Mysteries In France

A thriller book set in Aix-les-Bains, Savoy, during the early 20th century. Step into the opulent yet enigmatic world of Aix-les-Bains, where the tranquility of the early 20th century is shattered by the chilling and unexpected murder of Mme. Camille Dauvray. In "Framed for Murder," a leisurely vacation takes a harrowing turn for Mr. Henderson, a well-to-do widower, when he becomes entangled in a gripping investigation led by the legendary detective, M. Hanaud. Mr. Henderson's annual retreat to the serene town becomes anything but routine when he encounters Celia Harland, a captivating ...

Paris, 1938. Two women meet: Mielle, a shy pacifist and shunned Mennonite who struggles to fit in with the elite cohort of foreign correspondents stationed around the city; the other, Jane, a brash American journalist, who is soon to become a fascist propagandist. When World War II makes landfall in the City of Lights, Mielle falls under Jane’s spell, growing ever more intoxicated by her glamour, self-possession, and reckless confidence. But as this recklessness devolves into militarism and an utter lack of humanity, Mielle is seized by a series of visions that show her an inescapable truth.

The vineyards of the Willesford Wine Group occupy a particularly choice section of French wine country. From the grapes of Provence, the owners of this impeccably managed syndicate have squeezed international fame and fortune. Next to their spectacular estate lies the petite Peregrine Winery, whose shadowy owners suddenly make repeated requests to buy Willesford's property - raising their offer each time. Unable to discern Peregrine's motive for these attempts, the Willesford group sends for London's gourmet detective, a sleuth with impeccable reasoning and an even finer palate.

THE CARTAYA CAPER is a story whose plot is woven from the fabric of real life experience on the Costa de la Luz. Despite living in a pleasant seaside village close to the Portuguese border, Nick Mellors is bored of his life as an itinerant teacher. His Welsh friend Meuric is tired of his office job, while his young Spanish pal Juanjo is sick of working for peanuts at a posh hotel. When the three men sit down to devise a money-making scheme to get them out of their collective rut, some rather dodgy options are discussed. After choosing one and planning their first project, their lives will ...

Fans of this series will enjoy reading about the antics of their favourite amateur sleuth in Peril in Poitiers. Catherine is questioned as the main suspect in a theft. Discovering that the only person with any information to help clear her name is missing, she is forced to enlist the help of friends to investigate the truth of the matter. Unfortunately, the phlegmatic Inspector Maupetit is less than impressed with Catherine snooping around.

Catherine and her friends visit a family friend in Ruffec for a short holiday. When they realise all is not what it seems, Catherine becomes engrossed in solving mysteries from the family's past. Meanwhile Inspector Maupetit turns up unexpectedly in the area but isn't keen on divulging why he's there. Events take a turn for the worse when there is an accusation of murder and the Inspector's investigations collide with Catherine's amateur sleuthing. Unfortunately, though not unexpectedly, Catherine is once again put in harm's way.

"THIS IS AN ENTERTAINING NOVEL THAT WILL DELIGHT FANS OF SLEUTHING, MYSTERY AND MURDER." - Readers' Favorite. The tourist season is almost over so Catherine is happy to have four guests staying at her chambres d’hôtes for an indefinite time: Leaving those guests for a short time in the care of her husband Karl, Catherine accompanies her friend Marie to a family gathering. Events take a turn for the worse so Catherine returns home only to discover that one of her guests is missing. With circumstances spiralling out of control, Catherine is once again put in harm's way. Events conclude ...

'A lively and interesting read, with a good mystery. Readers will be looking forward to the next Catherine Patterson mystery, especially since dead bodies seem to always appear where she least expects to find them.' It is amazing how Catherine seems to attract dead bodies at her chambres d’hôtes in rural southwest France. Even local Inspector Maupetit seems to think it odd that mystery and murder all focus around this woman and her picturesque little corner of the world. Readers' Favorite - 'Vengeance in the Vendee is GM Haley’s second in the Catherine Patterson Mystery Books. The ...

First in the Catherine Patterson Mysteries. A cast of characters, English and French, all living in the Deux Sevres, in the Poitou-Charentes region of western France, suddenly starts to experience a series of bizarre, frightening and even life threatening events. Reviewed By Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers’ Favorite: GM Haley’s mystery novel, Danger in the Deux Sevres, is a fascinating tale of adventure and espionage. The story starts off like a gentle tour of the French countryside around Deux Sevres, complete with the quiet life of its residents, the camaraderie, and the history. ...

