Review: Un Soupon
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 3, 2013
Sometimes there is no perfect word in English, and that is the case with this reader's companion Lawrence De Maria has assembled. It is un soupon, as the French put it. It is a suspicion; a hint, a drop of what you'll find in his mysteries. This notion of tasting a little of this and a little of that is certainly not the American way. But think of Spain's tapas or Central America's bocas: appetizers or snacks that can be cold or hot, battered or fried. In China's cuisine, it is dim sum, or "touch the heart." The snacks or dumplings of rice noodle rolls can contain beef, chicken, pork, prawns or vegetables, but are not meant to be a main meal. In British pubs, it is the Ploughman's lunch, but "lunch" is a fancy name for a platter of pickles, crusty bread, cheese, sometimes meat, and ale. Of course the more familiar, perhaps, is the Italian antipasti of cheese and olives and pepperoni and tomatoes and mushrooms. No matter where the cuisine originates, the purpose is largely the same: to create lively conversations that are sometimes absent from full or formal meals. Lawrence De Maria has achieved just that. He has provided snacks from his thrillers, introducing new readers to his main characters and giving a suspicion, a hint, a drop of what readers will find if they continue onto the full versions of Sound of Blood, Capriati's Blood, Killerfest, Laura Lee, Hurricane Fats, Siren's Tears and Madman's Thirst.