Murder in the Bistro

Maggie Newberry Mysteries #9

by Susan Kiernan-Lewis

Is there a connection between the cat found napping in the flour barrel of the newest bistro and the dead American chef in the meat freezer?

When it comes to Maggie Newberry and the cranky villagers of St-Buvard, how could there not be?

Once more back in Provence, Maggie finds her hands full with village politics ratcheting up to nuclear level, her BFF back on her living room couch—this time with a snotty teenager in tow—and a full blown riot developing over the brand new American-owned bistro.

When the fractious American chef ends up dead, Maggie will need to find out who killed her—and fast—before the chef’s killer decides that two dead Americans in the village are better than one.

This book is a clean no graphic violence, sex or strong language
light culinary cozy mystery, women amateur sleuth, cozy animal (dog)

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Amazon, Mystery Thriller, France, Ebooks

404 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 14, 2016

Reviews

[Sarena · Rating 1 out of 5]

Buckle down, because this is going to be one of those scathing reviews I don't want to write but feel compelled to because of how hard I hate-read this novel. First, and perhaps least important, the characters are all absolutely nasty people. If I ever met one of them in real life, I'd turn around and run away. I think the worst part of this novel is the racist presentation of the Romani (yes, this novel uses the "g" slur) and how they're painted as cheap labor and the devil. Everything else is just icing on top of the cake: there's fat-shaming (even of a child! A fucking 6-year-old child!) and skinny-shaming, incorrect French (the worst of which is "quel's jusqu," which is simply nonsense) and a character asking if someone speaks American, which isn't even a language. The title is also very misleading because the murder is perhaps the smallest of an overload of diverging plots that were unnecessary, especially that Leo plot line. Yeah, sure, let's integrate Maggie into the village by putting her through unimaginable emotional pain????.

[Desertlass · Rating 3 out of 5]

Writing was good, but it was full of NASTY people. They were not redeemed in the end in my opinion. I wouldn't mind reading more from this author if there was even one character which was nice. The protagonist's husband was okay, but that was it.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 - 4 Stars

Murder in the Bistro is the ninth 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!

[Lise · Rating 4 out of 5]

The village of St. Buvard has turned against Maggie due to a mix-up with her newsletter promoting the yearly market. To add to the hate, an arrogant chef, a newcomer, has stirred up more anti-American sentiments. When the chef ends up dead, Maggie becomes drawn into the investigation as a protector for those actively shunning her.

As always, the writing for Murder in the Bistro was excellent. This is my favourite of Susan Kiernan-Lewis' series; I believe she hit her stride with book two and never looked back. Strangely enough, I had somehow skipped over this particular story and it was with delight that I found it. All the pieces that hadn't quite fit in the later books suddenly fell into place.

Caveat for the very squeamish: some details in this story are difficult to handle.

[G.Terenzio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laurent and his American wife Maggie live in a tiny village in Provence/France. Maggie is in the doghouse with the villager because she forgot to send the invitation for the annual festivities out in time. And when another, very rude and obnoxious, American moves into the village to open a French restaurant, tempers flare.
Laurent has his own problems recruiting a bunch of gypsies to do the wine harvest and their houseguest Grace is determined to open her online catalog. She is hiring a photographer who is completely taken by the beauty of Maggie's daughter Mila, but Laurent doesn't give his permission to take Mila's photographes. Things are getting out of hand when a gruesome murder, a fire, a kidnapping and another murder occur.      

[Pierrebleu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good mystery

I do love reading a good mystery and hope I can identify the bad folk early in the book. I failed miserably with this story as I didn’t have a clue until the villain was revealed. At least that’s the case with the murder of the Bistro owner and the kidnapper of young Mila. The other murder was easier to spot although the story seemed to skirt that one.

I’ve enjoyed the Maggie series as her family and friendships develop and am looking forward to continuing with the series sooner rather than later.

The setting in Provence is just wonderful but the occurrence of bad things and nature of the villagers doesn’t make me want to rush to live there.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder in the Bistro
Susan Kiernan-Lewis

An intriguing cosy mystery.

The pace of the book started a bit slow, but then the scenes started building up, pulling me into needing to know what happens next. The story has enough mystery to grip the attention and not too much to make for a heavy read. I enjoyed reading it!

[Casey Dawes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first in this series I've read, and I found it delightful! In spite of the many characters introduced in the beginning, I was easily able to keep them straight which means skillful writing. The mystery was intriguing . I kept reading to find out when the obvious victim was going to get what was coming to her. The solution had me guessing.

