Monsieur Pamplemousse Hits the Headlines by Michael Bond

This is the second Monsiuer Pamplemousse mystery I've read. With 20 years between the publication of the two, I must say that the characters have aged well. Pommes Frites must be the world's oldest bloodhound, but he is still going strong. I've learned a little more about the protagonist: Aristide Pamplemousse is a former police officer, who, with Pommes Frites by his side cracked many crimes. Some sort of scandal, only hinted at, forced the two of them into early retirement where Mr. Pamplemousse might have languished were it not for an offer to be a food critic for The Guide.

In this episode, Mr Pamplemousse acquires a ticket to be in the audience for France's premiere television cooking show. The host, Claude Chavignol, was a real showman and had become a national celebrity. With cameras running and broadcasting to the whole of France, Chavignol consumes one exquisite oyster and drops dead. Mr. Pamplemousse is on the case, and this time it's personal. It appears that the grieving widow has a photographic hobby and if the pictures fall into the wrong hands, Pamplemousse and his boss at The Guide could be in deep trouble.

Once again, this was fun to read. Mr. Bond is clearly on intimate terms with the French, and he uses his familiarity to gently poke fun at them. Early in the story, Pamplemousse is stopped in traffic enroute to his sister-in-law's house, where he knows he will have to endure her dreadful tripes à la mode de Caen. While waiting, he strikes up a conversation with the gendarme and a census taker, eventually pulling in other surrounding motorists, about the best way to prepare tripe. Of course they all have an opinion on the matter. Why? Because they're French!

Recommended light reading.

(Cross-posted as usual.)

Book Review: Monsieur Pamplemousse on the Spot

This is one of those books that I stumbled across enroute to looking something else up. Michael Bond is the author of the children's books about Paddington the bear, which I thoroughly enjoyed as a child and as a parent reading them to my own kids. I thought I would give his books for adult readers a try.

Monsieur Pamplemousse is an undercover food critic for The Guide, a prestigious French culinary guidebook. He is also an amateur detective; mysteries seem to find him. He fancies himself to be something of a modern Sherlock Holmes. In this adventure (one of many; the series spans decades) Pamplemousse and his trusty sidekick, a large blood hound appropriately named Pommes Frites, are taking a well-earned vacation at a renowned resort called Les Cinq Parfaits. Alas, the head dessert chef has disappeared, and M. Pamplemousse is on the case!

I have to say, the story was a little difficult to follow, but perhaps that is because I didn't begin at the beginning of the series. I also found some of the references to be rather dated, but the book was published in 1986 (which seems like only yesterday ...) On the whole, it was fun to read. I quite enjoyed all of the hoity-toity food and wine references. Mr. Bond has his tongue firmly planted in his cheek as he writes these books. I have one of the more recent ones checked out from the library, and I will happily give it a try to see how the series has developed.

(Cross-posted at the Spring Reading Challenge)