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Since her first book of recipes is late getting to print, newspaper food columnist Carolyn Blue's New York City publisher is giving her a launch party to advertise her premiere cookbook, Eating Out in the Big Easy. Though Carolyn knows that some of the older cookbook authors at Pettigrew Publishing are a bit jealous, she hopes that everything will go well at the party. For some reason, her publicist insists that she make a big production about her turkey recipe by flambéing it as a beautiful visual for the press. Carolyn isn't thrilled, since she usually doesn't flambé her turkeys, but she's willing to go along. After an exhausting bit of research and rehearsing she has the flambé part down pat. But unfortunately when she starts to flambé at the party, suddenly the first turkey goes up in flames and Carolyn drops the cognac, setting a bigger fire to the tablecloth with the blaze going up to the ceiling! Then production people get two of the flaming turkeys and throw them out the window, but when the birds hit the ground they explode, causing accidents on the Manhattan street below. The Benamian ambassador's car is harmed, but worst of all a young Chinese woman from a powerful family is very badly hurt. The police are called in and they call it a terrorist attack. Carolyn is horrified. She knows that someone sabotaged her presentation since she was too careful preparing it for the conflagration to happen. Luckily on the trip with her is her friend, Luz Vallejo, an ex-Vice Lieutenant from New Mexico. Though plagued by arthritic knees, Luz helps Carolyn get to the truth of the matter by working with the PI provided by the Pettigrew Publishing house. Because the police don't take her story of sabotage seriously, Carolyn knows it's up to her and her friends to find the real culprit and reason for the terrible accident. She also wants the person responsible to take the guilt for hurting the young Chinese woman who is hospitalized and in a coma. Fast and fun, TURKEY FLAMBÉ is the latest in Carolyn Blue Culinary mystery series. Though Carolyn herself is taking less and less of the forefront leadership, this series is kept first rate and fresh by bringing in Luz as Carolyn's new partner! By using New York City in November as another strong character in the story, writer Nancy Fairbanks has brought a powerhouse of energy to this series. From the best of restaurants and the heights of the Metropolitan Opera, down to the more exotic and ethnic parts of the outer boroughs, through to out-of-the-way eateries and to private dining rooms of Bensonhurst, Carolyn and Luz manage to charge their way through snowstorms and freezing temperatures to find their guilty party! Could you ever doubt it? Using everything that New York City could give this story – excitement, fun and danger – TURKEY FLAMBÉ is an amazing, lively book with some pretty exotic recipes included. Even the turkey recipe is there, but as Carolyn warns: "Do not flambé it!" I thoroughly enjoyed this book from first page to last. Even when the whodunit was solved, the story still had more to share and entertain it did! TURKEY FLAMBÉ is filled with what cozies are known for, good food, friends and adventure, and it gives it all to the reader. Do not miss it and don't forget to give it as a gift to your fellow fans. It's well worth the price!
Reviewed by A. L. Katz, December 2007
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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