"Entertaining mystery with enticing characters and delicious recipes."

Carolyn Blue is an opera loving food writer, and both pursuits could get her into trouble! Reviews are mixed over the Opera At the Pass production of a Tex-Mex version of Verdi's opera Macbeth, complete with gun-toting drug lords. But everyone agrees that the food at the post-production party is to die for...literally. Several people end up sick after sampling the guacamole, and the artistic director, who greedily commandeered the entire crock of the yummy dip, ends up dead.

To the police, it's an open and shut case. When everyone who brought food to the party is questioned as a suspect, Carolyn decides it's time to do some investigating of her own. Teaming with tough-talking retired cop Luz Vallejo, Carolyn soon finds herself frequenting the seamier side of El Paso society.

Ms. Fairbanks has written an entertaining whodunit peppered with a collection of enticing characters and delicious recipes. Rich with El Paso history and fun food facts (pâté is now off of my want-to-try-it list), this one has me on the look-out for more books featuring amateur detective Carolyn Blue in the Culinary mystery series.

Reviewed by Paula Myers
Posted October 20, 2004

Summary

At an opera party in Texas, the artistic director eats some bad guacamole that disagrees with him right to death. A scorned soprano admits to mixing the dish to get back at him for passing her over for her dream role. But Carolyn learns that foul play, not foul food, was the real culprit-- and uncovers some unsavory secrets that lead to a full menu of suspects.