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Death in the Dordogne #1
Deadly Slipper
This literary mystery about a woman’s search for her long-missing sister takes readers to the ruggedly beautiful Dordogne region of France–and into the exotic world of orchid-hunting, where the discovery of a new species can be deadly.
Almost twenty years have passed since Bedie Dunn, a wild-orchid enthusiast, vanished without a trace on a hiking holiday in southwestern France. The police long ago relegated the unsolved mystery to the cold-case files. But Mara Dunn, Bedie’s twin, is haunted by her sister’s disappearance. Was Bedie the victim of an accident? Or did she cross paths with the wrong person at just the wrong time? Mara has come to the Dordogne determined to find the answers.
Mara gets the first break in her investigation when she unearths Bedie’s camera on a chance visit to a local junk shop. The camera still contains a roll of film with pictures of the local landscape and the orchids that so enchanted Bedie. Convinced that the photographs document her sister’s final path, Mara brings them to Julian Wood, an English expert on orchids who lives in the area, and makes a desperate Will he help her retrace Bedie’s footsteps using the photographs as a guide? Julian has his own reasons for not wanting to undertake such an impossible task, but he is fired into action when he sees the last image–the tantalizing vision of a totally unknown Lady’s Slipper Orchid. Finding a rare, undocumented species of orchid would bring him accolades from botanists around the world. The search, however, could lead to a far grimmer It is all too possible that the flower marks a secret grave dug two decades earlier.
With beautifully rendered descriptions of the Dordogne countryside, culture, and people; a portrait of the dark side of orchid collecting reminiscent of Susan Orlean’s The Orchid Thief ; and a plot filled with surprising twists and turns, Deadly Slipper introduces a writer of extraordinary talent and breadth.
Almost twenty years have passed since Bedie Dunn, a wild-orchid enthusiast, vanished without a trace on a hiking holiday in southwestern France. The police long ago relegated the unsolved mystery to the cold-case files. But Mara Dunn, Bedie’s twin, is haunted by her sister’s disappearance. Was Bedie the victim of an accident? Or did she cross paths with the wrong person at just the wrong time? Mara has come to the Dordogne determined to find the answers.
Mara gets the first break in her investigation when she unearths Bedie’s camera on a chance visit to a local junk shop. The camera still contains a roll of film with pictures of the local landscape and the orchids that so enchanted Bedie. Convinced that the photographs document her sister’s final path, Mara brings them to Julian Wood, an English expert on orchids who lives in the area, and makes a desperate Will he help her retrace Bedie’s footsteps using the photographs as a guide? Julian has his own reasons for not wanting to undertake such an impossible task, but he is fired into action when he sees the last image–the tantalizing vision of a totally unknown Lady’s Slipper Orchid. Finding a rare, undocumented species of orchid would bring him accolades from botanists around the world. The search, however, could lead to a far grimmer It is all too possible that the flower marks a secret grave dug two decades earlier.
With beautifully rendered descriptions of the Dordogne countryside, culture, and people; a portrait of the dark side of orchid collecting reminiscent of Susan Orlean’s The Orchid Thief ; and a plot filled with surprising twists and turns, Deadly Slipper introduces a writer of extraordinary talent and breadth.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
10 people are currently reading
236 people want to read
About the author
Michelle Wan
10 books21 followersMichelle Wan was born in Kunming, China, in the middle of an air raid. Her early years were spent in India, and she has subsequently lived in the USA, England, Paris, Harare, and Rio de Janeiro. Her passions include French food, Brazilian novellas, walking, and orchids. She and her husband, a botanist, visit the Dordogne annually to photograph and chart wild orchids. She speaks English, Portuguese, and French. She is a great-grand niece of Sun Yat-Sen. Her first Dordogne mystery, Deadly Slipper, which introduced Mara Dunn and Julian Wood, was published in 2005.
Series:
* Death in the Dordogne
Series:
* Death in the Dordogne
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
August 7, 2025
Plot, characters and setting … tough to ask more of a good mystery
Michelle Wan's entrancing debut novel, DEADLY SLIPPER, offers the cozy mystery lover - that most crowded of well-thumbed genres - a combination of characters, setting and tightly constructed plot that has to be characterized as entirely unique.
