Turkey Flambé

by: Nancy Fairbanks

Published by: The Berkley Publishing Group

Reviewed by Sharron Stockhausen

Typically I like it when the bodies are human, not fowl, in my mysteries. But Nancy Fairbanks provides us with turkey bodies all gussied up for the publish party held for Carolyn Blue’s cookbook Eating Out in the Big Easy. Pettigrew Publishing had taken its time getting the book out, so throwing the party to celebrate seemed like a good idea.
Although she wasn’t very excited about the publisher’s idea to flambé the turkey at the party, Carolyn decides to go along and ignite the two turkeys soaked in cognac. She touched the lighter to the first turkey, and it flamed toward the ceiling and set fire to the second turkey and the tablecloth.

Quick-thinking employees tossed the flaming birds out the window and created havoc below. One turkey blew up a car and the other hit a windshield and injured a Chinese crime boss’s granddaughter. All of this created an international incident as the authorities looked into arson, first-degree assault, and terrorism possibilities.

Things get a bit extreme when the feds (in the forms of the FBI and the State Department) get involved. They decided the flaming turkeys were hurled from the window to attack an Arab politician below.

Of course, Carolyn is the prime suspect since the police think she was negligent. She’s not sure the police will consider anyone else, so she calls on her sidekick Luz to help her investigate. Luz is a retired El Paso cop with speech a bit on the earthy side. Still, Luz digs up some interesting supporting characters to help investigate who set up the turkey explosion.

As you wade through the maze of suspects with Carolyn and Luz, you get treated to recipes you’ll consider making, which is a bonus. Sometimes the humor is a bit off, but overall the book is a fun afternoon read.

Armchair Interviews says: Fairbanks takes cooking turkey to a whole new level. You might enjoy going along for the ride on this 4+ star book.