Murder Makes an Entree: A Victorian Whodunit

Likely to satisfy few appetites, Myers's (Murder at the Masque) Victorian mystery features French chef Auguste Didier who is conducting a cooking course for six apprentices at Broadstairs on the English seaside. He can't pass up a chance for his little school to prepare the banquet for the Society of Literary Lionizers, convening there with the Prince of Wales. Didier is dismayed that the dishes must pertain to the works of the 1899 honoree, Charles Dickens, who championed plain cooking. But worse occurs when the chairman of the Society dies and Didier's gourmet meal seems to be the cause. The presence of the Prince of Wales commands the involvement of Scotland Yard, and fortunately, the chef's old friend, Inspector Egbert Rose of Scotland Yard, is vacationing with his wife nearby. Rose and Didier find a plethora of suspects in the acrimonious Society committee, all of whose members have had recent run-ins with the chairman, and the cooking school pupils, each of whom also had a tie with the dead man. Rife with Dickensian puns and references, this tale may nourish some literary and gourmet perusers, but it starves mystery fans. (Aug.) Science Fiction & Fantasy