Eat, Drink, and Be Buried: A Gourmet Detective Mystery

By Peter King

Book Overview

When the world's finest restaurateurs need assistance, they know they can rely on the Gourmet Detective's discriminating palate to get the job done.After a family of eccentrically dysfunctional British aristocrats hires the sleuth to design a menu for their medieval-theme castle resort, he anticipates a great opportunity to explore a forgotten but nonetheless mouth-watering cuisine.A cake walk?Maybe not, but with the bloodshed of the Middle Ages centuries past, it should at least be safe . . .Wrong again.Exploring new variations on succulent recipes for fresh venison with traditional frumenty-a pudding made from wholewheat grains, chopped almonds, egg yolk and saffron-the discerning sleuth finds himself the prime suspect in a murder investigation!It seems that a professional joust re-enactor's goose was cooked after he finished one of the investigator's feasts, and authorities have determined the cause of death: poisoning. To make matters worse, the dead actor had stood in at the last minute for the scion of the infighting noble family . . . had the poison been meant for him?And why would someone want to kill him?Before he can answer these questions, the intrepid Gourmet Detective will have to dodge stray arrows, escape a flooding dungeon, avoid the authorities' suspicion, and nab the crooks-all while finding a way to get four-and-twenty live blackbirds under the crust of a pot-pie already filled with chicken, bacon, mushrooms, raisins, and cloves.Can the Gourmet Detective solve the crime, save his skin, and design an authentic assortment of medieval Europe's most prized delicacies in the meantime?One way or the other, it won't be a banquet.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312242700
• ISBN13: 9780312242701
• Release Date: January 2001
• Publisher: Minotaur Books
• Length: 215 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 1.0" x 5.8"

Customer Reviews

The latest gourmet detective is delicious

For a decade, Harlington Castle staged "Medieval Days" that provided simple food to visitors, which emulated the times of the events. When Lord Gerald Harlington renovates his castle to include lodgers, he also decides he needs a more complex menu. He hires the "Gourmet Detective," known for his food finding of hard to obtain items, to assist with the change.However, an easy respite for the Gourmet Detective turns ugly when someone dies from food poisoning. Knowing he is the prime suspect, the Gourmet Detective conducts his own investigation to uncover the identity of the killer. However, he finds this much more difficult than tracking down a rare exotic herb because the extended Harlington brood seems loaded with motives.The latest Gourmet Detective, EAT, DRINK, AND BE BURIED, provides n intriguing look at Medieval recipes, but is no Medieval Times. The hero remains fresh and fun to observe whether he is in the kitchen or searching for evidence. However, the problem with the plot lies with the myriad of suspects that the Gourmet Detective investigates. They seem more like Borgs sharing the same personality, which leaves the reader struggling to discern who is who even with a scorecard. Still, Peter King provides an entertaining culinary amateur sleuth mystery that may not be up to his star's palate, but will provide a decent snack.Harriet Klausner