Before Covid, Olivia traveled in rarified circles, flying around the globe with celebrity chefs and wealthy restauranteurs. Her downfall came swiftly during a tasting set up by her boss, Richard Drake, who owns multiple Michelin-starred restaurants. Although Olivia lost her taste, she could still smell, and she hoped that her olfactory sense would get her through the event. Her friend and fellow sommelier, Laura, tasted the wine and gave Olivia enough information to comment on the vintage. Someone, however, switched the wine. While Olivia thought she was sipping a 1947 Chateau Cheval Blanc, it was a young California Cab, the house red wine. Because the press was present, Olivia’s humiliation went viral.
Olivia is shocked when Jacques de Bizet, a world renowned chef who operates Chez Jacques, an elegant small restaurant in an area of Paris known as Gros-Caillou, offers her an interview. After landing, Olivia goes directly to the restaurant and finds that Jacques has already lined up six burgundy wines for the tasting. She takes a deep breath and hopes her “nose” will help her ace the test. Bringing the first glass to her nose, the wine smells off. When she tries to tell Jaques there’s something wrong with the wine, he takes the glass from her and drinks. The next thing Olivia knows, Jacques is gasping and lands on the floor, dead.
Olivia knows immediately what happened. She had picked up the scent of almonds in the wine and is pretty sure Jacques was poisoned. Still in shock and unsure what to do, a strange well-dressed woman comes into the restaurant and convinces Olivia to leave. Chantal owns a nearby flower shop and saw Olivia arrive. Curious, she peeks into the window and is pretty sure Olivia wouldn’t have had time to poison the wine. Believing Olivia is innocent, she takes the young woman to someone who can help.
Augusta Dupin was once a detective with the Police Nationale, but her agoraphobia limited her ability to function. She has not been out of her Gros-Caillou home in years. But she is still a brilliant investigator, heading up a local group of volunteers known as the Neighborhood Watch. Up until now, however, most of the crimes whey have solved have been petty thefts from local shops. Now they must band together and solve a murder.
Besides Augusta and Chantal, the members include Gaston, who operates the local patisserie, Martine, who runs the local cafe, and Prosper, who has worked with Americans and his insight on people like Olivia is appreciated by the group. Because of where these individuals work, the novel is filled with mouth-watering descriptions of what these would-be sleuths consume while they turn up evidence. Even the cop tasked with the investigation, Hedi, can always find time for an eclair, meringue, or cafe.
Olivia is shocked and heartened that this group of strangers has taken her in. She’s also attracted to Romain, Hedi’s assistant, who seems intent on protecting her. Like Augusta and Romain, Hedi believes Olivia is innocent. He doesn’t turn over her passport to Flambeau, his narcissistic boss and professes not to know her whereabouts.
Meanwhile Augusta and her team work to find out who really killed Jacques, a treasured member of their community. The obvious suspect is Francoise, who owned the restaurant with Jacques. Breaking into Francoise’s apartment – this group doesn’t follow the law when it comes to search and seizure – Chantal discovers that the restaurant is in financial trouble and that Jacques had fired Francoise. When the members of the team discover that Francoise has stolen an expensive bottle of Champagne from the restaurant’s cellar, the evidence against her grows.
Postel-Vinay has spent a great deal of time in Paris and has certainly soaked up its atmosphere. Gros-Caillou is an upscale residential district in Paris’s 7th arrondissement, which includes the Eiffel Tower. The novel ending leads us to believe we may be able to spend time with this delightful group of French sleuths again. Can we also hope for a streaming series set in this charming area of Paris?
Murder Most Delicious
Danielle Postel-Vinay
Shutterstock photo by Neirfy
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