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Darina Lisle #2
A Tasty Way to Die
A casual meeting with old acquaintance Eve Tarrant offers Darina Lisle a chance to make a little money and keep her cooking skills sharp. Darina agrees to help Eve with her chic catering business, The Wooden Spoon. But the fun falls flat as a punctured souffle when someone is poisoned by a deadly mushroom.
183 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 1990
3 people are currently reading
35 people want to read
About the author
Janet Laurence
61 books16 followersJanet Laurence also writes cookery books and one of her creations in the detective genre is Darina Lisle, a cook and caterer.
She has written 10 novels featuring Darina Lisle between 1989 and 2001. The first was 'A Deepe Coffyn (1989) and the last to date was 'The Mermaid's Feast (2001).
She is also the creator of the Canaletto series of mysteries, set in 18th century London. There are three in the series, which began with 'Canaletto and the Case of Westminster Bridge' (1997).
Gerry Wolstenholme
September 2010
She has written 10 novels featuring Darina Lisle between 1989 and 2001. The first was 'A Deepe Coffyn (1989) and the last to date was 'The Mermaid's Feast (2001).
She is also the creator of the Canaletto series of mysteries, set in 18th century London. There are three in the series, which began with 'Canaletto and the Case of Westminster Bridge' (1997).
Gerry Wolstenholme
September 2010
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 15, 2021
Darina Lisle, talented professional cook and recent heiress to her cousin's estate, is looking to sell his Chelsea house and find a country house that would make a nice, small hotel. She's always wanted to own such a place and now she has the chance. But her plans are put on hold when she runs into an old friend from her cookery course days. Eve Tarrant is now co-owner of one of the most exclusive catering businesses in London--The Wooden Spoon--and the business has recently expanded to include cookery demonstrations with hopes of a television show. And Eve is currently in need of an extra set of hands. Her partner seems to have fallen victim to a gastric flu. In an effort to help out a friend, Darina agrees to do what she can with the catering and demonstrations until Claire Montague is well again.
But Darina finds herself in the middle of a second murder investigation* when Claire dies and it's determined that her death was caused by a poisoned mushroom which somehow found its way into the starter at a luncheon provided by and for The Wooden Spoon staff and their associates. Darina begins to suspect that real target was Eve--especially when she finds out that the two women switched their seating arrangements at the last moment. It seems that the mushroom must have been gathered during an educational walk put on by one of the luncheon's guests--Ralph Cox, an expert on mushrooms. So access to the deadly fungus was had by all, but finding out who could have managed to slip it into just one serving proves to be difficult. Motive is a different kettle of fish. Claire appears to have been loved by all. If she was the intended target, it's difficult to see why. Eve, on the other hand, can be a bit dictatorial in her management and doesn't seem to realize how often she's taking advantage of her friends. As her amateur investigation continues, Darina discovers that there are secrets that may provide other motives...some which indicate that Claire may have been the intended victim after all....
This is a decent cozy mystery. The motive is a bit muddled...like an over-large cake, it has too many layers...but all of the various parts are explained lucidly enough. I did have a bit of difficulty getting into the story, Darina is a likable protagonist, but her involvement in the mystery seemed very contrived, especially her efforts to help out Eve with the business. It's not like she and Eve were bosom pals, but she continues to allow Eve to impose upon her long after I would have gotten myself out of there (well before there was a murder to solve). Darina makes it sound like she'd be letting her best friend in all the world down if she didn't keep helping out. The culprit was also fairly obvious to me early on. This wouldn't have mattered quite so much if the story overall had been more gripping. However, the ratings on Goodreads are much stronger (a large number of four and five stars), so your mileage may vary.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.
