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Eat, Drink and be Buried by Peter King |
| (Minotaur, $22.95, NV) ISBN 0-312-24270-0 |
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The nameless Gourmet Detective, called such because of his ability to advise on and locate exotic and hard-to-find ingredients and cuisine, has once again been pressed into service as an amateur detective. Hired by the Harlington Castle, offering 16th century entertainment, such as jousting, to recreate an authentic medieval menu, the Gourmet Detective witnesses a particularly gruesome joust in which one knight loses his head (a stunt) and the other knight falls ill and dies from poison. The owner of the castle, Lord Gerald Harlington, beseeches the Gourmet Detective to stay on and to use his other detecting skills to solve the poisoning before the castle's business is ruined.
The Gourmet Detective starts his investigation with the Harlington family, since it was supposed to be Richard Harlington in the second jouster's position. While investigating, the Gourmet Detective digs up many Harlington family secrets, fends off the spoiled, flirtatious daughters, Felicity and Angela, and uncovers scandal in the kitchen. The menus and foods described in Eat, Drink and be Buried are very interesting, and foodies will be intrigued by the medieval cuisine. The cast of characters, while very entertaining, becomes cumbersome as there are so many of them and they are all very much alike. The mystery, which ends up being two separate mysteries, is overshadowed a bit by the reworking of the menu. Peter King takes full advantage of the castle setting throughout the book, even to the final scene, which takes place in the dungeon. Even thought the plot seems to veer out of control, the Gourmet Detective reins everyone in, neatly solving the murder, the menu problems and several other problems along the way. The non-reference to the detective's proper names is handled deftly, thought the gimmick may wear on some readers. Fans of culinary mysteries will enjoy this sixth entry in the Gourmet Detective series, as will those who enjoy participating in Medieval festivals.
--Jennifer Monahan Winberry |
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