Murder on the Menu

Rating:
Summary: More than "food for thought"!
Review: This compendium of gastronomic tales spiced with murder on the menu promises not only to tantalize but to satisfy the reader’s tastes! In “Murder on the Menu,” Peter Haining has edited a delectable collection of food for thought, especially if you like murder mysteries served in full fare! The publishers call this “the very cream of crime writers,” although I prefer it as the “dessert course,” as full-length novels are more succulent! That said, however, this smorgasbord of delicacies (27 courses in all) is designed to fit anyone’s tastes! Subtitled the “Cordon Bleu Stories of Crime and Mystery,” this anthology certainly offers gournet-strength authors, ranging from P.D. James and Ruth Rendell to Agatha Christie and Patricia Highsmith--with lots of other excellent writers in between. The book is divided into three sections, “Specialites de la Maison,” Entrees Historiiques,” and “Just Desserts.” Clever, that. In ‘Under the Hammer,” Inspector Maigret does what he does best (but in a short story) and author Georges Simonon doesn’t miss a beat, even if the story is abbreviated. In the historical section, a surprising Washington Irving (“Guests from Gibbet Island”) adds his uniquely American l9th century touch quite effectively in a little known story (where this one comes from is a mystery, that’s for sure!). But, for my bet, the best is Dame James’ “A Very Commonplace Murder”--proving once more that, indeed, a well-written short story is a work of art in itself. This is a good collection to have at hand! As Bacon wrote much earlier, “some books are for digesting,” and this is one of them!