Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press, Ian Moore and NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Can I say that the cover and the title attracted me immediately ? As a French person, I liked the blurb and wanted to know more. A mysterious crime in the Loire Valley ? Sign me up.

The Loire Valley is one of my favourite places in France and in that, the author and I are very similar. I loved finding the names of the most famous monuments and sites on paper.

Sadly, I think my hype was too great and I finished this book disappointed.

The main characters are not really engaging and, unfortunately, I tend to lose interest if I don't connect with the characters. Richard, the owner of the B&B, is a man in his fifties, bored with his mundane life, who has a complicated relationship with his wife (is this a reason to drool over his guest, Valerie d'Orsay, as soon as she opens her mouth ? an aspect of his personality that I didn't like at all...). He welcomes a newly married Italian couple at the same time as Valerie. But are they who they say they are ?

Everything on paper was meant to please me but Valerie's personality didn’t convince me either. On the other hand, the name of her dog, Passepartout (a reference to our famous French TV show Fort Boyard), made me smile.

As far as the action is concerned, it can be said that it goes on quite well and that the finale makes some sense. I could never have predicted the ending of the novel and on that I take my hat off to the author, it was a pleasure to read the plot reveal.

This book really isn't bad : there's action, lots of quirky characters to thicken the mystery, a touch of typical British humour and a plot that has a good pace. But maybe it wasn't made for me.
Perhaps this novel lacks spice ? More chases, with more investigative chapters ? Richard was a bit on the sidelines most of the time and it's a bit of a shame when you know that he is the main protagonist of the whole A Follet Valley Mystery series.

In the end, only one question really stands out : who killed the hen ?


Review posted online : https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4925131780

A fantastic murder mystery that starts with a croissant? I loved reading this enchanting thriller I couldn’t put it down! I highly reccomend this if you loved Thursday murder club!

I knew I was going to enjoy this debut mystery from the first line - "Is there anything in this world quite as joyless as muesli?" As he later says, it reminded him of "discarded bird silage". Any book that has me wanting to share lines and has me giggling and laughing out loud is going to earn five stars from me.
Richard Ainsworth is fifty-three, retired and the owner of a B&B in the Loire Valley. His marital status is, according to hi daughter, complicated. He and his wife bought the B&B but she found it too, too boring and returned to England. Poor Richard, he who hates mornings but must be the charming host for his guests every morning, he's feeling worn out like his Nan's old brown sofa. One morning all of that changes when the glamorous new guest, Valerie appears at breakfast with her chihuahua, Passepartout. How had he missed that? No dogs allowed, it says so on his website. Before he can figure out the best way to handle that conversation the world tips when the cleaning lady discovers a bloody hand print on the wall of a now missing gentleman. Richard wants it to vanish but Valerie will have none of that and drags him into an over the top murder investigation that had me forgetting all of my stress. As they say, laughter is the best medicine.
The mystery is fun but the number one draw, the reason I give it five stars are the quirky cast of characters and the humor. I'm ready for another Follet Valley mystery starring Richard Ainsworth. According to the blurb at the back of the book there are two more: Death a la Cuisine and Death at the Banquet. (Ian Moore is, in real life, a stand up comedian living in rural France who makes the commute back to England every week.)
My thanks to the publisher Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Delightfully Bonkers....
Delightfully bonkers mystery set in rural France and the first in a new series. A cast of colourful and eccentric characters populate a fun and fast moving plot, much madcap humour and and witty one liners aplenty. A reading joy and most definitely some perfect escapism. Awaiting the next with gleeful anticipation.