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Finding Philippe: Lost in France...
From fog-bound London to sun-drenched France…
1947. Exasperated by her tyrannical family, Vicky escapes from rationing and austerity Britain and flees to the south of France.
But she’s not there just for the glorious food, wine and sunshine: she has an inheritance to claim, and a mystery to solve.
Can she find her wartime husband, Philippe d’Icère? Is he alive or dead? A hero or a traitor? An imposter, or a true Frenchman?
Do the answers lie in the Languedoc village of St Aphrodise, where danger lurks in the ancient streets?
How can she be sure who’s a loyal friend and who a bitter enemy?
Vicky seems destined to fail—or will she, in the end, find out the truth about Philippe?
1947. Exasperated by her tyrannical family, Vicky escapes from rationing and austerity Britain and flees to the south of France.
But she’s not there just for the glorious food, wine and sunshine: she has an inheritance to claim, and a mystery to solve.
Can she find her wartime husband, Philippe d’Icère? Is he alive or dead? A hero or a traitor? An imposter, or a true Frenchman?
Do the answers lie in the Languedoc village of St Aphrodise, where danger lurks in the ancient streets?
How can she be sure who’s a loyal friend and who a bitter enemy?
Vicky seems destined to fail—or will she, in the end, find out the truth about Philippe?
239 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2001
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322 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
November 12, 2015
I enjoyed this book very much up until the last chapter. The ending happened much too quickly without full resolution and left me disappointingly unsatisfied. The rest of the book was quite enjoyable and filled with charm and interesting characters.
October 13, 2015
I enjoyed the twists and turns in this book. A British woman goes to France to find out what happened to her husband and has to untangle many lies to discover his fate. I liked the characters in this book and I especially enjoyed Oliva, the saucy teenager who runs away to join her aunt's investigation.
August 28, 2017
Intrigante. Me gusta esa época post Primera Guerra Mundial. Me da la sensación de que la autora al final se lía un poco, pero de todas maneras me ha gustado mucho. Apenas da un par de pinceladas de los personajes y, sin embargo, los puedes ver con claridad. Muy recomendable.
May 3, 2018
A gentle post war mystery as the cast move through London, Paris and SW France. The characters principally come from the PG Wodehouse strata of society but without the humour. The story was pleasant enough although the ending was a bit weak.
October 22, 2017
I have enjoyed all of Edmondson's books and look forward to reading the rest. Yes, they are a bit formulaic and she relies heavily on coincidence but she does a great job with the atmosphere of the time and I like her characters. Good comfort reads.
June 3, 2018
Vicky Hampden fell in love with Philippe during the war, but he vanished in 1943 and his body was never found. It is now 1947 and England is dismal and still suffering from rationing. When the opportunity suddenly arises, Vicky decides to escape her tyrannical father and cross to France where there is sunshine and food and the vague possibility of finding out what happened to Philippe. Her father turns his firm of lawyers loose to find her and force her back to England. The lawyers send Julius Drummond, the youngest and least reliable of their number, on the rather thankless mission. It doesn’t take Julius long to become equally enthralled with the mystery of what happened to Philippe. A satisfactorily complex plot with characters that would be enjoyable to know.
July 24, 2017
A Very Tangled Web
I have read many of Elizabeth Edmondson' s books and this one was quite enjoyable. It kept me guessing through out most of the book. Vichey's search for Philippe is filled with many twists and turns that takes you through the beautiful south of France. Loved it.
I have read many of Elizabeth Edmondson' s books and this one was quite enjoyable. It kept me guessing through out most of the book. Vichey's search for Philippe is filled with many twists and turns that takes you through the beautiful south of France. Loved it.
September 29, 2016
Confusing
A story that takes forever to get to the point. Characters very poorly drawn. A very frustrating read that ends abruptly with little surprise .
A story that takes forever to get to the point. Characters very poorly drawn. A very frustrating read that ends abruptly with little surprise .
