Well the second Tuesday of the month snuck up on me and bit me in the... cheek   Thank goodness our Review Team were more on the ball and had this excellent review ready to go. Enjoy and leave some feedback if you have read it, or plan to!

Carême in Brighton — a mystery novel
by AC Benus

Reviewer: Parker Owens
Status: Complete
Word Count: 105,157

For those readers like me, whose bookshelves are not lined with mystery novels, AC Benus’ Carême in Brighton represents a splendid addition to one’s literary plate. The story follows Antonin Carême, the first and foremost celebrity chef of the Regency Period, during his sojourn at the singular and opulent Marine Villa of England’s George IV in Brighton.

Seen through the eyes of the Regent’s latest star employee, the story is set in the year 1816. Readers are immediately immersed in the boil and bubble of activity below stairs in the Royal residence which served as George’s retreat from London. Benus recalls for us the catastrophic climate abnormalities of those years after Mount Tambora exploded in volcanic fury in what is now Indonesia, along with the political upheavals following the Bourbon Restoration after Napoleon’s defeat. He provides for us descriptions of the social conditions and political turbulences often sanitized or missing from period dramas seen on television.

Carême begins his work with a directness and simplicity that utterly perplexes his English supervisors as he takes charge of the Regent’s kitchens, with the help of his countryman and assistant Francois. Soon, their spectacular culinary triumphs surpass anything the sceptered isle had ever seen. The handsome epicurean wizard is the envy of the noble and servant classes alike.  But amidst all the glorious gastronomic offerings come unsettling events: mysterious deaths and attempted murder.

These mysteries must be unraveled while putting twenty-three entrées on the royal dinner table every day. Such is the menu Benus sets up for the reader. His characterizations are lively and vivid; he brings to life actual, historical persons appearing on every page with all their color and emotion. Meticulously researched, the story lets the Brighton palace and its inhabitants all speak both faithfully and anew to us. One can easily imagine the sumptuous interiors, the scents of the kitchens, the bright flavors of the marvelous dishes, all contrasted with the chill, damp and foreboding atmosphere beyond the walls of George’s Marine Villa.

Like fine wine or an exceptional dish, Carême in Brighton takes simple ingredients and compounds them into a sublime, thrilling result. It is indeed a book to savor.

Category: Fiction  Genres: Mystery, Romance, Thriller/Suspense, Literary Fiction  Sub-genres: Regency Romance, Historical Literary, Historical Mystery, Historical Thriller, Psychological Thriller, Espionage  Tags: suspense, celebrity, philosophy, psychology, love, politics  Rating: Mature