Reviews for Murder a la Carte by Prudy Taylor Board

I've read Ms. Board's horror novels and am delighted to say that this is a darling tale that is the first of a series of Clyde Colby mysteries. The novel is fun reading fare for genre fans, but also encompasses the fine art of cooking. The novel is told on several different levels with wonderful likable characters and a plot that just moves along to its revealing end. One of the things I very much enjoyed is that we get to see what it takes to produce a cooking show for television, while at the same time former journalist Clyde Colby now TV star has her crime reporter skills kick in at the first murder and all through the rest of the story as the bodies pile up. As an added bonus there are numerous recipes and they appear to be quite delightful. Board and Colby are off to a wonderful start with this charming first book.

Gary Roen

Midwest Review

February 2005

Murder a la Carte, by Prudy Taylor Board, ISBN: 1-59507-030-3, Mystery/Suspense

‘Clyde’ Colby knows all too well from her former experience as an investigative reporter, all that glitters is not gold. As she checks into the posh Far Horizons resort hotel on the South Florida paradise known as Rattlesnake Key, CEO Greg Lanken is checking out—for eternity.

Between the Acapulco Lime Snapper and the Calabaza Flan, Clyde and her television crew find some saucy locals to help pass the long evenings in the hotel’s piano bar and Clyde finds she has a growing taste for Sam McKenzie, the area’s handsome sailing instructor. The memory of a pleasant evening spent with Sam and his vacationing CEO buddy “Penny” Dunn aboard Sam’s yacht is short-lived when mumblings of Penny’s death are whispered about in the early morning fog. Clyde and a local reporter, Eli Nussbaum, speculate about the local politicians’ relationship with the Far Horizon’s peculiar owner, Horace Beck, and suddenly Eli’s story meets a dead-end.

Can the gradual rise in the island’s death rate be directly attributed to Chef Henri Doucette’s fabulous gourmet treats? Or is there a more nefarious plot afoot? Local officials don’t seem overly concerned and Clyde tries to keep a low profile as her new circle of friends gets smaller by the day. A near-death experience leaves Clyde wondering if she can really trust Sam and her only clues to the puzzle are a series of initials from a reporter’s jumbled notes.

Board’s Murder a la Carte will have your mouth watering throughout the entire story. Just as you’re daintily dabbing the corners of your mouth with a peach-colored linen napkin, thinking you’ve solved the mystery, you’ll find your attention diverted to the fabulous ice sculpture as the delectable aroma of Coconut Fried Jumbo Shrimp wafts upward, fanned by the turning pages as you try to decipher the recipe for murder contained therein.

Prudy Taylor Board is no novice to writing as evidenced in this first-rate suspenseful mystery. Her characters are vivid and human; her plot and sub-plots woven together like a lattice-top pie. Board’s research lends a bevy of facts about the history surrounding the south Florida Keys that bring the reader, barefoot-and-sunburned, into the intriguing plot. As an added bonus, just when you’ve turned the last page and are saddened that the story’s over, you’ll find Board has included all the mouth-watering recipes used in the book. A wonderfully written, delectable tale flavored with Board’s own brand of suspense, Murder a la Carte, is one of the best books I’ve seen on the ‘menu’ this year!

Title: Murder a la Carte
Author: Prudy Taylor Board
Publisher: ArcheBooks Publishing
First Published: 2004
Price: $27.99 U.S.
ISBN: 1595070303
Classification: Mystery
Number of Pages: 270

Clyde Colby, host of a Miami-based TV cooking show, Gourmet Galley, is sent on assignment to the Far Horizons beach resort on Rattlesnake Key. It doesn’t take her long to realize that there is something odd about the resort. The owner isn’t very friendly, and as she is checking in, she sees two young men carrying what she is sure is a body out of the hotel. The owner explains that it is just a prop for a Halloween party, but soon people do start dying. Clyde makes friends with some of the people staying at the resort and when one of them, who seemed healthy to Clyde, suddenly dies. But when a maid, whom Clyde had become friendly with disappears, Clyde and the new man in her life, Sam, are suspicious and since Clyde was an investigative reporter earlier in her career, she sets out to find out what is going on at the resort. The plot gets more tangled as more bodies turn up, a young reporter is badly beaten and Clyde’s own life is endangered.

This is a fast-moving mystery that will suck you in from page one and hang on until you are gasping for air, but unable to put it down or take a breath for fear you will miss some of the action. The delightful mix of romance, murder, mystery and food will delight lovers of any genre and leave you wanting more. In this skillfully written book, Board proves her expertise at both writing and cooking.

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