Monsieur Pamplemousse Stands Firm

Monsieur Pamplemousse Stands Firm, by Michael Bond, is one of a series by the author of the Paddington Bear books. While the Paddington Bear books are delightful children's books we continue to cherish, the Monsieur Pamplemousse series is not child-friendly. They are culinary mysteries about Monsieur Pamplemousse, a former detective with the Paris Surete who retired under a cloud and became an inspector for a prominent French guidebook. His detective abilities come in handy as he ends up in the strangest circumstances. In this case there is murder, mayhem, WW2 history and nudist beaches. This book is the eighth in the series; I've read the first and the sixth. I get such a kick out of these books and pick them up whenever I come across them.

from the back of the book:

Le Guide's apprentice restaurant rater is quite a dish!

Nevertheless, when Monsieur Pamplemousse is sent on the road with the saucy Elsie, he is not amused-despite the fact that he finds her delectable!

Their destination is the Hotel des Dunes on the Cote d'Argent, and even with the chaperonage of his canine confrere, Pommes Frites, Pamplemousse feels uneasy. Not only is Elsie a tease, but the hotel food is a disgrace, the other guests unappetizing and the owner/chef has vanished. That is, until Pommes Frites digs up a jambon that was never part of any four-legged animal....