Jenna Hardwig- “The Foreign Correspondent’s Wife”
Dear Reader,
What’s a food editor and five-time cookbook author doing writing a mystery novel?
As a lifelong mystery fan, it was actually Julia Child’s memoir, My Life in France, co-written with Alex Prud’homme, that planted the seeds for The Foreign Correspondent’s Wife.
Julia Child moved to Paris in 1948, just a few short years after the brutal Nazi occupation of the city during World War II. I’d always had a dark fascination with stories about World War II and particularly the Nazi occupation of Paris. I wondered how I would behave in such a terrible situation
While I trust I wouldn’t be a collaborator, would I be one of those courageous people who secretly resisted? Or would I keep my head down to feed my family and keep them alive? And was the second option any less honorable than the first? With all of those questions in my mind, a story took root.
The Foreign Correspondent’s Wife takes place in Paris in 1949—yes, about the same time Julia Child moved there. Kat Kelly, half-French and a native New Yorker, is an ambitious journalist who can’t quite get her footing in the male-dominated profession. When her husband, Charlie, accepts the prestigious role of foreign correspondent for an American newspaper in Paris, Kat decides to restart her life by going to culinary school.
A few weeks later, Kat discovers a classmate's bloody body and quickly becomes embroiled in the murder investigation. At the same time, Charlie gets a tip about American transgressions after the city’s liberation from the Germans. Kat and Charlie pursue their investigations separately, until another shocking crime puts both of their lives on the line.
I had a ball writing this book. (Of course, a couple of research trips to Paris were “required.”) The Foreign Correspondent’s Wife is full of French food, surprising historical nuggets, and unexpected twists.
I hope the story captivates you as it did me.
All the best,
Jenna
BIO
Jenna Helwig is the food director at Real Simple magazine, a cookbook author, and the creator of the Cookbookery Collective newsletter on Substack. Her debut novel is The Foreign Correspondent’s Wife. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her family and adorable dog Pepper.
Follow Jenna
Website: www.jennahelwig.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennahelwig
