[A Carolyn Blue Culinary Mystery 06] • Holy Guacamole!

bThe Barnes Noble Review/bbrA selection of delectable Tex-Mex recipes are the perfect complement to the dramatic doings in iHoly Guacamole!,/i Nancy Fairbanks's sixth culinary mystery. Food writer Carolyn Blue, a recent transplant to El Paso, Texas, has found plenty to like about her new hometown. She loves the multicultural history of the border city, enjoys exploring the spicy complexities of the local cuisine, and is thrilled to serve on the Executive Committee of the local opera company (opera being her other great love.after her husband and her work). Food is supposed to bring people together. But when overly artistic and overly dramatic Russian opera director Vladik Gubenko snatches the entire serving bowl of sumptuous guacamole one of his sopranos prepared for the post-performance celebration following the debut of his Tex-Mex version of Verdi's iMacbeth,/i his greed is repaid with a vengeance. Local opera lovers are already in an uproar over Vladik's transformation of Macbeth into a tale of warring modern drug lords, but the discovery of the controversial director's corpse the following morning leaves everyone related to the company even more stirred up. While the police try to work out whether this death was a crime of passion, villainous overindulgence, or cold-blooded murder, Carolyn Blue turns her discerning senses and expertise to discovering the truth.dipping into a complex mix of personal motives, professional opportunities, sleazy scandals, and crimes involving victims both on and off the stage. iSue Stone/i