Saturday, December 4, 2021

A Deadly Eclair

 This is another new series by an author I have previously read- this must be my theme of the week.  I thoroughly enjoyed this cozy mystery and gave it a 4 star rating.   

Daryl Wood Gerber has set the French Bistro series in the Napa Valley area.  The book contains references to the wineries and famous eateries but centers around a fictitious small town.  The main character is Mimi, who is the owner of the new Bistro and Inn that is hosting a the wedding of a famous talk show host.  She is hoping this event will generate lots of positive feedback and help her grow the business.  

 Well even though the talk show host isn't Jerry Springer, there is plenty of drama surrounding the event.  The least of which is a murder victim discovered the morning of the nuptials.  Mimi finds herself drawn into the investigation even though Sheriff Tyson, her HS friend, tells her to butt out.  

Sound familiar?  Of course it does because that is the formula of all cozies.  This one does a great job of blending descriptions of the restaurant business, including disgruntled patrons and critics and family drama with the solving of the mystery.  My only complaint was the degree to which strange coincidences occur in terms of new friendships forming that seem a little too unrealistic.  Other than that I enjoyed the story and look forward to reading more of the series.


A Deadly ÉclairA Deadly Éclair by Daryl Wood Gerber
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

very enjoyable cozy set in the wine country around Yountville, CA. There is plenty of when talk show host, Angelica comes to town to get married. Mimi as the new owner of a bistro and Inn is excited to host her and hopefully gain some positive press for her new establishments. She did not count on a murder and all the drama that comes with one. She takes on the role of amateur detective and fills her day doing that while the reader also gets a view into her life as a businesswoman and her budding romance. There are definitely some cliche aspects to the story and maybe a few too many coincidental connections between characters but all in all it is a wonderful start to a new series

View all my reviews



Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  


  1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #130
  2. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2021   Book #141
  3. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #156
  4. Calendar of Crime  #CalendarOfCrime2021   
  5. Cruisin thru Cozies  Free choice #96
  6. Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal  Book #133
  7. Craving for Cozies  Book #114
  8. Medical Examiner Challenge  1 Toe Tags
  9. Beachcomber Challenge  
    • Crime Scenes 
      • Row 5
        • Garden, park, gazebo
    • Weapons
      • Row 2 
        • Rock, brick, blunt object
    • Detectives- Mimi/Tyson
    • Victims- Bryan
  10. Six Shooter Challenge  Target #66  Shot #3


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