The Nose Knows: The Case of the Stinky Stench by Josh Funk

"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark!"

Wait! Wrong story.

"UNCLE," SAID CROISSANT, "THE FRIDGE IS IN TROUBLE!
A HORRIBLE STENCH TURNED THE WHOLE SHELF TO RUBBLE."

Those formerly feuding foods, Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast, come together when they discover that the jewel of their kitchen--the fridge--is besieged by a noisome smell, something malodorous which threatens the whole larder. Immediately they turn to their best hope, the savory and savvy French sleuth, Inspector Croissant.

"IT'S BARON VON WAFFLE, THAT DEVIOUS SQUARE,"
SAID PANCAKE WITH ANGER. "LET'S LOOK IN HIS LAIR!"

But the bad-guy Baron von Waffle,--always a smart Alec--proves again to be fresh, and the three forge forth, past foodstuffs of all sorts. The fridge seems to be the province of a culinary couple of both exotic and eclectic tastes, prolific with carbs and veggies alike. Over Salsa Ravine and up Mount Everbean they go. Inspector Croissant trips over Miss Steak, but they soldier on, Something is definitely fishy here. Could that reek be a Red Herring?

INSPECTOR CROISSANT TOOK A MIGHTY BIG WHIFF.
"THE ODOR IS COMING FROM CASSEROLE CLIFF."

At last Croissant tries to pin the rap on the usual suspect, Fruitcake, but Fruitcake resists arrest with a tart old maxim aimed to keep him out of jail!

"EVERYONE KNOWS FRUITCAKES NEVER GO STALE!"

For those foodies who don't find puns noxious, the appropriately named author Josh Funk's The Case of the Stinky Stench (Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast) (Sterling Books, 2017) is a tasty sequel to his earlier carbohydrate-loading tale, Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast, ably assisted by his sous chef, artist Brendan Kearney. As anyone with a halfway working kitchen knows, a sortie into the depths of the fridge can be a hazardous investigation, but Funk keeps the story lightly seasoned with tasteful humor and juicy rhyming couplets. This story is certainly more fun than cleaning out a refrigerator! Says Kirkus Reviews, "The confident storyline marries complex vocabulary with an easy syncopation and reaches a surprising level of drama when the stench is revealed.