The Soufflé Also Rises - A Review

 Review

THE SOUFFLE ALSO RISES by Lauren Johnson
The First Lizi Cleverly Midlife Badass Detective Novel 

A stifling marriage led to an acrimonious divorce and after that things got even worse. At 54 Lizi Cleverly had to rebuild her life, and finding a new job during the recession of 2008 wasn't easy. Finally landing a position at Whole Foods Lizi was making the best of it until a poor emotional reaction that included cartons of eggs ended it. Lizi then made the decision to really start over. She would move to Paris for three months to do what she always wanted - write. Unfortunately, her move wasn't without her own disasters including lost luggage and a stolen purse. She's reconnected with a former lover, but he's just been arrested...again. She's left holding his bag and what she finds inside could either solve all her problems or, more likely, create a whole new set of issues.

Almost everything that could go wrong for Lizi Cleverly does. What goes right is finding a great friend in Frankie, finding a way to make a difference in life, and finding herself. While Lizi finds herself in some outrageously unbelievable situations, I didn't mind. It was fun escapism, but escapism with a message. Tackling issues such as homelessness the first Lizi Cleverly Midlife Badass Detective Novel also highlights the ability of people to help, and shows that one good deed can lead to a revolution of caring and assistance.

Less of a detective novel and more of a finding oneself novel THE SOUFFLE ALSO RISES includes a Ponzi scheme, jewel heists, the mafia, and some dodgy people, along with some famous ones. There's a mystery with hints of both spy and thriller novels along with lots of laughs.

Part screwball comedy, part coming of age (even if that age is midlife), and part mystery/thriller THE SOUFFLE ALSO RISES is a fun romp through Paris. I can't wait to read more of Lizi Cleverly's exploits.