Publishers Weekly - 2/11/08
Roux Morgue
The growing rift between the “dinosaurs” and the “young brats” on the teaching staff at San Francisco's École d'Epicure fuels the highly amusing action in Johnson's superior second cozy to feature funky pastry chef Mary Ryan (after 2002's Beat Until Stiff ).
This enjoyable romp should gain Johnson new fans .
Library Journal - 2/1/08
Girl Power! The chick-lit mystery subgenre has been reinventing itself for a while.
Claire Johnson uses a culinary school in Roux Morgue to illustrate how a young chef can be exceptional both at her profession and snooping around solving murders.
Kirkus - 2/1/2008
Sexual tension, cooking tips and a neatly packaged mystery. All in all, a tasty tale.
Beat Until Stiff gives a frank view of the cooking/restaurant scene and explores why food has become theater, with all the waiters, the busboys, the chefs, and the dining public on stage, each with their own parts to learn and perform. Dessert is the last word, the amen of a meal. And Mary Ryan always has to have the last word. Hard edged, filled richly with restaurant lore, sharply characterized, this is a debut to savor.