Going in I was so excited I love cozy stories especially with grumpy English men. Unfortunately this story did not hit any marks for me. I really did not like any character and was just bored in the end. I did DNF this book at 27% very disappointing.


Thank you to netgalley and sourcebooks for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Richard Ainsworth is a middle-aged British ex-pat who runs a bed and breakfast in the beautiful Loire Valley of France. He is a loner who lives a rather dull existence, and frankly, that’s the way he prefers it. Richard is a film buff, or rather a film historian, incensed at the idea that there is a website designed to have all filmography at the touch of a button. He believes that cinema is the equivalent of therapy: “Everything he needed by way of explanation, support, definition and all-round rocket-up-the-backsidery had come from the cinema. And right now he felt let down and betrayed, and that called for film noir…” On Sunday evening, the Rizzolis, a young newlywed couple from Italy and a beautiful woman from Paris named Valérie D’Orçay had signed in as guests in the B & B. On Monday morning, a regular customer named Vincent Grandchamps disappeared. The only things left behind were the elderly man’s bloody handprint on the wall and his bloodied eyeglasses in the bathroom trashcan. To Richard’s dismay, Valérie wants to investigate the disappearance, and wants Richard to assist her in doing so. To say he’s reluctant to accompany her is an understatement, and he takes a backseat in the investigation until the murder of one of his beloved hens, Ava Gardener, found hung in the coop. No one messes with a man’s hen, and Richard is incensed.

What a wonderful, funny, enjoyable romp of a cozy mystery! There is so much wry and dry British humor in the pages, making the novel thoroughly enjoyable. The cast of eccentric characters is stellar: the mafia couple, the crotchety old judge, the swinging neighbors, and the crusty cleaning lady, Madame Tablier. “Richard had “inherited” Madame Tablier when he and his wife, Clare, had bought the business a couple of years before. She tottered permanently on the edge of outrage; swore relentlessly in front of the guests, who she regarded en masse as an unnecessary, germ-infested, stain-creating evil; and appeared, on the face of things, to hate the world so much that “Sweet death, take me now” could have been the motto on her blemish-free apron instead of “Je place le bonheur au-dessous de tout,” roughly translated as “I place happiness above all else,” and surely bought in jest.” (locations 146 & 159 of 3594). Adding to the humor is Richard’s view of mornings, especially when that is when all the work must be done in a “bed and breakfast.” “It wasn’t that Richard Ainsworth was in a bad mood necessarily, just that he found mornings difficult. Trying would be a better word. He found mornings trying, something to be endured before reaching the slightly less trying afternoons and evenings. Mornings are the cold, filthy foot bath you’re forced to step through before you’re allowed into the warmth and relative cleanliness of the public swimming pool.” (location 55 of 3594) The novel is page-turning, has something for everyone, and plenty of twists to keep the reader entertained. I heartily recommend this heart-warming cozy mystery to all fans of the genre!

I’d like to thank NetGalley, Ian Moore, and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Death and Croissants is the first of the Follet Valley Mysteries, a series of cozy and witty mysteries featuring Richard, the middle-aged owner of a bed and breakfast in France and his adventures with a frequent and favorite guest, the elegantly persuasive and seductive Valerie. Richard had settled into life as a dull and disappointed middle-aged man when a guest disappeared leaving only a bloody handprint behind. Valerie, another guest, seems intent on finding out what happened and Richard is intent on pleasing Valerie, though he is not so bold or self-confident to be thinking romance. Not yet.

Suspicions were aroused by the departure of one couple and arrival of another. Richard and Valerie start searching for their missing guest, going to a rival bed and breakfast that is decidedly more adventurous. They also go to a few tourist sites and excursions. They find out more about the missing guest. It’s all very exciting in a not-very-scary kind of way.



Death and Croissants is a charming mystery with heavy doses of lighthearted humor. It is sort of like French pastry, light, with plenty of beaten egg whites and air to make sure there are no heavy bites. You never believe the jeopardy is real. All will end well. This is comfort food for readers. Enjoyable, fun, quirky, and not to be taken seriously.

