Review - Chef Maurice and the Rather Fishy Tale

Review

Chef Maurice and the Rather Fishy Tale by J.A. Lang
A Chef Maurice Mystery Short Story


Chef Maurice and the Rather Fishy Tale serves as a prequel to whet our appetites for the upcoming Chef Maurice and a Spot of Truffle.

When a wooden fish with a plea for help message carved into it is found inside the day's fresh sea bass Chef Maurice and food critic Arthur Wordington-Smythe decide to investigate. Questioning citizens of a coastal village and enjoying the local cuisine, the duo wind up solving more than one mystery.

The story is short. Very short. An amuse bouche, if you will. I could easily have finished it in one sitting. But it worked to introduce us to these new characters, in particular Chef Maurice, whose mind is as keen as his appetite. He reminds me a bit of Monsieur Pamplemousse and Charly Poisson. While not a seafood fan (the only thing I like that swims in the sea is duck) I am a bit of a foodie and I couldn't help but become enamoured with the talk of food, " the bass, en papillote with dill and fennel". And I love that sous chef Patrick appears to be dabbling in molecular gastronomy.

The book is a fun short story that gives us some insight into its characters, their motivation and how they think, in preparation for their big debut. I look forward to reading their full course mystery.