Monsieur Pamplemousse Rests His Case [Mass Market Paperback]

Michael Bond (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1993

When six of the most famous mystery writers in America meet in Vichy to reenact a famous meal from the days of Alexandre Dumas, one of them dies mysteriously, and Monsieur Pamplemousse must step in to investigate. Reprint. PW.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

If this seventh haute cuisine adventure by the author of the Paddington Bear children's books strikes new readers as initially precious, it rapidly becomes deliciously funny. M. Pamplemousse, retired from the Surete, is representing Le Guide magazine in Vichy, where six celebrated American mystery writers are recreating a gourmet feast supposedly once hosted by Alexandre Dumas. The Inspector arrives at the dinner as instructed, costumed as D'Artagnan and riding a horse--a wickedly unreliable horse. All too soon he finds himself thrown into a rural ditch, arrested and handcuffed, pursued on foot over the fields, locked in a country brothel (and rescued by his dog Pommes Frites), tucked in a hotel bed with a ravishing American gourmet-magazine publisher (and desperately trying to conceal the fact from his suspicious spouse, who has popped in from Paris). At the same time he's coping with two fake murders and one genuine one. "Pas de probleme," exults Pamplemousse, perhaps too soon. A delectable souffle.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Murder mars the reenactment of a famous meal by six illustrious mystery writers.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Fawcett (September 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0449220451
• ISBN-13: 978-0449220450
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,266,918 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Pleasant and flawed, February 25, 2007

By 

Charles Bradley (Acton , MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Monsieur Pamplemousse Rests His Case (Audio Cassette)

This is a charming, "perfect murder" mystery, with a serious flaw.
It also demands certain prior experiences by the consumer.

The serious flaw is discontinuities, but not in the sense of the minor
details such as the character in the background is smoking a cigarette
and in the next scene he is lighting it. Here we have major gaps.
Our hero is sought by the police and locked in a room, with his hands
cuffed behind his back. Then he is cruising down the highway. It felt
like watching every other episode of a "Perils of Pauline" serial.

The story is amusing. There are many smiles and some grins waiting for you.
There are no plot or character similarities, but I was reminded of an old
film, "Mr. Hulot's Holiday."

Some food mysteries have recipes, some don't. This one does not.

The story includes French lessons. Many food, wine, and cooking terms
are given in French, as are a number of other nouns. Most are obvious
in the context, or made clear in the next few sentences. Most do not
matter to the plot -- Oh, thats a kind of wine, for example.
But they do interrupt the story while you try to determine if you need
to know the translation.

I suspect that it would be easier to deal with the French in the book
rather than the audiobook.

Overall, it was good enough to send me back for another of Michael Bond's
"Mr. Grapefruit" series, but I'll try reading it instead of listening to it.