British Classic Film expert Richard is forced out of his comfort zone when he teams up the the glamorous Valeria and his cantankerous housekeeper, Madame Tablier, to solve the mystery of the bloody handprint and missing guest from his Bed and Breakfast in France. Fun characters who are not as they seem and classic film references create a charming, fast paced mystery.

This novel has a charming setting and some clever bits of humor but overall it did not hold my interest.

While the story is humorous and has an overall cozy vibe, it’s hard to actually care about following the story when the main character is also apathetic to the situation,

Although this was a short read which I was pleased with It just didn't thrill me yet it was still a bit funny and still a bit mysterious.

This is a book with many quirky and you would think interesting characters but they just didn't gel with me. It is easy enough to read but just didn't hold my attention. But the setting was good and the humour helped. So there was gods and then okay parts of this book. Don't get my wrong, it's not bad but it just isn't a cosy that I enjoyed as much as some others I have read.

Death and Croissants by Ian Moore is a quirky mystery led by Richard, a middle-aged man running a B&B who is thrust into an attempt to solve a mysterious disappearance turned murder.

While there are many charming and humorous aspects, as a whole, the novel fell a bit flat for me. Perhaps there were too many characters or the fact that plot had unexplained holes? For instance, who is Valerie and why is she so keen on Richard? What happened to the money?

The premise of the novel was creative and ultimately the ending was quite satisfying, but the novel felt loosely tied together. Therefore, I found it quite hard to get through. 2.5 stars (rounded up) for me.

Many thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for this title in exchange for my honest review.

This is a delightful cozy mystery written by a talented author. Quirky characters who are so likable. The story does move slowly at times but ends in a resounding way. I liked this book. Settle in for an afternoon and enjoy. The book was sent to me by Netgalley for review.

What a fun and funny mystery, the first in a new series, set in rural France. The author has created a wonderful cast of quirky and interesting characters and a well developed, fast moving plot. I really enjoyed the humor sprinkled throughout. I can't wait until the next book! I need to know what happened to the hen!

Richard is a Brit who is running a B&B in the Loire Valley. It’s midlife and he and his wife are living apart and his life has become boring and routine. He rather enjoys running the B&B and yet being aloof and not having to engage with the guests.

When the room of a recently frequent guest is empty with just a bloody handprint and a broken pair of glasses, another guest steps in and has Richard joining her in trying to figure out what happened to the man. With more adventure than Richard has had in awhile, he finds himself torn between wanting his old routing back and admitting he loves the new adventures he is having as they try to figure out what happened to the man.

When I saw this was a novel and started reading I thought, “This would have made a great series!” When I got to the end, I found out it IS the first in a new series, and I am thrilled. because…What’s better than a British cozy mystery? A Brit in France cozy mystery! Can’t wait for the next book in this series!

If you are a fan of the ‘Thursday Murder Club’ books I would say you would be onto a winner with ‘Death and Croissants’. Kind of a mix of ‘Escape to the Chateau’ and ‘Death in Paradise’!
I enjoyed the quirky characters, my favourite being the stylish and aloof Valerie.

This is a first novel for the author. It sounded intriguing but I found it, frankly, boring and did not finish, reading only 38%. The lead character is a British expat running a B&B in the Loire Valley, hoping for a quiet life. But a mysterious guest leaves a bloody handprint in his room and bloody glasses in his wastebasket. Another guest wants to investigate and drags the hotelier along.

I found the lead character a strange one and could not warm to him. I found when I picked up the book, I was not enthusiastic about reading and finally gave up.

Thanks for NetGalley for an advance copy.

Thanks to the author of the book and to Netgalley for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Death and Croissants is a mystery book narrated through the perspective of Richard, a B&B business owner. Valerie, a visitor to his B&B, persuades him to invistigate the disappearance of an elder man and the death of a chicken.
I think that although the concept of the book could have been interesting, the execution of it was lacking. Not only did I find the book to be weirdly paced, but the main character wasn't as likeable as someone would expect as he was not even being interested in solving the mystery.
However, I have to mention that the book has a unique kind of humour that I really appreciated and it was fairly fast-paced.
Overall, I felt like this book wasn't for me. Despite it's positive elements, I personally didn't find it a captivating read. Being honest, I would rate this with 2.5 out of 5.

Delightful! I’m looking forward to the next one. I love a reluctant protagonist who gets dragged along until they start to get invested.

It’s an eccentric cast of characters who are fun to follow.

It was funny, charming and an oddly uplifting who did it type of novel! I don’t know how to describe it without giving anything away, but this is a sign to read this book right now!

seriously- how can this archive in august 22 when it won't be published until March 2023?! I would have liked to read it but....kinda thanks for nothing.

Well ... I sort of enjoyed reading it but at times found the humour a little heavy handed and stodgy. And I really dislike innocent animals being killed in cosies. I received a free advance copy and am leaving this review voluntarily.

Loved this delight of a book! I found the characters endearing and loved the descriptions of the French countryside. I highly recommend this read!

Such a fun book title and premise that I had high hopes. The synopsis reminded me a little of Finlay Donavon (a fun murder mystery!). We’ve got a missing guest, a bloody handprint, a charming French town, and an enthusiastic supporting character. But this book just fell super flat for me.

Basically, the main character does not care about what has happened to his guest. If the MC doesn’t care, why should I? The supporting character should have been the main character. She was much more interesting and was the main driver in solving the crime. I kept hoping for something to pull me in, grab my attention, but it wasn’t happening. For a 230 page book, this took me an embarrassingly long time to get through.

Unfortunately, I was unable to download the book before it was archived due to my request being approved only days before the archive day and my misunderstanding of how NetGalley works (I’m only a new user). I sincerely apologise for my mistake, I was really looking forward to reviewing this book and am extremely disappointed in myself for not only letting you down but also missing out on this read. Again, I am very sorry for my mistake and I promise to strive to ensure this does not happen again!

A quick and easy read. Would recommend to mystery lovers.
Thank you to Ian Moore, NetGalley, and Poisoned Pen Press for the arc of this book.

** 2.5 Stars (rounded up to 3, for Ava Gardner) **

Sadly this book just wasn't for me. I was really looking forward to it after reading other cozy mysteries. Unfortunately this one fell a bit flat.

I will say through the whole hen scene and hens was gold. *chefs kiss* I was dying over the hens, Lana Turner, Joan Crawford, and Ava Gardner. This was just so good.

Thank you to Net Galley, Farrago Books, and Ian Moore for the opportunity to read this R Arc. My review is voluntarily.