Mara Dunn, a young Canadian woman, troubled by the unsolved disappearance of her twin sister while on a hiking trip in the Dordogne Valley in France, has moved to France to (What else? You guessed it, of course.), bring her untested amateur sleuthing skills to bear on the problem. When she serendipitously discovers her sister's camera, she sees that it contains an unexposed roll of local wildflower photos, and, in particular, one of an extremely rare if not previously undiscovered orchid species. At this point, Ms Wan introduces us to Julian Wood, floral expert extraordinaire, the local expatriate British geek, horticulturist, landscape designer and semi-professional orchidologist, whose help Mara Dunn enlists to use the photos to track what was possibly the last hike her sister took before she disappeared.
If it's hair-raising high speed chases, graphic gore and violence, stomach churning plot twists, or noir psychological mind games that you look for in your mysteries, I'm afraid you're going to have to look elsewhere. If your tastes, on the other hand, run to more slowly paced mysteries starring well-developed carefully crafted characters with a touch of mildly exaggerated traits but stopping short of cartoonish caricatures; a soupçon of hesitant, confused romance (no sweaty groping or heavy breathing to be found anywhere); and a deep, rich, honeyed, mellifluous description of place that will have you convinced you have been transported to the center of the Dordogne Valley in south central France, then DEADLY SLIPPER is the book for you.
Witness this mouth-watering description of a decadent, entirely obviously French, mid-day meal offered at a local bistro:
"Julian had the prix fixe of the day: a terrine of aubergine for starters, followed by the sprats, hot, crisp, and dressed in garlic and coarse salt. They were accompanied by potatoes and spring asparagus poached in butter. He ordered a pichet of local white."
or this evocative description of a rich forest, so typical of the Dordogne valley:
" ... they plunged into shady woodland. Helleborines, each plant bearing clusters of delicately nodding white bells, embroidered the shoulders of their path. Eventually, beech and pine gave way to a dense forest of oaks and chestnuts whose branches met overhead, creating a greenish net of light that shivered down through the leafy canopy. Here great vines hung like curtains, and ferns carpeted the forest floor. The air was fresh and cool, redolent of leaf mulch and growing things."
It's OK to wake up now! You're not really there. You're just at home in front of your computer reading this. But it certainly is easy to picture, isn't it?
If there's any criticism to be made of Ms Wan's first effort, it's only that the identity culprit, while not obvious, is a teeny bit predictable. But the circumstances surrounding Ms Wan's climax, dénouement and resolution of any remaining hanging strings is more than enough to make up for this mild shortcoming.
Great job, Ms Wan. Highly recommended. I've already ordered THE ORCHID SHROUD, number two in your series and I'm looking forward to it with bated breath.
Paul Weiss
Michelle Wan's entrancing debut novel, DEADLY SLIPPER, offers the cozy mystery lover - that most crowded of well-thumbed genres - a combination of characters, setting and tightly constructed plot that has to be characterized as entirely unique.
Mara Dunn, a young Canadian woman, troubled by the unsolved disappearance of her twin sister while on a hiking trip in the Dordogne Valley in France, has moved to France to (What else? You guessed it, of course.), bring her untested amateur sleuthing skills to bear on the problem. When she serendipitously discovers her sister's camera, she sees that it contains an unexposed roll of local wildflower photos, and, in particular, one of an extremely rare if not previously undiscovered orchid species. At this point, Ms Wan introduces us to Julian Wood, floral expert extraordinaire, the local expatriate British geek, horticulturist, landscape designer and semi-professional orchidologist, whose help Mara Dunn enlists to use the photos to track what was possibly the last hike her sister took before she disappeared.
If it's hair-raising high speed chases, graphic gore and violence, stomach churning plot twists, or noir psychological mind games that you look for in your mysteries, I'm afraid you're going to have to look elsewhere. If your tastes, on the other hand, run to more slowly paced mysteries starring well-developed carefully crafted characters with a touch of mildly exaggerated traits but stopping short of cartoonish caricatures; a soupçon of hesitant, confused romance (no sweaty groping or heavy breathing to be found anywhere); and a deep, rich, honeyed, mellifluous description of place that will have you convinced you have been transported to the center of the Dordogne Valley in south central France, then DEADLY SLIPPER is the book for you.
