This fifth cold case (after Freeze Frame) finds Enzo Macleod in the volcanic Auvergne region of central France, where a top chef, rumored to be on the verge of losing one of his three Michelin stars, was murdered seven years earlier. Mac-leod is faced with the task of digging up the victim's secrets while facing his own family issues. May skillfully intertwines Macleod's personal dilemmas (his eldest daughter will not talk to him, his girlfriend will not allow him to see their six-month-old son, and he is forced to face the secrets of his childhood) with his cold case investigations. VERDICT Caught up in the various threads, readers are lulled into a false sense of knowing where the tale is heading until May pulls the rug out from under them. Those who enjoy mysteries with a Gallic flavor will snap this one up. (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Culinary heights, human depths, and a surprise romance await Enzo Macleod in the remote reaches of central France in May's fifth mystery to feature the Scottish forensics expert (after 2010's Freeze Frame). Scant evidence and apparent lack of motive stymied the initial investigation into the murder of celebrity chef Mark Fraysse seven years earlier, but Macleod soon discovers less than savory secrets, from the late chef's in-house adultery and gambling addiction to his troubled relationship with older brother Guy, the current patron of Chez Fraysse along with Fraysse's widow. The familial dysfunction resonates strongly with Macleod for reasons he's long repressed, prompting him to take a painful look at his own life-including his estrangement from the mother of the infant son he has yet to see. While the action sequences can come across as forced in this introspective entry, it offers subtle, complex pleasures to the discerning palate. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Scottish expat forensic expert Enzo McLeod travels to a three-star restaurant on a remote mountaintop in the Central Massif in his fifth cold-case challenge. Seven years ago, the chef of the Michelin-starred restaurant was found dead in an isolated cave, discovered by his brother and partner in the restaurant. Now the restaurant is not only still running but has kept all three stars, thanks to the hard work of the brother, the widow, and the promoted sous chef. Series fans will be delighted by details provided about Enzo's families in Scotland and France, which are neatly tied into the larger plot. While it helps to know the context of Enzo as a cold-case expert, each book in the series can be read individually, and this particularly strong entry may be the perfect one to introduce new readers to the tall, dour Scot with an amazing ability to piece together long-unsolved crimes.--Moyer, Jessica Copyright 2010 Booklist

Mon dieu! Someone has killed the Great Chef of Europe.Gendarme Dominique Chazal is called out on a wet winter night in 2003 to examine the body of Marc Fraysse, a bullet hole clearly visible in the middle of his forehead. Fraysse had called a press conference to make an important announcement, but not even his brother and business partner Guy, grieving near the body, knows the content of that announcement, though he does volunteer that Marc had been depressed lately at the prospect of losing one of his three cherished Michelin stars. Dominique declares Marc's Chez Fraysse, in a rustic region of central France, a crime scene. The investigation languishes for seven years until the idiosyncratic Enzo Macleod steps in to solve his fifth cold case (Freeze Frame, 2010, etc.) and Dominique admits that he is her last hope. Enzo travels to the rugged volcanic plain where Chez Fraysse stands to interview potential suspects. He begins with Marc's imperious widow Elisabeth, who may be too cozy with her brother-in-law, a johnny-come-lately to Marc's business; ambitious, stoic chef Georges Crozes, who worked directly under his friend Marc and succeeded him as Head Chef at Chez Fraysse; and his wife Anne, whom everyone believes was having an affair with Marc. Enzo's solution depends on unraveling a coded message, reading parts of Marc's diary and bantering with his effervescent daughter Sophie.May'sflair for narrative, characterization and evocative descriptions of various locales and historic tidbits makes his formulaic whodunit fresh and delightfully readablecatnip for armchairsleuths.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.