Tres bien! Magnificent series debut set in post-war Paris featuring ex-pat Tabitha Knight and her friend and neighbor the inimitable Julia Child. The glimpses into Paris in 1949, as its citizens begin to resume a normal life following the end of World War II, is a fascinating setting. The wonderful subplot of the exuberant Julia Child instructing her friend in the art of French cooking adds a fun layer to the story.

Tabitha, who helped built bombers during the war, is now living with her grandfather and honorary uncle and their irascible pets, Oscar Wilde, a Papillon dog, and Madame X, the requisite haughty cat. Tabitha finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation after a guest at a salon hosted by Julia's sister Dort is found murdered. What follows is an introduction to Paris and her neighborhoods and the uneasy peace as the U.S. and Russia vie for power. Writing a real character into a work of fiction can be tricky, but Colleen Cambridge manages to give Julia Child an authentic voice in the story. I look forward to future installments of the "An American in Paris" series!

Fans of Cambridge's Phyllida Bright series, historical fiction, and cozy mysteries, not to say Paris, will all find this series opener a delight. I am grateful to #NetGalley and Kensington for the opportunity to read an advance copy of Mastering the Art of French Murder. #MasteringtheArtofFrenchMurder.

What a delightful cozy mystery set in post-WWII Paris, featuring a feisty American amateur sleuth tracking the who that done it, a cast of witty supporting characters (including Julia Child), and mouthwatering descriptions of Julia's signature dishes, the offerings at Parisian street markets, etc. It's the first of a series, and a breezy, fun read! I am anticipating the next.one.

Five stars

First of all, I confess that I love Julia Child. When I saw this book on NetGalley featuring a young American friend of Julia Child, I could not resist requesting it. Colleen Cambridge writes in a great voice. Her portrayal of Julia Child is spot on. Besides the typical goings ons with a cozy mystery, we also see a glimpse into Julia Child and her kitchen.
The main character, Tabitha Knight , is the product of a French mother and an American father. In 1949, she decides to spend time with her French grandfather in Paris. She spends her time tutoring Americans who do not know French. Julia and Dort, Julia’s sister, take her under their wing.
Following a party at the Child residence, a woman is stabbed… with one of Julia’s kitchen knives! Tabitha feels compelled to investigate.
I gave this five stars. I can’t wait to get a real copy for my shelves. I will definitely be reading the next one when it comes out. I am intrigued to find out more about Tabitha’s grandfather and her “oncle”. Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for the free advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

Tabitha Knight is fresh from Detroit (MI) and spending time with her grand-père in Paris in the early 1050s. Tabitha leaves across the street from Julia Child who is helping her learn how to cook. But Tabitha starts following in the family tradition of sleuthing when a women is found murdered in the basement of Julia Child's apartment building. To make matters worse a knife from Julia Child's kitchen was used in the murder. Tabatha needs to clear Julia Child and herself since the victim had been at a party in Julia Child's apartment the night before and Tabitha had gone down in the elevator with her after the party. A fun romp of a mystery with plenty of clues, twisting tales that need to be sorted out all against the backdrop of postwar Paris. Tabitha makes a fine Nancy Drew and the interactions with Julia Child and Grand-Père just provide the right amount of spice and comic relief. A very interesting start to a series.

Thanks Netgalley for the opportunity to read this title!

A delicate and perfectly measured balance of the playful wit of Julia Child with a spicy murder mystery. The story takes place in post war Paris where a young American woman is visiting her beloved Grandperes. She is with her good friend Julia Child when they discover a dead woman after a party at the Child's and Julia's sister's residence. Suddenly she is thrown into the lobster pot along with the other party guests as suspects by an unfeeling French detective. Adding a pinch of sleuthing seasoning Tabitha decides to investigate on her own and clear her friend's name but just like the mayonnaise that gives Julia so much trouble, it will take the exact balance of luck and a level head to catch the killer. A touch of Agatha Christie style mystery blended with enough Parisian atmosphere and French cooking to make your mouth water ,this will give armchair detectives and amateur chefs a culinary and literary treat. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

I was really looking forward to reading this book because I love Julia Child and I liked the premise of the book. However, the characters failed to capture my interest as most seemed very flat. I'm sure there are others that will really enjoy this one but it wasn't for me.

I absolutely loved this book, the characters, the setting and the mystery. Best of all, this is the first in a series. I can not wait.

