cover image Bon Bon Voyage

Bon Bon Voyage

Nancy Fairbanks, . . Berkley Prime Crime, $12.95 (292pp) ISBN 978-0-425-20859-5

El Paso, Tex., food writer Carolyn Blue takes a gourmet cruise in Fairbanks's lackluster eighth culinary mystery (after 2005's Mozzarella Most Murderous ). The pumpkin soup is tasty and the tilapia with black bean and corn relish scrumptious on the cruise from Lisbon to Barcelona, but things turn sour when another passenger, Mrs. Gross, goes missing. Was she accidentally left behind when the cruise ship docked? Or could something more sinister be afoot? Carolyn's determination to get to the bottom of things lands her in hot water. The frequent first-person narrative shifts among Carolyn and various other characters make for a confusing read, but fans will relish the many dessert recipes sprinkled throughout. Previous books in the series were published as mass market originals. (Apr.)