Rating: 
Summary: a fun read
Review: "Crime Brulee" is more of a culinary travelogue with a search for a missing person attached to it than a 'straight' mystery novel. Nonetheless it is one of the most droll and attention -grabbing books that I've read in quite a while.Now that her children have flown the coop and are attending college, Carolyn Blue has firmly put her days as family cook and housekeeper behind her, especially as she has been fortunate enough to land a contract to write a book of anecdotes about eating in interesting places. And since Carolyn will be be accompanying her her husband to an academic conference in New Orleans, Carolyn decides that her first assignment will be to write about the many culinary delights to be found in that city. Carolyn is also excited as this will be a chance for her to catch up with a few old college friends that she hasn't seen in a while, and with her best friend in particular, Julienne Magnussen. However the reunion does not live up to Carolyn's expectations. To begin with Julienne and her husband, Nils, are on the outs. He suspects her of having an affair, and Julienne is tired of having to justify herself and of his accusations. And at the very first reunion dinner, Julienne and Nils quarrel bitterly, and Julienne leaves the resturant in a huff before Carolyn can stop her. The next morning, Carolyn fully expects to meet up with Julienne but just cannot seem to find her. Nor has anyone else seen her since the night before. Afraid for Julienne's safety, Carolyn goes to the police. But they cannot do anything until Julienne has been missing for more than 48 hours. Frantic and scared, Carolyn tries to find Julienne by herself. Where can Julienne be? And why is no one else, Julienne's husband and her supposed lover for example, interested in finding her? Carlyn eats her way all over New Orleans, meeting all kinds of people, and has all kinds of adventures (falling into the swamp being one of them) in her quest to find her missing friend. But will she find her alive or dead? "Crime Brulee" is a really fun read. Nancy Fairbanks's humour is droll, and Carolyn's asides and observations about the city and the people she met, made me chuckle. The last few mystery novels I read were a little sad and dour, so that "Crime Brulee was a welcome relief. This novel is a culinary homage to the city of New Orleans, and I enjoyed the bits of historical information that were peppered all over the novel. "Crime Brulee" is a great read, and I'm eagerly looking forward to reading the next Carolyn Blue culinary mystery.
Rating:
Summary: a fun read
Review: "Crime Brulee" is more of a culinary travelogue with a search for a missing person attached to it than a 'straight' mystery novel. Nonetheless it is one of the most droll and attention -grabbing books that I've read in quite a while. Now that her children have flown the coop and are attending college, Carolyn Blue has firmly put her days as family cook and housekeeper behind her, especially as she has been fortunate enough to land a contract to write a book of anecdotes about eating in interesting places. And since Carolyn will be be accompanying her her husband to an academic conference in New Orleans, Carolyn decides that her first assignment will be to write about the many culinary delights to be found in that city. Carolyn is also excited as this will be a chance for her to catch up with a few old college friends that she hasn't seen in a while, and with her best friend in particular, Julienne Magnussen. However the reunion does not live up to Carolyn's expectations. To begin with Julienne and her husband, Nils, are on the outs. He suspects her of having an affair, and Julienne is tired of having to justify herself and of his accusations. And at the very first reunion dinner, Julienne and Nils quarrel bitterly, and Julienne leaves the resturant in a huff before Carolyn can stop her. The next morning, Carolyn fully expects to meet up with Julienne but just cannot seem to find her. Nor has anyone else seen her since the night before. Afraid for Julienne's safety, Carolyn goes to the police. But they cannot do anything until Julienne has been missing for more than 48 hours. Frantic and scared, Carolyn tries to find Julienne by herself. Where can Julienne be? And why is no one else, Julienne's husband and her supposed lover for example, interested in finding her? Carlyn eats her way all over New Orleans, meeting all kinds of people, and has all kinds of adventures (falling into the swamp being one of them) in her quest to find her missing friend. But will she find her alive or dead? "Crime Brulee" is a really fun read. Nancy Fairbanks's humour is droll, and Carolyn's asides and observations about the city and the people she met, made me chuckle. The last few mystery novels I read were a little sad and dour, so that "Crime Brulee was a welcome relief. This novel is a culinary homage to the city of New Orleans, and I enjoyed the bits of historical information that were peppered all over the novel. "Crime Brulee" is a great read, and I'm eagerly looking forward to reading the next Carolyn Blue culinary mystery.