There were points where I was confused about what was going on, particularly when it came to the daughter and the cat. That's the only reason I can't go for 5 stars.

[Chanover55 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maggie is running a travel blog that was to advertise a fete in their village but something went terribly wrong & the entire village is upset with her. Laurent is busy getting pickers lined up for the harvest and their friend Grace is back living with them along with her two children. Add to the mix an obnoxious new American Bistro about to open in town and everyone is in for a rough ride. Couldn't put it down & I didn't see the murderer coming. Really enjoy this series!

[Sandy Van Dyke · Rating 4 out of 5]

And the plot thickens

As the story evolved there were several new twists. Maggie our protagonist twisted clues and personalities.

The ending softened so there was no heartbreak. The author holds us back as we lean in and want to know everything right now. It was masterful.

The only reason I gave 4 stars instead of 5 is because mid-book I felt like it was not building into anything new. I stuck with it and again will read next in series.

[Janice Dick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in a small village in France, this unique story chronicles the struggles of a foreigner trying to become one of the village people. Lots of action, good characters, realistic relationships. As the ninth book in the series, it would be better if I'd read the previous books, but as a stand alone, it worked too.

[Leigh · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was a lot going on in this book, and the Murder at the Bistro seemed to be the least important. I used to really like this series, but I am afraid I am going to have to take a break. This one did not weave the storylines together very well. I guess all the loose ends got tied up, but it was very messy.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A country murder

A really casual holiday read. A little slow to get into , but one quarter in I was hooked. Who did it!!!
Lots of characters to follow, possibly a book club book to talk about the different people.
Visually you can see the vine yards and country surrounding the house.
A pleasant read.

[John Mahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read with many twists and surprises. A heavy dose of tragedy and frighteningly well described problems actually kept the pages turning and brought tears to my eyes. No spoilers here. You will have to read it yourself to fully appreciate this one.

[Vicki Harris-Gilgor · Rating 5 out of 5]

cozy series books are a great read. Always a great couple with a dog(s) she cooks and he is in law enforcement. Then there is a murder and a few likely suspects. Usually you can figure out who the killer is but it does not take away from the book. They are always a quick good read.
I so enjoy them

[Barbara Verna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder

What a wonderful series to be reading. Stuck in the house, unable to move about freely, what with the Covid-19 still running full steam ahead. Thank you for keeping me somewhat sane.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great installment in this series! That Kitty is something else. So mean to everyone. Unfortunately, these American visitors are giving Americans a bad name...except Maggie, of course, a bad name!

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

light enjoyable cozy

Great characters. Held my interest. Now I need to read all the previous books and new ones going forward. A relaxing read with twists and turns. Liked the loving family.

[Elizabeth Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

read. from through Bookbub for free. enjoyable read. at times it made me laugh. enjoyable cover. with the one with the tablescape. looks more eye pleasing that the other ones. check this series out. i wanna read more soon.

[Patti St · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

Fast moving with a hint of a pregnant pause. Characters you love to have and characters you want to slap silly. Good storyline and ending. I'm looking forward to the next book in this series.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maggie Newberry is a character that you will never forget. She's an American living in Provence, France. Her adventures will make you love her or wonder if she has a few screws loose. I recommend that this series be read in order.

[Mike Goldman · Rating 3 out of 5]

One unpleasant character after another. Too much angst made reading this a generally unpleasant experience
Even the supposed positive characters, were nails on blackboard completely unlikeable 🤦‍♂️🤷‍♂️👎

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was a lot going on in this book, gypsies, friends with teenage girl problems, photographers, rude Americans, wine harvest, etc etc. it all did come together in the end and was pretty darn good. May have to pick up some of the earlier books in this series.

[Rizello · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maggie gets into trouble again, this time with the villagers as they blame her for lateness in her newsletter advertising the local fete.

I do wish Maggie paid more attention to her children. Interesting storyline with her friend Grace.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was the darkest of the series, so far!

[E · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this was my favorite Maggie Newberry book so far. I like the setting in a small village in Provence. Good mystery and fun characters.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of her best!

[Peggy Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read. Be sure to read them.all in order

[Linda M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best Maggie Newberry murder mystery that I've ever read. So many plots and subplots. And the murder was to die for. It is definitely a cliffhanger.

[Diana Whidden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder in the Bistro

Great read !!!!!!! Another Maggie Newberry murder & all about her family & friends. You get to feel they are your friends too.