I am sure I will enjoy the BBC series that inevitably will be made of it.

Death and Croissants will be released March 14th. I received an e-galley from the publisher through NetGalley.

Death and Croissants at Poisoned Pen Press | Sourcebooks
Ian Moore

What a fun & cozy mystery! It started off slow, but I started to really get into towards the middle and continuing to the end. I felt like an amateur detective right along the MC as he is pulled out of his hum-drum life and thrown into a local mystery. The supporting characters were interesting and funny in their own ways, especially the other couple who own a B&B. It was fun trying to figure out the who-dunit & it was a entertaining departure from my usual gory/creepy murder mysteries that I tend to read.

I really wanted to like this book, but I didn't.

At first, the characters, most of them, but by mid-point, irritation had set in. I didn't find the characters engaging, but flat and stereotypes. Some of them, the swinger couple, seemed to function in moving the plot along, but not much else. The plot did twist and turn but in ways that made it difficult to follow. I almost didn't finish it because I kept forgetting about it.

All in all, this book wasn't for me. But, that doesn't mean it's a bad book. If you think it's a book you want to read, then I'd suggest borrowing a copy before buying one.

A lovely fast-paced page-turning murder mystery. Reminded me of Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club Series - in a great way! I loved the characters, the twists and turns. Kept me really intrigued till the end! I hope there’s another book by Ian Moore - a series would be great!

It’s always a bit of a bummer to dislike a book enough that I end up DNF’ing it. For those uninitiated to the world of bookish acronyms, that's Did Not Finish and unfortunately, I did not finish this book.
This is the story of an English fellow who doesn’t like mornings, breakfast, or people running a Bed & Breakfast in the Loire Valley in France. He’s neither particularly good looking nor particularly bright which becomes quite apparent when he finds that a guest is missing and has left a bloody handprint on the wall of their room. Rather than calling the police to investigate, he decides to go along with a particularly forceful (and suspicious) female guest and conduct their own haphazard investigation. This may sound charming. It is not.
During the course of their research, they find the missing man has a twin brother who hates him, a police officer who seems less than interested in actually doing anything, and another pair of English Bed & Breakfast owners who are both swingers and nudists. I encountered all of this less than halfway through this sham of a mystery. I could have forgiven much if the characters were either clever or likable, but they didn’t manage either of those. Richard, the main character and proprietor is also a spineless, dithering man who seems like he wouldn’t do anything without compulsion. Valerie, the mysterious and demanding French woman with her tiny dog, was suspicious and pushy.
Perhaps I was too hasty in quitting this book, but I sincerely doubt it as the average rating on Goodreads is a whopping 3.38. This was certainly not for me and I found no humor or enjoyment, only annoyance.

It started out well, with a somewhat amusing bit about muesli. But after that… it felt like the literary equivalent of sitcom canned laughter. The more it tried to be funny, the less funny it was for me. And it was as if all the effort had gone into farce funny writing, leaving little left for plot. As many other have said, who killed the chicken anyway?

Richard is a limp lettuce character, and everyone else felt too caricature. And yes, we got it - Richard’s a film buff. Clearly the author must be too, to keep bringing it up all the time and the mini expo on film noir/femme fatales… and what was with his hate on for IMDb anyway?

I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review.

I have received this book in exchange of an honest review, thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for the opportunity.

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I got to chapter 18, roughly the half way point of this book and I couldn't continue.

Death and Croissants as a "concept" sounds fascinating, as I personally rarely read books in the French countryside. I'm also really interested in cosy mysteries, and had hoped that this would scratch that itch in some way. Turns out, the book nails the setting, but manages to lose its grip on almost everything else just from the 50% I read of it.

The call to adventure feels like it was there to manage or avert the middle age crisis, the characters are incredibly hard to care for, and I was actually surprised that the book was mentioned to be humourous as I didn't get that whatsoever either.

