The Luckiest Woman Ever

Molly Sutton Mysteries #2

by Nell Goddin

A widow in a mansion. Dark secrets. And poison, deadly poison.After amateur detective Molly Sutton stumbles on a dead body, she wastes no time before eavesdropping and elbowing her way into conversations all over the French village of Castillac. But when Chief Dufort is about to clap handcuffs on the wrong man, she’s got to do more than chat to save him. Will she have the stuff—and the skill—to pull it off?

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, France, Audiobook, Contemporary, Amazon

280 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 7, 2015

About the author

She has worked as a radio reporter, SAT tutor, short-order omelet chef, and baker. She tried waitressing but was fired twice.

Nell grew up in Richmond, Virginia and has lived in New England, New York City, and France. Currently she's back in Virginia with teenagers and far too many pets. She has degrees from Dartmouth College and Columbia University.

Reviews

[Margitte · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Molly Sutton Mysteries, by Nell Goddin was recommended to me when I was looking for something lighter than the dark, sad, gruesome, murder, overly salacious mysteries in the prevalent, more sinister detective subgenres. I've read enough of them for a while and needed some palet cleansers. :-)

Opting to start with The Luckiest Woman Ever, the second installment in the series, I found it to be a refreshing departure. The narrative exuded a light and relaxing tone, almost bordering on comedic at times. This lighthearted approach is in stark contrast to the gravitas of international incidents portrayed in the work of for instance Martin Walker's tales set in rural France. While the plot's initial peculiarity caught me off guard, it became evident that Goddin's storytelling leaned towards a more whimsical and humorous exploration of mystery, providing a delightful divergence from the norm.

For instance, the two siblings, Michel and Adele Faure, were laughing and joking with each other a few days after the murder of the despicable aunt, Josephine Desrosiers. She was described as execrable. They were even bantering at her funeral. That was kind of weird - to me. But I realized that this plot was meant for a lighter, perhaps more superficial mystery than a serious international incident like in, for instance, Martin Walker's tales in rural France. Quite different indeed in that respect.

In my exploration of unique, different, detective, and classic mystery thriller series, I've been fortunate to discover exceptional works by authors such as:
M.C. Beaton - the Constable Hamish Macbeth series - Scotland;
Louise Penny - the Inspector Gamache - Canada;
Martin Walker - Bruno, Chief of Police Series - France;
William Kent Kreuger - Cork O'Connor Mystery Series - north woods, Minnesota;
Michael Connor - Detective Harry Bosch - California.

These authors adeptly craft mystery thrillers with a nuanced and lighter touch in execution—eschewing voyeurism, gratuitous brutality, a pervasive sense of darkness, and a torrent of verbal expletives —— the vital elements I was looking for.

I cannot recommend these novels highly enough for their wit, social commentary, quirky, eccentric characters, depth of story, plot, and mystery. The novels themselves have character and soul. The authors are brilliant in their execution of suspense thrillers, with excellent entertainment value. They have created a highly successful subgenre by doing just that.

From time to time I enjoy another subgenre, which I call the lipstick-and-stiletto promenade——lighter, more entertaining, fun, thrillers - characterized by a cozy, often humoristic ambiance. Authors such as:
Jana Deleon's Miss Fortune Mysteries;
Sherryl Woods (several different series);
Sally Andrew's Tannie Maria Mysteries;
C.L.Bevill's Bubba Snoddy series;
Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club Series;
Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series;
.... and so many many many more! These are different, I promise. Hilarious fun and wildly fantastical! Outrageously so!

I need to read #1 in this Molly Sutton series to decide if I want to follow through, like the others I mentioned initially. But from this no.#2 it looks like this series will nestle nicely and cozily into the lipstick-and-stilleto subgenre where murder is serious, but the characters are piffle-ish entertaining. It might become enthralling enough to keep me hooked. Will have to see.

For now, it is a 4-star rating for the following reasons: I did not appreciate Molly's old school friend, Frances Milton from Massachusetts much. She was sticking out like an inflamed overripe boil on a stuffed nose: ridiculous, embarrassing, annoying.

