The Pâtissière

Mystery! Murder! Pastries!

Quick thriller best read with a chocolate croissant and hot latte.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

That Patissiere is Perfume for the foodies. A good first purchase for collections where crime fiction is particularly popular.

Thank you Netgalley, Warblebox and S M Boland for free e-ARC in return of my honest review.

Very cute and delicious reverse mystery book. The story starts with famous French Patisserie Critic dying from poisoning in one of the most popular salon du the in Paris. The killer is found promptly but before that he manages to transfer his legacy to a girl with abusive father. Basically, the reader knows everything from the beginning – who, when, how and why. The most interesting part is preparation though most prominent French deserts. I had to google most of these intricate names (Babas Au Rum, Opera Cake, Religieuse, etc). I wish the book would come with illustration of each dessert at least and recipe at the end at most.

This book was a wonderful antidote to my "Great British Baking Show" withdrawal after finishing the last available season on Netflix not long ago. The Pâtissière seems to fall in a category all its own and is clearly quite original. Written with incredible descriptiveness, the book follows a young girl as she disposes of anyone who stands in the way of her goal to become the pâtissière of the best tearoom in Paris.

I had a great time reading this book. The story does a good job of following a thread as it pivots between multiple subjects and points in time, and the writing is truly excellent. While I've never tasted any of the pastries so artfully described in the book, I feel like they came to life as I read. The only reason that I didn't give this book a 5 is that I think it is maybe 10-15% too long. Almost like a rich chocolate cake, I would have been happier with a smaller piece and was enjoying the last few bites less than when I began. This is a book I will remember positively anytime I eat a pastry.

Note: I received a copy of The Pâtissière from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.