A Cookbook Conspiracy

Perhaps the best of the series after the initial offering. Although it was fairly easy to guess who the villain was, the journey to the conclusion was less obvious and very well constructed. The awkward romantic clutches were kept to a minimum, and the attention was squarely focused on the evolving murder mysteries. Well done! and not a sign of Minka, thank goodness!

It’s a recipe for disaster when bookbinder Brooklyn Wainwright is asked to restore an antique cookbook….

Brooklyn has always been a little obsessed with food, but it was her sister Savannah who became a chef, graduating from the prestigious Cordon Bleu culinary school in Paris. She and her classmates all went on to successful careers, but none of them achieved culinary superstardom, like Savannah’s ex-boyfriend Baxter Cromwell.

When Baxter invites the old gang to participate in his new restaurant’s gala opening in San Francisco, Savannah looks forward to seeing her friends, and even asks Brooklyn to restore a tattered cookbook—an old gift from Baxter—as a present for him. But Brooklyn immediately recognizes that the book, show more which has strange notes and symbols scrawled in the margins, is at least two hundred years old. She thinks that it probably belongs in a museum, but Savannah insists on returning it to Baxter.

Shortly after receiving the gift, Baxter is found dead, with Savannah kneeling over him, bloody knife in hand, and the rare cookbook has disappeared. Brooklyn knows her sister didn’t kill him, and she suspects the missing cookbook might lead to the real villain. Now Brooklyn will have to turn up the heat on the investigation before Chef Savannah finds herself slinging hash in a prison cafeteria. Bibliophile #7 show less

Brooklyn Wainwright, book archivist/restorer, is excited because her sister Savannah, a Cordon Bleu chef, has asked her to restore an old cookbook. Savannah means to give it to another chef, Baxter, who is opening a new restaurant in the city. On opening night, after a delicious gourmet meal cooked by Baxter's other Cordon Bleu alums, Brooklyn and her fiancé, Derek, return to the restaurant after a walk to give Savannah a ride home but instead they find Savannah over Baxter body holding a bloody knife and the cookbook missing . Determined to prove that Savannah was not the killer, Brooklyn and Derek start their own investigation (Derek used to work for British intelligence - handy huh?).

Brooklyn, having had made a copy of the cookbook show more pages, becomes enthralled by the 200 + year history revealed in the cookbook/journal. Derek notices a code on the pages, notifying his brother that works as a Cryptographer for MI6 who races to town to help break the code.

The secondary mystery of the code along with the search for Baxter's killer has the reader bombarded with clues but what do they pertain to? The murder or te reason for the code?

Wonderfully entertaining with more character development as well as new characters I hope to see in future installments. show less

Ah, fluffy fun. This is part of series of Bibliophile mysteries and this is the only one I've read so far. I couldn't resist a mystery about a cookbook! It was unbelievable but a fast, easy read that was totally stress free. I actually think I'll read another in this series. Sure, I like to read The Great American Novel every now and then and I like a book that kills off all the characters (every now and then) but sometimes you have to have a book that you know will have a happy ending without too much romance. (I'd rather people get killed off than get swept off their feet.) So, although this had a tad too much sappiness and happily-ever-afterness, I give it a 3 star.

Seriously, though, the lack of knowledge the main character has about show more certain bookish things is a bit amazing. I think she would be smarter. But then that makes me feel good, doesn't it? Maybe it's the author's ploy to give me that "I know more than you" superior feeling as I read.

You also know it's a bit chick lit when there are sentences such as "I am so not going in there". Ah, well, it must have worked. I am so going to read the first book in the series. show less

Brooklyn's chef sister Savannah is in town along with several other Cordon Bleu classmates. to celebrate the opening of her ex-boyfriend, Baxter Cromwell's new restaurant. As a surprise, Savannah wants Brooklyn to restore an antique cookbook that Baxter had given her when they were dating. On the opening night, Brooklyn and Derek find Savannah over Baxter's dead body with the bloody murder weapon in her hands.

