Death al Dente (The Gourmet Detective Mysteries Book 4)

A search for an Italian chef puts the detective on the chopping block Londons gourmet detective is contemplating an empty bank account and, worse, an empty stomach, when a phone call solves both problems at once. Over lunch, Desmond Lansdown, world-renowned actor and burgeoning restaurateur, hires the detective for a chef-hunt, sending him to Italy to eat until he can decide which cook Lansdown should hire. Its a demanding gig, but this detective is never one to shy away from hard work. However, it doesnt take long for this plush assignment to turn prickly. In between meals, the detective gets a feeling that someone is out to get him. A murdered magnate, stampeding buffalo, and a killer monk are conspiring to ruin his digestiona shame, because it is vital to eat well when each meal could be your last. From Library Journal The Gourmet Detective (Spiced to Death, LJ 7/97) ultimately confronts dire danger when called upon to choose which of three talented Italian chefs will work at a fancy new restaurant. Their cooking competition, unfortunately, results in murder and more. Fast fun, delightful characters. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Kirkus Reviews The Gourmet Detective, an ex-chef, so far nameless(Spiced to Death, 1997, etc.), has been hired by famed actor/restaurateur Desmond Lansdowne to take on what appears a delightful mission: to travel to Italy and choose the best chef of the three generally acknowledged as that countrys finest. Lansdowne wants to open what he insists will be the best Italian restaurant in London, and the chosen chef will rule its kitchen. Gourmet, whose ostensible mission will be to gather material for a restaurant guide (... la Michelin), is met in Italy by charming Francesca, a friend of Desmonds who runs an escort service and knows everyone. In Bologna, the two are invited by chef Silvio Pellegrini to visit a mozzarella factory and a buffalo herd at his farma visit that ends with Pellegrinis death in what looks like murder. Gourmets life is threatened tooby a man dressed in a monks robe as well as by others. Between dissertations on the wines and regional dishes of various areas, theres a murky plot involving extramarital affairs, legal chicanery, and greedy business dealsmost of it near-incomprehensible except to theatrically handsome policeman Captain Carlo Cataldo, who seems to have a grip on the confusing mess. For some, wines and meals to die for. Others may feel a compelling urge to head for the nearest McDonalds. -- Copyright 1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. More Tags : Amazon Version : 5.0