Book Review - Death a l'Orange

Death a l'Orange
by Nancy Fairbanks
Berkley Prime Crime, June 2002
288 pages, $5.99
ISBN 0425185249
Carolyn Blue (Culinary) series #3

Carolyn Blue, her husband Jason, and her college-age son, Chris, are taking a tour of Normandy and the Loire Valley with faculty and family from Jason's former university. In exchange for the tour, the Blues have agreed to act as chaperone for 16-year-old Edie Atwater. As a former medieval history major, Carolyn is excited about meeting another tour member, Professor Jean-Claude Childeric who specializes in medieval French history. The vacation has an inauspicious start when the Blues' luggage is lost. Jason goes off to find an airport official while Carolyn goes in search of an English-speaking tourist. As luck has it, she bumps into Professor Childeric. But in the middle of that introduction, Professor Childeric falls onto the airport luggage carousel. He claims he was pushed. The reason? He insists it is because he is a candidate for the position of dean of arts and science at the university. And he accuses the other two candidates, also on the tour--Hugh Fauree, a parasitologist, and Laura de Sorentino, chair of modern languages, or one of their friends, of shoving him onto the carousel. Carolyn and Jason find the accusation laughable--at first.

Yet accident upon accident befalls Childeric, as well as any tour member hapless enough to be in his company at the time. Falling flowerpots and lunch boxes, unexpected shoves, a dog attack, flying wine corks--all seemingly aimed at Childeric--or are they? As the lecherous professor makes more and more enemies, the other tour members start to snarl at each other as well, separating spouses and friends. Carolyn tries to stay away from Childeric after being attacked twice and at the same time tries to keep Edie from seducing her son Chris. The culinary experience of France has disappointed her and she begins to wonder why she ever agreed to this so-called vacation especially as member by member the tour group dwindles and the "accidents" get more deadly by the minute. Carolyn tries to figure out the person responsible but it seems almost impossible. As she perseveres, the tour and someone's life are irrevocably coming to an end.

Death a l'Orange is a believable and satisfying mystery. For once it seems Carolyn has learned her lesson and tries to stay out of danger although, of course, she does not succeed. Tantalizing tidbits of French history are dropped throughout the story. Point of view alternates between Carolyn and Jason, a device used successfully in the previous book, Truffled Feathers. It's also nice to meet one of Carolyn's children. Recipes are included in the book, including Duck a l'Orange. So far, this book is the best in the series.

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