The Secrets of the Bastide Blanche

Verlaque and Bonnet #7

by M.L. Longworth, Christa Lewis (Reading)

One hot summer night, Aix-en-Provence is aflutter with news that controversial author Val�re Barbier, who once shared dinners with French presidents and all-night drinking bouts with rock stars, has moved into La Bastide Blanche, a grand house left empty for decades. But Val�re's ideas of a peaceful retirement are quickly dashed. Rambunctious neighborhood children, a fast-talking gossip of a housekeeper, and a rival novelist filter through the home at all hours of the day--and by night there are unseen visitors with more sinister intentions. While Antoine Verlaque investigates Val�re's sordid history, his wife and partner, Marine Bonnet, questions why the estate was abandoned in the first place--and what they both find raises more questions than answers. Is Val�re imagining the ethereal cries that fill the bastide at night? Is he losing his mind? Or have these ghosts returned from Val�re's checkered past to haunt him?

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, France, Cozy Mystery, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook

Audio CD

First published April 3, 2018

About the author

M. L . Longworth has written for The Washington Post, The Times (London), The Independent, and Bon Appétit magazine. She divides her time between Aix-en-Provence, where she writes, and Paris, where she teaches writing at New York University's Paris campus.

Reviews

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very different construction of a story that is more a literary investigation vs the usual crime story where the judge (Verlaque) and commissioner (Paulik) join forces to catch the murderer. There are echoes of du Maurier's Rebecca in this ghost story, a delightful and creative addition to this series.

Two perspectives are told from a future point over a few days where a publisher is conducting a detailed interview with a world famous author and then back in time to accounts of the actual events in Aix as they unfolded.

A grand house, empty for decades, is purchased by this author who moves in unprepared for life in a haunted house. The characters who come to visit are colorful as well as mysterious. Verlaque is talked into inviting the man to his cigar club by his wife Marine. He seems a genial man and is soon devoted to Paulik's daughter Lea as the Pauliks live next-door to Bastide Blanche.

The death of the author's wife many years earlier has never been put to rest as she fell off a boat and there was no body recovered. She had been a gifted potter as well as a writer.

The story is fun and even includes a kidnapping. That soon fails. Antoine and Marine are setting their hopes on buying a house in the country and progress is made. Things also change for Sylvie and her daughter Charlotte.

Every book references a favorite patisserie the author camouflages but for the red boxes, so I am going with a guess of Bechards! (a mere 4500 miles from my house, woe is me) WARNING: Reading these books incite hunger and thirst!

Library Loan

[Linda (NOT RECEIVING NOTIFICATIONS) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was probably my least favorite of this series so far. Don't get me wrong, the mystery was very good, but how Ms. Longworth chose to reveal the storyline was somewhat frustrating.

In the mystery before this, The Curse of La Fontaine, the reader is never given the year it took place. This story begins on September 22, 2010. The chapters flip back and forth between July of that same year and Sept. 22, depending on who is on the page. I didn't realize how important it was to pay attention to this detail when I started out.

Quite a bit of time is spent with Justin Wong, a publisher's assistant, and a writer, Valere Barbier. The elderly author plans to write a new book and it will reflect well on Justin's part if he can get M Barbier to sign with his company.

The plot has a darker element with ghosts from the past. Lea, Commissioner Paulek's daughter, has a stronger presence here. There were two threads that needed closure. In fact, I am not really sure why Ms. Longworth included them. As I mentioned earlier, the mystery was good but the execution of the plot was wonky.

[John Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

"If you liked that...you might like this".
We have all seen that when we have finished a book. Sometimes they are good but sometimes they seem to have been connected by someone who has read neither. For me, here, it worked very well indeed in finding me this author.

As with the other authors that I had previously enjoyed, these books are about the way of life in the French countryside with a mystery thrown in rather than an all out murder story.

This is the 7th of the series. I was amazed when I looked up the title. Time has flown since I tentatively opened the first 'Death at the Chateau Bremont'. I wondered, at first, about a series of a Judge and a Professor but that all became clear as did the french police/judiciary system that had been an enigma through other books before.

I would urge potential readers to start at the beginning of the series and let the characters grow on you in much the same way as a special cheese, a glass of a favourite wine or even one of Verlaque's cigars. This will happen in a nice and comforting way without the need for stress or conflict that other authors seem drawn to.