Problem 1 and 3 could be ignored if the main characters were fun to be around, but that doesn't happen, not once. One is an entirely miserable existence who is going along because the exotic Frenchwomen wants him to, the other just wants an adventure and is more than happy to be overbearing enough to barge her way into one. The attraction between them was sadly expected, and it's even worse when it's so reminiscent of a teenage infatuation.

I started dreading coming back to the book by chapter 10, by chapter 18 (out of 36), I didn't want to anymore and I didn't.

This book might tick many boxes for other readers to continue till the end, but it didn't for me.

This little merengue of a mystery takes us to a quaint B&B in the Loire valley, where the normally sleepy atmosphere gets a bit of a shake-up from some colorful (if a bit stereotypical) characters... a rather stodgy innkeeper in somewhat of a midlife crisis, a glamorous Parisian whirlwind of a woman with a curious streak, cantankerous hotel staff, lurking Mafiosi, an ungainly gendarme, and a slew of other townsfolk that make for murderous fun.

Like an episode of Midsomer Murders, there are far more contrived pairings and dark secrets to the seemingly simple country ecosystem than are realistically sustainable, but that's not the point. This book isn't out to make waves; it's out to entertain, to furnish the reader with an escape, And while the prose can be a bit more sardonic than might be called for at times, the overall effect is engaging and wonderfully silly.

Whilst I appreciate what this book set out to achieve, it really was a slog and serious effort for me to finish it. The British humor was entertaining in parts, but felt forced and labored in others, and the plot of the book was a bit tangled for me which detracted from its overall readability. The narrative follows Richard, a British ex-pat B&B proprietor, who becomes reluctantly entangled in a murder mystery centered around the disappearance of one of his guests in his otherwise quiet and charming French town. He is dragged into the plot by the forceful and vivacious Valerie, a beautiful and mysterious hotel guest who makes it her mission to solve the disappearance. What follows is a somewhat entertaining but by the end confusing plot involving identical twins, international assassins and bounty hunters, and the Mafia.

Whilst I understand the intent to make Richard seem oblivious (but eventually the hero that saves the day), I really grew tired of reading probably about 50 iterations of “Richard had no idea of what was going on”. The characters did not feel real to me, and I just found it hard to engage with this book, which is problematic as it is short – approx. 250 pages. I do feel bad being critical, but this was not a book I enjoyed and probably would not read the rest of the series. 2.5 stars, rounded up. My review relates to the Poisoned Pen Press version, due for release 14 March 2023. My thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

This book was lovely and cozy and I just had a nice time!

Richard Ainsworth is an expat Brit living in France where he runs a B&B and spends his time watching old movies and taking care of his chickens. However, when he finds a bloody handprint in one of the guest bedrooms and no sign of the guest, he is forced (against his will) into the role of amateur sleuth, charged with solving the mystery along with his striking guest, Valerie, and his housekeeper, Madame Tablier.

I really enjoyed the switching povs as you get to know the full cast of the quirky characters and Richard's bumbling attempts at being an amatuer detective. I really related to Richard cause like him, I also don't know what's going on at any time. Sometimes when you read murder mysteries you definitely think you could be a Miss Marple like character, but in actuality, you're definitely a Richard.

The mystery itself was intriguing; filled with mistaken identity, the italian mafia, and a dead chicken. I didn't guess who the killer was and I was pleasantly surprised at the reveal. The only reason I knocked my rating down a star was because it took me a bit to get into the book and we actually never find out who killed the chicken!! I'm still thinking about it now. I need to know!!

I can't wait to read more about Richard and Valerie's adventures in the next book in the series, and hopefully we'll find out about the chicken there.

I would like to start off this review by thanking Poison Pen Press and Netgalley for this ARC of Death ad Croissants by Ian Moore. Now let's dive in!

Richard is a middle aged, soon to be divorcee who runs a bed and breakfast. One day, one of his guests disappears leaving his room covered in blood stains. One of his current guests, Valérie, suggests they get to the bottom of this mystery. The story follows Richard and Valérie's adventure in this wild "whodunit?"

