Brenda H. (booksinvt) - , reviewed on 7/13/2015 + 458 more book reviews

Cancans, Croissants and Caskets is the third installment in the Happy Hoofers Mystery series. This book finds the five tap dancing friends (Tina, Mary Louise, Gini, Pat and Jan) hired to perform on a Bateau Mouche (sightseeing boat) on the Seine in Paris. Each of the books is narrated by a different member of the group and Cancans is told from Janice Roger's perspective.
The group arrives in Paris on Bastille Day, which is the American equivalent of Independence Day so things around the city are very busy. The ladies check in to the beautiful apartment they have rented for their weeklong stay, head over to the boat where they meet up with the house band, singer Suzette Millett and the owners of the boat, Henri and Madeline Fouchet.
The mystery in the book revolves around the murder of two characters, but as in the other books in the series the investigation into their deaths is not the focal point of the storyline. Unlike other traditional cozies the ladies have very little to do with hunting down the killer, and gather most of their information regarding the murder through limited conversations with a third party.
This series reads more like a travel guide, with elaborate descriptions of the landmarks, foods and language of the locales the ladies visit. In this case it was interesting to learn about the Parisian countryside and even pick up a few French phrases, but for me it took a little away from the joy of solving the murder and I found myself skipping over some of the wordy descriptions.
The author also focuses on the private life of whichever one of the ladies is narrating the particular book in the series. Cancans devotes a lot of time to the love life of Janice and also to the budding romantic relationship between Pat and Police Captain Genevieve Chantal.
The book ends abruptly with just a brief mention of the capture of the killer. While a reason for the murder was touched on in the earlier pages, I was left feeling that the killer's motive for murder was rather flimsy and farfetched. It was disappointing to not have the killer admit to his crime or hear his confession. The colorful, fun cover is what drew me to this cozy but alas, there was no cute puppy or any mention of a dog throughout the entire book.
This was a quick and easy read, with likeable characters and yummy recipes, but if you are looking for a true cozy mystery this book reads more like Chick Lit.
I received an advanced copy of Cancans, Croissants and Caskets through NetGalley via publisher Kensington Publishing. While I was not required to write a review, I was more than happy to give an honest opinion.

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