A fashionably French murder

American expat Tabitha Knight and her neighbor, Julia Child, return to sleuthing in Cambridge's delicious third cozy featuring the food-loving gumshoes (after Murder Most French). In 1950s Paris, Julia recommends Tabitha as a translator for a wealthy American acquaintance who's shopping for his daughter's couture wedding dress. After all three leave a private showing at Madame Lannet's atelier, Tabitha realizes she's left a glove behind. When she returns to the shop a few hours later, she finds the designer dead. As Tabitha digs into the matter, Lannet's manager implies that Christian Dior might be killing his competitors. Initially, Tabitha writes it off as a crackpot bit of industry gossip; when someone else is murdered, however, she starts to take the idea seriously. Buttressing Tabitha's investigation are witty culinary tips from Julia (including pointers for making crepes "as delicate as a man's ego"), vivid historical tidbits about postwar Paris, and elegant descriptions of couture gowns. Shrewd, fair-play clues and vibrant characters who continue to evolve as the series progresses are a bonus. This is terrific fun for foodies and Francophiles alike. Agent: Maura Kye-Casella, Don Congdon Assoc. (May)

Accomplished narrator Lee performs Cambridge's latest 1950s-set "An American in Paris" mystery (after Murder Most French), as amateur expat detective Tabitha Knight tackles another case in the City of Light. When the head of an upstart fashion house is found dead in her own workroom, Tabitha can't help but investigate, even though the perpetually disapproving Inspector Merveille has been assigned to work the case. Tabitha's prying reveals couture rivalries, romantic jealousies, and hidden Nazi sympathizers as she tries to unravel the crime without endangering herself. Julia Child returns as a character, this time playing a smaller role as Tabby's world grows; her occasional raucous appearances are as joyous as ever. Lee delightfully voices a new group of Tabby's French friends (acquired from various salons under investigation), who represent the young people bringing life and fun back to postwar Paris. Tabby's charmingly cranky grand-père and suave uncle also play larger, complex roles in this exploration of haute couture's resurgence touching on issues of resistance, collaboration, and revenge after World War II. VERDICT A must-listen for fans of Rhys Bowen and Jacqueline Winspear.--Natalie Marshall

In her third American in Paris adventure, set in 1950, Julia Child's friend Tabitha Knight finds her sixth and seventh bodies. As soon as Tabitha realizes she's left one of her gloves behind in Maison Lannet, the lower-budget fashion studio Christian Dior's protégé Rose-Marie Lannet has established, seasoned fans will know what to expect when she and Julia return: the corpse of Madame Lannet, strangled with a piece of designer lace. When the sûreté inspector in charge of the investigation is called home by a family emergency and replaced by the familiar Inspecteur Étienne Merveille, everything seems as comfy as can be, at least until Tabitha stumbles on the body of Gabrielle Pineau, Madame Lannet's vendeuse and amoreuse, stabbed to death with a pair of scissors. In the meantime, Tabitha lands the first case she's actually asked to take on: There's been a burglary at the shoe boutique Godot & Block, whose owner suspects his employee Mathilde Pillon's boyfriend, and Mathilde's sister begs Tabitha to clear his name. Once a very cursory investigation reveals a much more likely suspect, rival shoemaker Philippe Wathelet, the only mysteries that remain are whether and how Cambridge intends to tie the two cases together, what connection they can possibly have to the collaborationists who fed the occupying Nazis information during the war, and what Tabitha will do about the sudden romantic attraction she feels toward Inspecteur Merveille. Forget the forgettable plot and savor the loving descriptions of French cuisine and couture. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.