Culinary mysteries are one of the most flourishing subgenres of crime fiction today. As J. Madison Davis contends, "the world of haute cuisine provides lots of opportunities for odd, colorful characters obsessed with perfecting their work."1 It is therefore not surprising that culinary mysteries have enjoyed wide popularity and commercial success both in the United States and in Europe.2 The Austrian capital Vienna even features a special bookstore for mysteries and culinary arts: Thrill and Chill: Spezialbuchhandlung für Krimi und Kulinarik.3