Witness this mouth-watering description of a decadent, entirely obviously French, mid-day meal offered at a local bistro:
"Julian had the prix fixe of the day: a terrine of aubergine for starters, followed by the sprats, hot, crisp, and dressed in garlic and coarse salt. They were accompanied by potatoes and spring asparagus poached in butter. He ordered a pichet of local white."
or this evocative description of a rich forest, so typical of the Dordogne valley:
" ... they plunged into shady woodland. Helleborines, each plant bearing clusters of delicately nodding white bells, embroidered the shoulders of their path. Eventually, beech and pine gave way to a dense forest of oaks and chestnuts whose branches met overhead, creating a greenish net of light that shivered down through the leafy canopy. Here great vines hung like curtains, and ferns carpeted the forest floor. The air was fresh and cool, redolent of leaf mulch and growing things."
It's OK to wake up now! You're not really there. You're just at home in front of your computer reading this. But it certainly is easy to picture, isn't it?
If there's any criticism to be made of Ms Wan's first effort, it's only that the identity culprit, while not obvious, is a teeny bit predictable. But the circumstances surrounding Ms Wan's climax, dénouement and resolution of any remaining hanging strings is more than enough to make up for this mild shortcoming.
Great job, Ms Wan. Highly recommended. I've already ordered THE ORCHID SHROUD, number two in your series and I'm looking forward to it with bated breath.
Paul Weiss
September 10, 2017
Trama accattivante e scrittura semplice per un giallo discreto, il cui punto forte è sicuramente rappresentato dall'affascinante ambientazione "naturalistica". Non un capolavoro ma comunque piacevole.
November 26, 2012
I'm not sure where I came across this author, though it might have been in my local paper since Ms. Wan lives in Guelph, Ontario, which is the next town east from here. As I was sending an email to a friend who loves orchids, I thought that if I am willing to suggest this book and author to her, then I should be willing to read it myself. I immediately requested it from my library. I'm glad I did, at it was a very enjoyable and informative read.
The story is set in the Dordogne region in the south west of France, where Mara Dunn is trying to find out what happened to her twin sister, Bedie, who disappreared nineteen years earlier. While it is definitely a long shot, Mara needs to get on with her life, and knowing what really happened to her sister will let her do that.
Recently, she found a loaded camera that she is convinced was owned by her sister, and has had the deteriorated film processed and prints made. She has travelled to the Dordogne area to consult with orchid expert Julian Wood to see if he is able to identify the locations shown in the photos. The police have already told Mara that there is not enough identifying features in the photos, but she is determined to learn the truth.
Julian feels there is no chance of finding where these photos were taken, let alone finding Bedie, but he is fascinated with the final photo. The extremely rare Cyripedium, Lady's Slipper, could not be growing in this area, yet there it is, clearly photographed. If only he could find it....
The descriptions of the Dordogne are were so vivid, I almost felt as though I had been there. It's not an area I knew anything about, but now would be happy to travel there and search for wild orchid, walking the same trails as Mara and Bedie(skip the death part though). That is, after I get back from the shop where I want to buy myself some potted orchids. Since reading this novel, I have been looking in the stores for a colour and shape of orchid that appeals to me.
Food is a significant part of this book. Several times, the main characters meet in pubs/cafes to discuss how to find the locations in the photos. The descriptions of the other diners and Julian's mates are quite realistic. Dog lovers are not left out of this story. There are few that recur in the story and further the plot.
Early on, I thought that I had figured out who killed Bedie, but subsequent evidence was presented, that had me doubting myself. I was ready to convict the wrong party. Then sure enough, further activities brought me back around to my original suspicions, though for different reasons. I was totally caught off guard by some of the revelations in the conclusion.
Deadly Slipper is the first book in a four part series. I do plan to read more about orchids in the Dordogne region of France.
