Claire Fontaine sits down for a Q&A with dru’s book musings responding to ten or more questions so we can learn more about her. Are you ready? Let’s get to know Claire.

What is your full name?
Claire Fontaine.

How old are you?
Thirty-five.

What is your profession?
Officially, private chef and caterer. Unofficially, a recovering criminal defense attorney. I still keep my California bar license active, just in case old instincts ever need somewhere legal to go.

If you have a significant other, what is their name and profession?
I’m single at the moment, but the two people who matter most in my life are my best friend, Suggie Oh (Caper Cove’s local accountant by day, freelance journalist by night), and my dad, Frank Fontaine, a former cop who now runs Caper Cove’s favorite Taco Bistro.

Do you have any children?
No. My life is messy and unstable enough without bringing another living being into it.

Who is your best friend?
Suggie Oh. We’ve been inseparable since preschool.

Do you have cats, dogs, or other pets?
No pets, but I live by the beach, so I get daily wildlife instead: sandpipers, pelicans, seals, dolphins, and the seasonal whales.

What town do you live in?
Caper Cove, which was named after the lively dance (not the pickled flower bud).

What type of dwelling do you own or rent?
I currently live rent-free in my dad’s converted communal apartment, above my dad’s Taco Bistro, right on the beach. I share it with a roommate, Ben Torres, Caper Cove’s resident detective. I’m working on moving out and reclaiming full independence (though Southern California’s cost of living makes “independent” feel more like a long-term goal than a plan).

Do you have any hobbies?
You could say investigating is my hobby since I spend my free time investigating murder cases and trying to figure out what happened to my sister Aurora who disappeared 20 years ago. Call it déformation professionnelle: once you’ve spent a decade in criminal law, you can’t just switch the instincts off.

If you were to write a memoir, what would you call it?
From the Courtroom to the Kitchen: Different Ingredients, Same Mess.

Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
Semi-professional. My past as a criminal defense attorney gave me the instincts and the skill set, even though I’m technically supposed to have left all that behind. Old habits kick in whenever someone’s been wrongly accused. Suggie is my partner in crime, Detective Ben Torres tolerates me, and Dr. Vikram Thomas, the medical examiner, is generous with information he probably shouldn’t be sharing.

SPIRITS OF THE LAW
Series: A Suddenly French Mystery, Book 3
Genre: Traditional Mystery
Release: November 2026
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link

A fall festival. An old mansion. And a death that’s anything but accidental.

When a car plunges off a cliff during Caper Cove’s beloved harvest celebration, former criminal attorney turned caterer Claire Fontaine assumes it’s a tragic accident, until the medical examiner reveals the truth: the victim, a local psychic, was already dead.

Now Claire finds herself investigating beneath the looming shadow of LaMaison, a storied cliffside mansion rumored to be cursed. As she prepares to cater its extravagant Halloween Ball, Claire uncovers a century-old injustice tied to stolen land, silenced women, and a ghost who may not be ready to rest.

Things turn personal when Claire spots a woman who looks exactly like her sister Aurora, missing for twenty years, on the mansion grounds. Is it coincidence, wishful thinking…or something far more unsettling?

With quirky friends, a skeptical detective roommate, and her sharp legal instincts, Claire must untangle a mystery where the past refuses to stay buried, before another death turns this cozy coastal town upside down.

About the author
Elle Jauffret is an award-winning mystery author and former California criminal attorney whose work explores identity, perception, and the quiet power structures shaping our lives. A native of France and bilingual lawyer, she draws on her legal background and cross-cultural experience to craft character-driven mysteries that blend psychological depth with social insight. Her Suddenly French Mysteries series follows a former criminal attorney-turned private chef and sleuth navigating questions of language, belonging, and truth. Jauffret is a frequent panelist and moderator at writers’ conferences, bookstores, and festivals, where she speaks about writing craft, identity, and using genre fiction as a lens to examine how power operates beneath the surface of everyday life.