Murder in a French Village

By Merryn Allingham

What it’s about?

Join bookshop owner Flora Steele and handsome writer Jack Carrington as they set off on a French adventure and solve a chilling crime!

Jack is stunned to receive a call from his estranged mother, Sybil, asking him to drop everything and come to France. Together with Flora, his fellow sleuth, they pack their suitcases, dreaming of fragrant lavender fields and freshly baked pain au chocolat. It’s only when they arrive that they discover the shocking truth – Sybil’s friend was killed on a street in Paris, and she is desperate for their help.

The case leads them to a picturesque village in the south of France where life should be rosé, but even the bright blue skies can’t hide the fact that something is very wrong. And the mystery only deepens when Flora discovers that Sybil was in fact the intended target. Who would want her out of the way?

Perhaps Sybil’s relationship with wealthy Italian count Massimo Falconi has something to do with it. His darling daughter Allegra, ruthless business partner Pascal and his jealous estranged wife Isabella all have reasons for revenge…

Then, when another person in the small French town dies in suspicious circumstances, Flora is convinced the two untimely deaths must be connected. Just when the case seems impossible to crack, a chess box provides an unlikely clue.

Can Flora discover the truth before Sybil meets her end? Or could trouble in paradise spell a final au revoir for the detective duo?

A completely addictive cozy crime novel. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Faith Martin and Joy Ellis!

What I think:

The Flora Steele Mystery Series is an auto- read series for me. I love cosy mysteries, and this is a great series with a cast of interesting characters.

This book gives us a glimpse into Jack’s life and his relationship with his mother, Sybil.

Sybil calls Jack out of the blue, demanding that he comes to France and helps her after the death of her friend. Scared for her own safety, Sybil expects Jack to drop everything and head to Paris.

Jack and Flora use the opportunity to add a, hopefully, romantic trip to Paris and for Flora to find some resolutions of her own.

Sybil is spoiled and selfish. She expects Jack to find out what has happened to her friend but doesn’t really offer him any help. She is more concerned about securing her marriage to the wealthy Count Falconi.

As Jack and Flora investigate, it becomes clear that Sybil could actually be in danger and tensions are rising between the members of the Falconi family.

I loved the glimpse into Jack’s childhood and to be honest, it is nothing short of a miracle that he has turned out to be so lovely! Flora also finds out more about her own family – no spoilers from me!

I really love how the characters grow and develop. So many cosy series have static characters that remain the same in each book. Jack and Flora are finding out each other and themselves, and there is a real authenticity to their relationship.

I’ll definitely be reading the next instalment of Flora’s adventures.

About the author:

Merryn taught university literature for many years, and it took a while to pluck up the courage to begin writing herself. Bringing the past to life is a passion and her historical fiction includes Regency romances, wartime sagas and timeslip novels, all of which have a mystery at their heart. As the books have grown darker, it was only a matter of time before she plunged into crime with a cosy crime series set in rural Sussex against the fascinating backdrop of the 1950s.

Merryn lives in a beautiful old town in Sussex with her husband. When she’s not writing, she tries to keep fit with adult ballet classes and plenty of walking.

https://merrynallingham.com/
https://www.facebook.com/MerrynWrites
https://twitter.com/merrynwrites

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Buy Link:

Amazon: https://geni.us/B0C53HLVP6social

Thank you to Bookoutre for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.