First Line: Is there anything in this world quite as joyless as muesli?Nothing ever happens to Richard Ainsworth, and that's the way he likes it. Running a B&B in the Loire Valley and dealing with Madame Tablier, his terror of a cleaning lady, is more than enough for him. There's nothing he likes better than a glass of wine and watching an old movie in the evening. That is, until the morning one of his guests disappears, leaving a bloody handprint on the wallpaper, and another guest, the glamorous Valérie d'Orçay, insists that he help her find the missing man. Then his world is turned upside down.
At first, Richard is merely a passenger in the investigation until someone murders Eva Gardner. This leaves Lana Turner and Joan Crawford alone in the chicken coop. Determined to find out who murdered his hen, this former film historian won't rest until the killer is captured.
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This first Follet Valley mystery written by standup comic Ian Moore is competent and amusing. The mystery is a good one although some of the threads do meander from time to time. If you're a fan of a certain mystery series and the words "Loire Valley" and "France" made your eyes light up, you need to settle down a bit. Death and Croissants is not Bruno Chief of Police: Northern France. Far from it. This book is played almost entirely for laughs, and the ex-pat experience far outweighs the French factor.
Everything is seen through the eyes of Richard Ainsworth, former film historian, who has the tendency to utter a movie quote that makes Valérie d'Orçay put two and two together and solve another piece of the mystery. Anyone who remembers a television series called Remington Steele may find this sounding a bit familiar. It's a miracle that Richard can make a go of his B&B due to his attitude and the terrifying presence of Madame Tablier the cleaning lady who would be perfectly cast sitting at the foot of a guillotine with her knitting. It's a good thing this mystery came along to shake things up.
If you're in the mood for something light and fun that will keep a smile on your face as you turn the pages, pick up a copy of Death and Croissants. It may be just what the doctor ordered.
Death and Croissants by Ian Moore
eISBN: 9781788423571
Farrago Books © 2021
eBook, 202 pages
Amateur Sleuth, #1 Follet Valley mystery
Rating: B-
Source: Net Galley
