Review: Chef Maurice and the Bunny-Boiler Bake Off by J.A. Lang

Published October 12, 2015
by Purple Panda Press

Chef Maurice and the Bunny-Boiler Bake Off by J.A. Lang is the third book in the Chef Maurice series.

Chef Maurice and Arthur are at it again. Chef Maurice has been displaced as a judge for the bake off because a famous television chef, Miranda Matthews, is coming to Beakley for the Fayre. Miranda Matthews isn't the most pleasant person in real life, no matter what her adoring fans think. After her demonstration, she disappears only to reappear as a body in a brook. Miranda has so many enemies; there are so many choices for possible murderers. Chef Maurice must interview them all. Will he solve the mystery before PC Lucy and the rest of the force?

PC Lucy has her hands full investigating and trying to keep an eye on the Chef and Arthur as they conduct their own investigation. And if that wasn't enough on her plate, she is worried that Patrick, the sous chef and her boyfriend, is going to leave Beakley to work in his mother's bed and breakfast as a chef.

This is another fun installment in the series. Chef Maurice is a force unto himself once he has begun investigating, nothing will deter him. And of course, he cannot investigate on an empty stomach. Arthur is particularly grateful for that since his wife has put him on a diet.

The mystery moves along fast enough. The only thing I felt was a drawback was that more wasn't done with PC Lucy and Patrick's mother. The synopsis makes out like the bulletproof pudding Lucy makes is a big plot point, but it disappears much to Lucy's relief.  And Hamilton only had a cameo appearance. I'm guessing due to his increased girth he is no longer quite the portable micro-pig.

I liked that I couldn't guess who the killer was right up until the end. I had it all wrong. And I enjoyed the humor.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Teaser Tuesday: Chef Maurice and the Bunny-Boiler Bake Off by J.A.Lang

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Miz B of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can participate, just do the following:

• Grab your current read and open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and the author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

Chef Maurice and the Bunny-Boiler Bake Off is the third book in the Chef Maurice series by J.A. Lang. It was published October 12, 2015 by Purple Panda Press.

Near the front of the tent, there were gasps and shouts as a little girl, set off by the panic, ran head first into the long white tablecloth hanging off the Bake Off entries table, pulling the material with her as she went. Cakes, tarts, and pastries came sliding over the edge like a sugar-laden Niagra Falls. PC Lucy watched as her own cake executed a gentle forwards roll, then landed, seemingly unscathed on the grass.

Drat, she thought, then shook herself.

~ 18% on my Kindle

It might not be clear in this sample, but PC Lucy is disappointed that her cake wasn't destroyed.

What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out. Thanks for coming by!

P.S. If you are interested in the series, Book One is available today for Kindle for free.

Blog Tour and Giveaway: Chef Maurice and the Wrath of Grapes by J.A. Lang

Chef Maurice and the Wrath of Grapes by J.A. Lang is a humorous cozy mystery released July 13, 2015 by Purple Panda Press. This is book 2 in the Chef Maurice series. The good Chef and his friend Arthur have quickly become one of my favorite sleuth pairings. A sample chapter is available on J.A. Lang's website. My review is below the synopsis. And don't forget to enter the giveaway via the link below.

Synopsis:
An invitation to dinner at the home of renowned wine collector Sir William Burton-Trent soon finds Chef Maurice in the middle of an all-too-real murder mystery party, when Sir William is found dead in his own wine cellar.

The guests are acting all innocent, but which one is only playing the part? The pushy Californian film director? The seductive French winemaker?

Or could it be, against all narrative decency, the butler who did it?

With the help of food critic friend Arthur Wordington-Smythe, a large kipper sandwich, and the newly formed Cochon Rouge Wine Appreciation Society, Chef Maurice must get to the bottom of matters before events turn decidedly sour…


My Review:
Chef Maurice is at it again along with his close friend and food critic Arthur Wordington-Smythe. Someone has killed the host of the first meeting of their wine appreciation club. It appears to be a locked room murder case. Chef Maurice is on the spot and on the case immediately much to the chagrin of Lucy the head of the local police department.
Will our bumbling chef to all appearances be able to solve the mystery before someone gets away with murder? 

I absolutely love Chef Maurice and Arthur. The good Chef has so much up his sleeve at any given time there is no telling where they will end up or what they will do in the name of solving the mystery. The sprinkling of French from the Chef adds to his character. Arthur is the perfect foil to the Chef's actions.