But Darina finds herself in the middle of a second murder investigation* when Claire dies and it's determined that her death was caused by a poisoned mushroom which somehow found its way into the starter at a luncheon provided by and for The Wooden Spoon staff and their associates. Darina begins to suspect that real target was Eve--especially when she finds out that the two women switched their seating arrangements at the last moment. It seems that the mushroom must have been gathered during an educational walk put on by one of the luncheon's guests--Ralph Cox, an expert on mushrooms. So access to the deadly fungus was had by all, but finding out who could have managed to slip it into just one serving proves to be difficult. Motive is a different kettle of fish. Claire appears to have been loved by all. If she was the intended target, it's difficult to see why. Eve, on the other hand, can be a bit dictatorial in her management and doesn't seem to realize how often she's taking advantage of her friends. As her amateur investigation continues, Darina discovers that there are secrets that may provide other motives...some which indicate that Claire may have been the intended victim after all....
This is a decent cozy mystery. The motive is a bit muddled...like an over-large cake, it has too many layers...but all of the various parts are explained lucidly enough. I did have a bit of difficulty getting into the story, Darina is a likable protagonist, but her involvement in the mystery seemed very contrived, especially her efforts to help out Eve with the business. It's not like she and Eve were bosom pals, but she continues to allow Eve to impose upon her long after I would have gotten myself out of there (well before there was a murder to solve). Darina makes it sound like she'd be letting her best friend in all the world down if she didn't keep helping out. The culprit was also fairly obvious to me early on. This wouldn't have mattered quite so much if the story overall had been more gripping. However, the ratings on Goodreads are much stronger (a large number of four and five stars), so your mileage may vary.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.
December 29, 2016
This is the second book in the Darina Lisle series which mixes cooking and murder in a way which I find entertaining. Darina is trying to decide what to do with her life since her unexpected inheritance and she has handed her business over to her partner Frances while she works out what to do. Then she bumps into Eve, with whom she trained in cookery. Eve needs someone to help her out with her catering business and Darina allows herself to be persuaded.
Darina soon finds herself working extremely hard, with Eve being involved in trying to get into TV and leaving Darina and the rest of her staff to work very long hours. Then a death from apparent food poisoning causes The Wooden Spoon's reputation to take a nose dive and Darina finds herself involved in a possible murder case.
I thought this book was really good and found myself wanting to read it instead of flitting between several books as I usually do. I like Darina and I love the food background - though the book doesn't include recipes. The book is well written and well plotted and I thought the author kept the reader guessing with plenty of clues, suspects and red herrings. I thought the characters were believable as were the motivations. I recommend this series if you are looking for something new in crime novels without too much violence. The series can be read in any order.
Darina soon finds herself working extremely hard, with Eve being involved in trying to get into TV and leaving Darina and the rest of her staff to work very long hours. Then a death from apparent food poisoning causes The Wooden Spoon's reputation to take a nose dive and Darina finds herself involved in a possible murder case.
I thought this book was really good and found myself wanting to read it instead of flitting between several books as I usually do. I like Darina and I love the food background - though the book doesn't include recipes. The book is well written and well plotted and I thought the author kept the reader guessing with plenty of clues, suspects and red herrings. I thought the characters were believable as were the motivations. I recommend this series if you are looking for something new in crime novels without too much violence. The series can be read in any order.
July 17, 2020
This is probably my favourite of the Darina Lisle books I've read so far. Darina Lisle comes to the rescue of a former college friend as her Wooden Spoon catering company and cooking school hits a rocky period. Rumours of a mushroom walk gone wrong and food poisoning resulting from the wild mushroom starter of a celebration lunch are bad enough for business, but when the poisonous mushroom turns out to be Amanita Faloides carefully added to one plate only, and the illness turns into suspicious death, things start to spin out of control.
Janet Laurence brings this book together as a chef would bring a great dish. The descriptions of places, people and food are wonderful, the story comes together with pace and panache, I didn't guess any of the twists and turns. Again I have to say, I like Darina Lisle, she behaves well, with common sense, she doesn't do anything stupid or take over the story to the detriment of the other characters, yet she's human, not too good to be true. Again, this book was published at the height of the Novelle Cuisine phase of eating, but for me that just adds to its charm.
Janet Laurence brings this book together as a chef would bring a great dish. The descriptions of places, people and food are wonderful, the story comes together with pace and panache, I didn't guess any of the twists and turns. Again I have to say, I like Darina Lisle, she behaves well, with common sense, she doesn't do anything stupid or take over the story to the detriment of the other characters, yet she's human, not too good to be true. Again, this book was published at the height of the Novelle Cuisine phase of eating, but for me that just adds to its charm.