This story is slightly more complex that the previous ones and includes a 'ghostly' element in the old house. I liked the twin aspects of the story telling which meant more once I started to take notice of the dates.

To be honest, I am not sure that I fully grasped the full detail of the story when it was explained at the end. It was almost as if I had missed something in the characters early on and that annoyed me even though it was probably a lack of concentration on my part.

Still a most enjoyable read and I look forward to the next but there is only one left and, it has a Christmas theme. I am torn between reading it now in the heat of early summer or saving it as a festive treat for myself in just 7 months time. We'll see.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the way this book was written - in an old school mystery kind of way.

I am giving this book 4 stars because of the writing more than the plot. I enjoyed all the references to good food and drink (mostly wine), literature and art, with a touch of paranormal, making for an interesting, sophisticated read.

There were so many characters, though (all with French names) that at first it was difficult to keep track of who was who.

However, it kept me intrigued up until the very last few pages, when it, unfortunately, kind of fell flat. Which was disappointing after investing so much time in reading it.

I just feel that this is one of those books where everything is suddenly wrapped up in just a few pages, and not made very clear, either. I really wish the author had spent more time explaining all the unanswered questions and untangling the mystery better.

[Eugene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good (OK?), but not great. Have been following this series since it began, perhaps author Longworth is starting to get a bit bored...as with some of her others, there isn’t much plot, just a lot of character “vignettes,” which OK she does well, but it can get a bit stale. Other quibbles: having the antagonist (Valère Barbier) in New York at a dinner with an agent of a prospective publisher and telling the same story that the protagonist and others in France are experiencing in real time, in a succession of chapters back-and-forth, was unsettling and didn’t help the reading experience; a lack of plot forced Longworth to throw up a bunch of red herrings (principally potentially nefarious character motivations) to make the tale more interesting but it’s still fairly flat; the continuing depictions of series main character Antoine Verlaque as a “Lifestyles Of The Rich And Famous” alumni get really cloying after a while, give that a rest please. This effort tries to meld a ghost story and a murder mystery into one, but it doesn’t particularly work. Every writer is entitled to a clunker now and then, I’m hoping a next entry in the series revives it.

[Ver · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book, it has a very different style from the others. There is a bit eerie story presented by some romance author and his paths meet the main characters. It was very interesting and gripping. However, the solution of the crime was rather disappointing and not suitable for the whole story. It really didn't feel right, thus only 4 stars. The rest of the story is totally 5.

[Filip · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can see why to many people this seems like the weakest volume, but I enjoyed it much more than some of the previous one. The composition of the novel and the way the story is presented is quite interesting and the mystery itself is quite good and with multiple layers - pity the solution isn't that great. There was also (slightly) less snobbish talk about wine, cigars and food, so that's a big plus.

[Dogsandbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably 3.5 because of atmosphere. This time, following the characters felt like work and the story was way more out there than previous versions. Still, a very enjoyable series. DPL book

[Morgan Peck · Rating 1 out of 5]

Literally the dumbest book I have ever read.

[Mia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a selection for our local library’s mystery book group. I had not read the six books in the series which preceded this book, but it is obvious that there are many recurring characters. Otherwise, why does Verlaque visit the old farmer and have lunch with him? It seems clear that for fans of the series they can visit Provence and vicariously enjoy the food and wine with their old friends when each new book is released. For those of us who are not fans, we wonder why the stepson shows up, gets kidnapped and disappears. It makes no sense. Lots of other events in the book seemed incongruous or just “fillers”. It seemed, in the words of one reader at our library meeting, that it was a lazily written book with a story too small to fit a book so characters and events were added.

[Virginia B · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story began at the end, and was a bit hard to figure out at first, in fact, when I read the last page, I read a few pages from the beginning, just to get it figured out. And the person that started the story off, just disappears. When Verlaque steps into the book, I began to get it, and the mystery begins, but turns out to be more involved than somebody (just) getting knocked off.

[EuroHackie]

If you love Provence, wine, cigars, and food, you will likely love this book. The author was a prestigious gastrome in her previous life, writing for foodie magazies world wide.