Molly herself was unconvincing as a private detective, a tad arrogant, yes, an egotistical busybody with little enough reason to take over the work of the French Police (actually insulted the French police— In this case it was Benjamin Dufort, Gilles Maron, and Therese Perrault of the Castillac gendarmerie).

Molly moved into Castillac, a small French community with clearly the idea that she would henceforth run and control the place since she knew better. Country bumpkins, they were the whole lot of them. She acts like a humble savior of some sort. She also picked up enough French in four months to converse with neighbors and new friends, enough to solve a mystery, as well as fix the pigeonnier so that she can have more rooms and beds to rent out. Uhumm.... her French might have improved, but I'm not convinced that she can be THAT good after 4 months. She also failed to realize, obviously, that the community and town, might be centuries old: meaning, that the residents managed to survive THAT long without her, and might——surprise, surprise——survive equally as many future centuries without her as well. Poor Molly. Just relax: the author is not going to burst Molly's egotistical bubble soon, if ever. It's a pity, really. Not all readers find her inspirational or respectable. She's not even cute.

Enough of my bitchiness. I enjoyed the culture, and the atmosphere of an icy cold, intimate, dark, but cozy winter with warmhearted characters and delicious food. The novel is not on the same level as Martin Walker's Chief of Police series at all, as far as substance and soul are concerned, but it is deep enough embedded in the French rural culture to ensure a relaxing, entertaining read if you appreciate a lighter approach to the murder mystery genre. I enjoyed it for what it was.

I might just continue reading this series.

[Jill · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the second in a series and I did not read the first…didn’t really need to as it turns out. A lot of clichés. Bumbling police, noisy amateur sleuth etc

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the setting of this cozy mystery--Molly moves from Boston to a small French village to run a guesthouse and starts solving crimes. So far so good. Unfortunately it missed the mark on almost every level. Molly isn't so much curious as an obnoxious busybody. The police are completely inept and the motive for the murder is very weak--waiting 40 years to get revenge in a way that could have been done at any time just doesn't make sense, nor did the follow up murders. Then, as per usual in most of this genre, the murderer is unmasked not by detection but by the murderer confessing everything because they become unhinged at the end. Sigh... This one went completely off the rails for me though when Michel sees his beloved mother put poison in both their drinks and then makes an excuse and walks out leaving his mother to kill herself instead of, oh I don't know, maybe knocking the drinks off the table? The next afternoon he, his sister and Molly sit around laughing and joking and celebrating a huge inheritance with an occasional offhand remark about poor mom. It gets a second star for the village setting and Molly's friend Frances who made me laugh.

[Mystereity Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

At the local fine dining restaurant, Molly eavesdrops on a wealthy old woman's not-very-happy birthday party. Known throughout the village for being contemptuous and unlikable, her assembled partygoers look less than thrilled to be there. At the end of the evening, Molly finds the woman lying dead on the bathroom floor and it's determined that the woman died from cyanide poisoning. Molly, having witnessed the whole evening, begins to investigate (which is a good thing, since the local police chief isn't very good at solving murders.) What she uncovers is decades of secrets, lies and a rage that has simmered for decades.

This is quickly shaping up to be a favorite series, I'm really enjoying Molly's adventures in France. This one introduced some new characters that I hope will be returning. And the victim! While a nasty character you love to hate is common in books, this one really takes the cake. She was gleefully hurtful, thoroughly vile, and mercilessly horrible and yet I still loved her antics (or maybe I was just waiting for the moment she paid for it, I don't know. But what a delightfully rotten character!

Really, if I wasn't so wholly caught up in the story, I probably would've figured out the clues, but no, it all just flew past me. Lots of red herrings threw me off track and the pace was perfect to keep me turning pages. The ending was a lot better than the first book; I was riveted, watching it all unfold. This was a thoroughly enjoyable cozy read, perfect to curl up with, especially if you have a croissant and a glass of fine wine.

[ElaineY · Rating 1 out of 5]

REVIEW OF AUDIOBOOK; AUGUST 29, 2022
Narrator: Becket Royce


I have always had a problem with cozies because of the amateur detectives. I love the cozy feel - the reason we turn to the subgenre, in the first place - but I have never been comfortable with the lead character (who's job is anything but police work) butting her nose into a police investigation. Still, I have enjoyed a handful though, in the end, my distaste for amateur sleuths rears its head and I never finish a series.

