A Fashionably French Murder

Summary

American expat Tabitha Knight has found a new life in postwar Paris, along with a delightful friend in aspiring
chef Julia Child. Yet there are perils in peacetime too, as a killer infiltrates one of the city’s most famous fashion
houses.
If there’s one art the French have mastered as well as fine cuisine, it’s haute couture. Tabitha and Julia are
already accustomed to sampling the delights of the former. Now fashion is returning to the forefront in Paris,
as the somber hues of wartime are replaced by vibrant colors and ultra-feminine silhouettes, influenced by
Christian Dior’s “New Look.”
Tabitha and Julia join a friend for a private showing at an exclusive fashion atelier, Maison Lannet. The event
goes well, but when Tabitha returns later that evening to search for a lost glove, she finds the lights still on—and
the couturier dead, strangled by a length of lace. The shop manager suspects that a jealous rival—perhaps
Dior himself—committed the crime. Tabitha dismisses that idea, but when another body is found, it’s apparent
that someone is targeting employees of Maison Lannet.
Meanwhile, Tabitha’s Grand-père and Oncle Rafe are in the midst of their own design-related fracas, as
they squabble over how to decorate their new restaurant. And there are strange break-ins at a nearby shoe
store—but are the crimes related? It’s up to Tabitha to don her investigative hat and find answers before
someone commits another fatal fashion faux pas.