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Maggie Newberry Mysteries #14
Murder in Marseille
From bouillabaisse to betrayal…
…and the beautiful city that is home to both
When the dead body of one of Marseille’s most corrupt politicians is found stuffed in Maggie’s car trunk it creates a bubbling stew of deception, betrayal and revenge.
Is there a connection between the victim and Maggie? Her family? Or is this a message for Laurent as a result of his nefarious history of crime and misdeeds?
Even worse, a devastating family secret that Laurent and Maggie have spent the last twelve years hiding is shockingly revealed to the world, putting everything they have—as well as everyone they love—in immediate jeopardy.
This heart-stopping thrill-ride takes you through the menacing back streets of Marseille in Maggie’s determined trajectory toward the truth—and the truly evil—behind it.
(Bonus: Laurent’s classic bouillabaisse recipe is at the end of the book!)
This book is a clean read: no graphic violence, sex or strong language
…and the beautiful city that is home to both
When the dead body of one of Marseille’s most corrupt politicians is found stuffed in Maggie’s car trunk it creates a bubbling stew of deception, betrayal and revenge.
Is there a connection between the victim and Maggie? Her family? Or is this a message for Laurent as a result of his nefarious history of crime and misdeeds?
Even worse, a devastating family secret that Laurent and Maggie have spent the last twelve years hiding is shockingly revealed to the world, putting everything they have—as well as everyone they love—in immediate jeopardy.
This heart-stopping thrill-ride takes you through the menacing back streets of Marseille in Maggie’s determined trajectory toward the truth—and the truly evil—behind it.
(Bonus: Laurent’s classic bouillabaisse recipe is at the end of the book!)
This book is a clean read: no graphic violence, sex or strong language
358 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 17, 2019
1258 people are currently reading
508 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
May 14, 2021
Entertaining murder mystery
Admittedly, this one picked my interest because I'm French :D I liked it enough. It reads well, characters are described well enough and except for a couple of them, I thought they were all well approached. The French side of things is also good enough, even if sometimes the insertions of French words do seem a bit forced. I get it though, it does add some to the atmosphere. I guess aside of some of the details, I was a bit left wanting for two things:
1- Like I said, some of the characters were a bit wanting or inconsistent. Like the insistance of the main character to retain her niece in France: just weird. I'd be hard-pressed to find an actual person being that forceful for reasons that are not really clear or believable (I do it because I want to prove to her that I can solve this thing... What?)
2- There was a crucial moment in the story where one of the characters runs away through vineyards, and is possibly tracked by someone. We get a full explanation at the end and I'm not gonna lie: I was disappointed by the simplicity of it. It seemed there was there a very good opportunity to link some of the main protagonists past to this scene (especially because she recognizes a smell that seemed to be from her last) but nope, nothing of the sort. Just all very straightforward and in the present storyline. I kinda lost interest in the plot fairly quickly after that scene as nothing from the past was arising a bit more. After 14 volumes in the series I'm expecting more intricacies in the plot, more relevant elements from the past woven in the story. There just wasn't any of that really.
Overall, it does the job at entertaining :-)
Admittedly, this one picked my interest because I'm French :D I liked it enough. It reads well, characters are described well enough and except for a couple of them, I thought they were all well approached. The French side of things is also good enough, even if sometimes the insertions of French words do seem a bit forced. I get it though, it does add some to the atmosphere. I guess aside of some of the details, I was a bit left wanting for two things:
1- Like I said, some of the characters were a bit wanting or inconsistent. Like the insistance of the main character to retain her niece in France: just weird. I'd be hard-pressed to find an actual person being that forceful for reasons that are not really clear or believable (I do it because I want to prove to her that I can solve this thing... What?)
2- There was a crucial moment in the story where one of the characters runs away through vineyards, and is possibly tracked by someone. We get a full explanation at the end and I'm not gonna lie: I was disappointed by the simplicity of it. It seemed there was there a very good opportunity to link some of the main protagonists past to this scene (especially because she recognizes a smell that seemed to be from her last) but nope, nothing of the sort. Just all very straightforward and in the present storyline. I kinda lost interest in the plot fairly quickly after that scene as nothing from the past was arising a bit more. After 14 volumes in the series I'm expecting more intricacies in the plot, more relevant elements from the past woven in the story. There just wasn't any of that really.
Overall, it does the job at entertaining :-)
July 20, 2019
Oh Susan, you made me wait way too long for this latest installment of my favorite mystery series. And now I'll have to wait till October for the next one (pre-ordered from Amazon).
Maggie is a great, if flawed, protagonist. She is impulsive, she jumps to conclusions, consequently she is often getting herself in trouble especially with husband Laurent and Jean-Baptiste Moreau the policeman who hates that she is always interfering in his investigations! Maggie went to the Marseilles airport to pick up niece Nicole now just graduated from high school has come to stay with Maggie and Laurent at their mas (home) in his vineyards in the south of France. When Maggie and Nicole got back to the airport parking garage, Nicole is traumatized to find a dead body in the trunk of Maggie's car. Maggie decided she needed to solve the murder mystery in order to relieve Nicole's fears. Of course, while Maggie is conducting her own investigation, her life with Laurent goes on with all the old familiar characters, Jemmy and Mila, their children, Luc, their foster son, Grace and Danielle. It's hard to believe 13 years have elapsed since American Maggie met Laurent, a petty thief and conman, in Murder in the South of France. Many murders later (this is the 14th installment in the series) their love for each other is still evident and, although many family secrets remain, by the end all is well at Domaine St. Buvard.
Maggie is a great, if flawed, protagonist. She is impulsive, she jumps to conclusions, consequently she is often getting herself in trouble especially with husband Laurent and Jean-Baptiste Moreau the policeman who hates that she is always interfering in his investigations! Maggie went to the Marseilles airport to pick up niece Nicole now just graduated from high school has come to stay with Maggie and Laurent at their mas (home) in his vineyards in the south of France. When Maggie and Nicole got back to the airport parking garage, Nicole is traumatized to find a dead body in the trunk of Maggie's car. Maggie decided she needed to solve the murder mystery in order to relieve Nicole's fears. Of course, while Maggie is conducting her own investigation, her life with Laurent goes on with all the old familiar characters, Jemmy and Mila, their children, Luc, their foster son, Grace and Danielle. It's hard to believe 13 years have elapsed since American Maggie met Laurent, a petty thief and conman, in Murder in the South of France. Many murders later (this is the 14th installment in the series) their love for each other is still evident and, although many family secrets remain, by the end all is well at Domaine St. Buvard.
September 22, 2021
disappointing
Yeah, I think I’m going to take a hard pass on the rest of the series. It’s consistently going downhill for me. Yet another timeline/character error. Simple things from book to book. Not to mention the characters themselves. Maggie has turned into a predictable pain in the butt. She takes the whole “better to ask forgiveness than permission” to extremes that are incredibly annoying. Laurent has turned into a spiteful bully himself but he should have given her the heave ho a long time ago. The story lines are getting more and more ridiculous.
I just can’t see wasting my time over the same ole same ole when characters are fast losing any credibility or interest.
Adiou.
Yeah, I think I’m going to take a hard pass on the rest of the series. It’s consistently going downhill for me. Yet another timeline/character error. Simple things from book to book. Not to mention the characters themselves. Maggie has turned into a predictable pain in the butt. She takes the whole “better to ask forgiveness than permission” to extremes that are incredibly annoying. Laurent has turned into a spiteful bully himself but he should have given her the heave ho a long time ago. The story lines are getting more and more ridiculous.
I just can’t see wasting my time over the same ole same ole when characters are fast losing any credibility or interest.
Adiou.
March 31, 2024
3.5 - 4 Stars
Murder in Marseille is the fourteenth 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!
Murder in Marseille is the fourteenth 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!
October 21, 2019
I would not classify this as a light or cozy mystery. There are some disturbing dark elements in this story.
This is a standalone story. I have not read any of these even though I have a few in my to be read pile. I listened to this while doing my errands.
I found Nicole and Maggie’s mother infuriating. Nicole is a spoiled brat! Maggie has her priorities scrambled. She won’t be winning “Mother of the Year” anytime soon. She and Laurent need to focus on their family situation and means of communicating. At present, home life is very dysfunctional.
When Maggie collects Nicole at the Marseilles airport, they find a dead body in Maggie’s car in the parking lot. Nicole is 17, has just graduated from high school, and is visiting for the month.
Maggie decides she needs to solve the murder mystery in order to relieve Nicole's fears.
The detective, Jean-Baptiste Moreau, and Maggie to not get along amicably.
This story is fraught with too many family secrets, bad clergy men, and a murderer. Why was a body dumped in Maggie’s car at the airport? Why is the murderer hanging out in the woods near Maggie’s house? Why does Dominic despise Laurent?
Another thread is the relationship between Laurent and Luc. There is a large portion of meanness written into this book. Father Dominic is just vile. He mistreats Luc, not feeding him, over working him. Dominic is pitting Luc against Laurent. The Father is more than willing to allow the other boys to torment and hurt Luc. Hurting Luc is Dominic’s plan to hurt Laurent.
I could have done without the commentary on socialism.
This is a standalone story. I have not read any of these even though I have a few in my to be read pile. I listened to this while doing my errands.
I found Nicole and Maggie’s mother infuriating. Nicole is a spoiled brat! Maggie has her priorities scrambled. She won’t be winning “Mother of the Year” anytime soon. She and Laurent need to focus on their family situation and means of communicating. At present, home life is very dysfunctional.
When Maggie collects Nicole at the Marseilles airport, they find a dead body in Maggie’s car in the parking lot. Nicole is 17, has just graduated from high school, and is visiting for the month.
Maggie decides she needs to solve the murder mystery in order to relieve Nicole's fears.
The detective, Jean-Baptiste Moreau, and Maggie to not get along amicably.
This story is fraught with too many family secrets, bad clergy men, and a murderer. Why was a body dumped in Maggie’s car at the airport? Why is the murderer hanging out in the woods near Maggie’s house? Why does Dominic despise Laurent?
Another thread is the relationship between Laurent and Luc. There is a large portion of meanness written into this book. Father Dominic is just vile. He mistreats Luc, not feeding him, over working him. Dominic is pitting Luc against Laurent. The Father is more than willing to allow the other boys to torment and hurt Luc. Hurting Luc is Dominic’s plan to hurt Laurent.
I could have done without the commentary on socialism.
January 18, 2021
I read this as part of my 2021 52 Book Club Reading Challenge. It actually fulfills several prompts. Most likely I will use it for the prompt multiple POVs.
American-born Maggie lives in France with her French husband Laurent, their children and their foster son Luc. Maggie is involved in a variety of projects including part-time sleuthing, much to the frustration of the local detectives. When Maggie returns to her car after picking up her niece at the airport, she finds a dead body in the truck inside. Her niece is not impressed and immediately wants to return home and Maggie thinks she can save her niece's visit by solving the case. In the meantime, Laurent has his hands full with Luc, his vineyard and his expanding duties at the local monastery.
The story starts off slowly so it took some time to care about the characters. The victim is a neo-Nazi so he is not a sympathetic character so throughout the entire book, I honestly didn't care that he was murdered. Nicole, the niece, is such a brat that you just want to send her back home to Atlanta and call it a day. It appalls me that her behavior is just tolerated and neither Maggie nor Laurent says anything about it. Once Maggie starts interviewing the possible suspects, the story moves along. Beyond the food and some sprinkling of French throughout the book, I wish there was more about France itself injected into the story. France itself should be a star character and unfortunately it just isn't.
American-born Maggie lives in France with her French husband Laurent, their children and their foster son Luc. Maggie is involved in a variety of projects including part-time sleuthing, much to the frustration of the local detectives. When Maggie returns to her car after picking up her niece at the airport, she finds a dead body in the truck inside. Her niece is not impressed and immediately wants to return home and Maggie thinks she can save her niece's visit by solving the case. In the meantime, Laurent has his hands full with Luc, his vineyard and his expanding duties at the local monastery.
The story starts off slowly so it took some time to care about the characters. The victim is a neo-Nazi so he is not a sympathetic character so throughout the entire book, I honestly didn't care that he was murdered. Nicole, the niece, is such a brat that you just want to send her back home to Atlanta and call it a day. It appalls me that her behavior is just tolerated and neither Maggie nor Laurent says anything about it. Once Maggie starts interviewing the possible suspects, the story moves along. Beyond the food and some sprinkling of French throughout the book, I wish there was more about France itself injected into the story. France itself should be a star character and unfortunately it just isn't.
January 21, 2021
Maggie is looking forward to spending a lovely vacation during the month of August with her niece, but a mix-up at the airport and then a dead body in the trunk of her car derail her plans.