This series is so much fun. Brooklyn is always stumbling over dead bodies. Her family is a hoot. I love the descriptions of book restorations. We saw a lot of old friends in this book and got to meet Derek's brother Dalton. I enjoyed the book but I must say that the mystery was a bit clunky. But with cozies I really think of the show more mystery as the secondary thing and all the relationships as key enjoying a book. So although I would have liked to see better clues, it did not ruin the book for me. Who knows, maybe I missed something. show less

Brooklyn Wainwright restores antique books. She lives with her ex-British now American security husband in a converted warehouse condominium. She has eclectic neighbors and an extensive family, due mostly to her commune upbringing and ever-loving parents.

Brooklyn’s sister, Savannah, (all sibs names for point of conception) has moved back into the general area and opened a high end vegetarian restaurant. When another culinary school classmate opens his own eatery, the alumni are invited to join in celebration. A valuable cookbook, previously given to Savannah by said alumni, is given to Brooklyn for a proper restoration. Upon inspection, she realizes the book has a 200 year history. This deters her sister not and she insists on show more returning the book as a congratulatory gift.

The new chef is murdered, Savannah is found kneeling over his bloodied body, holding a bloody knife and the cookbook has disappeared. Brooklyn tasks herself to prove her sister’s innocence and find the real culprit.

Henceforth, the mystery of the cookbook, with its symbols in the margins, and the super chef murder expands like a rising loaf of bread. Add in another murder and attempt, a cast of culinary suspects and it’s a tasty mystery... with recipes included at the end.

These would be such good books if it weren’t for the cutesy dialogue and over-the-top lovey-dovey adoration of Brooklyn & Derek. show less

Thank you NAL Hardcover for providing me a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review!

4.5 Sold Stars!

Brooklyn is back in the seventh installment of A Bibliophile Mystery!

Brooklyn was always obsessed with food, unfortunately her cooking skills are sub-par and nothing ever comes out right. It was her sister Savannah who managed to attend of the most prestigious culinary schools in Paris, Cordon Bleu. Savannah and her friends graduated on top of their class, but it was Savannah's ex-boyfriend Baxter Cromwell who went out and became famous for his 'skills'

When Baxter turns to open a restaurant in San Francisco, he invites all the old gang from school to his opening gala where they will all be cooking for the restaurant that night. As show more a gift to Baxter, Savannah asks Brooklyn to restore one of the old tattered cookbooks that Baxter had once given to Savannah as a gift. A cookbook that is at last two hundred years old, with historical significances. Brooklyn cannot help but feel instantly drawn to the book and the woman behind it. When the book is restored and gifted to Baxter, shortly after he is found dead and the cookbook is missing!

Woo what a ride. Thoroughly enjoyed this one! I loved Brooklyn, she was so passionate about everything that she does, including restoring older books. I couldn't even comprehend how much work and care goes into restoring books until I read this one. The author and Brooklyn sure know their stuff and we get a glimpse of that through the story.

I loved the mystery, it had left me guessing until the very end. With all of the chefs being the possible suspect, the question of who killed Baxter and stole the cookbook hung tightly in the air. I couldn't help but wonder why they did it. With so many character, it wasn't hard to keep up. We get a glimpse of all of them as Brooklyn speaks to them and a little background from her time with them in Paris while she was visiting. It reminded me a little of Clue the game the way it was handled, heh It was very fun and exciting!

Derek was just wonderful and I love his relationship with Brooklyn and the way it progressed. Brooklyn knows she has a lot going on with her, especially since she keeps stumbling into dead bodies. But Derek is supportive, and loving and generally concerned for her. A wonderful swoon worthy male!

I loved this cozy mystery, it was a great read to put your feet up on. Filled with interesting characters. Including Brooklyn's mother, who is learning New Age tricks in hopes of helping protect Brooklyn. It was kind of amusing.

I really enjoyed the way this book progressed and the way to mystery flowed. With so much more going on, we get to glimpse into Brooklyns life, family and her job. A wonderful read that left me wanting more. Cannot wait for the next book in the series. Kate Carlisle sure knows how to write a mystery with memorable character!(less) show less