Death Dines in

2004 | Food & Drink

Food, wine and good mysteries make for an unbeatable combination as shown in this anthology of 16 short stories, mostly by established pros, including the two editors.

Bishop (co-editor of 2002's Death Dines at 8:30) serves up a delightful romp set at the Inn at Hemlock Falls, "Waiting for Gateaux," while James (Decorated to Death, the most recent entry in his Simon Kirby-Jones series) offers a cast of quirky and greedy characters in "All in the Family."

In Donna Andrews's amusing "The Birthday Dinner," her series heroine, Meg Langslow, must attend a birthday dinner hosted by her Aunt Millicent, who "hasn't poisoned anyone in years."

Molly Murphy, Rhys Bowen's Irish sleuth, spends her first Christmas Eve as a maid in the home of renowned political leader Sam Wilcox and finds herself involved in murder in "Proof of the Pudding."

In "Sing a Song of Sixpence," Anne Perry introduces English Victorian detective Theolonius Quade and the remarkable Lady Vespasia, who discover a Christmas pudding containing more than the usual surprises.

Brief author interviews and intriguing recipes at the end of each tale enhance a volume certain to delight any palate, but since poison is the weapon of choice, readers may need to let the stories digest before trying the recipes.

Claudia Bishop (Author)