August 6, 2018
The late author produced a series of very enjoyable romance-mystery-thriller novels, all set in the immediate post-World War II period in Britain -- though it somewhat pains me to think of a story set in my own lifetime as “historical fiction” -- and this is one of the few I hadn’t previously read.
It’s 1949 and Vicky Hampden is the twenty-five-year-old daughter of Sir Kit Hampden, a high judge and the bane of his wife and six daughters, and now of his adolescent grandchildren, as well. Vicky has been oppressed all her life, and with no discernible way out, but she had a brief relationship back in the summer of 1943 with Philippe d’Icere, an agent for the Free French who was in London between assignments in France. Then Philippe was killed -- apparently -- and Vicky still feels the loss. In fact, she’s not even sure she believes it.
Then an aunt who lived most of her life in France dies and leaves her a sizable inheritance, and Vicky sneaks away across the Channel, both to collect the means for her new chance at freedom and to pursue the mystery of exactly what happened to Philippe. The judge, of course, is having none of that, and a young solicitor, Julius Drummond, is sent off to persuade (or force) her to return to England. Of course, he doesn’t interpret his instructions quite so strictly. And then there’s Vicky’s fifteen-year-old niece, Olivia, who follows the family tradition of running away from her boarding school and follows her aunt to France.
The plot involves art theft, Nazis, Communist sympathizers, family secrets, the Maquis, the SOE, abandoned chateaux, small-town hoteliers, sabotaged motor cars, the Surete, and a variety of lawyers, and it’s all delivered with Edmondson’s trademark raised-eyebrow humor. And between the British view of the French, and the French view of the British, she finds plenty of targets. This is not great literature but it’s light and fun and well-written -- the very definition of a “romp.”
It’s 1949 and Vicky Hampden is the twenty-five-year-old daughter of Sir Kit Hampden, a high judge and the bane of his wife and six daughters, and now of his adolescent grandchildren, as well. Vicky has been oppressed all her life, and with no discernible way out, but she had a brief relationship back in the summer of 1943 with Philippe d’Icere, an agent for the Free French who was in London between assignments in France. Then Philippe was killed -- apparently -- and Vicky still feels the loss. In fact, she’s not even sure she believes it.
Then an aunt who lived most of her life in France dies and leaves her a sizable inheritance, and Vicky sneaks away across the Channel, both to collect the means for her new chance at freedom and to pursue the mystery of exactly what happened to Philippe. The judge, of course, is having none of that, and a young solicitor, Julius Drummond, is sent off to persuade (or force) her to return to England. Of course, he doesn’t interpret his instructions quite so strictly. And then there’s Vicky’s fifteen-year-old niece, Olivia, who follows the family tradition of running away from her boarding school and follows her aunt to France.
The plot involves art theft, Nazis, Communist sympathizers, family secrets, the Maquis, the SOE, abandoned chateaux, small-town hoteliers, sabotaged motor cars, the Surete, and a variety of lawyers, and it’s all delivered with Edmondson’s trademark raised-eyebrow humor. And between the British view of the French, and the French view of the British, she finds plenty of targets. This is not great literature but it’s light and fun and well-written -- the very definition of a “romp.”
September 18, 2017
This is the third novel by Edmondson that I read and it is obvious that they all follow more or less the same pattern. Placed in an attractive setting (a picturesque Italian village, a romantic little town in the south of France, an atmospheric winter lake in England) people with secrets in the past meet and those secrets get revealed step by step in the course of the book. It is always more or less the same recipe, which doesn't mean that it is boring, however. I enjoyed reading the book, except the rather sudden ending left me rather disappointed this time. It almost feels as if the author had lost interest in the story and wanted to end it quickly. IMHO a lot of things remain unsolved or at least not solved to the readers satisfaction. Vicky's bullying father for example never made an appearance in person and it never was revealed why he is so possessive and wants to control her life. It was hinted about a few things in Julius's past, but the hints were never picked up again and the reader is left in the lurch. So, even though it was a lovely read I can only spare three stars due to the hasty ending.
