A Fashionably French Murder

American expat Tabitha Knight has found a new life in postwar Paris, along with a delightful friend in aspiring chef Julia Child. Yet there are perils in peacetime too, as a killer infiltrates one of the city's most famous fashion houses.

If there's one art the French have mastered as well as fine cuisine, it's haute couture. Tabitha and Julia are already accustomed to sampling the delights of the former. Now fashion is returning to the forefront in Paris, as the somber hues of wartime are replaced by vibrant colors and ultra-feminine silhouettes, influenced by Christian Dior's "New Look."

Tabitha and Julia join a friend for a private showing at an exclusive fashion atelier, Maison Lannet. The event goes well, but when Tabitha returns later that evening to search for a lost glove, she finds the lights still on--and the couturier dead, strangled by a length of lace. The shop manager suspects that a jealous rival--perhaps Dior himself--committed the crime. Tabitha dismisses that idea, but when another body is found, it's apparent that someone is targeting employees of Maison Lannet.

Meanwhile, Tabitha's Grand-père and Oncle Rafe are in the midst of their own design-related fracas, as they squabble over how to decorate their new restaurant. And there are strange break-ins at a nearby shoe store--but are the crimes related? It's up to Tabitha to don her investigative hat and find answers before someone commits another fatal fashion faux pas.

Author: Colleen Cambridge
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation
Published: 04/29/2025
Pages: 272
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.95lbs
Size: 9.30h x 6.40w x 1.10d
ISBN: 9781496751195


Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 02/01/2025 pg. 48
Publishers Weekly 03/10/2025
Kirkus Reviews 04/01/2025

About the Author
Colleen Cambridge is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the American in Paris Mysteries, the Lincoln's White House Mystery series, and the Phyllida Bright Mysteries, the first of which, Murder at Mallowan Hall, was an Agatha Award finalist and an Indie Next Pick. The first American in Paris Mystery, Mastering the Art of French Murder, was both an Indie Next Pick and a LibraryReads selection. An accomplished historian whose meticulously researched novels appeal to fans of historical fiction and mysteries alike, she also writes under the pennames C.M. Gleason, Colleen Gleason, and Alex Mandon. She lives in the Midwest and can be found online at ColleenCambridge.com.