Murder Visits a French Village

January 30, 2023
In Shea’s uneven third French Village mystery (after 2018’s Dressed for Death in Burgundy), New Yorker Ariel Shepard is reeling from her husband’s sudden death and his lawyer’s revelation that he purchased a dilapidated 19th-century French chateau in Noyers-sur-Serein as a surprise for her. Coping with eccentric workmen there, mounting maintenance problems, and bat and rat challenges, she’s happy to make new friends: British mystery writer Pippa Hathaway and U.S. expatriate Katherine Goff, as well as historian Christiane Breton, who begins to delve into the chateau’s past. Christiane dies in what appears to be a fall at the chateau, but the death looks suspicious, and Pippa, Katherine, and Ariel vow to find out more despite police hostility to meddling amateurs and danger to Christiane’s husband. Alert readers will quickly cotton on to the perpetrator and may become a little impatient with the oblivious Ariel. However, the colorful locals, as well as the rich culinary and cultural ambiance, show promise. Hopefully, Shea will do better next time. Agent: Christine Hogrebe, Jane Rotrosen Agency.

February 15, 2023
An American woman intent on restoring an ancient ch�teau in France faces many challenges. Ariel Shepard has recently lost her wealthy and beloved husband, Dan. Refusing to battle his first wife over his estate, she finds herself left with an expensive New York apartment and, to her surprise, the decrepit French ch�teau she'd admired on their honeymoon almost four years earlier--which she didn't know Dan had bought as a gift for her. She decides to take a leap of faith and move to Reigny-Sur-Canne, and through a friend she meets Katherine and Michael Goff, fellow American expatriates. Monsieur Brunet, the lawyer who handled her husband's acquisition of the ch�teau, is happy to lend a hand, suggesting workers to help restore the property, which needs massive repairs. Ariel quickly strikes up a friendship with Katherine, who approves of her plans to run a B&B but warns her that it will take much longer than she thinks to restore the building. She also meets British mystery author Pippa Hathaway and French scholar Christiane Breton, who can tell her more about the history of the ch�teau. As the multinational crowd working on the restoration makes slow progress, Christiane, who's interested in tracing the building's provenance, finds something that doesn't look quite right. When Ariel stumbles over Christiane's body, her dream turns into a nightmare. Soon thereafter, Ariel narrowly escapes a robbery attempt and Christiane's husband is attacked. Ariel, Katherine, and an enthusiastic Pippa start sleuthing in the hope of finding the killer before they become the next victims. The charming details of French country life make up for a mediocre mystery.

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February 15, 2023
Recently widowed, Ariel Shepard travels to France, where she inherited a chateau in Burgundy that her late husband had purchased and planned to restore for her. Ariel finds the chateau needs plenty of work, but she is determined to transform it into an inn. While she navigates the unfamiliar world of construction in France, a new friend, fellow expat Katherine, introduces her to scholar Christiane Breton, who offers to research the history of the chateau. Christiane is bothered by something she learns, but before she can tell Ariel what it is, she is murdered. Soon one of the workmen is a suspect in the killing, and someone attempts to steal Ariel's laptop. Egged on by Katherine and her friend Pippa (who have solved other cases in Shea's French Village Mysteries series), the three investigate, ultimately unraveling clues on the way to a solution. Ariel is a sympathetic amateur sleuth, starting a new life in a new country in her thirties, and the mystery is nicely framed by a view of expat life in France and the details of restoring a chateau.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

March 1, 2023

New Yorker Ariel Shepherd is devastated by the sudden death of her husband of only four years. When she learns that he bought a rundown French ch�teau they'd visited on their honeymoon in a small village in the Burgundy region of France, she decides to make a new start. She immerses herself in the time-consuming renovation of the ch�teau and hires a historian, Christiane Breton, to research its history. However, after only a few visits, Christiane is found dead in the ch�teau's moat. With the help of two new friends, fellow expats Pippa and Katherine, Ariel is determined to find out who wanted Christiane dead. After Ariel finds Christiane's husband beaten and left for dead, she redoubles her efforts to find the person behind these crimes and restore peace to her new hometown. VERDICT The quirky village residents make this an appealing series debut. Characters from Shea's "French Village Murder" series also appear in this book, but that does not detract from the storyline. Recommended for those who enjoyed the author's previous series and for fans of M.L. Longworth, Martin Walker, and Serena Kent.--Jean King

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