The story is set in the Dordogne region in the south west of France, where Mara Dunn is trying to find out what happened to her twin sister, Bedie, who disappreared nineteen years earlier. While it is definitely a long shot, Mara needs to get on with her life, and knowing what really happened to her sister will let her do that.
Recently, she found a loaded camera that she is convinced was owned by her sister, and has had the deteriorated film processed and prints made. She has travelled to the Dordogne area to consult with orchid expert Julian Wood to see if he is able to identify the locations shown in the photos. The police have already told Mara that there is not enough identifying features in the photos, but she is determined to learn the truth.
Julian feels there is no chance of finding where these photos were taken, let alone finding Bedie, but he is fascinated with the final photo. The extremely rare Cyripedium, Lady's Slipper, could not be growing in this area, yet there it is, clearly photographed. If only he could find it....
The descriptions of the Dordogne are were so vivid, I almost felt as though I had been there. It's not an area I knew anything about, but now would be happy to travel there and search for wild orchid, walking the same trails as Mara and Bedie(skip the death part though). That is, after I get back from the shop where I want to buy myself some potted orchids. Since reading this novel, I have been looking in the stores for a colour and shape of orchid that appeals to me.
Food is a significant part of this book. Several times, the main characters meet in pubs/cafes to discuss how to find the locations in the photos. The descriptions of the other diners and Julian's mates are quite realistic. Dog lovers are not left out of this story. There are few that recur in the story and further the plot.
Early on, I thought that I had figured out who killed Bedie, but subsequent evidence was presented, that had me doubting myself. I was ready to convict the wrong party. Then sure enough, further activities brought me back around to my original suspicions, though for different reasons. I was totally caught off guard by some of the revelations in the conclusion.
Deadly Slipper is the first book in a four part series. I do plan to read more about orchids in the Dordogne region of France.
November 19, 2019
A young woman from Canada went missing years ago during a hiking holiday in France. Her twin sister Mara Dunn decides to pursue a new lead in France featuring wild orchid photos from a camera. Mara enlists the help of various others, including an orchid aficionado named Julian, a suave and handsome Henri, and a retired detective — but who should she trust?
With a possible serial killer still on the loose, the stakes for Mara are high. I kept putting this book down (with no problem) and then going a few days without reading further. I was interested more in the flower parts of the book at times than the dead woman or some of the other characters so that’s not ideal. Still, I finished. The book in sum for me was what I could call either mildly disappointing or mildly engaging. But the book was certainly good enough to give the author another try.
With a possible serial killer still on the loose, the stakes for Mara are high. I kept putting this book down (with no problem) and then going a few days without reading further. I was interested more in the flower parts of the book at times than the dead woman or some of the other characters so that’s not ideal. Still, I finished. The book in sum for me was what I could call either mildly disappointing or mildly engaging. But the book was certainly good enough to give the author another try.
February 27, 2011
There were moments in this book that captured my attention but overall it was flat. The characters were not developed well and the events unfolded as I expected. I felt like I was one or two steps ahead of the characters the whole way, which doesn't' make for an exciting mystery.
October 15, 2022
Seems like I read this 10-15 years ago, but I can’t find where. But betcha it was in my orchid-obsessed period. Frankly, wasn’t really worth re-reading, but I did. Kind of a trite “it’s gotta be one of these people” and certainly the one least suspected. Did appreciate that it renewed by interest in native orchids rather than tropical ones.
Also want to try what the book says is Julian's favorite dish: pommes de terre sarladaises: potatoes browned in duck/goose fat with parsley and garlic
Also want to try what the book says is Julian's favorite dish: pommes de terre sarladaises: potatoes browned in duck/goose fat with parsley and garlic
November 27, 2022
I bought this book because it takes place in the Dordogne region of France, where we travelled this year. The murder mystery is not a genre I normally enjoy, and I would say that holds true after reading this book. The writing and characters were rather flat, but the sense of place captivated me. I read it on my ipad as an ebook, and every time a village was mentioned I looked it up on the maps app. In many cases we had travelled through the villages mentioned in the story. That in itself made it a worthwhile read for me.