March 1, 2018
Ein Pilz zu viel
Darina ist zurück. Herrlich.
Im zweiten Teil der Darina Lisles-Krimireihe dreht es sich, wie sollte es anders sein, natürlich wieder um kulinarische Köstlichkeiten und Zubereitung auf hohem Niveau. Darina ist zurück in London und hilft dort ihrer alten Schulfreundin Eve in deren Cateringunternehmen aus. Dann stirbt die Miteigentümerin Claire unerwartet an einer Pilzvergiftung. Schnell stellt sich heraus, es muss Mord gewesen sein. Darina kann es nicht lassen und begibt sich auf die Suche nach Motiven, Beweisen und der Wahrheit. So viel sei verraten, es bleibt nicht bei diesem einen Todesfall…
Ich erinnere mich noch gut an den ersten Teil dieser Reihe und wie ich ihn entzückt mit Miss Marples Herangehensweise an einen Mord vergliechen habe. Als großer Fan von Agatha Christie war das ein Kompliment meinerseits, welches ich diesem Teil genauso aussprechen würde. Anders als der erste Teil, spielt der zweite im belebten London. Ich hatte so meine Bedenken ob das gut funktioniert. Diese waren aber schnell aus dem Weg geräumt.
Es ist kein Buch das viel Aktion und wilde Geschehnisse thematisiert und der Adrenalin-Liebhaber unter den Krimilesern wird vermutlich gelangweilt sein. Wer jedoch gerne einer Falllösung beiwohnt, die mit viel Menschenkenntnis und kreativem Spürsinn zersetzt ist, wie es eben auch Miss Marples Stil ist, der wird sein Lesevergnügen haben.
Kommen wir zum Essen. Durch die gesamte Geschichte zieht sich dieses Thema, egal ob durch Beschreibungen, Dinnerpartys oder den Cateringservice. Essen nimmt eine Sonderrolle ein, alles dreht sich darum. Ich persönlich schätze das sehr und staune immer wieder über die lebhaft bebilderten Beschreibungen der Speisen. Aus meiner Sicht wird die Berufswelt des Kochens und Backens realistisch und interessant dargestellt. Als Leser merkt man, dass da jemand schreibt der sich auskennt. Ein Sahnehäubchen für diese Reihe wären meiner Meinung nach Rezepte zum Nachkochen. Aber das nur als Idee am Rande.
Der Aufbau des Buches hat mir zugesagt, könnte für 5 volle Sterne aber noch eine Prise mehr Wendepunkte oder Irrwege enthalten.
Die Zeichnung der Figuren hat mir unterschiedlich gut gefallen. Darina ist sich treu geblieben als aufmerksame Beobachterin mit sympathischen Zügen. Die Entwicklung ihrer Schulfreundin Eve zum Beispiel war mir an einigen Stellen allerdings zu sprunghaft. Mal beschrieben als Meisterköchin, dann wieder als Mensch der selber nicht gern arbeitet.
Abwechslungsreich waren die Ausschnitte in denen die Erzählperspektive wechselte und andere Stimmen und Personen zu Wort kamen. Das könnte ich mir gut noch ein wenig öfter vorstellen.
Wenn wir gerade über Vielfalt sprechen: die Fülle an angesprochenen Themen aller Art ist mir positiv aufgefallen.
Die Auflösung und das Ende des Krimis waren schlüssig, sowie gut konstruiert. Es passte alles gut zum Rest der Geschichte, was ich gerade bei so vielen Personen, Gesprächen und Verstrickungen als echte Leistung empfinde.
Fazit: Ein guter Krimi, bei dem es weniger um technischen Ermittlungsschnickschnack geht, viel mehr um die gute alte Detektivschule. Bestens abgeschmeckt 😉
Darina ist zurück. Herrlich.