Rating: 
Summary: A disappointing and painful read
Review: After the first few pages I knew this book was going to be a chore to read. As I continued I found not only did I not care what happened to the victim, but I wished somehow Nancy Fairbanks would figure out how to write all of these unlikable characters out of the "plot." This book seemed forced and contrived. As if the elements of a culinary mystery were being plugged into a formula. Usually, I love the pure entertainment and humor of these types of books. Nancy Fairbanks' Crime Brulee did not fit the bill. The one star is generous.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a good mystery
Review: Carolyn Blue is the protagonist of this book. After raising children she is going with her husband to the
science conventions he is attending and has recently made a first sale as food writer. This book finds Carolyn
and Jason in New Orleans where they meet up with friends attending the American Chemical Scientists
onvention, too. Carolyn's best friend goes missing after harsh words with her husband Nils and Carolyn is
searching for her while the other friends do not think there is reason for worry in the beginning. With a plot like this it could be a nice cozy mystery, but for me it failed. The reason is not that there was no
mystery or that there were no plot twists, but that I just could not care about the fate of Julienne. Since the
descriptions of the food, the restaurants and the sights were so interesting, I found myself caring more for
what the next meal would be than about Julienne. And for me that is a fatal flaw even in a gourmet mystery. Another thing that I disliked was that Jason was always sooo understanding and supportive.... I do not think I will read further mysteries by the author though the writting was in itself interesting.
Rating:
Summary: Not a good mystery
Review: Carolyn Blue is the protagonist of this book. After raising children she is going with her husband to the
science conventions he is attending and has recently made a first sale as food writer. This book finds Carolyn
and Jason in New Orleans where they meet up with friends attending the American Chemical Scientists
onvention, too. Carolyn's best friend goes missing after harsh words with her husband Nils and Carolyn is
searching for her while the other friends do not think there is reason for worry in the beginning. With a plot like this it could be a nice cozy mystery, but for me it failed. The reason is not that there was no
mystery or that there were no plot twists, but that I just could not care about the fate of Julienne. Since the
descriptions of the food, the restaurants and the sights were so interesting, I found myself caring more for
what the next meal would be than about Julienne. And for me that is a fatal flaw even in a gourmet mystery. Another thing that I disliked was that Jason was always sooo understanding and supportive.... I do not think I will read further mysteries by the author though the writting was in itself interesting.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Crime Brulee reads like a cross between tourist guides and blurbs from restaurant cookbooks. Much in the book seems contrived - from the alleged difficulty of making a roux to the slowly paced plot development of the "mystery" to sleuth Carolyn's consistently negative impression of everyone but herself and her husband. Maybe Nancy Fairbanks shouldn't have thanked her editor for suggesting that she write a "culinary series." I love food mysteries and adore New Orleans and found Crime Brulee a total disappointment.
Rating:
Summary: A fun read
Review: Crime Brulee turned into a nice surprise. I wasn't hopeful when I read some of the earlier reviews, but found the writing enjoyable, with witty commentary that made me chuckle. The main character, Carolyn Blue, does get a bit whiney, insisting that there's a problem before others recognize there is one. However, stick with it. Some of the observations are priceless. I also felt like I should be taking notes on places to visit when in New Orleans. If you enjoy the Diane Mott Davidson mysteries, it's likely you will enjoy this as well.
Rating: 
Summary: A fanastic work
Review: El Paso resident Carolyn Blue looks forward to accompanying her spouse when he attends a scientific research conference in New Orleans. Carolyn and Jason will meet three other couples who have been friends for a long time. She especially looks forward to seeing local resident Julienne Magnussen, who was her best friend for three years as children in Michigan. The first dinner together turns ugly when Julienne and her husband Nils exchange acerbic remarks until she leaves the table. When she fails to return, Carolyn looks for her, but no one in the restaurant knows what happened to her. Nils says she went to her lover, but Carolyn cannot believe her old friend would desert her before dessert when they both looked forward to this week. Julienne fails to show up in the next few days. A worried Carolyn goes to the police, who refuse to accept a missing person's report except from Nils who does nothing about finding Julienne. Though a housewife for years and now a culinary author, Carolyn begins to look for Julienne not yet knowing that she can become the main course for a dangerous person. CRIME BRULEE is an entertaining amateur sleuth tale that takes the reader on a mouth-watering tour of New Orleans. The story line is fun and allowed to slowly simmer before Carolyn embarks on her investigation. Readers will like the heroine and her spouse, as they are a nice couple. Nils comes across as too acrimonious, but the audience will still believe that Nancy Fairbanks provides a gourmet feast. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Skip this one
Review: I agree with the reviewer who said the first few pages indicated that this book was a chore rather than a pleasure. I stayed with it, although toward the end I skimmed faster and faster, and gleaned no satisfaction for the efforts. Skip this one and you'll be glad you saved the time for a more enjoyable tome.
Rating:
Summary: Skip this one
Review: I agree with the reviewer who said the first few pages indicated that this book was a chore rather than a pleasure. I stayed with it, although toward the end I skimmed faster and faster, and gleaned no satisfaction for the efforts. Skip this one and you'll be glad you saved the time for a more enjoyable tome.
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