February 5, 2020
My rating is 3.75 stars. I enjoyed this unusual mystery set in the Dordogne region of France. Mara Dunn's twin sister, Bedie, an orchid enthusiast, disappeared 20 years ago while photographing orchids. Mara enlists the aid of local orchid enthusiasts to solve the mystery of what happened to Bedie. I learned a lot about orchids growing wild in France and how avid horticulturists compete to discover a new or rare variety.
September 1, 2025
An enjoyable read. Not too deep, as it’s pretty obvious from the start (minor spoiler) that Julian and Mara are destined to be an item and therefore he can’t be the villain…and I can’t say more without getting into major spoilers. Lots of food and wine and traipsing through the Dordogne countryside in search of orchids.
October 11, 2023
Een trage roman, met een vleugje spanning waardoor je dan toch weer blijft lezen. Wel weer veel informatie gekregen over de verschillende soorten orchideeën. Dit was dn mooi meegenomen, maar voor mij had het wat sneller gemogen en dan met wat minder info.
June 21, 2020
Delightful floral and french food details, local color but rather obvious “mystery”
September 29, 2023
Surprisingly suspenseful and a true mystery. No gimmicks, suspension of disbelief, or overly complex plots. One of the better books in this genre.
April 29, 2024
A delightful cozy mystery inside the world of orchids.
First book of the Newfields Book Club.
First book of the Newfields Book Club.
October 7, 2024
I love to read fiction in a country where I am traveling, and this one fit the bill! French vineyards, food, flowers, village characters, and a mystery. Sometimes setting is everything!
October 23, 2024
Plot was fairly predictable, but well written and the setting was extremely well developed (and full of orchids).
June 5, 2012
As prep to our visit to Berlin and Munich in 2008, I’d gotten the book Berlin Noir by Philip Kerr for the Beloved as a Christmas present. It’s a great collection of the first three Bernie Gunther detective novels, which I recommend wholeheartedly. Looking to score something like that for this year’s trip to France, I got her Deadly Slipper: A Novel of Death in the Dordogne by Michelle Wan.
The story involves an American woman’s search for clues about her sister, who disappeared in the Dordogne 20 years before. Her search leads her to enlist the aid of an English ex-pat horticulturalist (the titular slipper is a sort of orchid). She’s intense and he’s an introverted nerd. Their bickering and “chemistry” drive the investigation as they come across a whole host of French stereotypes: the lazy public servant, the brilliant-but-horny restaurateur, the fading “old money” family. Sorry, no Bernie anywhere in this group.
Overall, it was okay, but a little tedious. 2 stars.
The story involves an American woman’s search for clues about her sister, who disappeared in the Dordogne 20 years before. Her search leads her to enlist the aid of an English ex-pat horticulturalist (the titular slipper is a sort of orchid). She’s intense and he’s an introverted nerd. Their bickering and “chemistry” drive the investigation as they come across a whole host of French stereotypes: the lazy public servant, the brilliant-but-horny restaurateur, the fading “old money” family. Sorry, no Bernie anywhere in this group.
Overall, it was okay, but a little tedious. 2 stars.
March 13, 2009
"Almost twenty years have passed since Bedie Dunn, a wild-orchid enthusiast, vanished without a trace on a hiking holiday in southwestern France. The police long ago relegated the unsolved mystery to the cold-case files. But Mara Dunn, Bedie’s twin, is haunted by her sister’s disappearance. Was Bedie the victim of an accident? Or did she cross paths with the wrong person at just the wrong time? Mara has come to the Dordogne determined to find the answers."
A pretty good read even though one can figure out the ending about 2/3rds of the way through the book. Francophiles, botanists, hikers and gourmands will enjoy the descriptions of this region of France.
A pretty good read even though one can figure out the ending about 2/3rds of the way through the book. Francophiles, botanists, hikers and gourmands will enjoy the descriptions of this region of France.
