Monsieur Pamplemousse and the Secret Mission [Mass Market Paperback]

Michael Bond (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 12, 1987

"As light and naughty as a spiked creampuff . . . a bawdy romp in a French accent." Houston Post.
Monseiur Pamplemousse has been summoned by the director of Le Guide, the prestigious culinary magazine for which Pamplemousse writes restaurant reviews. The aunt of the director's wife, whose restaurant perpetrates some of the worst food in France, is demanding to be included in the next issue. With the director's marriage at stake, he dispatches Pamplemousse to the Hotel du Paradis.
There, Pamplemousse meets Aunt Louise, who serves him a dinner that causes his gorge to rise . . . and other things as well, for the meal contains an aphrodisiac of undeniable potency. Who would do such a thing? And why?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Monsieur Pamplemousse, the exSurete detective turned undercover food critic, and his discerning canine companion, Pommes Frites, are back in another bawdy, rip-roaring tale. At the express wish of the director of the food guide he works for, Pamplemousse and friend leave their Paris base and head for the Loire, a region famed for its fine wines and haute cuisine, to invesigate strange doings at the Hotel du Paradis. The establishment apparently cares little about the comfort of its guests, and even less for their tastebuds, as the gastronomic sleuth learns when he samples the ghastly fare. However, the food has one redeeming qualityit is highly aphrodisiacal. Its effect on master and dog leads them both into adventures of a most indiscreet kind, as Pamplemousse becomes hopelessly entangled with a girls' marching band, encounters an unknown assailant who keeps bopping him with baguettes, and engages in an ongoing battle with a public pay toiletwhile Pommes Frites runs amok among the female canine population. Once again, Bond, creator of Paddington Bear, creates a delightfully wacky world where logic takes a back seat to bubbly dionysian pleasures. February 7
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Inside Flap

"As light and naughty as a spiked creampuff . . . a bawdy romp in a French accent." Houston Post.
Monseiur Pamplemousse has been summoned by the director of Le Guide, the prestigious culinary magazine for which Pamplemousse writes restaurant reviews. The aunt of the director's wife, whose restaurant perpetrates some of the worst food in France, is demanding to be included in the next issue. With the director's marriage at stake, he dispatches Pamplemousse to the Hotel du Paradis.
There, Pamplemousse meets Aunt Louise, who serves him a dinner that causes his gorge to rise . . . and other things as well, for the meal contains an aphrodisiac of undeniable potency. Who would do such a thing? And why?

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Fawcett (February 12, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0449211282
• ISBN-13: 978-0449211281
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,531,201 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A French Culinary Romp, June 30, 2002

By 

R. Tiedemann "Sunnye" (Bellevue, NE USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Monsieur Pamplemousse and the Secret Mission (Mass Market Paperback)

There's something highly unusual about the food at Hotel du Paradis. Not that it's particularly delicious -- it isn't. But when people eat there they suddenly become...well, aggressively passionate. The food is...there is no other word for it...aphrodisiacal.

Monsieur Pamplemousse is taster and columnist for "Le Guide," the prestigious culinary French magazine. His boss, Le Director, whose aunt runs the infamous hotel, sends Pamplemousse and his little dog, Pommes Frites, to investigate.

Pauvre Pommes Frites. He discovers the culinary culprit but is unable to communicate his discovery to Pamplemousse. Besides, he is too busy. So Pamplemousse blunders along, surviving a series of hilarious misadventures until...voila!

Michael Bond wrote the delightful Paddington Bear series of children's books. PAMPLEMOUSSE isn't children's fare by a long shot, except for the child in each of us that's never managed to grow up. This is bawdy, silly, escapist fare. It's a quick and easy read and lots of fun.