February 10, 2025
I have been trying to find this book for ages, and at last I've been able to read it. The author is a favourite, mainly for the 'Mountjoy' series, so I hoped 'Finding Philippe' would live up to expectations.
I was not disappointed; this is a lovely, cleverly constructed story set mostly in France a few years after WWII. The characters are - as always - well portrayed and likeable. There are surprises and twists in the plot, and the ending is rather abrupt, leaving the reader longing for more - but this is often so of Elizabeth Pewsey (Aston).
Five stars. Would I read it again? Definitely!
I was not disappointed; this is a lovely, cleverly constructed story set mostly in France a few years after WWII. The characters are - as always - well portrayed and likeable. There are surprises and twists in the plot, and the ending is rather abrupt, leaving the reader longing for more - but this is often so of Elizabeth Pewsey (Aston).
Five stars. Would I read it again? Definitely!
December 10, 2020
Similar but yet so different
Rather a blunt ending , however a book that kept me intrigued until the end. This was similar format to Ms Edmonsons international books but yet very different.
Rather a blunt ending , however a book that kept me intrigued until the end. This was similar format to Ms Edmonsons international books but yet very different.
July 28, 2017
Love!
Utterly addicted to her books. I can't put any of them down! Tinged with history and humor and romance, you can't go wrong!
Utterly addicted to her books. I can't put any of them down! Tinged with history and humor and romance, you can't go wrong!
October 16, 2017
Good read
A lovely story set after the war starts off steadily, but gets more interesting and fast paced, builds up with a few twist for good measure well worth a read
A lovely story set after the war starts off steadily, but gets more interesting and fast paced, builds up with a few twist for good measure well worth a read
April 12, 2018
I have now read this book several times. I love the atmosphere of post war France. I can always feel the warmth of the sun even on the most unpleasant of days
July 14, 2018
An engaging premise, but there are too many plot threads and too many loose ends.
August 9, 2020
Another great book
May 22, 2017
I enjoyed reading this book. In a nutshell, it's humour, bitter sweet, full of suspense and intrigue. Good read!
March 17, 2017
A light-hearted read which is amusing and diverting. Such a shame that the author died recently - I enjoy her books and now there will be no more.
January 3, 2016
Being an admirer of Edmondson's novels, I was quite disappointed in this one. She frequently has an annoying adolescent, and while they seem kinda cute at 12, they are insufferable at 15... sort of like the difference between C3P0 and Jar-Jar Binks. It ruined the book for me. There were a few editorial blunders like the one where they were trying to find Olivia (Jar-Jar) and suddenly Olivia was talking, but you have to figure it wasn't Olivia, it was Vicky and the author mixed up the names.
I was trying to think of one novel in which there was no annoying adolescent, and I recalled "The Villa In Italy". I enjoyed that one so much that I bought it and gave it the amazing 5 stars that I so rarely award.
Here the mystery was never really solved! I went through this and the solution to the mystery was only guessed? All those beautiful prose I'm use to were rather awkward and did not flow. The first big 1-star of the year and it's only my second novel. Oh well. I'm going to read the Gold Finch and I have it on good authority, it's a great novel. I do not shy away from tomes! I've read the whole Outlander series. One book was 1500 pages. this will seem child's play, especially if it's good.
Cheers!
I was trying to think of one novel in which there was no annoying adolescent, and I recalled "The Villa In Italy". I enjoyed that one so much that I bought it and gave it the amazing 5 stars that I so rarely award.
Here the mystery was never really solved! I went through this and the solution to the mystery was only guessed? All those beautiful prose I'm use to were rather awkward and did not flow. The first big 1-star of the year and it's only my second novel. Oh well. I'm going to read the Gold Finch and I have it on good authority, it's a great novel. I do not shy away from tomes! I've read the whole Outlander series. One book was 1500 pages. this will seem child's play, especially if it's good.
Cheers!
