Review – A Deadly Eclair by Daryl Wood Gerber

Synopsis:
It’s always been Mimi Rousseau’s dream to open her own bistro, but it seems beyond her grasp since she’s been chased back home to Nouvelle Vie in Napa Valley by her late husband’s tremendous debt. Until her best friend Jorianne James introduces her to entrepreneur Bryan Baker who invests in promising prospects. Now, working the bistro and inn until she’s able to pay it off and call it her own, Mimi is throwing the inn’s first wedding ever.
The wedding will be the talk of the town, as famous talk show host Angelica Edmonton, daughter of Bryan’s half-brother, Edison, has chosen the inn as her perfect venue. Anxious, Mimi is sure things are going to turn south, especially when Edison gets drunk and rowdy at the out-of-towners’ dinner, but by the evening, things begin to look up again. That is until six AM rolls around, and Bryan is found dead at the bistro with an eclair stuffed in his mouth. And the fingers point at Mimi, whose entire loan is forgiven in Bryan’s will.
Now it’s up to Mimi to clear her name and get to the bottom of things before the killer turns up the heat again in A Deadly Eclair, the scrumptious series debut by Agatha Award-winning author Daryl Wood Gerber.

My Review:
3 out of 5 stars

This book gave a nice start to the French Bistro Mystery series.

There are several things going on at once right before the murder happens which leaves you reeling with possibilities and questions, so it provided a nice sense of intrigue and mystery that kept the pages turning. The reveal of the killer took me by surprise because I was suspecting someone else entirely. Overall the mystery in the book was good. I can’t be very specific without giving away spoilers, but I wasn’t very happy with one of the character’s reactions to who the killer turned out to be. That bothered me a little bit.

I enjoyed Mimi, Jo, and Nash’s characters. You could feel the chemistry between Mimi and Nash and everyone needs a best friend like Jo. Other than, I didn’t really care for any of the other characters. A couple of them had a “better than you” vibe that I just didn’t care for.

Ultimately this was a nice read and I will definitely check out other series by this author sometime.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.