Chef Paul Delamare Mysteries – Carol's Notebook

Paul is invited to travel with Xéra, his good friend of fifteen years, on board a private yacht as they travel from England to the Caribbean. The trip is part pleasure, a celebration of her recent wedding, and part work - she wants Paul to write her biography and they plan to work on it together on board. The trip starts out poorly when Paul's clothes are dropped in the water and his cabin located in the crew area. Xéra seems tense, which only increases when her priceless necklace, a present from her new husband, is stolen. And the other members of the trip, family and friends of the husband, are self-centered, unlikeable people. I like Paul, I really do, which is why it annoys me that so many bad things happen to him here. I guess I should really list them, because that would probably ruin half of the plot, but it's a bit over the top. It's almost like...

Paul, still grieving after the loss of his partner and not in a steady job, takes over a cookery class from his old friend, Christian, who has broken his arm. It's a residential cooking school held in an old mansion in Belgravia, just a short walk from Paul's own house. Paul is not thrilled with the situation, not only because he has no idea what he'll be paid, but all of the students are major Christian fans and are disappointed that Paul has taken his place. And then he discovers Christian's body, clearly murdered, and Paul becomes one of the main suspects. The mystery's good enough. Each of the students and even the cooking school owner have secrets and possible motives for wanting Christian dead. We have several clues and a few red herrings. It's a bit like a house party mystery, especially when Paul ends up having to stay there too. The suspects are limited to those in the...

Series: Chef Paul Delamare Mysteries

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