That said, never has the amateur sleuth disgusted me as much as Molly. Being curious is natural but Molly is so obnoxious in her busybodyness it pulled me out of the story every time she started nosing in where she had no business doing. She is absolutely aware what she's doing crosses the bounds of nosiness. She apologises. But she continues nonetheless. I cringed and ranted and finally decided I just can't take anymore of this character.

What about the story? Very weak as far as murder mysteries go. The first three quarters has the gendarmes, led by Ben Dufort, who is somewhat addicted to his herbal anti-anxiety tincture (though what the hell he's got to be anxious about I don't know - his failure at solving murders?) and his equally inept companions. These gendarmes have NFC written across their foreheads and one wonders if the author ever stopped to ask if she is insulting the French police with her characterisation.

The last lap wraps the murder up without any help from the village cops and the reader can spot the murderer a mile away.

I've only listened to 2 books and the first wasn't good but this second one was an assault on my senses. No more.

[Rachel Sinclair · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series is truly a "cozy" mystery in a more modern setting than usual. I've enjoyed reading the first two books, I will go on to read the third, but I have to say, there are some weaknesses, which is why only 3 stars. First of all, the plotting is thin and the clues are overly obvious. I don't usually care "who done it", and I don't mind that I figured it out right off the bat, but I know other people do care. What does make a difference to me is that there should be more complexity, more texture, more people. It's a small village, it should be buzzing and humming with gossip, not neighbors who live three streets away from each other but don't know each other. Let's just say, that's not my experience of living in small towns.

[Judy Christiana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not read the first book in this series. I felt disinterest with the characters and plot until about half way in the story, then It had my interest. I don't know if this would have be different if I had read the first book. I did not know the background story of why the main character moved to France from the US. It was a bit annoying to me for the friend that was staying with the main character to constantly say she did not know what people were saying since she did not speak French. I really would have remembered that if only told it once.

I think the story was fine, nothing extra special. I received this book as a free kindle version. I will not be reading the rest of the series.

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unbelievably inept police. Totally unbelievable.

The police can't find our who was at the party. They don't immediately interview them all. Someone leaves the murdered persons house with several bags and they don't search them. They apparently only test one jar of cosmetics. No one seems to do anything legal about a will.

[Madeline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Who is the real parent? Who is the real heir? A family mystery with a poisoned victim. Not a particularly memorable read.

[Sheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first book in the series but this one was not as good. I'll see what the third one brings.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

American Molly Sutton has earned her credentials as an amateur sleuth by the time this second book in the Molly Sutton mystery series begins. After all, she found a dead body in book 1. And now she’s stumbling over another one!

The story switches points of view very pleasingly, inviting readers into the lives of a wiser-than-he-realizes detective, sweet suspects who surely can’t be guilty, the one who should be guilty but is actually dead, and Molly (of course), weaving an enthralling tapestry around the events of a birthday party gone wrong. The cultural divide between big-city America and small-town France remains as broad as ever, well-rounded by the presence of Molly’s American friend. Meanwhile divides between young and old, male and female, sweet and nasty all arise, influencing suspicions and provoking argument. It’s all well-told, pleasantly good-natured, and centered on a fascinating mystery with Miss Marple overtones. An enjoyable read.

Disclosure: I only have an ebook, but maybe I should buy some print ones and continue reading the series. I’m enjoying it.

[Aly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe this is supposed to be more of a cozy mystery, but I was disappointed in the lack of excitement or urgency in this. At the climax of the story, things were kept so low-key and one part was just glossed over and told later. The point of the mystery is who did it and why! You can't leave me hanging like that.

[Cmrhudy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Diverting read. Not my new favorite, but nice to read some fluff after some tough slogs.
Less predictable than the first one..whether from skill or accident, I couldn’t say. Some odd moments: dog shows up at the end, no explanation whatsoever.

[Dana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Except for the setting and the names of some of the characters, I wouldn't have known this was a continuation of the series.

