Monsieur Pamplemousse and the Militant Midwives: The witty crime romp

By Michael Bond

The acclaimed creator of Paddington Bear dishes up a dastardly plot for Monsieur Pamplemousse and Pommes Frites to unravel.


It isn't every day that a coffin explodes during a funeral ceremony. Barely escaping with his life, thanks to a warning howl from his faithful bloodhound Pommes Frites, Monsieur Pamplemousse can only wonder who was behind the explosion . . . and if they were also responsible for the demise of the coffin's inhabitant.

But then another urgent matter comes to his attention: a terrorist group is planning to poison the food chain.
Monsieur Pamplemousse, together with Pommes Frites and a rather strange ally, must spearhead an elite.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Allison & Busby
• Release date: Mar 26, 2012
• ISBN: 9780749011963

Michael Bond

Michael Bond was born in Newbury, Berkshire on 13 January 1926 and educated at Presentation College, Reading. He served in the Royal Air Force and the British Army before working as a cameraman for BBC TV for 19 years. In 2015, Michael was awarded a CBE for his services to children’s literature, to add to the OBE he received in 1997. Michael died in 2017, leaving behind one of the great literary legacies of our time.

Reviews for Monsieur Pamplemousse and the Militant Midwives

[tadad_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

It's uncomfortable to say something less than positive about the creator of one of my favorite bears, but I think the series has run its course for me. As another review said, it started out okay but then sort of fizzled into an obvious bad guy and a whole lot of plot surrounding him that neither made much sense nor caused me to care in the slightest. The novelty of M. Pamplemousse and Pommes Frites can no longer carry what have become formulaic light stories.

[stevejwales · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

A little disappointing in comparison with 'Monsieur Pamplemousse Hits the Headlines' (though still enjoyable) and a little odd that the "militant midwives" of the title are only mentioned once, in passing, a couple of pages before the end. Pommes Frites, Pamplemousse's bloodhound, is still a fun character!

[devenish_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Despite a good start with an exploding coffin,this just didn't get off the ground for me. The central premise of an ex-detective who is now an Inspector for France's premier food guide and his bloodhound,is a good one. In some books in this series it works quite well,but this one flops like a poorly made soufflé.