A Corpse in the Soup

Morgan St. James and Phyllice Bradner
Wings Press, Inc. (2006)
ISBN 159705805X
Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (3/07)

Take several chefs, add some classy – and less classy - ladies, a couple of well-aged vaudeville actors, a talking dog, a bunch of gofers and miscellaneous Hollywood characters, and add a heaping cup of jealousy, a pinch of intrigue, a smidgen of history. Garnish with incredibly funny names (Sterling Silver, Biff Wellington, Chili Pepper, Justin Thyme, Mr. Manicotti, Caesar Romano…), take a shot at the increasingly popular cooking shows and stir well. What do you get?  You get a recipe for an amusing, frothy, yet not lightweight romp. The characters are lovable and believable, even when they leave you shaking your head in wonder over their antics. The story flows well and pulls you in very quickly. Although you might think quite early in the book that you know who the villain is, I would be surprised if you’d truly manage to solve this mystery before the final pages.

The dashing Beverly Hills advice columnist Godiva Olivia Dubois a.k.a. G.O.D. is poisoned during the taping of a TV cooking show. Her sister Goldie arrives from Alaska to help. The famous TV chef Caesar Romano feels guilty – or just afraid of a lawsuit? He not only starts cooking for Godiva – and courting her, but he also hires Goldie’s daughter Chili Pepper as his assistant. While things are getting hotter, the action escalates at the Kitchen Coliseum. The four best chefs are ready to battle in the Gourmet Gladiators Tournament. After a lot of showing off – and some of the absolutely most amusing scenes, including a Polish Cajun chef and a Jewish-Japanese one – it is again down to the Chef Caesar Romano and Chef Biff Wellington. Who will reign supreme? Alas, the buff Biff is found face-down in his own soup and Chef Romano is the prime suspect. The twins are keen on exonerating him, but get into some serious trouble themselves.

Fast-paced and laugh-out-loud funny, this was a quick and satisfying read. Morgan St. James and Phyllice Bradner are sisters in real life, so that might explain why their co-operation worked out so well in a book as well. I certainly hope this was not the last book they’ve written together. Silver Sisters rule! I would highly recommend “A Corpse in the Soup” to any mystery lover, particularly those who enjoy the Cooking Channel and love a good, funny read.

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