I thought this book was a lot of fun! It wasn't something I would normally choose for myself. It's a mystery without the gory details and stressful plot. I liked that I could laugh at this book while also being engaged in the plot of the mystery. This book would be great for people who like thrillers but don't like the stress of the plot. Overall, this book was funny, cute, and refreshing.

Thanks again Poison Pen Press and Netgalley!

“𝑩𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒅, 𝒗𝒊𝒐𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂 𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒆𝒕 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒌 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏’𝒕 𝒂 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒎𝒊𝒙.”

I love a murder mystery and I love croissants, so a France-set cozy mystery seemed like a must read for me!

A bloodied handprint on the wall and smashed glasses, both of disappear alongside a guest at Les Vignes chamber d’hôte make for an interesting opening. Richard, the main character and proprietor of the hotel, isn’t overly likeable, especially at the beginning. He seems whiney and is more concerned with himself with little interest in other people; he, much like the other villagers in the countryside, aren’t a huge fan of change even though he is longing for some sort of excitement akin to the films noir he loves to watch. There was lot of different puzzles and misdirection to the central mystery. I was reminded a bit of Agatha Christie’s Why Didn’t They Ask Evans, in that Valérie enjoys adventures, is brave, daring and loves excitement in life, a lot like Christie’s Frankie. It is humourous and quirky (especially the swinging owners of another hotel), and sarcasm (and its misunderstandings) play a large role. I wish the characters were developed more; many felt one-note or they leaned on stereotypes. The ending too felt a little convoluted and tricky to follow at times. However, it is a very quick read that was perfect for a cozy day during a recent snowstorm.

Death and Croissants is a story of small villages, adventure, puzzles, revenge, and mistaken identity. Although not going to change the world, it’s makes for easy entertainment. It is the first in a series, and would make for a fun Hallmark mystery movie adaptation. Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

This was a cozy thriller set in France with British man as a protagonist.

Honestly I found this book slightly boring. Not much twists or turns and I nearly DNF the book. But the ending was ok and I do like the setting of the book. Overall this book worth 2.5 stars.

Many thanks to NetGalley and publishers for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion

This book was absolutely NOT for me. It was boring, banal and a half hour after I finished the book I found I could only remember 4 things from the book [the guy lives in France, there is a dog and there was a man in a freezer <--I honestly don't remember how he got there and a beloved chicken is killed {and you NEVER find out who killed it} ]. That is it. I am so thankful there was an audiobook already on Hoopla as I would still be reading this [or TRYING to read it] at Christmas because I am sure I would pick it up and put it right back down - an audiobook makes it easier to get through a book that is so MEH [I will say here that this author should absolutely NOT be narrating his own books. A good narrator he will never, ever, be], but I will say, there is 6+ hours I will never, ever, get back. I will not be reading anymore of these [which is disappointing, because they had potential to be really amazing. Alas, no].

Thank you to NetGalley, Ian Moore, and Poisoned Pen Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

TLDR: I thought about DNFing this book at 25% and after finishing regret not doing so.

This book is rather dreadful. A Basil Fawlty like hotel owner who has one staff member who he is very rude to, gets pulled into investigating the disappearance of a guest. The reader is never given a reason to care about anyone or anything in this book. The female main character Valerie's main personality characteristic is that she is French. Apparently all french women have the same manner?? One of the other character's actions (being greedy and murderous) are identified and explained by her being like her mother. And I'm pretty sure the broad generalisations and inclusion of the mafia were either lazy or racist or both.
The approach to sex in this book is bizarre. It felt like the mid 80s. There is a couple who are swingers who are described in many negative and giggling ways, as well as constantly referring negatively to their bodies. Yes, sex negativity and fat shaming in two characters, who are the only ones who are having any fun.
After Richard and Valerie drive around the countryside a lot they solve the mystery. It didn't make any sense to me, but by that point I was speed reading, because it was either that or DNFing.