PC Lucy is also on the case and trying to keep the Chef from accidentally destroying evidence. She is also dating one of Chef's assistants, Patrick, who is less than skilled in the art of dealing with women. It is a wonderful subplot.

The action and pace are perfect. The writing is well done. And the characters are really rather perfect for the mystery. I love humorous mysteries. I give this one 5 stars.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Now for the giveaway - from the author:

http://www.jalang.net/chef-maurice-giveaway/

The Trouble with Truffles- a 4 Star Review of Chef Maurice and a Spot of Truffle by J.A. Lang

Chef Maurice and a Spot of Truffle by J.A. Lang is a humorous cozy featuring Chef Maurice and his friend and restaurant critic, Arthur Wordington-Smythe. It's the first in a series of mysteries with these characters. The staff at the chef's restaurant also make appearances as do the local constabulary.

In the thoughts of Chef Maurice, "The good citizens of Beakley mostly confined themselves to the wholesomely legal highs of alcohol and gossip." So why then is there a dead body? His mushroom dealer is dead in a ditch. Who could have possibly wanted him dead?

Certainly not Chef Maurice who wants the mushrooms that his loyal supplier owes him. This leads him into trouble. Even though the mushrooms were destined for his table, he has trouble convincing Lucy that he is trustworthy and should be allowed to take them right away, Best line from the synopsis: "They say one should never trust a thin chef, By this measure Chef Maurice is very trustworthy."

Chef decides that he and Arthur must investigate the death of Ollie, Along the way they meet several interesting people and acquire a pig.

I enjoyed the mystery in this book. Even though it is a serious enough crime, the undertaking of all involved trying to solve the mystery is quite funny. Chef Maurice's speech is peppered with words of French. That's no problem for me, but I could see where potentially it would confuse some of the other readers. It's all about execution. I don't think anyone would really have much trouble following it.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. It's a good mystery and everything you need to solve it at the same rate of the chef is given to you as he receives his clues and makes his deductions.  It was enjoyable to watch his mind at work.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Teaser Tuesday Updated: Chef Maurice and a Spot of Truffle by J.A. Lang

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Miz B of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can participate, just do the following:

• Grab your current read and open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and the author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

Expected publication: April 7, 2015
by Purple Panda Press

Never mind, he thought as PC Lucy shooed him and Mrs. Eldridge back out the way they had come. There was always Mushroom Liberation Plan B.

He is Chef Maurice. PC Lucy is the local police. Mrs. Eldridge is the neighbor of the man "missing vital signs." This teaser is from 3% on my Kindle.

This book is the first in a new series, the Chef Maurice Culinary Mysteries by J.A. Lang. Goodreads.com has a nice synopsis of this book that further evidences the humor.

“They say one should never trust a thin chef. By this measure, Chef Maurice was very trustworthy indeed.” It’s autumn in the Cotswolds, and Chef Maurice is facing a problem of mushrooming proportion. Not only has his wild herb and mushroom supplier, Ollie Meadows, missed his weekly delivery—he’s missing vital signs too, when he turns up dead in the woods near Beakley village. Soon, Chef Maurice is up to his nose in some seriously rotten business—complete with threatening notes, a pignapping, and an extremely well-catered stake-out. Can he solve Ollie’s murder before his home-made investigation brings the killer out for second helpings?

BONUS: Teaser from the short story "Chef Maurice and the Rather Fishy Tale". The short story is available for a limited time on Amazon.com for free.

"Oui, Chef, there's always the gruyere."

Chef Maurice fancied he heard a hint of sarcasm in his sous-chef's last comment. It was a puzzlement to him how Patrick could possibly find fault with the forty-kilo wheel of cheese currently dominating the tiny walk-in fridge- both in terms of mass and lingering smell.

... 

Then there was that incident when a slamming door had dislodged the wheel from its perch above Patrick's head and nearly caused the restaurant's first cheese-induced fatality. Even so, these were minor quibbles when compared to the truly unsurpassable quality of this fine piece of fromage.

The first teaser is from 7% on my Kindle. The second is from 9%. I couldn't help myself, I had to share both teasers since they were so relevant to each other. And they seem to be a taste of the sense of humor that is ample in this story and series.

What's your teaser this week? Please share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out. Happy Reading!