Bon Bon Voyage

Carolyn Blue Culinary Mysteries #8

by Nancy Fairbanks

Forty-something homemaker Carolyn Blue is through with cooking and cleaning. She’s finally decided to throw in the dishtowel—and take on a dream job as a food writer. Now her plate is filled with exotic locales, delectable foods, and even a dash of crime—to taste. She could very well get used to this…

Even if she has to share a cabin with her mother-in-law and new friend, retired cop Luz Vallejo, Carolyn admits it’s a terrific Mother’s Day present: passage on the Bountiful Feast, a gourmet cruise ship sailing from Lisbon to Barcelona. Unfortunately, the attitude of the disgruntled crew is putting a real damper on the voyage. So is the mysterious disappearance of a female passenger at a port stop—not to mention the disastrous shortage of double-chocolate raspberry mousse. But when the passengers are drugged and a corpse turns up on board, it’s clear to Carolyn that the Bountiful Feast is sailing headlong into very dangerous waters—and an explosive conspiracy at sea that’s going to put everyone’s life on the line.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Cooking

292 pages, Paperback

First published April 4, 2006

About the author

A pseudonym used by Nancy Herndon.

Series:
* A Culinary Mystery with Recipes

Reviews

[DonnaCarol · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have never read such a negative feeling book since reading The Old Curiosity Shop by Dickens. The entire feel of the book was irritating, spiteful,& hateful. The characters were mean to each other. Snappy. No kindness and compassion except for maybe two pages in the entire book. The amount of "human lableing" was offensive even if the characters didn't exactly condone it. I made a list of the "negative" words in this book and it was astounding.
If you want to read a book that will zap the sunshine out of your day, then you might like Bon Bon Voyage.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too bizarre for words. Only highlight was Luz.

[Barbara ★ · Rating 2 out of 5]

A terrible book. All the characters are unlikeable - just mean and nasty, even to each other. UGH What a mess!

[Trish · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a big yawn for me. I'd like to give the author another chance because it was an interesting mystery, but I had a hard time getting into and liking the characters. This is some kind of series that I suspect may have been picked up midseries.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately, the later books in this series do not tempt me as much as the older ones. I'm not big on ship stories and this mystery set on one did not make me enjoy them any more.

[Brenda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Silly woman, stupid plot. Not one of my faves.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hope I never take a cruise like the one in this book! A bit of an outlandish plot but still entertaining.

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love cruises and enjoy reading novels set in them, but this is one cruise I am happy I didn't ever take. Carolyn is left to go on a working cruise without Jason. She invites her friend Luz to come with her, but does not tell Jason, while he invites his mother and does not tell her. Luckily, it's a big cabin with space for all. On the cruise, they meet nice and not-so-nice people, and when one of the not-so-nice passenger goes missing, Carolyn can't resist the urge to investigate. There's more to the story, though, as some crew members are planning a mutiny/hijack/terrorist plot. Soon they are in danger in international waters and what started as a pleasure cruise could soon become a military incident.
The plot was very good, but some of the characters acted immaturely, which made the flow of the book kind of choppy. I've only read one other book in this series, so maybe I don't remember the personalities. I'll have to read the in-between books.

[Kristen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Got this book at a book event from our local nonprofit/prison book program bookstore.

A unique take on a mystery since, I would argue, mystery/murder/action make up about 15% of the book. I don't know if its because I started in the middle of the series but I don't understand why Luz seems to actively not like Carolyn but goes on a cruise and it presented as her friend...? I did like how absolutely different the characters are from each other. Like, these were truly unique choices that seem so random it would happen on a cruise. As for the mystery itself, it was very lackluster. The focus of this book is definitely not a mystery, but it almost just happens to happen while Carolyn is eating and site-seeing her way through the cruise. Overall, a quick, easy read and now on to the next.

[Patrice M. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Shelved this as "a thriller" but it wasn't much of one. I read it cause I had it and the library are closed (Covid Q.) It wasn't horrid - just not much of a mystery and it was pretty slow up till the "action" began about -pg 150 or so. It is a series so maybe the others were needed to make me care about the characters?

[Tiffany · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the first book in the series that I've read and I won't be reading any more. The main characters are awful people. They are are selfish, self absorbed, and narcissistic. That lack the ability to see past the ends of their noses and realize there are other people around them. I'm just glad I'm done.

