Mystery Manor: Magali Rousseau mystery n° 4

Magali Rousseau #4

by Curtis Bausse

A house deep in the country. Shutters closed, surrounded by a 12-foot fence.
Cameras inside. And food. Mountains of food.
A woman’s voice, sweet as a spoonful of honey: ‘Welcome to Mystery Manor, Sarah. Here you will find all you need. Except one thing. Communication with the outside world.’
Five missing teenagers.
‘Don’t worry, they’ll be back soon. They must have just run away.’
Or is it something more sinister? What is going on in Mystery Manor?
As the clock runs down, Magali and Charlotte hunt for clues all over France in a desperate attempt to find out.
Are you ready to join them?
It’s a journey you won’t forget.

475 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 6, 2019

About the author

I grew up in Wales, was educated in England and have spent most of my life in France. I've been writing since the age of 10, when my first poem was sent to a competition by my English teacher. After moving to France, I ran a café-theatre till it got demolished, whereupon I scratched my head, wondering what to do next. Eventually I became a university lecturer, specialising in Second Language Acquisition, even though (apart, obviously, from French) I've spectacularly failed to learn any languages (I'm currently trying Dutch and can already say 'The turtle eats the sandwich', which is very encouraging). I spent two years in Mayotte, a tiny, unknown island in the Indian Ocean, which France bought for 1000 piastres in 1842. Magali Rousseau (my heroine) got into a lot of trouble there, but now, like me, she's back in Provence, where she jogs, paints, and catches murderers. You can find out more about us at curtisbaussebooks.com.

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book will keep you guessing. You’ll think you know what the outcome will be and then something will make you second guess your conclusion. It has a slow, steady, almost every day sore of pace but is unique and calmly horrific, much as some of Alfred Hitchcock’s creations.

[Christmas Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the fourth and final book in this compelling series. Original, unique and emotional. An
intense and tragic story that is scary and completely shocking. If you love the unexpected, you will
not be disappointed. Highly Recommended.

[Teresa Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC from the author at my request and this is my honest opinion. This is the fourth Magali Rousseau novel I have read and I think it is the best yet! It is different from the previous three novels in that we are privy to the perpetrators' thoughts and actions to a certain extent. There are still things that are not fully revealed to the reader. Mr. Bausse has a unique talent for creating characters that the reader learns to care about and can relate to. However, the other side of that coin is the characters whose actions cannot be understood. There is always this undefinable feeling of tension and uneasiness in the writing, which in my opinion is not always easy for an author to do and Mr. Bausse does it quite well. This story has everything one could ask for and more: suspense, tension, murder, action, and personal trials. I highly recommend this series, and while each individual book is standalone, I think there is greater enjoyment in seeing the development of the characters when they are read in order. But most of all, don't miss out.

[Shirl Weir · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book starts with a young girl Sarah being kidnapped and deposited in the eponymous mystery manor. Only Curtis Bausse's regular detective character Magali Rousseau will take the girl's disappearance seriously.

Part of the book concentrates in the curious events at the manor where a group of youngsters are being held captive, but looked after very well. I found mystery manor very intriguing and was hooked from the start. The other part is about the efforts of Magali and her friends to find Sarah.

This is to be the last in the Magali Roussaeu series, which I think is a great shame as I have read them all and each one seems better than the one before. But I am looking forward to the new series with Magali's daughter-in-law Sophie Keisser.

I received an advanced copy of this book free in exchange for an honest review. There was no pressure on me to give a good review but I had no hesitation because I really enjoyed it.

[Shirl Weir · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book starts with a young girl Sarah being kidnapped and deposited in the eponymous mystery manor. Only Curtis Bausse's regular detective character Magali Rousseau will take the girl's disappearance seriously.

Part of the book concentrates in the curious events at the manor where a group of youngsters are being held captive, but looked after very well. I found mystery manor very intriguing and was hooked from the start. The other part is about the efforts of Magali and her friends to find Sarah.

This is to be the last in the Magali Roussaeu series, which I think is a great shame as I have read them all and each one seems better than the one before. But I am looking forward to the new series with Magali's daughter-in-law Sophie Keisser.

I received an advanced copy of this book free in exchange for an honest review. There was no pressure on me to give a good review but I had no hesitation because I really enjoyed it.

[Sheree K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably aught to start with book 1!

This is the first book I have read in this series. It started off very slowly and I was thinking of stopping but plugged on. It finally picked up and was enjoyable until the story took a turn that was shocking. Had to keep going then! Since this is the last book in Magali's story, it tied up all the loose ends, told what happened to each character and then set up the next book with Magali's sister in law. This was a bit gory for me but if you don't mind that sort of thing, it's a good storyline.

I received an ARC from the author and this is my voluntary review.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are mysteries, but they are definitely not of the cosy variety! This one is almost a thriller, and was a very good read.
The author has written this from the perspective of one of the victims, as well as that of our heroine Magali. This makes for an interesting change in the way the story is constructed, and for this plot it makes it a much more interesting read for us.
The twist at the end is not what I was expecting and a bit of a shock. I will be interested to see how these books progress.

[Jutta Rawcliffe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fraught with tension this book will keep you guessing till the end. You start out living the victim's fear and then switch to Magali's story line. The book travels back and forth between the two. As the stakes increase, so does the pressure to find out what has happened. The story is neatly tied up in the coda and the way prepared for the next story. A real page turner. I was given an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

[Aileen (Ailz) Grist · Rating 4 out of 5]

I nearly didn't finish this book, I found it upsetting at one point and wasn't sure I could continue , but I'm glad I did. For someone who's been there and done that what's left that's new? Does money and power always breed a lack of compassion for the 'other' who hasn't?

I received a free advance review copy and this review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.

[Dawn Havens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the sample of the Mystery Manor so much that I got the book and read it straight threw in about 2 days. I am going to read some more of his books to see how they compare. I am a senior and prefer more of a hard boiled PI or a lighter cozy But I got hooked and as a thriller it was quite good.

[Aviar Savijon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mystery Manor

An incredible story that you will never forget. This is horror and mystery combined brilliantly. I Loved It!!!!! Get it.