Im zweiten Teil der Darina Lisles-Krimireihe dreht es sich, wie sollte es anders sein, natürlich wieder um kulinarische Köstlichkeiten und Zubereitung auf hohem Niveau. Darina ist zurück in London und hilft dort ihrer alten Schulfreundin Eve in deren Cateringunternehmen aus. Dann stirbt die Miteigentümerin Claire unerwartet an einer Pilzvergiftung. Schnell stellt sich heraus, es muss Mord gewesen sein. Darina kann es nicht lassen und begibt sich auf die Suche nach Motiven, Beweisen und der Wahrheit. So viel sei verraten, es bleibt nicht bei diesem einen Todesfall…
Ich erinnere mich noch gut an den ersten Teil dieser Reihe und wie ich ihn entzückt mit Miss Marples Herangehensweise an einen Mord vergliechen habe. Als großer Fan von Agatha Christie war das ein Kompliment meinerseits, welches ich diesem Teil genauso aussprechen würde. Anders als der erste Teil, spielt der zweite im belebten London. Ich hatte so meine Bedenken ob das gut funktioniert. Diese waren aber schnell aus dem Weg geräumt.
Es ist kein Buch das viel Aktion und wilde Geschehnisse thematisiert und der Adrenalin-Liebhaber unter den Krimilesern wird vermutlich gelangweilt sein. Wer jedoch gerne einer Falllösung beiwohnt, die mit viel Menschenkenntnis und kreativem Spürsinn zersetzt ist, wie es eben auch Miss Marples Stil ist, der wird sein Lesevergnügen haben.
Kommen wir zum Essen. Durch die gesamte Geschichte zieht sich dieses Thema, egal ob durch Beschreibungen, Dinnerpartys oder den Cateringservice. Essen nimmt eine Sonderrolle ein, alles dreht sich darum. Ich persönlich schätze das sehr und staune immer wieder über die lebhaft bebilderten Beschreibungen der Speisen. Aus meiner Sicht wird die Berufswelt des Kochens und Backens realistisch und interessant dargestellt. Als Leser merkt man, dass da jemand schreibt der sich auskennt. Ein Sahnehäubchen für diese Reihe wären meiner Meinung nach Rezepte zum Nachkochen. Aber das nur als Idee am Rande.
Der Aufbau des Buches hat mir zugesagt, könnte für 5 volle Sterne aber noch eine Prise mehr Wendepunkte oder Irrwege enthalten.
Die Zeichnung der Figuren hat mir unterschiedlich gut gefallen. Darina ist sich treu geblieben als aufmerksame Beobachterin mit sympathischen Zügen. Die Entwicklung ihrer Schulfreundin Eve zum Beispiel war mir an einigen Stellen allerdings zu sprunghaft. Mal beschrieben als Meisterköchin, dann wieder als Mensch der selber nicht gern arbeitet.
Abwechslungsreich waren die Ausschnitte in denen die Erzählperspektive wechselte und andere Stimmen und Personen zu Wort kamen. Das könnte ich mir gut noch ein wenig öfter vorstellen.
Wenn wir gerade über Vielfalt sprechen: die Fülle an angesprochenen Themen aller Art ist mir positiv aufgefallen.
Die Auflösung und das Ende des Krimis waren schlüssig, sowie gut konstruiert. Es passte alles gut zum Rest der Geschichte, was ich gerade bei so vielen Personen, Gesprächen und Verstrickungen als echte Leistung empfinde.
Fazit: Ein guter Krimi, bei dem es weniger um technischen Ermittlungsschnickschnack geht, viel mehr um die gute alte Detektivschule. Bestens abgeschmeckt 😉
May 23, 2020
Intriguing gastronomic homicide in this story when Darina Lisle agrees to help out her friend. Lots of interesting snippets on catering and cooking, not surprising from a writer who has also published cookery books.
It's a well crafted book, well written and thoroughly enjoyable to read.
It's a well crafted book, well written and thoroughly enjoyable to read.
July 2, 2020
Foody Murder
Beautifully constructed and written classic whodunnit with an unusual and interesting ‘foody’ background. Delightful and attractive characters. Very highly recommended.
Beautifully constructed and written classic whodunnit with an unusual and interesting ‘foody’ background. Delightful and attractive characters. Very highly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews