A Dish Taken Cold

Anne Perry is best known for her detective novels set in Victorian England. This novella is a departure from her usual time and location. While the French Revolution is heating up in Paris in August of 1792, young widow Celie is consumed by grief over the death of her young son. Because Celie is in service with Madame de Staël, wife of the Swedish ambassador, she had left her infant son in the care of her friend Amandine. The baby died in his sleep at Amandine's house. From her fellow servant, Thérèse, Celie learns that Amandine had been with her lover, Georges, when the baby died. As Celie's anger grows, she discovers a way to make Amandine and Georges pay for the baby's death.

The novella has all the drama one would expect in a show more Revolutionary Paris setting. However, what I think was meant to be an unexpected twist in the plot was obvious to me from the beginning and this greatly lessened the plot's tension. I love both of Perry's Victorian series as well as the Christmas novellas featuring minor characters from both series. I haven't enjoyed her non-Victorian books nearly as much. Perry's die-hard fans will want to read this at some point, but this isn't the place to start with her works. show less

This novella, set during the French revolution, is a departure from Anne Perry's usual Victorian London settings. Celie left her infant with Amandine where he died in his sleep. Celie discovers that her lover Georges was with Amandine at the time of the infant's death. She is determined to make both of them pay. The Revolution is heating up and things become more dangerous for all. I was a bit disappointed in the plot. Perhaps the short length of the book rushed the plot so that the tension did not build in the manner it would have in a longer novel. For whatever reason, it fell a little flat. It's still a good read, but not outstanding.

Anne Perry crafts a beautiful story with this novella. Revenge is what Celie wants, and it's all too easy to get in the turbulent times of the French Revolution. What will happen when she sets her plan in motion?

Why, yes, I've discovered Anne Perry's novellas. What of it? No, I'm not just reading them to pad my 100 books in 2013 numbers. Not totally. Perry is an excellent writer and, well, I'm verbose. I can't seem to write a MS shorter than 90,000 words and I REALLY WANT TO! That's one of the reasons I'm reading Perry's novellas. To get some tips from a writer I admire. The problem is, I keep thinking, "Wow. She could have really expanded this, that and the other" or "That was an awkward jump between scenes."

A Dish Served Cold was an interesting little book, the story of a personal journey instead of her typical mystery. Again, Perry's descriptions of Paris during the French Revolution are excellent.

Short but nicely done. Revenge can be a terrible burden, especially if.