HUNGER LIKE A THIRST

5 stars out of 5

This book is far from my usual fare of mystery, crime and thriller novels, but when I saw the subject matter, I just had to read it. Mind you, I'm far removed from the author's noteworthy standing among professional restaurant critics/food writers, but I do pen a local restaurant review blog and for several years wrote a review column and other food-related articles for a regional business newspaper. Thus, I'm super-interested in the topic. And indeed, reading it was a pure delight.

Mind you, this is not a book of restaurant reviews (and certainly not recipes); it's a look at the author's look through her own eyes from the time she immigrated to the United States from Australia at age 14 to the present, when she's come full circle to return to the land of her birth. Along the way, needless to say, she's encountered many challenges as a woman in a man's world (quick: how many female restaurants critics can you name?) and as an "outsider" everywhere except in her native country as well as racked up almost too many achievements to count. Wedged somewhere in between those is dealing with a husband - himself a chef - and child as careers collide, money ebbs and flows and publications willing to pay someone to write about food drop like dumplings in hot broth.

All told, it was a very engaging and enjoyable journey - and I thank the publisher for giving me the chance to tag along. Well done!

Hunger Like a Thirst by Besha Rodell (Celadon Books, May 2025); 272 pp.

THE PROOF OF THE PUDDING

4 stars out of 5

Despite being royalty (Lady Georgiana Rannoch is the King of England's cousin, don't you know - he who's at the moment off galavanting with some woman named Simpson) - she's like most first-time mothers in being apprehensive about giving birth. And that big event is imminent in this, the 17th installment of the "Her Royal Spyness" series. She and hunky hubby Darcy O'Mara are close to penniless (not sure why since he has a job as some kind of investigator, but hey), so she has yet to hire a nanny or even buy enough nappies for the nursery. Some of the feet dragging, though, comes because - based on her own past experiences with an off-putting mother - she wants to be more involved with her own child. For now, they're living quite well at the estate of Sir Hubert in Eynsleigh, which comes with more rooms than Buckingham Palace and a slew of people to cook and clean.

But alas, there's no chef; and Sir Hubert, an explorer readying to return home, will expect to be fed in his usual custom. So, Georgie hires a Frenchman named Pierre she met on one of their trips - a man who claims to be a chef but who's an almost total stranger. Happily, when she throws a welcome back dinner party for Sir Hubert, it's a hit - and so is Pierre. So much, in fact, that one of the guests, Gothic horror writer Sir Mortimer Mordred, wants to "borrow" him to cook up a feast for a party he's hosting at his manor - a rather spectacular residence that includes a "poison" garden.

That dinner, too, is a culinary success - that is, until several guests become quite ill and one dies. But how could that be? Everyone ate the same things (perhaps some ate more than others), and most of the guests felt no ill effects. Beyond that, no one seemed to have been alone with the pre-served food, at least not long enough to doctor up a dish or two. That is, with one exception: Chef Pierre.

Georgie, though, is certain her chef is innocent, even though he's an avowed Communist who isn't fond of an "upper class." But most of the guests (and more importantly, the police) are ready to truss him up like a Christmas goose, so she's got her work cut out for her if she wants to prove that he's not the culprit. Solving the mystery becomes more of a treat for readers once Georgie meets none other than mystery writer Agatha Christie (who's at Mordred's party with her husband, who was one of the guests who became ill). Georgie and Agatha hit it off at once, bouncing ideas off one another until the end (after which they pledge to remain friends, so methinks we may see the indominable Agatha again soon).

On the other hand, Darcy, a favorite character of mine, was barely there; even when he was present, he was, shall I say, rather lackluster. And Georgie? I know she's trying to stop saying "golly" so much, but I sure wish she'd hurry it up. Overall, though, this is another great romp back in time as always, and I'm already looking forward to the next adventure. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review this one.

The Proof of the Pudding by Rhys Bowen (Berkley, November 2023); 295 pp.

A SCONE OF CONTENTION

3.5 stars out of 5

Newly married to Nathan Bransford, a detective with the Key West, Florida, Police Department, Hayley Snow writes food-related articles for the island's Key Zest publication. When the couple gets a chance for a real honeymoon in Scotland to visit Nathan's sister Vera and her husband, William, she sees an opportunity to bring stories of Scottish fare back to tempt Key Westians. Then, because of their elderly but spunky houseboat neighbor Miss Gloria's family ties to the country - and that it might be her only chance to see it - they offer to take her along. Just before they leave, one of their local friends ends up in hot water with the police, making Hayley a little reluctant to leave.

Although Scotland is welcoming, Nathan's sister is far less so; to make matters worse, Hayley's brother-in-law insists on entering a golf tournament with Nathan as his partner - taking him away from her most of the days of their visit, sadly for her (and for readers, who see way too little of him as well). Vera, who's immersed in pulling together a soon-to-be-published book about the "thin places" of Scotland ("where the veil between heaven and earth is lifted"), spends a good bit of her time disagreeing with the production team about the direction the book is taking - a turn for the worse, in her opinion. When Nathan's rather standoffish mother, who has gained tentative acceptance by Hayley but isn't on the best of terms with Vera, shows up as well, she brings the potential for uncomfortable encounters. If I'm honest, I'll say that potential quickly turned into an unpleasant reality; the disagreements and sniping at each other - especially among the book production team - started to get annoying fairly early on. 

At an early-on dinner party for all of the above, one of the guests experiences severe stomach distress - a suspected poisoning. Later, as the group hops on the Falkirk Wheel on their way to their destination of the day, tragedy strikes: A man falls overboard and is killed. When he's identified by police, no one in Hayley's group acknowledges knowing him, but their furtive denials make her think there's more to that story - and the possibility that it was no accident rears its ugly head. Much of the book from this point on centers on descriptions of the group's destinations, detailed bickering among group members and, more pleasantly, Hayley's encounters with the traditional foods of Scotland (recipes for such treats as Shepherd's Pie and several varieties of scones are included at the end of the book).

The only near-edge-of-seat drama happens near the end, when one of member of the group faces a life-threatening situation; that's followed by the tying up of loose ends surrounding the death at Falkirk and publication of the book. Once Hayley and Nathan are back home, her friend's pre-trip tussle with police is sorted as well - but that situation had so little relevance to the rest of the plot that I had to wonder why it was included at all. Oh wait: Maybe it will be fodder for the next book in the series (for the record, this is the eleventh). While I wait for that one, I'll thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy of this one.

A Scone of Contention by Lucy Burdette (Crooked Lane Books, August 2021); 336 pp.