A DEADLY ECLAIR by
DARYL WOOD GERBER

What a wonderful start to a new series. The author has mesmerized me with her exquisite meals served at the beautiful restaurant our main character runs. The French Bistro and Inn was becoming quite the place to eat at. I found myself feeling like I was sitting at a table watching Mimi as she ran her business with precision. The way the author describes the menu makes you want to run in a French Bistro and order all the food in the book. 

Mimi is a delightful character with strong opinions and has a backer that has helped get her established. Bryan Baker has had a special place in his heart for Mimi and wants to be sure she succeeds. He reminds me of a grandfather who has all this money and lavishes it on his favorite granddaughter. Mimi is like an energizer bunny and seems to take on a lot to make her business successful.

When a famous talk show host books her wedding at the Inn, everyone is on high alert. Mimi knows this wedding could put her on the map. The chef has to have the perfect menu and everything has to be picture perfect . Will the bride and groom be happy with the setting for their wedding? Can the menu the chef has prepared live up to their expectations?

Sometimes we don’t always get what we want and Mimi finds herself in panic mode when several guests get drunk and start to get out of hand at the evening party. As the evening winds down Mimi hopes to sleep and get a jump start on the next day. What she finds the next morning will put a damper on the wedding and make her a suspect. Her beloved mentor is found dead with an eclair stuck in his mouth. Ok I did find that a bit funny. That’s one of the things I like about the authors writing. She puts humor in her story at just the places to lighten up the mood a bit . 

The story has some delightful characters that I found to be interesting. The list of suspects are many and poor Mimi is on the top of the list. Her sleuthing skills were very well thought out and I have to say she could easily get a job as a detective. Now the big question is who killed Bryan? He is very well off, and helped Mimi get her business off the ground. Does Bryan have family members that are willing to kill to get his inheritance? Or perhaps it is a jealous person that despised him for his success? The story is well written and kept me guessing till the end. Once again I didn’t figure out who the killer was. I love it when an author can write a mystery and fool her readers and surprise them at the end. I am looking forward to more books in this wonderful series. 

I received a copy of this book from the author. The review is my own opinion.