Colleen Cambridge's A Fashionably French Murder Review by E. B. Davis

 

A Fashionably French Murder is the third book in An American in Paris mystery series by Colleen Cambridge. The series splices real life events in Julia Child’s life with the fiction of the author’s mystery solving main character, Tabitha Knight. I’ve interviewed Collen before, and because I love this series, I had to review her book. I learn so much from Colleen.

 

This book focuses on the fashion industry in Paris. I had no idea it was actually regulated by the French government’s Chambre Syndicale, who, much like in the country’s wine industry, sets regulations and standards for defining haute couture. Which means that an atelier, designer’s workshop, must have sufficient financial backing to meet the standards set by the Chambre Syndicale. 

 

The book takes place a few years after WWII has ended. Julia Child and her husband lived in Paris during this time. Julia has just started her culinary career by taking cooking classes, which she practices on her younger American friend, Tabitha, who is new to Paris and new to cooking. Tabitha lives in a mansion across the street from Julia’s apartment building with her grandfather and her “uncle,” who is not relative, but a close friend of her grandfather’s. She cooks for the elderly gentlemen, but she’s a novice cook. Tabitha is Julia’s first student.

 

We learn more about Tabitha’s grandfather’s and “uncle’s” curious relationship in this book, and find out why her grandmother emigrated to Michigan during Tabitha’s youth. She grew up in a bilingual home. After working in a Michigan war factory, Tabitha is laid off and decides to visit her grandfather and find her way in life. She earns her living in Paris teaching French to other Americans and Brits who want to speak the language, which brings her to an atelier.

 

Juia knows an American woman who needs a Mother-of-the-Bride dress, but has not learned enough French to buy from an atelier. Tabitha volunteers to translate with the promise of a future student. As it turns out, Tabitha’s skills with the language are very much needed. After the woman chooses a dress modeled by a “mannequin,” or live model, it is denied to her when the designer finds out that the wedding will be held in Paris. Because she was an American, they assumed that the wedding would be held in the USA. “When haute couture pieces are sold, they’re exclusive to the buyer. So no one else can buy the same piece and potentially be seen in it. Each designer has their own rules, but here is a definite exclusivity to all of them.” (Kindle Loc. 297) The chosen dress had already been sold to a Parisian woman.

 

Later in the day, Tabitha returns to the establishment to find her lost glove only to discover the designer murdered.

 

One weird fact: Property taxes in Paris were then calculated not by size or location but by how well or expensively furnished the building was appointed. Because of that, only the “company” rooms were well furnished while the private rooms were austere to cut down on taxes.  

 

Another weird fact: After WWII, the police were held with suspicion because some had cooperated with the Nazis while they occupied the city, which is one reason people go to Tabitha requesting she solve crimes committed against them. Her crime-solving reputation has spread, and she is trusted.

 

If you haven’t tried this series and you are a cozy culinary mystery/Julia Child fan, it’s a must. I love hearing about what Julia is cooking and following Tabitha, with American eyes, seeing Paris in its return to glory. Here’s the jacket copy.

 

American expat Tabitha Knight has found a new life in postwar Paris, along with a delightful friend in aspiring chef Julia Child. Yet there are perils in peacetime too, as a killer infiltrates one of the city’s most famous fashion houses.

If there’s one art the French have mastered as well as fine cuisine, it’s haute couture. Tabitha and Julia are already accustomed to sampling the delights of the former. Now fashion is returning to the forefront in Paris, as the somber hues of wartime are replaced by vibrant colors and ultra-feminine silhouettes, influenced by Christian Dior’s “New Look.”

Tabitha and Julia join a friend for a private showing at an exclusive fashion atelier, Maison Lannet. The event goes well, but when Tabitha returns later that evening to search for a lost glove, she finds the lights still on—and the couturier dead, strangled by a length of lace. The shop manager suspects that a jealous rival—perhaps Dior himself—committed the crime. Tabitha dismisses that idea, but when another body is found, it’s apparent that someone is targeting employees of Maison Lannet.

Meanwhile, Tabitha’s Grand-père and Oncle Rafe are in the midst of their own design-related fracas, as they squabble over how to decorate their new restaurant. And there are strange break-ins at a nearby shoe store—but are the crimes related? It’s up to Tabitha to don her investigative hat and find answers before someone commits another fatal fashion faux pas.

Amazon.com