Molly, who had almost nothing to do with the first mystery, now suddenly is a nosy little busybody, And everyone (including the police) knows she is a nosy little amateur detective? Maybe she needed time to get acclimated to her new town, but it feels more like she got a personality makeover. I don't necessarily like this new Molly. Maybe it's the influence of her friend Frances, who is awful, and seems to be the "Ugly American" character. She should go back to Boston and stay there. I don't like the fact we got her, and Lawrence was on vacation. No more Frances, ever.

Also, I can't tell if the author can't decide whether to pair Molly and Ben romantically or not. It has to be the only explanation for why the police investigation (without any interference or interaction from Molly) takes up such a large portion of the book. It seems like it could have been an interesting device to separate this series from other cozy mysteries, but I don't think it's combined all that well here.

I don't know that I'll continue with the series. It has potential, but right now it's not consistent enough for me to seek out the next book.

[Mary Byrnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story

This mystery had me guessing right to the end. As with the first book loved the characters and the setting. Descriptions were great making me want to visit this little village in France and sit and have coffee and French pastries with the villagers.

[Madonna Valentine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the beginning of this book. The elderly woman who was the first victim was a deliciously comic character. I enjoyed the description of her wandering around her grand house in the nude while planning her next bit of nastiness. What a pity Joesphine Desrosiers gets knocked off so early.
The rest of the book was less successful. As other reviewers note, the police are hopeless and the Gendarme in charge, Dufort, is often nasty to one of his subordinates, for reasons never made apparent. One wonders why Molly Sutton, our amateur sleuth, finds him so appealing - particularly as she ends up having to do his job for him.
As far as the mystery element of the book goes, the way Molly "solves" all the murders is a little unbelievable but readers don't choose these books for the intricate plotting, which is Just as well. The weak plotting is the biggest problem with this book. The reader is asked to take too many unlikely events at face value. Also, the villagers at Castillac must be either the most incurious people on the planet or incredibly good at keeping secrets.
I won't be reading any of the other books in this series.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

THE LUCKIEST WOMAN EVER by Nell Goddin is a Molly Sutton Mystery, Book 2.
I like ‘cozy mysteries’ from time to time. This series caught my eye because of its location - a small village, Castillac, in the Dordogne region of France.
Molly Sutton is a new resident and becomes involved in the mysterious death of Josephine Desrosiers - a very rich, elderly, vain woman who is disliked by all who knew her.
The characters are likable; the location is very appealing; the plot is readable but not very suspenseful. There are some odd situations and Molly’s personality is very nosy and scatter-brained. I have a few questions - Where did the dog come from? I would like more information about the village and the Dordogne. Will Molly and Ben get together? How does Molly make any money so as to afford her pastry habit? Just wondering.
A ‘cozy’ read for a snowy New England afternoon.

[Ericka N.Blackwell · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried this second book in the series, meh!

I can't be bothered. She's new in town (this story is only a few months after the first book's events) and still alienating people with her obnoxious, nosy nature. She finds things out through her outrageous snooping (she really needs to get a real job) and then is completely reckless with the information. The entire time I'm baffled she isn't killed or arrested for her stupid behavior. She's no Jessica Fletcher, Aurora Teagarden or any of those women on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries!! She's simply not at all likeable. If they'd kill her and focus on the actual police team this would be an enjoyable series!

[Maureen Hetzel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second in a series. I enjoy because of the concept of leaving the US, setting off for France, and starting a small business. The feel of small village life with the emphasis on French food and customs. The murders are almost incidental to the fun of acclimating to a new country...the local police seem less than competent when it comes to serious crimes. Much better for the honor of the French gendarmerie is the Bruno Chief of Police series which is far superior for complex plots and characters. But this is a "cozy" read, not terribly challenging but with its own charm.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Luckiest Woman Ever was an enjoyable read. I thought the characters were well developed but there were enough nagging questions to make continued reading a must. I liked the character of Molly Sutton--moving to a new country and starting a new life and, just throwing herself into it. I have not read the first book (or any of the subsequent books), but plan to at first chance.

[Ellie Carlisle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointed in the overall story. A sappy mystery and the gendarmes are totally inept in every way. The only part I like is that it takes place in France. Finally the editing needs work which is a pet peeve of mine. No kudos to you Tommy Glass. Did you even read the book? If you had, you would’ve caught all the errors!