If you come here looking for a mystery that makes a lick of sense, look elsewhere. The narration is so circuitous as to be unreadable, and after a week of struggling with the tiny little book, I'm done.

[Alina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I fell in love with The Secrets of Bastide Blanche the minute I read the first page. Beautiful, intriguing, captivating - these three words just begin to describe how I felt about this novel. The writing, the setting, and the storyline were all beautiful.

The novel begins with le famous but retired author Valere Barbier, who decides to write an autobiography and pitches the story to his new publisher. A few months prior, Monsieur Barbier buys La Bastide Blanche, a big but extremely old and antique house in a quiet Aix en Provence, not too far from Paris. As Valere settles in, he learns a little secret about le grande house - it's hunted. With a help of his new and bubbly employee Sandrine, he tries to cleanse the house. While the hunted mansion occupies Valere's time, the news of le famous author is spread around the little village, and Valere starts to make new acquaintances faster than he expects.

One of Valere's new friends are college professor Marine Bonnet and a judge Antoine Verlaque. Out of the blue, Verlaque is contacted by an old and retired friend who once worked on a missing case of Agatha Barbier. As we learn, over twenty years prior, monsieur Barbier's wife has gone overboard during their summer vacation. Her body was never recovered, therefore the case was never closed. And now the files are in Verlaque's hands for a second look. Marine, who is also a huge fan of Agatha and Valere, cant pass on a chance to learn the truth about what has happened that one unfortunate night on the boat.

While Marine and Antoine are analyzing the history of Barbier family, many interesting events are happening at the Bastide Blanche: many new visitors, kidnapping, blackmail. This thrilling novel keeps the reader on their toes from the first till the last pages.

The Secrets of Bastide Blanche is a fascinating, well-written, richly described story about new and old friendships, loyalty, secrets, life, loss, and love. Marvelous ending with quite compelling twists that I didn't expect. Marvelous and full of live characters with fantastic personalities. I didn't realize this book is a part of the Verlaque and Bonnet mystery series, now I can't wait to read all the previous books! Thank you Penguin Books and M.L.Longworth for sending me this advance copy of the novel. I highly recommend this book to any francophiles and mystery lovers.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Famous writer Valere Barbier finds himself confiding the story of recent events to a lowly publisher during a long, expensive meal in New York. He tells of his purchase of the (haunted?) farmhouse in Provence, and the people he met there, as well as of the people he knew before, some of whom were present when his beloved wife died after falling off a boat in a storm. In other sections, rich (and not entirely likeable) Antoine Verlaque digs into Barbier's past, and Verlaque's wife Marine, who has just quit her academic job to write, volunteers her insights. The ordering of the book stretches what might have been too scanty a plot to cover the entire book.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the last book in the Verlaque & Bonnet series (before the November 2019 release of the next book in the series). It’s extremely charming characterization of Provençal life, a 4.5 star for me. The narrator of the audiobook, Christa Lewis, does a great job with the different voices and (thankfully) does correct pronunciation of the french. The story and subplots were interesting and well done, a fun listen.

[Senga krew_w_piach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Co tu dużo mówić, KOCHAM TĘ SERIĘ.
To jest naprawdę niesowite, że autorce udało się stworzyć cykl, w któr każdy tom jest inny, ciekawy, intrygujący, zaskakujący i wspaniały. A ten konkretny, zgadzam się z przedmówczyniami, najlepszy ze wszystkich! Podwójna narracja i rozdzielenie akcji, wciągająca intryga sprowadzająca czytelnika na manowce do samego końca, zbiór fantastycznych, żywych postaci, elementy grozy, do tego stale obecna kojąca atmosfera Prowansji i odrobina luksusu, która każdemu się należy 🤪
Do tego, tym razem nie tylko bohaterowie czytają literaturę, ale wiodącą postacią jest wielki literat, z burzliwą przeszłością.
No i co poradzić, chyba będę musiała sięgnąć po klasykę i w końcu przeczytać „Rebekę” Daphne Du Maurier.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

They get better and better and the food….

[Josh Krysak · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4.5 stars

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series keeps getting better

[Phyllis · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the 7th installment of M.L. Longworth’s Verlaque and Bennet mystery series, we find our hero and heroine considering the purchase of a home while a new Aixois finds a less-than-welcoming situation in his new home.

