Little Indiscretions

  I just finished reading “Little Indiscretions, A Delectable Mystery” by Carmen Posadas.  I stumbled upon it in Powerbooks and the synopsis piqued my interest.  It went like this:

“While careering a party in a villa on the Costa del Sol, Nestor Chaffino, pastry chef to the rich and famous, is found frozen to death in a walk-in freezer, a notebook in his hand.  The guests gathered that evening are the natural suspects…and it turns out that plenty of them have motive.  It seems the unassuming Nestor had decided to publish a compendium of gastronomic secrets that revealed, along with the culinary tricks of the trade, more than a few damning details of the hosts’ and houseguests’ private lives.  To what lengths would they go to ensure that Nestor maintained a permanent sense of discretion?”

My expectation for this book was that it would send me rolls of laughter for the unseemingly ways on which the chef discovers the deepest darkest secrets of the rich and famous.  I thought it would somewhat be a light mystery with a touch of humor that revolves around the food that the chef serves. 

My hunches were all mistaken.  The first part of the book was quite dragging specially in introducing the characters of the story.  Admittedly, the writing style in weaving the story was quite different from other mystery novels I’ve read.  For that, the author should be praised.  But just about the start, it could be gleaned that the whole book wouldn’t be so much of a light read at all. 

The author’s ability to rouse the interest of the readers and to make their brain cells work a little is praiseworthy, specially right in the middle of the book when the story slowly unfolds in the pages.  But when I reached the end, I was quite disappointed in how the story culminated and the motives to which the perpetrator of the crime had in letting the chef freeze to death.  As with most mystery novels, it was unexpected.  But I hate the fact that the story ended without so much as letting the reader know what happened to the main characters after finding out their little secrets.  It’s as if the chef’s death was put to waste along with the talent that he has. 

All in all, the story was quite unique with a masterful blend of coincidences that weaved each of the characters’ lives.  Although, in my opinion, the author could have made a better and fairer ending that wouldn’t leave the readers hanging of unresolved conflicts and the death of the chef more worthwhile.