Monsieur Pamplemousse and the Secret Mission

Monsieur Pamplemousse, the exSurete detective turned undercover food critic, and his discerning canine companion, Pommes Frites, are back in another bawdy, rip-roaring tale. At the express wish of the director of the food guide he works for, Pamplemousse and friend leave their Paris base and head for the Loire, a region famed for its fine wines and haute cuisine, to invesigate strange doings at the Hotel du Paradis. The establishment apparently cares little about the comfort of its guests, and even less for their tastebuds, as the gastronomic sleuth learns when he samples the ghastly fare. However, the food has one redeeming qualityit is highly aphrodisiacal. Its effect on master and dog leads them both into adventures of a most indiscreet kind, as Pamplemousse becomes hopelessly entangled with a girls' marching band, encounters an unknown assailant who keeps bopping him with baguettes, and engages in an ongoing battle with a public pay toiletwhile Pommes Frites runs amok among the female canine population. Once again, Bond, creator of Paddington Bear, creates a delightfully wacky world where logic takes a back seat to bubbly dionysian pleasures. February 7