Five Star, Jun 2004, 25.95, 230 pp.
ISBN: 1594141924
Because of her fine ad campaign, MWVB sends New York based public relations expert Lucille Anderson to London for six weeks to add the Americanization side of a promotion to sell Sweet Whippo to the public. The creator of the product Braxton “Brack” Clark says the synthetic food item reduces sugar, fat, salt and consequently calories while providing fiber.
Her first day on the job leads to Lucile tasting the new product and suffering food poisoning. Next she receives interoffice memo telling the Yank to go home. Lucile and Fiona Gordon, head of the Test Kitchen, are already at the point of hostilities when the Londoner falls down the stairs and dies. A wannabe mystery writer, Lucile cannot resist investigating what has been officially has been called an accident as she thinks otherwise. Meanwhile the local boss Will Hammersmith wants her back in the States and her client Brack is a hunk that makes London swing for her even if she considers him a prime suspect.
This is a fun culinary amateur sleuth mystery starring a fabulous protagonist who makes the tale feels like a gourmet dinner. The fine story line focuses on Lucille's woes once she disembarks in London. The secondary characters bring London somewhat alive, but are more used as counterpoints to foster better understanding of the novel's star. Sub-genre readers will appreciate this terrific tale of murder amidst “modern” cuisine.
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book descript. of violence and chases - 10% Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40% Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40% How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10%
Tone of story
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain?
- Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues
Time/era of story:
- present (2000-2010)
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 70%
Misc. Murder Plotlets
- Proving innocence of very obvious suspect
Kind of investigator
- amateur citizen investigator
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot?
- food/cooking
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- business executive
Age:
- 20's-30's
How much violence does he/she use?
- none
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- business executive
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- revenge
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- average physique
Setting
Europe
Yes
European country:
- England/UK
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 1
Amount of dialog
- significantly more dialog than descript
