Murder à la Carte

Maggie Newberry Mysteries #2

by Susan Kiernan-Lewis

When her boyfriend inherits an ancient vineyard in France, Maggie Newberry quits her job in Atlanta to accompany him for a year abroad. They settle in the tiny village of St-Buvard, but murder has gone long before them and follows close behind. The serenity of the picturesque French village was shattered 50 years earlier when an English family was brutally murdered on the steps of Maggie and Laurent's house. Shortly after their arrival, history repeats itself in the vicious murder of one of their dinner guests--a fellow American with a penchant for disrupting the seemingly sleepy village. When Maggie investigates the old and the new murders, she finds that--as quaint French villages go--maybe St-Buvard isn't so charming after all....

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Romance, Cozy Mystery, France, Amazon, Mystery Thriller

328 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 29, 2011

Reviews

[Scot · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, I liked the setting a lot: a picturesque little town surrounded by vinyards and fields of lavender in Provence. There are well kept village secrets regarding a mass murder that occurred not long after World War II, and a modern murder that occurs in the cellar of the home of the heroine (during a wine tasting party) pulls her deeper and deeper into the intrigue.

Unfortunately, the main character, an American living with a macho Frenchman, seems a bit whiney and spoiled to me. Actually, several of the American characters are rather dreadful people, though I get the feeling the author likes them better than I do and expects her readers to identify with them. Also, I'm certainly no expert on French, but I think the author, unintentionally, has native speakers making stupid errors in the language. And that whiney heroine I mentioned lives there for many, many months and still expects everyone to speak English or translate for her--very irritating.

I did like the concept behind how all the murders were related, and I do realize this is a first attempt at a novel--still, a bit more editing, particularly with some of the dialogue, would have been helpful.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book as I have liked all of the american in paris series. The grammatical errors put me off a bit though. It’s almost like once there are so many books not as much attention goes into editing. That’s a shame and takes away from a good story.

[Nefol_ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow, Americans are whiny in this series. But, the French are sullen or lazy, and the English are sneaky so I guess you're just not supposed to like any of the characters except the bad guys?

[Lise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four years ago, I read the first book in this series and wasn't really drawn in and then later I read another which I did really enjoy. At the time, I marvelled how disappointing the first book was with respect to the later one. This second book in the series much more like the later one, so enjoyable. It was like taking a step back in time to see the relationships of the characters form and finally understand some of the tensions between the players.

As far as the mystery goes, I didn't see the murderer coming...or any of the drastic plot points. The story was well-crafted and punchy.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is second in the Maggie Newberry Mysteries series, and I like it better than the first in this series. The setting in France at a vineyard is fun, and Laurent and Maggie's relationship is more wholesome. There were still a few things I found hard to buy like their rather easy forgiveness of someone who appeared to be attempting rape as intimidation to promote a land sale. Still the mysteries, current and historical were interesting and I enjoyed the expat aspects of the story. 3.5 stars

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

NOTE: this review was written for the book under it's original title, Toujours Dead.

Ooh la la! What could be more romantic than spending a carefree, rent-free year in the South of France with a tall, hunky Frenchman who loves to cook? If you're Maggie Newberry, you might be hard pressed to find an answer to that question, despite the few inconveniences she discovers upon arriving in Provence to help boyfriend Laurent settle affairs with an inherited vineyard.

It's not enough that several locals are breathing down Laurent's neck and pressuring him to sell his land, but Maggie appears to have her own collection of detractors. Sneering Gaston LaSalle, the spawn of gypsy stock, has made harrassing Maggie a top priority, while local tart Babette (who, appropriately, works in the bakery) is hell-bent on seducing Laurent. It's a sure bet Maggie would tell them what to do with themselves...if only she knew enough French.

Oh, and did I mention the dead body found in the basement of Maggie's house on Thanksgiving? That the house was also the scene of a brutal multiple homicide committed fifty years ago which continues to haunt the village and her residents? Come to think of it, maybe Maggie could think of more romantic things.

If you're looking for something mysterious, a mystery with a French twist, consider a stop in Provence with Susan Kiernan-Lewis's Toujours Dead. Toujours follows Maggie through her adjustment to country living, her friendship with expatriates Grace and Windsor Van Sant, and ultimately the murder of a brash American opportunist which she believes is connected to the half-century-old massacre that happened on her front steps. Lewis paints a desirable picture of Provence and creates in her townsfolk an array of interesting characters one would hope to meet on a European vacation.

Especially Laurent. A gorgeous Frenchman who cooks? If anyone needs me, I'll be at Priceline.com.

[Carlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read several books in this series, unfortunately out of order, and over a long period if time. Though I must say this hasn't dimmed my enjoyment of the series over all. In my review of #1 I was very critical of the protagonist, Maggie, seeing her as whiny, self-centered and immature. Then I read #6 and was impressed with the improvement in the writing and the maturity of Maggie. One thing that has remained positive is the sense of place; the author's description of the various settings has remained strong, detailed and accurate so far as my limited experience in France has shown. This book is set in St. Buvard, a small village in Provence, near Arles, Aix and Avignon. It's residents harbour many secrets including details of a mass murder 50 years ago when a family, mother, father and two young boys, are shot point blank on the steps of Maggie and Laurent's home. Another murder takes place in the basement during a party given by Laurent and Maggie to celebrate the grape harvest and wine made by Laurent therefrom. Maggie and Laurent have agreed to live in the house (Laurent's inheritance) for a year at the end of which Maggie expects the two of them to move back to Atlanta. While Laurent is obsessed with his vineyards, Maggie is bored. After the contemporary murder she is convinced the earlier murders are connected and decides to explore the village secrets to solve the mystery along with her friend Grace another ex-pat American. Throughout the book Maggie and Laurent's relationship deepens and marriage may be in their future together.

I had hoped to read the series before traveling to France this past month, but now I'm glad I waited. I could picture the village, vineyards, cafés, shops and homes described by the author. Maggie is growing on me!

[BJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book in a trilogy. I enjoyed it. The first book was set about half and half between France and Atlanta. This one is set entirely in France where Maggie Newberry and her boyfriend, Laurant have settled in a small village in Provence for what is to be a year at a small vineyard that Laurant has inherited. Maggie and Laurant immediately get caught up in the lives of the villagers, as well as a small community of American ex pats who have also settled there. They find themselves the owners of property with a sad history of a murder, then there is a current-day murder at the vineyard. Could they be related? The mystery part of the story is well-written with a lot of twists and turns which kept me guessing. The romantic storyline is a little less satisfying, as at times, I felt that Maggie and Laurant were just too mismatched to be happy with each other, but then, their differences are many, language, culture, background. In the end, it was a satisfying read. Looking forward to reading the third and so far, last in this series.

[LLona Cunningham · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven't read the earlier book in the series, so that might have made a difference as far as character connection goes, but I found it hard to stay engaged with Maggie and her boyfriend Laurent. The mystery of an old murder at the villa in France that Laurent has inherited, grudges still held by local villagers, and a new murder to solve, were continually lost when passages of French language and more detail than I need about French food kept interrupting my suspension of disbelief. Another reviewer mentioned it was a good 'vacation read'. I agree. It's not strong enough to compete with normal hectic daily life.

[Johanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot was interesting, as was the insight into a provincial village in France. I did find myself distracted and often irritated by the French passages. English is not my only language, but I don't intend to learn French any time soon. I found it jarring enough that I will not be reading any more books in this series.

[Carole Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a new author for me and I really enjoyed the book. Story takes place in a quaint village in France and now I want to go there (probably a fictional place). The characters were interesting and the weaving of them all and the story itself was artfully done. Need to brush up on my French, though. A delightful read!

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Susan Kiernan-Lewis writes an entertaining story. I have read several of her mysteries all set in France except for the first book. The setting is part of the books charm. This is one of the early books and since I started with book 7 it was fun to see how the main character works out her early relationships in the small village where she settles. Worth reading.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was much better than the first book in the series. The plot was a bit convoluted but it was fine. The heroine is still annoying. The author intersperses French terms, but they fall a bit flat, as if she is trying to impress us with her basic French.

[E · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went back and picked up #2 in the Maggie Newberry series, having already read #1,3,4,5,6,7, and 8. I'm glad I did. It clears up lots of things--how she met Grace; Jean-Luc, Eduard, and Danielle relationship. These are fun cozy mysteries, usually set in Provence.

[Bonnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The setting in France and the food made this murder mystery fun to read. Light and quick read.

[Joy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve read every book in this series, and I felt like this one went off the rails too much. I couldn’t really get into this plot about stolen eggs.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 - 4 Stars

Murder à la Carte is the second book in the Maggie Newberry Mysteries series by Susan Kiernan-Lewis.
The Maggie Newberry series of books by Susan Kiernan-Lewis turned out to be a great cozy mystery series that kept me engrossed the whole way through. Throughout the series we follow thirty-something, Maggie Newberry, an advertising copywriter who has been unlucky in love. Her ‘normal’ life gets upended when her sister, who has been missing for quite some time, turns up dead. Then to add an extra layer of complication, Maggie must now travel to France to locate her young niece that she didn’t even know existed. Arriving in France, thing take a dangerous turn when her sister’s murderer then sets his sights on Maggie and her niece. Add in a sexy Frenchman to add a little extra layer of intrigue, plenty of dramatic developments, secrets, lies, crime & investigation, and the story takes an engrossing turn.
From book #2 onwards-
Maggie’s sexy (French) boyfriend, who we met in the first instalment has inherited an ancient vineyard in a small rural village in France- so Maggie quits her job and sets off for a year abroad. But trouble soon follows, when a vicious murder takes place, thrusting them into the middle of an investigation that links to a 50year-old murder. What happens makes for intriguing reading….and so the series unfolds, with each book bringing another cozy mystery for Maggie to investigate. Sprinkled with mystery suspense, tension, drama, danger, romance, marriage, motherhood, travel, and recipes- made this series a memorable read. It is a light-hearted and enjoyable series, the ‘clean’ stories mean there are no sexy times, violence, or profanity.

Happy Reading…

Thank you, Susan Kiernan-Lewis!

[Camilla · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would give this two and a half stars.

Maggie Newberry and her French newly reformed criminal boyfriend, Laurent, leave Atlanta, Georgia (her hometown) to relocate to a mas (traditional French country home) and vineyard that he has just inherited in St-Buvard, a completely fictional village, Provence, France.

Their plan is to spend a year in France, harvest the grapes, make some wine, then decide what to do with the land and the house. They quickly discover that the property was the scene of a grisly murder of four during WWII. The motley crew of characters include Maggie who almost flat-out refuses to learn the language or the customs of her new country (as someone who has lived in other countries, this grated on my nerves. Just try!); Laurent who, having given up his criminal past, is displaying his prowess in the kitchen and the bedroom (I began to gloss over the whole he-makes-me-weak-in-the-knees scenes. We get the idea, really, we do.); Connor, an American playboy who has just impregnated a local village teen; Maggie's American ex-patriate friends, Grace and Windsor, who are going through fertility treatments and already have a horrifically spoiled daughter; and a host of locals from the village baker, the butcher, other vintners; oh, and the resident gypsy thug. Then there's a present-day murder at their property that needs solving.

I would definitely characterize this as chick-lit with a some mystery and a lot of food and wine thrown in. I preferred this second book to the first, but I doubt I'll continue with the series unless I really can't find anything else to read.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

You would think that living in the south of France surrounded by vineyards in a beautiful home would be a dream come true? Not so for Maggie who followed her boyfriend there when he inherited the house and land from an uncle. He had been an expat living with Maggie in the USA--now she was the expat living in a tiny town and barely spoke any french!! They luckily met and became friendly with other Americans living there. Luckily her boyfriend loved to cook--but she had to do all the shopping-not easy when you can't speak the language! Most of the village store owners were friendly.

Her boyfriend decided he wanted to be a vintner if only for the year-he spent most of his time learning about the vines out in the fields. With the help of neighbors he even managed to turn the grapes into wine.

Of course not everyone wanted them to stay--and pulled some really nasty tricks. Then one of their friends was found dead in their basement--turns out this was not the only murder associated with this house. Maggie decided to try and figure out who did both the murders. Then someone set their vines on fire---and Maggie and one of her friends discovered who the culprit was--both times--of course they had to be saved by the person who Maggie thought was guilty.

After all that went on do they decide to stay in France and grow grapes? You really are not going to expect who the murderer was!!

[Pierrebleu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable

A very enjoyable story. I’ve grown to like Maggie and Laurant a bit more with this book.
Maggie goes to live in France at the vineyard that Laurant inherited from his uncle. The plan being to spend just a year there and then return to Atlanta but as the main story unfolds tension raises between the two of them as it seems that Laurant has no intention of leaving France.

Whilst the personal relationship meets its tensions it’s learned that a murder occurred at their vineyard some 60 years ago. How does Maggie deal with this news and how does it impact on them?
Are they welcomed by all of the villagers, many of whom are related to the murder of 60 years ago and to each other whilst some just don’t want them at the vineyard.

Intrigue and twists in the story with friendships and some not so friendly relationships along the way.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blindsided by the Solution

This is the second book in the series and the second book that I've read. Unfortunately, I read the first one so long ago that I can't really compare them. I must have liked it or I wouldn't have come back for more.

Kiernan-Lewis's writing style is easy to read. Her characters are likable for the most part, even the villains. The plot twists are well disguised; even after Maggie explained how she solved the mystery, I didn't see the logic behind her reasoning.

My biggest issue with the book was the puppies. They seemed to me to be superfluous plus they didn't behave like puppies, more like dolls. If she typing to include pets, she should do her research into puppy behavior and how people actually relate to puppies.

Will I read another of her books? Orobably.

[Judith Mosconi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maggie follows her french fiance to help him sort out his inheritance of a vineyard in southern France. They soon learn that there is much interest in the land from both his neighbors and an expat, Connor, who is looking to develop the plot in a way that the villagers and much set against. Maggie thinks this will be a one-year stay, but notices signs that her fiance seems to be falling in love with his vineyard. There are small sabotages occuring to their property and even an attack on Maggie to scare them away. And, there was a gruesome murder of previous owners. Then a murder takes place on their property and Maggie is determined to find out the perpetrator and whether it all goes back to those original murders.

[Jodi Pomerleau · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really can't believe I actually finished this book. On my e-reader, it is 797 pages long (for a cozy mystery???? geez) I did not find the characters in the least bit likeable. The French ones were not very nice and the Americans superior and whiny. It took almost half the book for the murder to occur and by that time I hardly cared. I read in bed at night, and this took me way too long to read because I kept falling asleep after 10 or so pages. There was nothing in it that made me want to read on, but I hardly ever give up on a book. While I didn't give up on this book, I certainly have given up on the series.

[Chanover55 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maggie and Laurent decide a spend a year after Laurent inherits a house and vineyard from an uncle. They find the village abuzz with talk if four murders that took place 50 years prior; so begins the mystery. Found the book slow paced at the beginning but, had I not read some o the later books, I would have stopped here. Maggie was VERY unlikeable, self-centered and disapproving of almost everyone. And she wanted nothing to do with the vineyard or anyone Laurent worked with. And "their" friends were expand like herself but who were shallow, had lots of money but just drift through life. Thank goodness she grows a bit in later books!

[Lexi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried so hard to get into this book. I made myself read it after the first full chapter, but honestly gave up a bit into chapter 3. FMC was okay-ish, little whiny for me; MMC was just one of those people that you think look very punchable and was very “my way or no way.” I feel like he was meant to be this sexy, suave, mysterious Frenchman; but missed the mark by a wide margin. Safe to say I did not vibe with any of the characters, they were just shallow and skimming the top of themselves for me. Concept was really interesting, but I feel like if I’m reading a murder mystery I shouldn’t have to go back and read the whole series, especially if it’s supposed to be a cozy mystery.

[Flewts · Rating 2 out of 5]

If I hadn't gotten this book through Bookbub, I wouldn't have read it at all. Same gullible woman who puts up with a man who doesn't answer her questions and is evasive because ... oh yes, because he's French. At the end of the book was an excerpt from the third book and... oh no. It was familiar. It was a book I had started to read last year and quit reading because it was ridiculous and I didn't care what happened to the main characters. The same 2 from the previous books. Done with this author.

[Neeta · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author brings southern France to life

Provence feels as familiar as my home town after reading this book and the mystery was intriguing and remained a mystery till the end. The end was right and very satisfying. The only problem I had was that until the last couple of chapters I did not like anyone! Even now I feel like they all kind of did what they should, as best they could, in spite of themselves. In spite of Susan's obvious talent I won't be reading more of this series.

[Kay Wright · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, book one was mediocre but the story moves ahead. Maggie and Laurent are back in France because he inherited a winery in Provence. So realistic. But they settle in, he works with neighboring farmers to harvest the grapes, sell some and make wine with the rest. Miraculously in time for Thanksgiving two days later. The characters don’t get any better, the story is confusing and the murderer pretty much who you suspected. But quarantine...you know.

[Diane Wachter · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Maggie Newberry Mystery, Bk. 2, EBK-M, Kindle, @ 2010, Read 1/5/22. Fiction, Mystery, France. Maggie and Laurent leave Georgia for a hand at becoming a vintner, as Laurent inherits the fields and house in France. The locals don't like foreigners, and don't want them there, and many cause trouble, but the couple don't know who's behind it though. Maggie works to discover who really murdered a family of four years ago , in what is now her home. 2☆'s = Okay.

[Kathleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have rarely read a book where there are no characters I could like - most were like caracatures of people. Rather nasty stereotypes of people abounded - gypsies, the French in general, the English, fat people, spoiled small children etc.

On top of that - the murder and other violent episodes had way too many suspects with cause - and a very unbelievable end.

I gave it a 2 because I finished it. Oh and it was also way too long.