The Devil's Feast (A Blake and Avery Novel #3) (Hardcover)
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Investigative team Blake and Avery find themselves entangled in a case involving political conflicts, personal vendettas, and England’s first celebrity chef.
London, 1842. Captain William Avery is persuaded to investigate a mysterious and horrible death at the Reform, London’s newest and grandest gentleman’s club—a death the club is desperate to hush up. What he soon discovers is a web of rivalries and hatreds, both personal and political, simmering behind the club’s handsome façade. At the center is its resident genius, Alexis Soyer, “the Napoleon of food,” a chef whose culinary brilliance is matched only by his talent for self-publicity.
But Avery is distracted, for where is his mentor and partner in crime Jeremiah Blake? And what if this first death is only a dress rehearsal for something far more sinister?
London, 1842. Captain William Avery is persuaded to investigate a mysterious and horrible death at the Reform, London’s newest and grandest gentleman’s club—a death the club is desperate to hush up. What he soon discovers is a web of rivalries and hatreds, both personal and political, simmering behind the club’s handsome façade. At the center is its resident genius, Alexis Soyer, “the Napoleon of food,” a chef whose culinary brilliance is matched only by his talent for self-publicity.
But Avery is distracted, for where is his mentor and partner in crime Jeremiah Blake? And what if this first death is only a dress rehearsal for something far more sinister?
M.J. Carter is the author of the Blake and Avery novels, including The Devil's Feast, The Infidel Stain, and The Strangler Vine. A former journalist, she is also the author of two acclaimed works of nonfiction, Anthony Blunt: His Lives and George, Nicholas and Wilhelm: Three Royal Cousins and the Road to World War I. She is married with two sons and lives in London.
Praise for The Devil’s Feast
“Beautifully researched and historically mesmerizing, The Devil's Feast will keep history buffs and gourmands equally fascinated. An excellent entry in a great series.”—Shelf Awareness (starred review)
“Superlative...Carter again has crafted an ingenious, fast-moving plot with emotional depth and plausible surprises.”—Publishers Weekly
Praise for the Blake and Avery novels by M. J. Carter
“Dazzling...It is all such fun and so richly detailed that one is drawn down London’s crooked lanes and rookeries without a backwards glance....Carter does a remarkable job making London come alive in all its dreadful glory. Yes, there is an intricate puzzle to solve and two engaging sleuths to lead us to its surprising denouement, but the real strength of the novel is Carter’s deeper inquiry into historical questions that resonate to this day. At its heart, The Infidel Stain reckons with the gulf between the classes, between the well-intentioned and the struggling, the haves and have-nots.”—The Washington Post
“Rich with nuance...a ripping good story that keeps the pages turning.”—Fort Worth Star-Telegram
“Enthralling...The Strangler Vine is more than just a picturesque quest through exotic lands. Carter makes a subtle critique of how fact and fiction, myth and history intertwine.”—The Washington Post
“Thoroughly researched...entertaining...This tale of two ill-yoked companions involved in conspiracy and betrayal is a welcome addition to the surprisingly thin body of novels about the great and at times appalling imperial adventure.”—The Wall Street Journal
“Wonderful reading, I just couldn’t put it down.”—Nancy Pearl
“[A] yarn reminiscent of adventures by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.”—The New York Post
“Fun, well-crafted historical fiction.”—Christian Science Monitor
“[A] cracking-good old-style adventure yarn. There is mystery, murder, highway robbery, a sinister religious cult, a tiger hunt and danger and intrigue everywhere....Carter, adept with a delightful turn of phrase, paints a vivid picture of mid-19th-century India...Highly recommended.”—The Free Lance-Star
“The Strangler Vine is a splendid novel with an enthralling story, a wonderfully drawn atmosphere, and an exotic mystery that captivated me.”—Bernard Cornwell
“Beautifully researched and historically mesmerizing, The Devil's Feast will keep history buffs and gourmands equally fascinated. An excellent entry in a great series.”—Shelf Awareness (starred review)
“Superlative...Carter again has crafted an ingenious, fast-moving plot with emotional depth and plausible surprises.”—Publishers Weekly
Praise for the Blake and Avery novels by M. J. Carter
“Dazzling...It is all such fun and so richly detailed that one is drawn down London’s crooked lanes and rookeries without a backwards glance....Carter does a remarkable job making London come alive in all its dreadful glory. Yes, there is an intricate puzzle to solve and two engaging sleuths to lead us to its surprising denouement, but the real strength of the novel is Carter’s deeper inquiry into historical questions that resonate to this day. At its heart, The Infidel Stain reckons with the gulf between the classes, between the well-intentioned and the struggling, the haves and have-nots.”—The Washington Post
“Rich with nuance...a ripping good story that keeps the pages turning.”—Fort Worth Star-Telegram
“Enthralling...The Strangler Vine is more than just a picturesque quest through exotic lands. Carter makes a subtle critique of how fact and fiction, myth and history intertwine.”—The Washington Post
“Thoroughly researched...entertaining...This tale of two ill-yoked companions involved in conspiracy and betrayal is a welcome addition to the surprisingly thin body of novels about the great and at times appalling imperial adventure.”—The Wall Street Journal
“Wonderful reading, I just couldn’t put it down.”—Nancy Pearl
“[A] yarn reminiscent of adventures by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.”—The New York Post
“Fun, well-crafted historical fiction.”—Christian Science Monitor
“[A] cracking-good old-style adventure yarn. There is mystery, murder, highway robbery, a sinister religious cult, a tiger hunt and danger and intrigue everywhere....Carter, adept with a delightful turn of phrase, paints a vivid picture of mid-19th-century India...Highly recommended.”—The Free Lance-Star
“The Strangler Vine is a splendid novel with an enthralling story, a wonderfully drawn atmosphere, and an exotic mystery that captivated me.”—Bernard Cornwell