Death Warmed Up is one of Marian Babson's stand-alone mysteries. Our heroine is Jean Ainley, whose Executive Meal Service catering company has to deal with a crisis on the first page. Their oldest and most reliable client, Quardon International, is having a fancy luncheon for Oscar Manganian, with whose company they wish to merge. The electricity went out in the Quardon building a half hour ago. Jean and her two apprentices, lovely Lexie and practical Sidonie, need to try to salvage the meal. (Lexie's usual method of coping with difficulty is unbuttoning a few top buttons and breathing deeply, will not save them.)

Mark Avery, Quardon International Sales Director & Deputy Managing Director, is opposed to the merger. Tristram Quardon's secretary, Edda Price, goes to his office to get him. Jean finds herself needing to get them both. Edda is dispatched to fetch Tristram's personal assistant, leaving Jean to cope with the sudden appearance of Oscar Manganian.

NOTES:

Chapter 1: "After you, Gaston" is a reference to the early 20th century American comic strip "Alphonse and Gaston," in which the title characters were noted for being excessively polite and deferential to each other.

Chapter 2: Oscar asking if Mark is sulking in his tent is probably a reference to Achilles sulking in his tent in the Illiad.
Mention: Lon Chaney's silent horror films.

Chapter 3:

a. "Cack-handed" is a British expression similar to the American "ham fisted".

b. We meet Gretel and get some of Lexie's back story. ( )

okay novel @ catering service + murder -

Caterer Jean Ainley knows that running a catering company involves minor catastrophes--like a power outage while she's trying to prepare an executive luncheon. But she doesn't expect to find a dead body when the lights come back on.