As always, I adored my time in France with Maggie and her family. Maggie and her husband, Laurent, have settled nicely into their lives at the vineyard and his side-business of a B&B provides Maggie's best friend with both work and income. Yes, life is progressing nicely indeed...if only Maggie could stop finding dead bodies.
Also as always, I dove in and didn't come up for air until the story was done. This is one of my favourite series.
As always, I adored my time in France with Maggie and her family. Maggie and her husband, Laurent, have settled nicely into their lives at the vineyard and his side-business of a B&B provides Maggie's best friend with both work and income. Yes, life is progressing nicely indeed...if only Maggie could stop finding dead bodies.
Also as always, I dove in and didn't come up for air until the story was done. This is one of my favourite series.
March 18, 2021
Actually, I gave this 1 too many stars. Maybe 16 Maggie Newberry books are too many, even though I didn't read them sequentially and, one right after the other. I purposely leave "space" between books when I'm reading a series so that I don't get bored, and, so I don't know, in advance, what the characters are going to do. That didn't work this time. There were no surprises in this book, it follows the same formula as all of the others, and through all of this book, I found myself extremely annoyed (and bored) by Maggie.
September 4, 2021
This book really isn’t very good. It pulls you along with a rather unlikely murder mystery. The worst thing is the descriptions of family dynamics. A little girl who spend her time baking. Boys do landscaping and building. It’s like something out of the 1950’s. Add to that stupid stories about 2 adopted children who aren’t adopted and didn’t have the parents they thought they had. Lastly the ridiculous stereotypical descriptions of cooking and eating. It all adds up to a poor novel. I like Marseilles and I like murder mysteries but not this one. Don’t bother with it.
January 15, 2021
A niece coming to visit for the month of August, arriving with a chip on her shoulder. To put her bag into the trunk, instead a dead body has been put in there, calling the police. Maggie was not his favorite person always finding murder. A dysfunctional family on her side and seems like another with her marriage and family here in France. All the French words might be a distraction from the plot. Good series with the mishaps and murders Maggie does find.
January 23, 2021
Politics gone sour
3.5 is the rating I would choose were it an option. This is my first read of a Maggie Dernier murder series. Enjoyed the mystery and the plot of many layers. Very grateful it was not a predictable formula plot read. Biggest problem is salivating over all the wonderful French cooking and baking. Our son is a chef he would most definitely enjoy the food aspect of the story and volunteer to assist Laurent in his kitchen.
3.5 is the rating I would choose were it an option. This is my first read of a Maggie Dernier murder series. Enjoyed the mystery and the plot of many layers. Very grateful it was not a predictable formula plot read. Biggest problem is salivating over all the wonderful French cooking and baking. Our son is a chef he would most definitely enjoy the food aspect of the story and volunteer to assist Laurent in his kitchen.
April 2, 2023
Strange bedfellows.
When a detested politician’s body is found in her trunk, Maggie is compelled to solve the murder. At the same time she is dealing with two moody teenagers at home—Luc, who had arrived at their home last year and niece Nicole, visiting from America. Her husband Laurent is dealing with Luc and other problems. This is a twisty mystery, with familial issues being a complication.
When a detested politician’s body is found in her trunk, Maggie is compelled to solve the murder. At the same time she is dealing with two moody teenagers at home—Luc, who had arrived at their home last year and niece Nicole, visiting from America. Her husband Laurent is dealing with Luc and other problems. This is a twisty mystery, with familial issues being a complication.
January 16, 2021
Is Our Heroine Maggie Right?
With daring and honesty, Susan Kieran-Lewis explores the concept of birthright, blood ties, family bonds, and nationality as Maggie Newberry struggles to solve a murder and improve her raised-in-America niece’s opinion of France, the country of her birth.
With daring and honesty, Susan Kieran-Lewis explores the concept of birthright, blood ties, family bonds, and nationality as Maggie Newberry struggles to solve a murder and improve her raised-in-America niece’s opinion of France, the country of her birth.
January 21, 2021
Not for me. Maggie and her husband seemed to be too uptight for their lifestyle in France employing local refugees so right from the start the story didn't ring true. They both seemed detached from the angry, disturbed behaviour of two of the young adults in their care. The murder victim was a far-right, racist politician so no sympathy there. Gave up near the halfway mark.
April 5, 2023
French murder mystery
Maggie's niece Nikki has come to France for a vacation and instead of the upbeat lovely teenager that Maggie expected to meet, she is met with a surly unhappy girl and at airport she finds a dead body in the trunk of her car which was only left unattended briefly.... She tries to help Nikki find her feet in France and Nikki is scared to be left alone......
Maggie's niece Nikki has come to France for a vacation and instead of the upbeat lovely teenager that Maggie expected to meet, she is met with a surly unhappy girl and at airport she finds a dead body in the trunk of her car which was only left unattended briefly.... She tries to help Nikki find her feet in France and Nikki is scared to be left alone......
June 6, 2024
cute cozy mystery series set n Southern France
Maggie, husband run a vineyard. Have lots of kids. Maggie runs around solving a murder while her niece from America is totally mad at her the whole time she’s visiting France - recommend to Kristen, but she could read the whole series
Maggie, husband run a vineyard. Have lots of kids. Maggie runs around solving a murder while her niece from America is totally mad at her the whole time she’s visiting France - recommend to Kristen, but she could read the whole series
January 13, 2021
Tiresome
I actually liked this first few books in this series, but I’m no longer enamored with Maggie and Laurent. Simply put, I’m tired of Maggie’s “out of nowhere” encounters with dead bodies and Laurent’s superior attitude. For me, the series has reached its end.
I actually liked this first few books in this series, but I’m no longer enamored with Maggie and Laurent. Simply put, I’m tired of Maggie’s “out of nowhere” encounters with dead bodies and Laurent’s superior attitude. For me, the series has reached its end.
January 19, 2021
Good Beach Read
The family dynamics and secrets in this novel
were intriguing but the actual mystery was more of a side story. The main character, Maggie, was somewhat irritating in her role as an amateur detective. Just an okay book.
The family dynamics and secrets in this novel
were intriguing but the actual mystery was more of a side story. The main character, Maggie, was somewhat irritating in her role as an amateur detective. Just an okay book.
March 7, 2021
Good and savvy story twists
Great characters that remain true to themselves after a number of other previous adventures. That makes this book an even friendlier one with the reader already being part of the family.
Great characters that remain true to themselves after a number of other previous adventures. That makes this book an even friendlier one with the reader already being part of the family.
April 5, 2021
WOW! I can never solve these mysteries ahead of time. Very entertaining and engaging series. The characters have their trials and tribulations just like all of us, but I want to live in St. Buvard.
April 16, 2021
Murder and secrets abound
This novel is fast-paced and has just enough twists to keep the reader on edge. The character developments is great, and the descriptions of the French countryside vivid. I’d gladly read more of Maggie Newberry’s adventures.
This novel is fast-paced and has just enough twists to keep the reader on edge. The character developments is great, and the descriptions of the French countryside vivid. I’d gladly read more of Maggie Newberry’s adventures.
March 7, 2024
Murder in Marseille
It really is a great book, but I found it a bit difficult to keep up with. This was probably because it is book 14, and is the first time I have read any of this series.
It really is a great book, but I found it a bit difficult to keep up with. This was probably because it is book 14, and is the first time I have read any of this series.
August 10, 2019
Book
Great story, but slower than the others. The plot was not as fast paced. A lot of spelling errors in the book
Great story, but slower than the others. The plot was not as fast paced. A lot of spelling errors in the book
August 23, 2019
Love, love, love the Maggie Newberry books. So much so that l have ordered book 15 twice !!!! Roll on October 5th !
March 10, 2020
I love Maggie and her family and friends. This one follows the others as being just as good.
June 24, 2020
Mystery
I love these private detective novels because they incorporate her family life and the beautiful regions of France. A joy to read and discover.
I love these private detective novels because they incorporate her family life and the beautiful regions of France. A joy to read and discover.
June 26, 2020
This is one of my favorite mystery series--a little deeper than a cozy mystery. I love following Maggie's family. The setting in Provence is perfect.
January 10, 2021
Not bad, but not great.
Not a series I see myself continuing.
Not a series I see myself continuing.
January 16, 2021
Always a good read
Even out of order they make a great read I am glad I read the 1st one first however because that’s how I found this writer
Even out of order they make a great read I am glad I read the 1st one first however because that’s how I found this writer
January 21, 2021
Provence
Excellent description of small town France and rural lifestyle.
Mystery is engineered and definitely it integral to plot. Family issues are same worldwide!
Excellent description of small town France and rural lifestyle.
Mystery is engineered and definitely it integral to plot. Family issues are same worldwide!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews