Tabitha Knight has recently arrived from Detroit to stay with her French grandfather in Paris. Between tutoring Americans in French, visiting the market, and eagerly sampling the results of her new friend Julia Child’s studies at Le Cordon Bleu cooking school, Tabitha has been enjoying her new life. When the body of a woman Tabitha just met is found, she becomes determined to keep herself and her friends free of suspicion.

This was my first time ‘reading’ this author. The 1950’s is not usually a time period I read, but the description of this book caught my attention. The narrator and author caught the high energy of Julia Child, though I will admit I found the constant food references a little tedious. Tabitha herself was an interesting main character.

The plot was interesting, though I did guess the ending early on. I did think the motivation for Tabitha to investigate herself was a little weak. Inspector Merveille was a character I would have liked to know more about. Hopefully, in future books, the reader will learn more about him.

My one criticism was that the constant “everything is better in Paris than in America” was tedious. Otherwise, the pacing was great, and the details were delightful.

Readers who enjoy mysteries and fiction set in the 1950s will no doubt enjoy this one.

Loved this!! Cant wait for more in the series. I love how it was almost historical fiction, but with a murder involved. So great

Narrated by Polly Lee ⭐⭐⭐
Story by Colleen Cambridge ⭐⭐⭐

Make sure you have alot of food handy because listening /reading this book will make you super hungry while you're waiting to find out who the killer is and why.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Mastering the Art of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge. As I followed the journey of Tabitha Knight, a smart and charming character who finds herself in the midst of a murder investigation in post-WWII Paris, I was impressed by her quick-thinking abilities. The historical elements based on true events added an intriguing layer to the story, and I particularly enjoyed the portrayal of Julia Child as Tabitha's friend and confidant.

The characters in the book were well-developed and fun, without being over-the-top. I was pleased to find that Tabitha had already pieced together the clues before I did, and her explanations to the detective were insightful. The book also had a delightful balance of mystery, cozy atmosphere, and food descriptions that made me eager to try out some French recipes.

Overall, I highly recommend this book and am eagerly anticipating the next installment in the series to see how Tabitha and Julia's culinary skills and investigative abilities continue to develop.

Tabitha, a young women from the suburbs of Detroit, has recently arrived in Paris to live with her grandfather and uncle. As has WWII, Tabitha's job at the Willow Run bomber plant has ended. She now finds herself teaching French to Americans ex-pats. She has also become quite friendly with the neighboring family, Paul and Julia Child as well as Julia's sister Dort.

After a party at the Childs' apartment takes a deadly turn, Tabitha finds herself embroiled in a murder investigation. The victim is a young woman from a local theater group, and Tabitha realizes she may have been the last person to see her alive. Driven by her love of mystery novels and an insatiable curiosity, Tabitha can't resist trying to solve the case herself. If she doesn't she fears that either she or the Childs will be accused of the murder.

At first, I found the fictional presence of Julia Child to be a bit of a disrupter, pulling me out of the story. As I was listening to the audio copy, I was grateful that the narrator did try to do an impression of Julia. I soon became acclimated to it and her role in the story diminished a bit. That aside, I found this cozy mystery quite fun and clever. The cooking interludes with Julia were wonderful and made me want to get back into the kitchen! I did enjoy the characters of her Grandfather and Uncle as well as the character of post WWII Paris, not to be diminished!

I look forward to reading the next installment of this series. Until That time, bon appétit and happy sleuthing!

My thanks to NetGalley and RB for the Advanced Listening Copy of this book.

I have to admit I was drawn to this book by the clever cover and the story line seemed intriguing. The book takes place in post WWII Paris as a historical mystery that is a play off of Julia Child's cook book. I listened to the audio book and feel it fell flat for me with little difference between character voices that made it difficult to tell apart at times. Thank you NetGalley for the advance audio copy.

This was a fun and interesting historical cozy premise. I loved that Julia Child was part of the story. I enjoyed the Monsieurs as well. The American in Paris take was great and the reveal of the why and the who was pretty shocking. So, I am not sure if I just didn't click with Tabitha, the protagonist, and just wanted more Julia, or if it was the narrator that didn't work for me.

I did enjoy the writing and the story so I will continue on with the series and give it another shot. I really think this was just a personal preference and not a negative reflection of the book or the author, as I really enjoy her other books.

I did have an audio copy of this book provided by Net Galley in return for an honest review.

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.

Set in Paris shortly after WWII, Mastering the Art of French Murder is a neat little murder mystery (cosy? ish?) following a young half-French American gal, Tabitha, who relocated to Paris to stay with her grandfather and his partner after the war. When a murder happens immediately after a party she attends she’s obviously not going to put her childhood obsession with detective novels to good use. Of course she isn’t. Naturally.

The story features a fictionalised Julia Child, possible spies, several murders, a theatre, and a very, very barky dog and its judgmental cat-friend, a whole lot of investigating (all while lamenting that she is obviously not going to investigate, naturally) all sprinkled with a bit of history, wrapped up in a nice bow of solving the crime. I didn’t guess who did it until very close to the actual reveal (in my defence I am also not known to even try, but sometimes it’s just so obvious - in this it wasn’t) and had fun throughout. The narrator was perfect fit with the story, I felt, and the voices fit the characters and their personas. Loved that.

Didn’t realise while reading that it’s supposed to be the first book in a series but I’m very excited for the next one.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Hits all the right checkboxes of a cozy mystery; food, murder, police detective that could be help or hindrance. A hopeful and mostly-intelligent heroine that doesn’t claim to know more about sleuthing than professionals and yet still inserts herself into the case anyway. A medium cast of characters fill in all the personalities and color that Paris itself doesn’t provide, with special nods to Tabitha’s Grandpère and Oncle Rafe. All set in a transitional time in near enough French history, which felt familiar, or at least knowable, but also glamorous. It’s entertaining, if a little predictable here and there.

The fun twist here was the fictionalized attachment to real-life person, Julia Child. It’s all fiction, obviously, but I don’t think anyone was done a disservice or made to be more or less than they actually were. It was just a delightful presence that helped move things along, add a little verve, and cement those Parisian flavors with an American voice.

Speaking of voice, I listened to the audiobook and wasn’t totally sold on the narrator. She did well enough with Tabitha, but her various voices, especially Julia’s, was lacking. And her accent slipped noticeably a few times. It wasn’t horrible, I still enjoyed the heck out of the book, I just felt it could have been better.

Overall, this is the start of a great new cozy mystery series and I’m excited for more.

I love Julia Child and I love the fact that she was portrayed in this book alongside her friend Tabitha Knight (not truly friends in real life, but still loved the idea.) Tabitha is living with her Grandpere and Uncle in Paris where she attempts to cook for them and they wish it was actually Julia Child making the meals. Tabitha attends a party at Julia's flat that Julia's sister, Dort is throwing and the next morning someone ends up murdered. Tabitha is the last person to see the person alive and the murder weapon ends up coming straight out of Julia's kitchen. Tabitha begins investigating because she doesn't want her friends to end up in jail and her spite just can't keep her nose out of it.

I really enjoyed the audiobook and find it truly delightful of a listen. It captivated me and I wanted to know how it ended and whodunnit.

Thank you #NetGalley for the advance read

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 and MacMillan Audio for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

A goofy, fun cozy historical mystery. Julia Child is living in France after world war II and her best friend solves a mystery. The discussion of the burgeoning cold war wasn't my favorite, but I loved the setting and the light tone so much.

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.

This was a fun and inventive cozy mystery - the narrator did an excellent job with the accents and was believable for the character. There was a lot of good character development and the resolution to the mystery made sense. The pacing and sense of place was also well done. I hope there will be another in this series!

I loved the audio of this. The narrator did a great job with different voices especially Julia Child’s voice. The pacing was quick yet believable and kept me interested. I loved getting to know all the characters and their quirks. If you love cozy mysteries, or female amateur sleuths then this is the book for you!

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 book worked well in audio format, though the narrator’s impression of Julia Child’s voice is kind of cringe. Otherwise, she did a lovely job, and I look forward to the next installment in the series.

I thought this book was fabulous! I chose to listen to the audiobook version and I am so glad I did. The voice actor did an amazing job with Julia Child's voice, like I really thought it was Julia Child. She was also phenomenal with the French accents and the French speaking. The author did a lovely job with her character development in the plot was excellent with some good red herrings thrown in. I really look forward to the next book in the series.

Take a French murder mystery and sprinkle in Julia Child et viola! C’est tout!

I liked it. I fell into a little bit of Julie and Julia, but I liked it.

Themes: 🔪🔫🎭🇫🇷👩‍🍳🍳

My feelings: 🥸🤓🙂🙃

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❓️Do you like reading fictionalized stories about real people❓️

🤔 My answer is sometimes. If every fictionalized story were as delightful as Mastering the Art of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge, then I would change my answer to a resounding "yes"!

🥖 Tabitha is an American living in Paris with her grandfather, "uncle," a very spoiled dog and cat in a house that happens to be across the street from Julia and Paul Child. Tabitha is not a great cook, but she hopes that spending time around Julia might help. They go to the market together, discuss picking out produce, and the dact that Julia's mayonnaise is giving her fits. Tabitha attends a sort of party at the Childs' with Julia's sister Dort and her theater crowd. The next day, Tabitha with Julia when the Childs' maid finds a dead body. Tabitha might need some cooking help, but she turns out to be a pretty good sleuth. Julia, Grandpere, and Oncle Rafe are eager for all the details (and to add their own observations).

🇫🇷 While there are references to the war, and worries about Russian spies, and murder, Tabitha shines, and Paris herself is delightful. Polly Lee's audio performance is top notch, differentiating characters and adding to the joy and light. Her Julia Child is loud and energetic and just feels right. I am excited for book 2!

📚🇫🇷 If you enjoy this one, I recommend Death in Paris (and the books that follow) by Emilia Bernhard, a more contemporary mystery series about an American living in Paris who is also solving crimes and My Life in France by Julia Child.

This audiobook is perfection! I love reading period murder mysteries so I knew from the description I had a good chance of liking this one.
I adored the Julia Child aspect and that she isn't the main focus but I feel like the author has captured her essence perfectly. The plot is engaging, the characters are vibrant and I didn't guess the murderer early which is a wonderful change!
The narrator is a case of perfect casting and I hope they will do any future books in the series.

I will be preordering this book on Audible.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to enjoy this ARC in exchange for my honest review