A gay wedding gone bad. A missing groom. An unsullied reputation at risk. Enter Russell Quant — a cute, gay, rookie private detective with a nose for good wine and bad lies. Quant is off to France on his first big case. From the chic but sinister streets of Paris, he eats, drinks, and sleuths his way south to the pastel-coloured promenade of Sanary-sur-Mer. Back in Saskatoon, Quant comes face-to-face with a client who may be the bad guy, a quarry who turns up in the most unexpected place, and a cast of colourful suspects: the vile sister, the best friend, the colleague, the ex-lover, the lawyer, the priest, and the snoopy neighbour — are they involved? Or is someone else lurking in the shadows? As he works through the case, Quant juggles detecting with the responsibilities of a personal life full of captivating characters. Taking a cue from the style and humour of Robert B. Parker, and evoking Armistead Maupin with his wit and warmth, Anthony Bidulka’s Amuse Bouche is a rich, saucy, and engaging read.