A Stiff Risotto (St. Martin's Dead Letter Mysteries) [Mass Market Paperback]

Lou Jane Temple (Author)

Book Description

Series: St. Martin's Dead Letter Mysteries | Publication Date: October 15, 1997

The knives are out!

Heaven Lee-- proprietress extraordinaire of Kansas City's celebrated Cafe Heaven-- knew she had to watch her back at Aspen's gossipy Real Dish Food Festival. But it wasn't until the saucy cook stumbled across the battered body of one of the Best Chef contestants that she realized how deadly the competition could be.

Every June, five thousand gourmands from across the globe gather in the chic resort town of Aspen, sipping wine in the pristine mountain air as five celebrity chefs battle for the Best Chef title. When the competitors start to drop, there's a bountiful supply of suspects. The intrepid Heaven discovers scores to settle, Hollywood ambitions, and outright malice before making sure a vicious killer gets their just deserts!

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Lou Jane Temple simmers up a delicious plot of intrigue and suspense."--Author and Chef Rozanne Gold

About the Author

Lou Jane Temple is an adventurer. She has taken on the food world, cooking and catering, being a restaurateur, writing about food and wine, and authoring four culinary mysteries featuring Heaven Lee. She has also been a guest chef at the Culinary Institute of America and at the famed James Beard Foundation. Lou Jane lives in Kansas City, Missouri.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 210 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks; 1st edition (October 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312963211
• ISBN-13: 978-0312963217
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #622,674 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A Stiff Risotto, December 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Stiff Risotto (St. Martin's Dead Letter Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

The adventures of a restaurant owner and two of her waiters who go to Aspen for a Chef's competition, and the challenges of the restaurant staff to run things while she's gone were light and humorous reading for the most part. The recipes throughout the book sound interesting. I was disappointed that the author found it necessary to use so many four-letter words and make tacky sexual references. It was offensive and didn't enhance the story.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compares to Diane Mott Davidson, August 4, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Stiff Risotto (St. Martin's Dead Letter Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

I just finished A Stiff Risotto, and was pleasantly surprised at the similarities to the Diane Mott Davidson series. I really enjoy the blend of recipes and suspense! I can't wait to get the first two of this series and look forward to new books from both authors. Heaven Lee is a much more likable character than Davidson's Goldy. Heaven seems more down to earth! For anyone not familiar with these works, try it! Tasty recipes and suspense thrown in together! What a smorgasboard!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nicely done, June 6, 1998

By 

Pam "SMB,SLT" (Flint Hills of Kansas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Stiff Risotto (St. Martin's Dead Letter Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

I just finished A Stiff Risotto and Lou Jane Temple has again done an excellent job of mixing mystery with the culinary arts. Brookville Hotel, very nicely done and as I've stated in previous reviews being from the area I enjoy this series very much. In discussing the works with others from the Flint Hills and with some knowledge of Kansas City, we all agree that Lou Jane Temple does a very good job. Now we get to travel a little and venture into Aspen,Colorado. Again the characters evolve and we learn more about their pasts as is the case of all developing series.

I was glad to read in comments from the author that the publishers have seen fit to expand the series and am looking forward to the fourth in the series.

Please keep up the good work.