Tabitha Knight is an American in 1950s Paris, living with her French grandfather and taking cooking lessons from her new friend and neighbor Julia Child. When the body of a young woman, a friend of Julia's sister, is found in the basement of Julia's building, stabbed by Julia's chefs knife, Tabitha is drawn into the investigation to prove her friend's innocence.

Paris in the 50s is just emerging from the shadows of World War Two, and the details of life in the city provide a charming backdrop to a light and entertaining mystery.

It's a fun read, but too much of the plot is revealed in an overheard conversation at the end instead of through traditional investigation.

Tabitha is a mid-20’s, post-war, arrival in Paris. She’s living with her grandfather and his partner Rafe, following her years as a real-life Rosie the Riveter during the war. As neighbors, she and Julia Child become friends, and then an acquaintance of theirs is killed after a dinner party. Tabitha turns out to be an ace detective, spurred by her love of Agatha Christie books.

The characters in this book were so great. Julia was written true to her persona in other books and movies, and her Paul was too. Tabitha was so personable—a 20-something curious woman who wasn’t used to the restrictions women lived with in post-war France after working for the war effort for so long. Hello, her devotion to her Swiss Army knife says it all. Her grandfather and Oncle Rafe were the most adorable couple, losing their minds over Julia’s food, but also being nosy busybodies to help Tabitha.

I’d put this in the cozy historical mystery genre. Yes, Murder, but overall very much a feel-good mystery that was historically accurate, and wrapped up concisely.

A book of fiction and food is a perfect pairing and this book did not disappoint! Colleen Cambridges writing is a delight and a fantastic cozy mystery. Looking forward to more of her books! Recommend!

What a fun book! I'm not usually a historical fiction fan but was intrigued by both the murder mystery aspect as well as cooking and Julia Child. Though there were perhaps a few word choices that were questionable for 1950's France, it was a very enjoyable read.

What a fun read! Ostensibly, Mastering the Art of French Murder is a murder mystery. Set against the backdrop of gay Paris, post WWII, we meet Tabitha Knight - MC and fictional best friend of the legendary Julia Child. Tabitha has connected with Julia as they're both Americans in Paris - and Tabitha is hoping some of Julia's legendary cooking abilities will rub off on her (she's a culinary disaster).

Through Julia we meet Dort, her sister, and through Dort we meet our cast of characters - murder victims and suspects alike. This whole story centres around a performance of "Mousetrap" at the local theatre; a theatre that performs English speaking plays to allow Americans to keep a sense of home.

Tabitha is NOT a super-sleuth. In my humble opinion, she's not even a semi-sleuth and seems to get by mostly on luck and her inordinate nosiness (a trait I can fully identify with). She's also sometimes a bit slow with working out the clues - but she's an enjoyable character to read and her humility makes her a likeable one.

Was the Julia Child aspect entirely necessary - probably not. Did it add an aspect of fun to the narrative - yes. It also makes me want to dig out my copy of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking and master my mayonnaise technique...

Overall I really enjoyed this story and I look forward to reading more from this author!

A murder in Julia Child's apartment building. A young women is found after a party at her flat, killed. A great cast of characters to chose from for the murderer. Tabitha, friend of Julia's is on the case, trying to piece it all together. Tahitha is a fun young aspirating detective. Loved the edition of Julia Child cooking, the shopping at the farmers markets and the yummy dishes cooked.

Tabitha Knight isn't at all intimidated by airplane engines but she can't roast a chicken. Luckily she lives just across the street from Julia Child and Julia is determined to help her learn to cook. Not so luckily, one of the guests at a party in Julia's apartment was found in the building's cellar, stabbed with Julia's favorite kitchen knife. I can't even begin to tell you how much I loved this book! The mystery is suspenseful and kept me guessing. The setting is fantastic, filled with intriguing details about life in Paris in 1949. Tabitha is likeable and resourceful and I can't wait to read more about her in future books.

This was my first time reading a Colleen Cambridge novel and what a delight! Historical fiction and food is my part of my self-care plan and this book did not disappoint. A fantastic cozy mystery; I am looking forward to the continuing series.

When I first read the title of this new mystery series, I swear I could hear Julia Child’s real-life voice. I had no idea that the kitchen magician herself was going to be a secondary character in this new series. I was so delighted!

