Roux The Day is one of a series of seven Gourmet Detective mysteries by Peter King. The "Gourmet Detective" is a London-based foodie who works for chefs finding rare ingredients, recipes and substitutions. While on another case in Los Angeles he receives a telephone from a New Orleans attorney and agrees to stop over in The Big Easy on his way home to assist in authenticating and purchasing a "chef’s book"– a book of recipes and menu information for a particular restaurant which is up for auction in a local charity event.
The GD arrives at the auction to find that the book has already been sold, he is told to a New Orleans bookshop owner. The GD proceeds to the bookshop in hopes of getting the book, only to find a recently deceased man at the shop owner’s desk. The lawyer who hired him indicates that obtaining the book is paramount and offers a huge bonus if the book can be produced and authenticated. The GD is then "kidnapped" by a group of women chefs who call themselves "The Wiches" (for Women In Culinary & Hotel Employment).
As promising as the premise was, and much as I enjoy reading about New Orleans and the food there, I found this book difficult to get into. Though it is less than 250 pages it took me over a month of fits and starts. While the author seems to have an encyclopedic knowledge of gastronomy, New Orleans seems to be just another backdrop for the protagonist to be presented against. And while there was much local trivia incorporated into the text, it failed to credibly draw up the city for me. I doubt I will try any of the other GD mysteries. (I also find it annoying that the gentleman’s name is never mentioned, forcing me to use the silly "Gourmet Detective" title over and over.
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