[Cathie Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. It takes the author a long time to get to the point of the murder. Doesn't really get exciting until the end. The conclusion is good but a little farfetched, but heck, that's the license that authors have at making a good ending. Characters were largely annoying. Caroline is pretty self-centered and Luiz and the mother-in-law aren't much better. Some light humor. Recommend.

[Sandie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute story. Though I did not appreciate all the recipes included, I do realize that many people would, so I just skipped over them for the most part. However, I did enjoy the side bar about how marmalade may have gotten it's name.

[Flannery Francis · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was absolute garbage. Full of racism. All the characters were hateful. This might be the worst book I have ever read. If I got stuck on a deserted island with only this book to read, I would poke out my eyes with a palm frond.

[Tabby Kat · Rating 2 out of 5]

The children of food columnist Carolyn Blue send her on a food cruise sailing the Mediterranean with stops in Spain and North Africa as a Mother's Day present. Carolyn is disappointed that her husband Jason cannot accompany her, but he has a conference to attend in Canada. She asks her friend Luz, an ex cop, to go with her. Luz reluctantly agrees because it is impossible to refuse any request by Carolyn. Carolyn is dismayed that Jason asks his mother to go with Carolyn since two women do not get along.

Carolyn enjoys the cruise until an obnoxious passenger disappears and she is determined to find her even sending telegrams to the authorities in Majorca where the woman allegedly disembarked. She does not know that five of the ship's officers including the chief steward and head of security are planning a mutiny to take control of the ship and then blackmail the owner into paying a fortune to prevent them from blowing up the vessel. Carolyn, Luz and a few other passengers soon realize that the captain is no longer in charge. They come up with a scheme to regain control from the mutineers, but need plenty of help from other passengers and the loyal crew members if they are to succeed; failure probably means death.

[Ed · Rating 3 out of 5]

#8 in the Culinary Food Writer series. Uneven entry with utterly hilarious portions and some painfully slow pacing.

Culinary Food Writer series - Even if she must share a cabin with her mother-in-law, food columnist Carolyn Blue admits it's a terrific Mother's Day present: passage on the Bountiful Feast, a gourmet cruise ship sailing to the Canary Islands. But when a female passenger disappears at a port stop and a corpse turns up on board, it's clear to Carolyn that the Bountiful Feast is sailing headlong into very dangerous waters. And if that's not enough, there's a terrifying shortage of double chocolate raspberry mousse.

[Vivian · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really like the idea of a "culinary mystery", but this didn't quite do it for me. It was REALLY difficult to finish this book (and it's short).
What didn't work for me:
1. Half of the book is Carolyn talking about the history of the places she's visiting or about the foods she's eating. A little would be okay, but it's more than a little.
2. There's no mystery.

[Penny · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't a bad book, but it wasn't fantastic either. The main character is so prissy you want to just smack her sometimes. Although I like books with recipes in them, I much prefer the recipes to be at the back of the book, and not at the end of each chapter.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I expected a cute light mystery, and ended up with an incredibly wacky, fun mystery. The kind of book you put down grinning. It was totally absurd but very enjoyable. I don't usually make my own desserts, but many of the recipes look simple enough I could make them myself.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book of hers that I have read. If you like mystery and humor this book has it all. I really enjoyed the quirky characters especial Luz. This book made me laugh out loud as I was reading it.
For those who like dessert recipes there are many in this book!

[C-shaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute little "cozy mystery" with recipes. I like Nancy Fairbanks' Carolyn Blue stories, just wish her friend Luz wasn't such a potty-mouth. Implausible story and resolution, but good light entertainment.

[Lucy Whitlow]

While I've read a few books by this author, I consider the books so-so. I enjoy the recipes she provides in the books, although I haven't tried any of them.

[Tanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not proud of this book. It's not very good, and the plot and characters are ridiculously predictable, and yet...when I'm in looking for something to read while I don't think, it's great.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty good for the first book I"ve read by her.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I almost gave up on this about 1/4 the way through, but
just past halfway and it turned for the better.

[Beckyj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Foodwriter (and sometimes detective) Carolyn Blue solves a murder on-board a cruise ship. An enjoyable story.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A light, fun read, but not much too it.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

An ok culinary mystery set on a small cruise ship.

[Sabrina Grace]

acctuly, i didnt completely finish this one..i stopped becuase it has it had obsesive swearing...and I didnt really like that!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the characters in this series! And one of these days I have to try the recipes, because all the descriptions of enjoying the food are too tantalizing.