Ian Moore delivers a fun and cheeky mystery with “Death and Croissants,” the first in his Follet Valley Mystery series.

Richard Ainsworth gets more than he bargains for while running a bed and breakfast in the French Loire Valley. When an elderly guest goes missing, leaving behind only a bloody handprint and a broken pair of glasses, he joins forces with another guest, the intriguing Valerie D’Orcay to figure out what happened to the missing Monsieur Grandchamps.

What follows is a quirky, zany adventure filled with hilarious moments that will keep the reader guessing until the very end. Moore creates delightful characters who aren’t always what they seem, including an adorable chihuahua named Passepartout and hens named after Golden Age Hollywood actresses.

He creates a fun yet thrilling plot that also offers some good themes, like revenge; mistaken identities; and merely existing versus truly living.

Fans of series like Richard Osman’s “The Thursday Murder Club” and Robert Thorogood’s “The Marlow Murder Club,” as well as authors like Agatha Christie, will enjoy “Death and Croissants,” which is due out March 14 and does contain occasional mild cursing.

Five stars out of five.

Poisoned Pen Press provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.

When one of his B&B guests disappears leaving behind a bloody handprint, Richard is dragged into a hunt for the truth of what happened by another mysterious and flamboyant my guest.

I really wanted to love this book - set in France the story takes a lot of twists and turns leaving you constantly trying to guess what happened and who is responsible.
I enjoyed Richard's grumpy nature as he is reluctantly persuaded to help discover the truth, and the author did well to not suddenly turn him in to a super detective.
However, it felt more like a cat and mouse story to me rather than a clever murder mystery. I sometimes struggled to see how they came to the conclusions they did and it felt like there were a lot of clever guesses added in to move the story along.
I also think a big question was left unanswered (justice for Ava Gardner!)

In summary, a good read for someone who wants a lighthearted story (and if you're a classic movie expert even better as there were a lot of references that I didn't quite get), but it may not hit the spot if you want a clever detective story.

Teaser post at https://wellreadpiratequeen.blogspot.com/2023/02/death-and-croissants-by-ian-moore.html

I have yet to read Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club series. I know, I'm as shocked as you probably are. I'm sure I will eventually but there has been sooooo much hype that it has felt kind of like Harry Potter did when it first came out. I didn't read that until many many many years later when my kid decided we should, and even then we never bothered to finish the series.

What does any of this have to do with Death and Croissants? Easy : I have absolutely no preconceived notions. I could care less about those who claim it's "perfect for fans of Thursday Murder Club" or those who claim it's just a poor knock-off. I saw it on NetGalley; went "ooooh a new one to beg Poisoned Pen Press for;" got giddy because it would cross off a spot on my Craving for Cozies Library Card (Cozy Written by a Male Author) and put France on my Literary Escapes challenge list; got the approval and here we are.

I have other books on my NetGalley shelf that are being released sooner (or are already out -- whoops), but this just felt like it would be the perfect palate cleanser after the "holyomigoodnesswhatthehellwasthat" of Lisa Unger's Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six.

Even from the first few pages it was clear that I made the right choice. We have as our "hero" Richard Ainsworth, former film historian (WOO-HOO!!! Score one for classic film references out the wazoo!!!!), who now runs a bed & breakfast (score two from the girl who has worked in hotels for 2/3 of her life), and really doesn't seem to like people very much (I feel you, man .... deep in my soul .... that should give, like, ten scores all on its own). And we have Valérie d'Orçay, a guest at the b&b who ends up being so much more .... but what, and exactly who, is a bit of a mystery all of its own.

It feels a bit like classic Agatha Christie (serious The Man in the Brown Suit vibes for me), with some Remington Steele (speaking of Stephanie Zimbalist ... if you know, you know) type chemistry with a far less debonair hero. Farrago has already released two novels and a novella and the first is about to get its reprint from Poisoned Pen Press .... and I'm already for more.

Maybe someday I'll get around to reading Osman.

Right now Moore is more than adequate.