DEATH AND CROISSANTS

SYNOPSIS

Richard is a middle-aged Englishman who runs a B&B in the fictional Val de Follet in the Loire Valley. Nothing ever happens to Richard, and really that’s the way he likes it.

One day, however, one of his older guests disappears, leaving behind a bloody handprint on the wallpaper. Another guest, the exotic Valérie, persuades a reluctant Richard to join her in investigating the disappearance.

Richard remains a dazed passenger in the case until things become really serious and someone murders Ava Gardner, one of his beloved hens... and you don’t mess with a fellow’s hens!

Title: Death and croissants

Author: Ian Moore

Series: Follet Valley Mystery #1

Publisher: Farrago Books

Publication date: July 1, 2021

REVIEW

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐💫

Death and croissants is the first installment in the Follet Valley Mystery series. I’ve read lots of cozy mysteries but none set in France so, that and the gorgeous cover (a croissant and a dead hen?!) convinced me to give this one a chance.

It stars Richard, a British ex-pat running a B&B in the Loire Valley turned reluctant amateur sleuth when one of his guests goes missing and another one, Valérie D’Orcay, compels him to investigate.

The characters are the strong point in this story. They’re eccentric, witty, quirky…Some of them were a bit OTT but that was part of their charm. Richard’s British sarcasm made me chuckle more than once. The whole cast of characters was well drawn and they made a really interesting bunch.

With some surreal characters and situations (Richard’s hens are named Lana Turner, Joan Crawford and Ava Gardner) the humor is one of the main ingredients of the novel. The weakest part in my opinion was the mystery itself. For a cozy mystery it was a bit convoluted at times and the fact that sometimes the reader is just told some crucial facts of the investigation without knowing or seeing how the characters found out about them did not help.

Entertaining mystery with some charming and crazy characters that results in a lighthearted and amusing read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Farrago Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an hones review.

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