Set in the Paris of 1949, Tabitha Knight has come to the City of Lights from Detroit to find herself. She’s twenty-nine years old, recently broken her four-year engagement to Henry and has lost her job at the Willow Run Bomber Plant where she helped to build B-24 Liberator planes. She was a real Rosie the Riveter! And on top of all the that, the woman---her grandmother-- who helped raise her has died. She is lost and decides to go spend some time with her grandfather, who still lives in Paris with his best friend.

Tabitha made friends with Julia, who happens to live across the street and down the block. They became fast friends although Tabitha can barely boil an egg. Julia’s sister, Dort lives with the Childs’. Dort works for the American Club Theater, which performs at Theater Monceau. The cast and crew are often at Julia’s apartment after shows or rehearsals.

After one such evening, the body of one of the other theater employees, Therese, turns up brutally murdered----in the basement of the Childs’ apartment building. Tabitha was the last person to see her alive and is immediately a suspect.

Concerned that she will be arrested and impatient with police procedures, Tabitha begins her own investigation. And the bodies begin to pile up. I was surprised by so many bodies that dot the pages.

This first book in the series is simultaneously funny and creepy. The opening scene about the mayonnaise was a delight! I could hear Julia’s real-life voice booming from the pages. I also liked that she was the sidekick and not the main character. I did wonder if there were some gay undertones between Tabitha’s grandfather and his best friend, Oncle Rafe (Tabitha’s honorary uncle), but it doesn’t matter.

The descriptions of the food and wine were spot-on…not too much nor too little. I was salivating through the entire book. However, there is only one thing, no two things, missing: The recipes for the perfect roasted chicken and mayonnaise! “Mastering the Art of French Murder” receives 5 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

Julia Child is helping her neighbor Tabitha learn to cook, and hoping to play match maker. Unfortunately the two become embroiled in a murder and Tabitha has read so many mysteries she is convinced she can solve this one. Excellent characters, plot and writing!

Mastering the Art of French Murder is a unique twist on the name of the famous cookbook by Julia Child. Julia Child is a supporting character in the novel as well, which I was delighted by! I thought the author did a great job of making her a side-kick, with all of her delicious cooking and adorable culinary sayings.

I didn't know what to expect from the book, but was pleasantly surprised by the historical side of the book, how it had a vintage feel to it, and that it took us back to another time in history. I could see the cobblestone streets, the neighborhood markets and the beautiful walk up buildings of the neighborhood.

I won't say who dunnit, but I will say that I didn't know who it was until the end! Which was the added layer of mystery that kept me up late while reading this book. Look forward to more in this series!

This book is a cozy mystery set in 1949 in Paris. While Tabitha had read many mysteries (from Nancy Drew to Sherlock Homes), her "inner sprite" seemed to be the main motivator of her actions. For example, she had the murdered woman's purse, which she was taking to the police detective. She decided to just ride her bicycle by the woman's apartment only to realize that wasn't enough. She used the keys to enter and snoop around the apartment, only later giving the detective the purse and the clues she found. She kept telling herself she wasn't investigating but couldn't stop asking questions and snooping around. She's nice enough and generally reasoned things out well. She seemed drawn to dangerous situations, but at least she's good at rescuing herself.

Some historical details about living in Paris at that time were woven into the story. The main characters were interesting. Julia was vivacious and gave Tabitha several (described) cooking lessons. Tabitha's grandpa was a part of the French resistance during WWII and currently lived with a younger man he worked with during the war. It's implied they're a romantic couple. They're charming with quirky pets and have interesting connections (from the war work) that they used to help Tabitha solve the murder. Whodunit was guessable, though Tabitha was shocked. She only solved it because she overheard a confession. Once she had that information, though, she was able to work out what was going on and the why behind the murder.

There was no sex. There was some bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable mystery.

This was such a cozy Murder mystery! Set against the backdrop of Paris post WW2 and having a fictional version of Julia Child as a main character was such a delight to read. Tabitha, a friend of Julia’s, is an American who only recently moved to London. Upon discovering a dead body in Julia’s building with a knife from Julia’s kitchen as the murder weapon, Tabitha sets forth to discover the truth and clear their names.

I loved how the title alone is a play on one of Julia Child’s cook books Mastering the Art of French Cooking and Colleen Cambridge does such a wonderful job of giving the reader a good visual in regards to her cooking and the Paris setting. Beautifully done and the pacing was nice. The mentions of food, because of course Julia Child, and clever mystery were both entertaining and satisfying. This was an enjoyable cozy little historical fiction murder mystery. If you enjoy cooking, historical fiction, and murder mysteries, you’ll like this one.