Antoine Verlaque, examining magistrate for the beautiful town of Aix-en-Provence, doesn't like Christmas. The decorations appear in the shops far too early, festive tourists swarm the streets, and his beloved Cours Mirabeau is lined with chalets selling what he regards as tacky trinkets. But his wife and partner Marine Bonnet is determined to make this a Christmas they can both enjoy, beginning with the carol sing at the Cathedral Saint Sauveur, a beautiful service in a packed church. Just as the holiday cheer is in full swing, a man is poisoned, sending the community into a tailspin.

A vengeful female ringleader heads an expensive show horse kidnapping operation, selling to the black market. One couple loses a much treasured dressage mount. Will Cajun Magic make it back to his rightful owners? Can the Mob push back against the villain's dark ways?

Stuck in the shadow realm and straight out of luck, I’m more alone than ever. Even my friends are frightened of me now that they know the truth. Happy mid-life to me! That is, until my demon in rusty armor comes to my rescue. Now, I realize the magical world is so much bigger than I ever imagined, and it turns out, bigger than anyone else did, either. The Knights Templar are determined to stage a comeback at any cost, and my star-lit blood is the key to their plans. With only a demon to guide me, I have to find a way out of the shadow realm and back to Earth before magic is unleashed ...

When Stanley Lambchop is asked to help catch an art thief in Paris, he's thrilled! Posing as a painting in the Louvre museum on a wall across from the famous Mona Lisa? - c'est magnifique! But Stanley soon grows bored - until he meets Etoile, an art student who shows him around the City of Light. Then when Stanley goes back to the museum, he soon realizes that the Mona Lisa looks…different. It's been switched for a fake!

San Diego Union-Tribune (U-T) Lynne Kennedy’s novel, Deadly Provenance, focuses on “Still Life: Vase with Oleanders,” a Vincent van Gogh painting that disappeared from a French chateau during World War II. In fiction, she solves this mystery. In truth, she’s still on the case. San Diego Jewish Journal Kennedy may not get to the bottom of this perplexing (real-life) mystery like her character in Deadly Provenance did, but she sure is having fun trying. “Still Life: Vase with Oleanders” is a painting by Vincent van Gogh, believed to have been confiscated by the Nazis during World ...

Paris, 1396. Scribe Christine de Pizan is shocked when the duke of Orleans' fools find a baby, wrapped in rags and covered in sores, abandoned in the palace gardens. Was there really a wicked plan to substitute the child for the queen's own baby daughter and blame the duchess of Orleans, Valentina Visconti? Who would commit such an evil act, and why?

MURDER IN LA JOLLA (A Sadie Brown Mystery) by P. Austin Heaton finds a circa 1920s news reporter digging into suspicious activity when her husband is injured in a car accident and the driver shot in the head. Colorful descriptions of period landmarks and scenery add to the well-crafted storyline, bringing readers to a satisfying, yet unexpected, conclusion. — Review by "IndieReader" It’s 1921, and Sadie Brown, aviatrix, reporter, and sometimes crime investigator, has a serious problem on her hands. After an almost fatal auto accident, her husband's in a coma in the hospital — all due ...

When a French priest collapses at Easter Mass, the church suspects foul play. A missing junior priest quickly becomes the prime suspect, but not everyone agrees. Reverend Annabelle Dixon and Inspector Mike Nichols were looking forward to a few days off, but when her oldest friend in the whole world asks for help with this conundrum, how can Annabelle say no?...

Following the funeral of a local farmer, Bruno gets a phone call from his son. He tells Bruno that before his father's sudden death, he had signed over his property to an insurance company in return for a subscription to a luxury retirement home. Bruno discovers that both the retirement home and the insurance company are scams with links to a Russian oligarch whose dealings are already being tracked by the French police.

THE GUEST’s visit to the author’s Spanish home was meant to be a carefree fortnight of work and leisure, but it didn’t turn out that way. Mike Rippon’s account of John Smith’s eventful stay is both humorous and harrowing, as his guest’s behaviour becomes increasingly odd. Undisputedly an expert golfer, John’s veiled tales of his life as a secret serviceman begin to strike a less than harmonic chord and Mike is soon counting down the days until his departure. John, however, is in no hurry to leave, and despite enlisting the help of his friends, Mike’s undoubted patience and ...

Sixteen-year-old Nathalie Baudin writes the daily morgue column for Le Petit Journal. Her job is to summarize each day’s new arrivals, a task she finds both fascinating and routine. That is, until the day she has a vision of the newest body, a young woman, being murdered - from the perspective of the murderer himself. When the body of another woman is retrieved from the Seine days later, Paris begins to buzz with rumors that this victim may not be the last.