This book weaves together two points of view: an interview between a young editor and Valere (new resident and famous author whose fictional early works I’d love to read) and Judge Verlaque and Marine Bonnet.

If I remember correctly, Ms. Longworth has not used this technique before and it’s very effective in this novel; my favorite sections were from Valere’s point of view and really captured the voice of an author caught up in weaving a suspenseful tale. The descriptions of the Bastide Blanche were very well done, as were depictions of the countryside. I certainly felt like I was in France, despite actually actually being in the flatlands of Illinois.

Verlaque and Bonnet were nearly after-thoughts in this go-round, although their culinary choices are always a joy to read and inspire me to do a little more cooking.

The plot started off well, but then got rather silly about 2/3 of the way through and had a ridiculous ending, whereas prior installments in the series were more consistent.

As a side note, the publisher has decided to use a different cover style than the first 6 books, which is s not disappointing as that is what first caught my eye!

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite whodunit series, set in Aix-en-Provence. Usually, each one is a lovely combination of richly drawn atmosphere, a twisty mystery plot, some gastronomic delights, and a handful of characters I have grown to like. This particular book, the seventh in the series, was unfortunately a disaster. The structure, for one thing, was bizarre. The central character, a successful author, sits down with a young man representing a publishing company and proceeds to tell his (very long) personal story over dinner. At some point, this narrative starts to alternate with another one telling the same story, only from the detective's point of view, and a few months earlier in time. This was weird, hard to follow and I never got the point. In the first 100 pages or so, Nothing. Much. Happened. Then 200 pages of a ton of new characters and information dumping and confusion. Needless to say, I'm disappointed. Also, too many restaurant scenes.

[Mystic Miraflores · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was pleasant enough book to read, but the ending had loose ends or unsatisfactory explanations. I enjoyed the setting in the French countryside and liked most of the characters. However, there were so many characters and I wondered if they were all needed. I questioned the structure of the book. Why was Justin even needed? Couldn't Valere write his own story in the first person, instead of telling it to this young man? Justin seemed to be a superfluous character. Also, Marine's friends: Sylvie, Charlotte and eventually Wolfgang, seemed to be a waste of time and words. What important part did they play in the mystery or even Marine's life? The ghost's motives didn't make sense to me either. The parts about Agathe were convoluted. At the end of the book, I felt the author threw on some band-aids over some gaping holes in the story and explanations

[Kimberly Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well I really do not know, I'm torn 50-50....

This was written from 2 different points of view and takes place in Aix-en-Provence July 2010 and New York September 2010.

The former is the version w/ Antonie Verlaque, Marine Bonnet, Bruno Paulik & his family. The latter is the first person account of a well known writer, with a huge secret, about what happened in his life & how it all culminated in July 2010.

I did not like September 2010's first person narration by the famous author.

Here goes: A famous Author (for me that is his name) moves into Le Bastide Blanche, which is next to the Pauliks... The Bastide has a haunting past that effects Lea, the Paulik 11 year old daughter.

The Author's past does a good job of haunting him as well; his wife a famous ceramicist, died several years before, falling off of a boat in foul weather... and the presence in the house of ghostly night-time visits & dreams in addition to the Lady in Pink portrait (which was left unresolved) lends to the mysterious history of the house.

Antoine & Marine (now married) once again join forces investigating the still open case of the death of the Author's wife.

Bruno, investigates the kidnapping of the Author's stepson (which seemed like filler & was poorly executed/thought out/written).

Marine's mother investigates, the letters & college papers of the Author's wife.

Sylvie is as inconsistent & selfish as ever.

The descriptions of the meals & wines was as wonderful as always...

What made this difficult for me to like, was that I didn't like the Author, in telling his story his arrogance was more than evident , and it was obvious that the friendship that Antoine, Marine, Bruno, Helene, & Lea bestowed upon him was unappreciated & for naught.

With the task of tying two p.o.v. together to fit one story, I think Longworth lost her usual steady flow.... Her attempt at melding the two p.o.v. to make a coherent ending was awkward and left too many things unexplained. I feel like something HUGE is missing.