July 28, 2011
Mara is searching for her long-lost sister. She engages the help of Julian, an English orchid expert to help her. The setting (France) and the subject (orchids) added some interest to this book. I felt the first part of the book moved rather slowly and I really didn't feel much connection to the main characters. The pace picked up in the second portion of the book and lead ot a somewhat satisfying conclusion. I have to admit the discriptions of some of the meals did make me hungry and the dog didn't die.
July 21, 2014
On ok book. It's not one of those that you read from cover to cover because of the intense action. It is a book with an interesting concept ... using flower identification to find a missing body and if we find the killer on the way, great. Storyline: 20 years have passed since Mara's twin sister, Bedie, has been missing. The only clue is a roll of film with flowers on it supposedly taken when Bedie was camping. Mara works with a local horticulturalist to find out what happened to her twin.
Mixed reviews from book discussion members.
Mixed reviews from book discussion members.
February 9, 2015
Mara has moved to France because her sister, Bedie, disappeared twenty years and Mara feels she must find what happened. Mara has found her camera with a succession of pictures of field orchids and has gone to Julian, an orchid expert, to try to trace Bedie's route.
Enter a strange scary woman, her strong grotesque in-bred son, the local owner and his wife of an old derelict estate, and their son.
Can Mara find evidence of Bedie, the rare orchid she photographed, without becoming victims themselves?
Enter a strange scary woman, her strong grotesque in-bred son, the local owner and his wife of an old derelict estate, and their son.
Can Mara find evidence of Bedie, the rare orchid she photographed, without becoming victims themselves?
December 25, 2009
A somewhat quirky read--not the grabbing mystery however that it would lead you to believe it is. The French countryside, discussions about orchids, French food-all a welcome backdrop to the mystery at hand. It's outcome, although galloped forward in the last 50 pages, still felt somewhat predictable. Best read in an airplane or while waiting for something. It will easily fill the time well.
March 9, 2013
I enjoyed this book, though it was a tad Harlequin romancey. What I liked were the descriptions of the food and places and people of the Dordogne region of France. And the details about orchids. Very descriptive and well written. What I didn't really care for was the romantic sub plot which was a bit too-too and easily seen through. Easy enough to ignore however. As a mystery, it was mildly interesting, but not gripping.
February 8, 2015
I'm still undecided on how much I enjoyed this mystery. I admit, I kind of figured it out and that's always a bummer. I also thought the characters were a little flat and not well developed. However, that being said I had trouble putting it down and finished it in a week. So, the writing was good but some of the aspects of the story were lacking. I did enjoy the characters - I may read the next book by the author, but it's not something I'd add to my list right away.
March 11, 2016
The first in a series called “Death in the Dordogne”. I love the territory, and the writer seems to know the Dordogne well. The other territory is orchids as one of the main characters is an expert in them. That held less interest for me. Unfortunately, neither the plot nor the characters were as believable as the setting. I’ve heard good things about later books in the series. I may try one more, maybe …
March 25, 2013
I loved the descriptions of the Dordogne region in the south of France. All the french terms made me feel like I was there. The characters are quirky and somewhat likable. As far as mysteries go, I guessed pretty early and some of the plot twists seemed improbable to me. A good read and I will be picking up Michelle's next book.
April 11, 2013
Maybe it's unfair, but I couldn't help comparing this with Martin Walker's Bruno, Chief of Police, series, which is also set in the Dordogne region. Walker's menu of Gallic cuisine, Bruno's unassuming but unshakable decency, and international crime sets a very high standard. Nevertheless, I will probably try another of Wan's novels.
September 4, 2010
I enjoyed this book as much as her second novel. In this debut Novel, Mara enlists the help of Julian to help her unravel the mystery of the disappearance of her sisster 19 years ago. Very believable characters and the story is well paced.
May 10, 2011
The run-of-the-mill writing was offset my the enchanting location: the Dordogne area of France. Lots of information about orchids is also a plus. At least, it's a plus for those of us who are so lazy that we like to add to our slender store of arcane knowledge by reading mysteries.
September 1, 2012
I read to prepare for trip to Dordogne, France and enjoyed the descriptions of countryside, food and French people. The main characters were not especially likable and the plot a bit disturbing.... I will definitely not be hiking alone!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews