In 19th century France, a young woman with a magical sense of taste saves a duc from poison, and her new role as poison taster thrusts her into the world of the nobility, where secrets and danger lurk around every corner.
Minha is born on the backstreets of late-nineteenth-century London, daughter of an Indian spice merchant and an English prostitute. She has a remarkable gift-an incredible sense of taste. She can taste the earth in which potatoes are grown, or the tree on which fruits are ripened. She can smell each ingredient-and identify a single false note. But Minha's gift and her mixed-race heritage provoke mistrust and rejection, even within her own family. Escaping alone to France, Minha chances upon work in the Château de Bellefalaise, where for the first time her strange abilities are lauded.
As official poison-taster for Duc Nicolas, Minha must taste every morsel of food that will pass his lips. Others in the household are hostile to her, and when she discovers a man hiding in the stables, their unexpected meeting turns into the first true connection she's felt since arriving in France.
But mystery and paranoia continue to swirl around the château, with the Duc's poisoner unidentified, and antagonism toward Minha growing. She knows it's only a matter of time before fingers begin pointing her way. Will she run again, or is this the time to stand and fight?
A thoroughly addictive novel about food, possession, race, love, and a young woman fighting to build a fulfilling life against all odds, in this gorgeously written debut by author Catherine Kurtz. Catherine Kurtz is a member of the Guild of Food Writers and a Grand Jury Member of the International Chocolate Awards. Her food journalism has been published in a variety of outlets, including The Spectator's Scoff, Harvest, ckbk, and Celebrated Living. In her fiction she explores the female experience, her mixed-race heritage, and the power of creativity. Kurtz is a painter represented by the Redfern Gallery and has an MA in Creative Writing from West Dean College.