I'm pretty sure I didn't like this book.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Secrets of the Bastide Blanche is written by M. L. Longworth. The title is Book #7 in the Verlaque & Bonnet Provencal Mystery series.
When a scandalous author moves to the outskirts of Aix-en-Provence, an investigation ensues.
Is France’s ‘National Treasure author’ Valere Barbier haunted by more than his sordid past?
(* The investigation involves the reopening of a cold case - the death of Barbier’s wife
Agathe, and mysterious happenings at Barbier’s Bastide Blanche.)
This is a narrative that jumps back and forth from a very elaborate and ‘baring one’s soul’ meeting between Valere Barbier and literary agent wanna-be Justin Wong on September 22,
2010 in New York City interspersed with the early weeks of July 2010 in Aix.
There are many characters and time periods and it is somewhat complex. (I admit to rereading several chapters in order to keep the plot points straight!) But the conversation between Valere and Justin is very interesting and, of course, the food and the wines are a bit overwhelming! (Who can eat and drink that much at one sitting??!!)
The investigations by Antoine & Marine are very interesting, also, and involve the Paulik
family, especially daughter Lea, who live next door to Bastide Blanche.
The locations are spectacular, the characters interesting and the plot threads complex.
I have taken to looking up several of the many expressions I have come across in the books.
*Bastide - is a local term for a manor house in Provence, located in the countryside or in a
village, and originally occupied by a wealthy farmer.
*coucou - (pronounced kookoo) is an informal ‘hello there’ or ‘hi there’. An affectionate and easy going way to say ‘hey’.
*bise/bises - an informal and affectionate greeting - a light kiss on the cheek.

I am very fond of this series. All the titles, including The Secrets of the Bastide Blanche make
for very enjoyable reading. ****

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second to last mystery in this series I have read over the summer with the story developing between two time periods, July and September, 2010, and two different places, Paris and Aix-en-Provence. Valere Barbier, a successful author with a big secret, pitches his memoir, telling his story to a young publisher in Paris over a long dinner with many courses and wine selections.

The protagonists, Antoine Verlaque, and his wife, Marine Bonnet, met Barbier in July at his recently purchased estate, Bastide Blanche, coincidentally next door to Bruno Paulik, police commissioner, and his family. The mansion is allegedly filled with ghosts, and Barbier has great difficulty sleeping through the night there. Verlaque is asked to investigate the mysterious death of Barbier's wife more than 20 years before. That takes Verlaque and Bonnet down a few rabbit holes. Some of the characters whom I have loved from previous novels are also present especially Marine's mother, Sylvie, Marine's best friend, her daughter, Paulik, his wife and young daughter.

Because several authors are at the center of the investigation, a discussion about what is most important in a novel, plot, characters, or dialogue, interested me. The conversations about the "worth" of different genres, which plagued the successful author, also surfaced throughout the plot. The plot is complex as always but left me confused and with a number of unanswered questions and details too conveniently wrapped up, which is the first time this has happened to me reading this author.

[Mary Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure where I come down on this entry to the series, but I congratulate the author on trying something new: a split narration. Some chapters are written principally from the Verlaque-Bonnet-Paulik perspective in the usual style, while others narrate the meeting of the celebrated author Valere Barbier recalling the same incidents to a young man representing the publishing house hoping to gain a contract for his memoirs. As they wend their way through multiple courses of fine food and drink, Barbier recounts the strange doings at the country house he had recently purchased, but does not reveal one of his chief secrets.

As the story goes on, Verlaque takes on a re-opened investigation of a suspicious death decades earlier and he and his team respond to a kidnapping, both of which may, or may not, be related to the odd goings-on at the Bastide Blanche, the sordid history of which Bonnet and her formidable mother research.

I appreciated hearing events from this different perspective, but I found the solutions to the two mysteries rushed and unsatisfactory. Maybe I missed something - my reading of the relatively slim book stretched over several weeks, itself an indication that, while entertaining, the plot was not gripping, so perhaps I had forgotten earlier connections by the time I was reading the final chapters. And the kidnapping seemed to be added only to stretch out the length of the book, without a thorough solution.

And for those who have read no other Verlaque/Bonnet novels: this one is not typical of the series.

[AD Moreau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anything Longworth is worth the read! Or at least it seems that way in my experience after having now read 6 out of the 7 in the series (recently published A Noel Killing).

