French Fried

Table of Contents

 

 

“A clever, fast-paced tale sure to satisfy the cravings of both gourmands and mystery buffs. Food columnist Carolyn Blue is a confident and witty detective with a taste for good food and an eye for murderous detail. A literate, deliciously well-written mystery.”

—Earlene Fowler, author of
The Saddlemaker’s Wife

“Not your average whodunit . . . Extremely funny . . . A rollicking good time.”

—
Romance Reviews Today

“An entertaining amateur sleuth tale . . . Fun.”

—
Painted Rock Reviews

“Fairbanks has a real gift for creating characters based in reality but just the slightest bit wacky in a slyly humorous way . . . It will tickle your funny bone as well as stimulate your appetite for good food.”

—
El Paso Times

“A fast and funny whodunit.”

—
The Best Reviews

“Nancy Fairbanks scores again . . . a page-turner.”

—
Las Cruces (NM) Sun-News

“Nancy Fairbanks writes a delicious . . . amusing amateur-sleuth story.”

“Humor, entertaining characters, and a puzzling mystery round out the mix . . . a not-to-be-missed read.”

CRIME BRÛLÉE
TRUFFLED FEATHERS
DEATH À L’ORANGE
CHOCOLATE QUAKE
THE PERILS OF PAELLA
HOLY GUACAMOLE!

MOZZARELLA MOST MURDEROUS
BON BON VOYAGE
FRENCH FRIED

 

 

 

 

 

THREE-COURSE MURDER

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Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

 

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

 

PUBLISHER’S NOTE: The recipes contained in this book are to be followed exactly as written. The publisher is not responsible for your specific health or allergy needs that may require medical supervision. The publisher is not responsible for any adverse reactions to the recipes contained in this book.

 

FRENCH FRIED

 

A Berkley Prime Crime Book / published by arrangement with the author

 

PRINTING HISTORY
Berkley Prime Crime mass-market edition / December 2006

Copyright © 2006 by Nancy Herndon.

 

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

 

eISBN : 978-1-101-09813-4

 

BERKLEY® PRIME CRIME
Berkley Prime Crime Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
The name BERKLEY PRIME CRIME and the BERKLEY PRIME CRIME design are trademarks belonging to Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

 

 

 

 

Characters and plot elements are fictitious. Many places and dishes are real, but used in a fictitious context. Who wouldn’t love the sights, food, and people, not to mention their dogs, of Southern France? The book was inspired by one of our most delightful trips ever, but of course no one got killed, or even injured. Winston Churchill was inspired by a pug dog named Winnie, who belongs to my friend Mary Sarber. Charles de Gaulle was inspired by the late Buster, who belonged to my friend Becky Craver. I have no dogs, but they
are
fun to write about.

Take my word for it: Southern France is a wonderful place to visit, and the natives are very nice, even if you can’t understand a word they say. There were no riots when we were there, and while I was writing
French Fried
, the rioting didn’t last too long, but that’s easy for me to say; no one torched anything belonging to me. None of the places I write about are as perilous as my books might make them seem, so don’t obsess about danger; travel if you have the chance.

Books I used for research in writing
French Fried
are Gerard Comeloup,
Lyon: World Heritage Excursions
; Louis Jacquemin,
Traboules & Miraboules
; Gerard Gambier,
Murs peints Lyon
; Louis Jacquemin,
Colors of Lyon
; J. Granier and S. Gagniere,
Avignon
; Alexandra Bonfante-Warren,
Timeless Places: Provence
; Francie Jouanin,
A Taste of Provence
; Gerard Gambier,
The Traditions of Lyon’s Gastronomy
; Andre Domine (editor),
Culinaria France
; Maria Villegas and Sarah Randall,
The Food of France
; Giovanna Gibert,
Provencal Cooking
; Patricia Wells,
At Home in Provence
; Waverley Root,
The Food of France
.

NFH

“There is another stretch of wine-covered hillsides, running from Macon almost to Lyons. Here the wine is coarser and the food becomes heavier; the southernmost section, which produces the coarsest wine of all, Beaujolais, has probably affected the cooking of Lyons, too, with its sausages and its potato dishes . . . The cooking of Lyons fits the character of the city—it is hearty rather than graceful, and is apt to leave you with an overstuffed feeling.”

Waverley Root,
The Food of France

“It is no accident that Maurice Edward Saillard, the famous writer on food and drink, known as Curnonsky (1872-1956), referred to Lyon as the capital of gastronomy, considering the city’s optimal strategic position, from the culinary point of view . . . Many well-to-do gourmets have lived in Lyon during the course of its history, whether they be Romans, medieval princes of the church, bankers, merchants, or silk manufacturers. Their cooks created exquisite dishes from the rich variety of the ingredients on offer.”

Andre Domine, Editor,
Culinaria France