Set in Paris shortly after WWII, Mastering the Art of French Murder is a neat little murder mystery (cosy? ish?) following a young half-French American gal, Tabitha, who relocated to Paris to stay with her grandfather and his partner after the war. When a murder happens immediately after a party she attends she’s obviously not going to put her childhood obsession with detective novels to good use. Of course she isn’t. Naturally. 

The story features a fictionalised Julia Child, possible spies, several murders, a theatre, and a very, very barky dog and its judgmental cat-friend, a whole lot of investigating (all while lamenting that she is obviously not going to investigate, naturally) all sprinkled with a bit of history, wrapped up in a nice bow of solving the crime. I didn’t guess who did it until very close to the actual reveal (in my defence I am also not known to even try, but sometimes it’s just so obvious - in this it wasn’t) and had fun throughout. The narrator was perfect fit with the story, I felt, and the voices fit the characters and their personas. Loved that. 

Didn’t realise while reading that it’s supposed to be the first book in a series but I’m very excited for the next one. 

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.