As is my style of review, I will share more about why I appreciate the particular author and/or story (plot), and less of what the story/plot is about. That said, THE SECRETS OF THE BASTIDE BLANCHE (Verlaque and Bonnet) series is set in France and usually involves the telling and retelling of death/murder related to the history of France, often associated with Paris architecture. Verlaque and Bonnet (a senior Magistrate and his partner, a former professor), are lead in solving the case. The interesting thing about M.L. Longworth is how the author weaves these two lead characters into the mystery/murder so easily. Sometimes it seems as though the route to the connection is a bit long and extended, however, this is the glorious art of the author, taking time to create the reality.

In THE SECRETS OF THE BASTIDE BLANCHE, an old and (perhaps wiser) world famous French author sits in a fancy New York restaurant, over a long and luxurious dinner to share an idea for his (long-awaited) memoir with a young and upcoming New York book reviewer. Obviously, intricate to the memoir is the somewhat mysterious death of the author's famous wife over 15 years ago. The retelling coincidentally is now connected to the fact that the author has moved into an old mansion in Aix-en-Provence, vacant for decades and rumored to be haunted. Soon readers of the series will remember, (and new readers) discover Verlaque and Bonnet have significant to Aix-en-Provence as well. Herein lies the subtle genius of M.L. Longworth in intertwining the lives of history of current and past lives with present predicaments of mystery and murder. It’s an interesting trip to France and fun read. peace

[Tad · Rating 3 out of 5]

My thoughts on this book are very mixed. On the one hand, it felt like a series reboot (or Act 2) in many ways - at least in terms of character development. For example, Veralque and Bonnet, while married in the last book, are now in a position of building their lives together as a married couple. The author spends a lot of time developing this thread; the fruits of which have yet to be seen.

Sylvie, as a side character also got a bit of a reboot, which to be honest, I didn't really care about. Bruno, Helene and Lea, were also prominently featured. While they didn't get a reboot per se, Lea's character is fleshed out a bit more, the results of which I personally didn't care for - I would give specifics, but want to avoid spoilers.

So, in terms of character development and progression - I'm willing to overlook some of the messiness of it all IF it yields satisfying results in future installations.

The mystery on the other hand didn't grab me - the characters involved (especially the women) were not well developed, to the point of me getting confused as to who was who. The narrative style and time-jumps were also confusing. I appreciate that this author is willing to try new things, but in my view, the narrative approach in this story did not work.

Overall, 3.4 stars. Not one of my favorites.

[Maurynne Maxwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the series, it’s my new favorite, just wish modern publishing did not rely on computers instead of humans for grammar, spelling, and continuity errors. The death of literacy continues along with the devolution of humans as we dwindle to extinction.
Reading is the perfect way to “fiddle as Rome burns,” however, & this series—along with Bruno has given me a positive nostalgia, taking me back to my high-school days of reading Paris Match & devouring French culture.
And it’s such a pleasure to be able to read mysteries that leave you feeling good instead of terrible, balancing the violence of murder with the everyday goodness that humans also exhibit.
However, wonder if Penguin is ever going to fix this, there’s a big obvious continuity error. I started the book so excited about the timing, because this is my birthday week (& several friends, we Cancers bond) and the timeline aligns perfectly! However, in the book, Tuesday is July 6 and then Wednesday is also July 6 so the timeline is off, disappointing me hugely. Granted, it’s why I noticed, but this really should have been caught by several copy editors & proofers!!!

[Reggie Billingsworth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite the publisher's hype, I wouldn't say this was 'spine tingling' at all. A tad confusing perhaps for a newbie to the series but that is typical as the known characters appear quickly.

However, there is a way to adapt to this slightly overwhelming state which probably is against all the rules of mystery readers everywhere. And so while I do not recommend this reading strategy to all mystery/detective fans...this particular work benefits from a pause around the first 150 pages, a skip to the last two chapters, a few notes made and then a return to leisurely stroll along through the middle to the end of the book.

Others have more tellingly remarked on what they saw in their armchairs as obvious weaknesses of this Longworth's seventh in the Verlaque and Bonnet series, but using the above strategy I was more accepting of the explanations even if they did require some stretching to tidy up loose ends fast as, one could suspect, the page count reached the contractual length.

A lovely wander through the region's culture and a bit of a fun read despite the slightly cranky machinations. Might try another one.