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THE PINK PANTHER'S JUST DESSERTS
by Marc Cerasini & Alice Alfonsi
HarperCollins, October 2006
304 pages
$6.99
ISBN: 0060793317


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

In THE PINK PANTHER'S JUST DESSERTS, someone is killing the great chefs of France. Inspector Jacques Clouseau and his sidekick Ponton have been assigned this grand investigation. So far, they have been sampling all types of French cuisine in order to discover the killer. In terms of finding the killer, their investigation has not been successful; in terms of putting on weight, they have succeeded.

Once Charles Dreyfus, Clouseau's superior, is involved in the investigation things begin to move quickly. The police finally discover a connection between all of the victims. All of the dead chefs were supposed to participate in the upcoming World Food Expo in Las Vegas. It becomes obvious that someone will need to go under cover at the Expo in order to expose the killer.

Dreyfus disguises himself as an elusive chef to draw out the murderer. Clouseau and Ponton accompany him as protection. With a lot of bumbling around, these two men manage to reveal vital information that points to the killer's identity. The only question is whether or not they will expose the killer before he claims more victims.

In addition to being a parody of the police procedural, THE PINK PANTHER'S JUST DESSERTS also satirizes the food industry and well-known TV shows. This book pokes fun at the Iron Chef and the personalities of the Food Network Chefs. To those who are unfamiliar with the Iron Chef, this is a show where two chefs are competing against each other using a secret ingredient that is not revealed until once the show has begun. In this book, the secret ingredient is MSG! For readers familiar with the Food Network world, these spoofs are funny. To readers who are not familiar with this world, the book is not as enjoyable.

Being the product of my generation, the phrase 'the pink panther; calls to mind an animated very large pink cat. The plot of the cartoon escapes me but the image of the cat and the appealing theme song still remain in my memory.

For this reason, it is difficult for me to reconcile the cartoon with a mystery series featuring the bumbling Inspector Jacques Clouseau. The connection between these two images has always escaped and confused me. While THE PINK PANTHER'S JUST DESSERTS is an entertaining parody, my memories regarding 'the pink panther' interfere with my enjoyment of the book.

Reviewed by Sarah Dudley, November 2006

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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