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow who gets divorced, quits her job and moves to a small town in France with little ability to speak French? Molly Sutton, it seems. I liked the character and the mystery, but there were many unanswered questions at the end. I guess that means I have to read the next book

[Frances Sawaya · Rating 2 out of 5]

A quick read. Main characters - paper thin. Conversations stilted, not realistic. Plot plausible, developed well. This was an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[CATHERINE · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reasonable mystery with likeable characters. There was a lot of discussion about baked goods which may led to a desire for pastries while reading!

[bex · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 star

Too many perspectives and it keeps switching mid scene. Just felt blah and messy. . . . . . .

[Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A charming series

You get to enjoy a cozy setting with likable characters and some unexpected plot twists to keep the story interesting.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this novel was disjointed and seemed more cartoonish than a believable story. Molly lives in France, and is a person who solves murders, this is the set up. Molly invites her friend Frances from the US to join her, a friend who adds nothing to the plot except a clumsy and annoying presence. So many of the plot devices are unimaginable; one that had me shaking my head in disbelief was when Molly is preparing to paint her living room with orange-mango paint and annoying Frances is dancing around the room and steps on the paint tray sending paint all over each of the women and the room- Molly has the urge to laugh (?), Frances dashes off to her cottage where she is staying to clean up, and Molly starts cleaning the floor, a thought strikes her about the murder while she is described as being covered in paint, and the next sentence she still thinking of the clue, she begins rolling paint on the walls. Later, Molly after stopping at a patisserie and eating a pastry, steps out of the shop with a powdered mustache on her upper lip-really? She is described as a 38 year old grown-up- this seems like a slapstick comedy routine. In another place a suspect, a man involved in the plot says after confessing to stealing milk from a murder victim’s porch claims he has never in his life had milk before and was hungry. These plot devices and so many more just reduced this novel to comic book status for me.

[Carlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, #2 in the Molly Sutton mystery series. It was much better than the first one (which wasn't bad!), and now I absolutely will keep on in the series.

Some reviewers were put off by the "ineptitude" of the police, but as it is set in a very small village in France, I gave them the benefit of the doubt. Ben, the Chief, is depressed and is beginning to question his choice of career. Perrault is young and new on the job, but is eager to learn. Maron is young and disdainful of Ben. Interestingly, the author indicates that French gendarmes are transferred to other jurisdictions on a regular basis, and both Ben and Perrault are scheduled for transfer in a few months.

Anyway, Molly is the main protagonist and ultimately solves the case. Older women in the village are being poisoned with cyanide but none seem to be connected. Dysfunctional family dynamics added meat to the story. The mystery was a good one with various red herrings, and I didn't guess the poisoner till the very end. All in all a fun cozy mystery.

[Mayten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable but still not much of a who-dun-it.
The easy style, interesting main character, descriptions of small town (city?) France, and promise of a murder mystery enticed me to the second in the series. There is a murder upfront although not until the end of the fifth chapter, but there are too few clues for the reader to solve it. When the main character solve the crime, she admits "given the limited number of possible suspects in the case, that all signs right now were pointing straight at..." (I don't want to spoil the ending.) Well, the number of suspects is limited because of her feelings rather than evidence. (Per the cornball rules of mystery stories, the gendarmes follow the obvious suspects and motives.) I have no idea why the main character's American friend is around; she didn't seem to help solve the case and, to me, she was obnoxious. There were a few typos of the words-not-deleted-during-editing sort (e.g., to eat to pheasant.) Nonetheless, this is a fun, light entertainment.

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's shortly before Christmas, and Molly Sutton decides to ask her good friend Frances to visit her in the small French village of Castillac, where she has moved to start a new life. One evening when Molly and Frances have decided to treat themselves to dinner at a fancy restaurant, they are seated next to a family gathering for an elderly woman's birthday celebration. Molly knows the woman's niece and nephew, and us intrigued by what seems to be a complicated family dynamic. When Molly finds the elderly woman's body later that evening in the restroom, things get really interesting!

This is an enjoyable read, since you have the story of Molly still adjusting to life in France, her U.S. visitor meeting the locals, and trying to figure out who killed the elderly woman, once it's determined that she died from cyanide poisoning.