August 30, 2015
Slow to start with too many flashbacks, this is the story of Vicky, youngest (seventh) daughter of a prominent and tyrannical judge. The year is 1949, Vicky inherits money from an aunt in France and goes (runs away??) to France to look for a lost lover from 6 years back. Then there is the young lawyer who is sent after her by her father. There is art forgery, abduction, run-away girls, quotes from Heidegger, psychoanalysis, war heroes, traitors, sympathetic innkeeper, too many loose ends that don't go anywhere. The ending was rushed and left too many questions unanswered. Don't bother to read, there are much better historical suspense fiction around (try Clara Benson mysteries..)
September 18, 2015
Post war France, an English woman searches for her lost love
Vicky has recently inherited a tidy sum from her aunt, who had been living in France. To claim this windfall, she travels to France where she intends to look for Philippe, her first love, who is missing and was rumored to have been killed.
She encounters numerous people who claim to have known Philippe. Was he a brave member of the Resistance or did he betray his countrymen? Mystery, intrigue and possibly a former Nazi dog Vicky's steps.
Vicky has recently inherited a tidy sum from her aunt, who had been living in France. To claim this windfall, she travels to France where she intends to look for Philippe, her first love, who is missing and was rumored to have been killed.
She encounters numerous people who claim to have known Philippe. Was he a brave member of the Resistance or did he betray his countrymen? Mystery, intrigue and possibly a former Nazi dog Vicky's steps.
November 19, 2016
I've liked all the other Edmondson books I've read very much, but this was a bit of a disappointment. The part about the niece's romance was highly unlikely and the character the heroine was chasing was a little convoluted for my liking. (Well, I'm easily confused.) Finally, it all ended just a little too "pat" for me.
February 4, 2017
I have read several books by Elizabeth Edmondson, and I hope to read several more. They are tremendous fun! She creates interesting and likeable characters and hints at interesting complicated plots. But I feel like, at least in the case of Finding Philippe, that the author just gave up on the promising plot. It as fun, but could have been so much more.
October 1, 2015
Love Elizabeth Pewsey. Her Eyot books are some of my favourite comfort reads. So I was delighted to find this. Enjoyed the intrigue and mystery, though I would have liked a bit more depth and background into the topics covered. And very frustrated by the ending! WHAT happened next??
August 16, 2015
Really nice historical suspense/romance
I have just recently started reading the works of Ms. Edmondson. I have enjoyed all of them so far. "Finding Phillippe" is an enjoyable suspense with romance as the icing on the top. I will be looking for more of her work.
I have just recently started reading the works of Ms. Edmondson. I have enjoyed all of them so far. "Finding Phillippe" is an enjoyable suspense with romance as the icing on the top. I will be looking for more of her work.
October 23, 2015
A great, fast-paced English Cozy !
I am so pleased to have discovered Elizabeth Edmondson. Anglophiles and lovers of " British Cozy Mysteries " will enjoy this read. There are numerous editing errors, but I could easily overlook that and just enjoy the journey
I am so pleased to have discovered Elizabeth Edmondson. Anglophiles and lovers of " British Cozy Mysteries " will enjoy this read. There are numerous editing errors, but I could easily overlook that and just enjoy the journey
December 15, 2015
Great book
This is non-stop. Escape from a sad life to search for a lost love in southern France, burdened with a sulky adolescent niece & trailed by a handsome lawyer. Abduction, art theft & forgery, sabotage, betrayal & treason abound. I didn't want the book to end!!
This is non-stop. Escape from a sad life to search for a lost love in southern France, burdened with a sulky adolescent niece & trailed by a handsome lawyer. Abduction, art theft & forgery, sabotage, betrayal & treason abound. I didn't want the book to end!!
January 30, 2016
Delightful
What a strong story! Vicky and Julius are wonderful together!
Olivia provides a bright spark. Vicky's father is the abominable tyrant. Aphrodise, France provides a romantic back drop.
This is a great bedtime story.
What a strong story! Vicky and Julius are wonderful together!
Olivia provides a bright spark. Vicky's father is the abominable tyrant. Aphrodise, France provides a romantic back drop.
This is a great bedtime story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews