everyone she knew, the return of able-bodied men to the homefront quickly put Tabitha out of a job. Having thrived as a machinist and mechanic in the United States war effort, she’s left unemployed and at loose ends. So when her Parisian grandfather invites her to cross the Atlantic for an extended stay, she packs her trusty Swiss Army knife and flies over to join him as soon as she can.

Tabitha quickly falls in love with the city and with her “messieurs”, as she calls her two elderly relatives. It helps, too, that she’s become fast friends with her exuberant neighbor, a diplomatic wife named Julia Child, who has recently undertaken an endeavor to master French cooking:

QUOTE
I was always curious about how machines worked and what made people tick–in fact, that was partly how Julia and I had become such close friends. One day last summer when we ran into each other at the market, she mentioned that their radio wasn’t working properly.

I had my handy tool knife with me of course, so I offered to try to fix it. She was so grateful when I did, and when I wouldn’t accept payment for the work, she insisted I stay for dinner. I’d never had such good food outside of a restaurant, and that was when I realized <i>I</i> needed to learn how to cook. If I could fix an airplane engine, I could roast a chicken. It couldn't be that difficult, could it?
END QUOTE

Tabitha’s attempts so far haven’t been quite as successful as Julia’s, but their friendship has only strengthened with the passing months. In fact, Tabitha is often a fixture in the Childs’ apartment, socializing with both Julia and her sister Dort, who works in a local theater that stages primarily American plays for American audiences. While Julia and her husband Paul often retire to bed much earlier than the younger set, Tabitha is happy to hang out with single people her age, even if she’s not quite ready for another romantic entanglement after the end of her own engagement back in Michigan.

It’s after one such evening that Tabitha and Julia are horrified to be drawn to the scene of a grisly crime. Mathilde, the Childs’ maid, has discovered a body in their building while taking out the trash. Tabitha identifies the dead woman as Thérèse Lognon, a local who had been at Dort’s latest soiree just the night before. Tabitha and Thérèse had actually left the party together, with the former going home while the latter waited for a taxi. But Thérèse had never gotten into a vehicle, and had been stabbed to death instead.

The fact that the knife came from the Childs’ apartment, and that Thérèse had a slip of paper with Tabitha’s name and address on it in her pocket, immediately makes them all suspects in the eyes of the investigating officer, Inspecteur Étienne Merveille. Stung by the inspector’s suspicions, Tabitha decides to look into the matter herself. Dort presents her with a perfect opportunity for sleuthing when she asks Tabitha to temporarily take over for Thérèse in the theater’s coat room. All of the viable suspects in Thérèse’s murder work at the theater, and Tabitha is determined to figure out which one of them did her in. But a crafty killer is also at work, and if Tabitha isn’t careful, she could very well be the next victim crossed off of a lengthy list.

This was a fun romp through post-war Paris in the company of the fictional Tabitha and the very real, very inspirational Julia. Viewing Paris through Tabitha’s eyes is such a delight, as she loves everything about the country of her forebears, even when they insist on strangely restrictive rules:

QUOTE
But here in Paris, it was technically illegal for a woman to wear trousers without obtaining permission–from the police!–to do so. As I understood it, it was acceptable for a female to don pants if she were riding a bicycle or a horse, but not to simply cross the rue, and certainly not to go shopping.

The French were, I decided as I waited for the steady stream of cars to slow so I could step onto the cobblestone street, a strange mixture of formality and bonhomie, restrictiveness and flamboyance, and rudeness and charm. But I adored the French with all of their quirks, and I had come to love their City of Light.
END QUOTE

It’s wonderful to follow along as Tabitha sleuths and, just as importantly, learns how to cook under the tutelage of the charming Julia Child herself. What home chef hasn’t dreamt at least a little of learning to cook in Paris with one of the most famous names in culinary history? While Tabitha’s recklessness during the course of her investigations gave even a seasoned mystery reader like myself pause, the well-researched historical setting and clear love of the locale were irresistible, and made Mastering The Art Of French Murder a solid series debut.

Mastering The Art Of French Murder is the first book in the An American In Paris Mystery series by Colleen Cambridge.

During WWII, Tabitha Knight worked at a bomber factory in Detroit, MI. After the war, Tabitha found unemployment. Being part French, Tabitha has decided to move to Paris, live with her Grandfather and Oncle Rafe, and help care for them. In addition, Tabitha also teaches French, mainly to family members of the diplomatic office. One day while at the market, Tabitha meets Julia Child, who she learns lives across the street. Julia lives with her husband Paul, a diplomat, and her sister Dorothy(Dort), a coat check girl at a nearby theater. Julia is taking classes at La Cordon Bleu.

Julia invites Tabitha to a party at her apartment; most of the guests are friends of Dort, who works at the theater with Dort. Tabitha has had a good time, and when the party breaks up, she heads home. As she was about to cross the street, she saw a young lady that had been at the party at Julia’s. The following day after shopping at the market, Julia and Tabitha head back to Julia’s so Tabitha can look for the gloves she must have left at the party. They hear a scream and go to investigate, and they find Julia’s maid screaming that there is a lady's body by the trash bins. It was the same young lady that Tabitha had said good night to the previous night. The body had been stabbed by one of Julia’s chef’s knives. But Tabitha will also become a person of interest when one of her business cards is in the victim's pocket.
Tabitha has always enjoyed reading mysteries and decided to begin her own investigation. They believe that the murderer must have been someone from the party. Dort tells Tabitha she can take over running the coat check room to find clues about the murderer. One day when Tabitha is riding her bicycle home, she is nearly hit and would have possibly been killed. Witnesses verified that the driver of the car tried to hit her. Tabitha knows she needs to wrap her investigation up soon, or she will become the next victim.

I was delighted to see that Julia Child was a character, as I fondly remember watching her cooking program and enjoying her personality.

The book is well-written and plotted. The cast of characters are interesting, believable, and well-developed. The book reads at a pace. There were plenty of twists and turns that I kept guessing until the final reveal.

I’m looking forward to the next Tabitha and Julia book.

I read the book while listening to the audiobook ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ simultaneously. The narrator, Holly Lee did an amazing job. The diction was very animated, every character had their own voice, and the pronunciation of the French words was excellent and helpful. It would be a great audiobook to listen to on a road trip.

The book had a great plot and use of vocabulary, was full of vivid descriptions, and the conversations flowed well. I really liked the characters and thought it was interesting to have Julia Child as a supporting character. I can’t wait to read more of the series!

Thank you to NetGalley, Kensington Books, and MacMillan Audio for the ARC and audiobook in exchange for my honest reviews!

"Julia Child had a mayonnaise problem. I knew all about it—every sordid detail—because, first, I was one of her closest friends in Paris, and second . . . well, I wouldn’t be surprised if everyone in the seventh arrondissement—from the Place du Palais-Bourbon to the Tour Eiffel—had heard about the mayonnaise problem. Julia was just that kind of person. She was gregarious and ebullient and giddy and enthusiastic. And I loved her dearly...."

It is 1949, and Tabitha Knight, a young American visiting her grandfather, is a delight as she takes cooking lessons from Julia and solves murders. The tale grips as the mystery unspools across the City of Light, and exhilarates as you visit Julia's tiny third floor kitchen, savoring the heavenly aromas and meals. Let Julia describe them:

"Garlic soup, shrimp and scallops with braised rice—they call it risotto in Italy, but it’s the same as pilaf and just depends whether you add cream or cheese to it—and jambon braisé Morvandelle. That’s ham roasted in wine in a covered pan with a cream and mushroom sauce. I’m using some of your grand-père’s thyme and parsley. It’s going to be divine.”

Oh how glad I was to be there, and cry "Sequel!" and "Netflix series!" as I highly recommend Mastering the Art of French Murder to fans of historical mysteries, Child, the City of Love, delicious cuisine, and the cleverest covers. Quel trésor!

When I chose this book, I will admit it was due to the cute title, intriguing cover, and interesting premise. I loved Julie and Julia, and the idea of going back into that world and seeing more of Julia Child was so exciting. I have seen Julia Child’s kitchen at the Smithsonian, and this was right up my alley.

I loved the idea of a friend of Julia, Tabitha, Julia, and Julia’s sister Dort are tasked with finding who murdered a guest at party in Julia’s building.

I thought this was a great mystery with a great idea, plot, setting, and characters. One thing I really loved and appreciated about this murder mystery is the fact there were plenty of twist and turns. When you think you have an idea of what is happening and whodunit, boom. Red herring. I am glad to see, from what I can tell, this is going to be a series, and I know I will be excited to read more. I cannot wait to get it on audio so my family can listen too!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the start of a new historical series by Colleen Cambridge featuring Julia Child and postwar Paris. I think it works better than the other series Agatha Christie. Tabitha is a friend of Julia Child and their relationship is an interesting friendship.
The historical Paris background works even if the post war was a very complex time featuring some of the most important thinker, jazz player and couturier.
I hope we will meet them in next instalment.
Tabitha is a well plotted and likeable character, the mystery is solid and kept me guessing.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

I read a lot of cozy mysteries, but Mastering the Art of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge stood out as exceptional.

This cozy mystery is set in post-WWII Paris. The story revolves around Tabitha Knight, a young American woman who moves to Paris to stay with her grandfather, Grandpère and Oncle Rafe. Tabitha befriends Julia Child, her neighbor, and another American who has fallen in love with Paris.

When a body is discovered nearby, the knife used in the murder is traced to Julia's kitchen. Tabitha gets involved in the investigation because she hopes to clear Julia and recognizes the victim from a party.

The description of post-war Paris makes you feel like you're there, and her relationship with the fictionalized version of Julia is a lot of fun. The characters are well-rounded, the plot moved quickly, and there were plenty of twists to keep the reader guessing.

Mastering the Art of French Murder is a fun read, and I look forward to reading more in the series.

I received an advanced reader copy of Mastering the Art of French Murder from Netgalley and Kensington Books in exchange for an honest review.

This was fun and is essentially the French/Julia Child version of Cambridge’s other mystery series centered on Agatha Christie and her housekeeper.

Conceptually I think this series actually works better (though both are good), probably because the protagonist is a friend rather than servant of the central historical figure, and also because Child is much earlier in her career here than Christie is in the other series, which somehow makes the whole concept seem more believable.

The protagonist here is also more lovable, the Childs are terrific, and Grandpère and Oncle Rafe are delightful too.

The mystery itself works out far better and is more clever in the end than I had anticipated when the solve first began to materialize, and the Paris setting is a lot of fun.

The cover of the book was really pretty and I took a chance to read this book. And let me say, I also like the setting of the story as well. Historical fiction mingled with a backdrop of thriller is going to be my cup of tea!

Set in 1950's, Tabitha Knight comes to Paris to live with her French grandfather. While in Paris, a woman was murdered in the kitchen of one of Tabitha's friend Julia and soon, Tabitha is engrossed into solving the mystery and find the real culprit before the police arrest Julia's sister.

As I mentioned earlier, I like the setting of the story, which is a plus sign to me. The 1950's and French has just got out of Nazi occupation and WWII. I like the flow of the story and the writing which is a plus sign in my opinion. Though this wasn't fast paced but slightly slow paced, this was a page turner and it was interesting to feel that you are in the era of 1950's. Overall, the ending was OK and if this was a series, I couldn't wait to read the next book in the series. The author was new to me so I am going to check out more of her books. Worth four stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Kensington for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

I want to live in this book!

Every once in a while a reader is fortunate enough to stumble on a book that not only provides them with an escape but lures them so far into its world as to make the reader envy the characters in it. Before long the reader craves the surroundings, relationships, and characteristics innate to the author's creation; like one craves bread after smelling it baking—it’s intoxicating! Mastering the Art of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge was just such a book from the third chapter. Yes, you’re questioning why not the first chapter. Easy. I didn’t want to like this book. I felt there was no way an author today could capture the voice of Julia Child and nuance this popular real life icon with a fictional best friend in post WWII France. Nope–It’s going to get kitschy, I thought. But, by chapter two I was starting to concede. Julia’s dialogue was so expertly written that I could hear the real Julia Child’s distinct boisterous voice echoing in my head. The interaction between Tabitha Knight, the amateur sleuth, best friend, and protagonist, and Julia flowed with the fully realized dynamic of a friendship today. By chapter three I was sold so completely I was only putting the book down for bathroom breaks. Otherwise, I carried it into the kitchen with me to make tea, grab my assorted macarons and a few lemon madeleines for sustenance...ok way more than a few. So many twists and turns in the intricate plotting that I refused to cook, watch tv, or even check my email until I came upon a less dynamic chapter, but it never happened. The relationships in this book were handled so deftly that I started to feel sad they weren’t real people I could visit. But, where Ms. Cambridge shines with a masterful light is in creating rising and falling action. There are a couple of tense scenes that I remember so vividly because they gave me chills. Not Stephen King 'turn on the nightlight chills' but Agatha Christie 'And Then There Were None' chills. Yes, so good I had to remind myself to stop holding my breath. Now, as a fellow mystery fan you can clearly understand why I want to live in this book. When I finally finished it I was gratified because I had not figured out the full extent of the “whodunnit “ and I was saddened it was over. I was further frustrated to learn that book two in the An American in Paris series won't be avaliable until spring of 2024. I'm book greedy, and in the words of Veruca Salt from Willy Wonka, "I want it all and I want it now!" But I digress. Until then, I’ll have to be content with fantasizing about there being a knock on my door and opening it to find Julia Child with all my market ingredients, ready to teach me one more recipe with glorious pale yellow butter as its conduit of flavor. This will give #AmazonPrime, #Netflix, or #PBS time to scoop this up for serialized movies. My sincerest thanks to #ColleenCambridge, #KensingtonBooks and #NetGalley for providing me with an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in exchange for my honest review.

Paul Child worked at the American embassy in Paris after WWII. In an effort to keep busy, his wife Julia found a love of cooking and enrolled as a student at Cordon Bleu. Anyone who grew up with her cooking shows can not help but hear her distinct voice as Colleen Cambridge describes the amazing food that she cooks as she becomes involved in a murder mystery with her friend Tabitha Knight. During the war Tabitha worked in a bomber factory in Detroit. Now she is staying with her grandfather on an extended visit and working as an English tutor. After a party at Julia’s home hosted by her sister Dort, Therese, one of the guests, is found murdered. She had left with Tabitha and had her business card in her pocket, making Tabitha a person of interest to Inspecteur Merveille. Therese was stabbed with one of Julia’s knives so the murderer had to have been a guest at the party. Tabitha knows that she should let the police handle the investigation, but there is a little voice in her head that gets her into trouble.

Therese worked in a local theater with Dort and the other party guests. Tabitha agrees to temporarily take her place to learn who might have wanted her dead. With encouragement from Julia she ties the murder to another recent death, discovers a ring of spies and comes close to becoming the next victim. Whether Julia is making a stock from a ham bone or teaching Tabitha to truss a chicken, Cambridge has made her a delight to spend time with and gives you a mystery that will keep you guessing to the end. I would like to thank NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing this book for my review.

Completely irresistible to me with it's promise of post-war Paris, combined with sumptuous food and cosy crime, this book (first in a planned series) mostly delivered. The main characters were engaging, the food was mouth-watering, Julia was believable and the mystery itself kept me turning the pages. While it started off really strong, I felt it became a bit repetitive and drawn-out in the second half, but overall I enjoyed it very much.

Tabitha Knight has been in Paris for about nine months, living free of charge with her Grandfather and Oncle Rafe, in exchange for a little cooking and care when the twin housemaids are off-duty. Tabitha's not much of a cook, but luckily she has been befriended by Madame Julia Child, who lives in an apartment opposite with her husband Paul and sister Dort. The two women visit the local market together where Julia helps young Tabs to select the best produce, plan meals, and then instruct her on how to prepare them. On the way home from one of their market forays, they are distressed to discover that a woman's body has been found dead in the basement of Julia's building. Tabitha recognises the woman as a fellow guest from one of Dort's regular post-show parties the previous evening. Soon the young and handsome but formidable Inspecteur Merveille is on the scene, and it turns out that the murder weapon is very familiar to one of the women...

Tabitha in particular is a great character, and will be strong enough to carry the series forward if that's what happens. She is complex and has a background that supports her language skills, inquisitiveness and 'new feminism' in the era of the story. I'm not overly familiar with the Julia Child mythos other than the basics, but the author's take on her felt authentic, and the story would not have had quite the same spark without her there. Special mention must go to grand-père and Oncle Rafe, who were a delightful couple and a welcome distraction from the murder investigation.

Anyone who loves Paris, food or cosies will enjoy this book, and if you love all three you'll be delighted with it.