Take a photo of a barcode or cover
julan1027's review against another edition
4.0
Judge Verlaque and his girlfriend, Dr. Bonnet, head for a vacation at a newly renovated hotel on an isolated island off the coast of France. They are there with 9 other guests and a small staff of 8 for the opening week, and everyone is enjoying the sun, swimming, and pampering until one guest goes missing and another is murdered. Suddenly Judge Verlaque finds himself on the trail of a killer.
This book was like a mini-vacation. Longworth did a fabulous job of setting the stage and making me feel like I was in a luxury hotel in the Mediterranean. The descriptions of the food and drinks were mouth-watering perfection; I still find myself craving a goat cheese creme brulee with caramelized onions.
Murder on the Ile Sordoue felt very French. It was very different from when my favorite British detectives travel to France, and very enjoyable.
I found the book to be well-paced, and although the murder didn't take place until after 100 pages, the first part of the book provided a deeper understanding of some of the characters. Verlaque and Bonnet were both very likable. I feel she did a wonderful job making the primary characters seem very human. The one who was most one-dimensional was intentionally so and was a rather loathsome person.
Longworth kept me guessing at the identity of the murderer until the very end, which I loved! Clues were scattered about liberally, but were not obvious. The detectives were intuitive and intelligent.
There was a good bit of French language scattered throughout the book. Most of it was translated in context, but on occasion I had to translate it to see if I was missing anything important.
For those who are bothered by such things, there was also a very brief, but somewhat explicit sex scene. It felt rather out of place in this book.
I received this book a goodreads first-reads giveaway, and I will absolutely now look into others in the series.
This book was like a mini-vacation. Longworth did a fabulous job of setting the stage and making me feel like I was in a luxury hotel in the Mediterranean. The descriptions of the food and drinks were mouth-watering perfection; I still find myself craving a goat cheese creme brulee with caramelized onions.
Murder on the Ile Sordoue felt very French. It was very different from when my favorite British detectives travel to France, and very enjoyable.
I found the book to be well-paced, and although the murder didn't take place until after 100 pages, the first part of the book provided a deeper understanding of some of the characters. Verlaque and Bonnet were both very likable. I feel she did a wonderful job making the primary characters seem very human. The one who was most one-dimensional was intentionally so and was a rather loathsome person.
Longworth kept me guessing at the identity of the murderer until the very end, which I loved! Clues were scattered about liberally, but were not obvious. The detectives were intuitive and intelligent.
There was a good bit of French language scattered throughout the book. Most of it was translated in context, but on occasion I had to translate it to see if I was missing anything important.
For those who are bothered by such things, there was also a very brief, but somewhat explicit sex scene. It felt rather out of place in this book.
I received this book a goodreads first-reads giveaway, and I will absolutely now look into others in the series.
iceangel9's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The fourth installment in the realistic fiction Provencal Mystery series. Judge Verlaque and Marine decide to take a vacation and spend it on the island of Ile Sordou, which has just opened a small new hotel. The owners are excited because a famous film star and his wife and stepson have also booked for the week and they are hoping this will bring them the publicity they will need to make a go of the hotel. Then the film star is found murdered, and the Judge and Marine must step in and solve the mystery. But is this the first time all of the staff and guests have been to the island? Full of eccentric characters, this is a charming addition to this series which fans will enjoy.
djorgenson112358's review against another edition
3.0
Not a spectacular novel but it was an enjoyable read. It's a quieter, slower kind of murder mystery. I have a feeling the idea was to evoke a bygone era rather than a story set in modern times.
cooperca's review against another edition
4.0
I love Antoine Verlaque!
Although this story was a slower pace than the previous books in the series, it was still a joy to read. A holiday that takes a murderous turn (would we expect anything less when Antoine is involved) on a secluded island that immediately limits the amount of suspects. The island sounds idyllic (well, expect for that little murder) and the description of the food served left me incredibly hungry.
The murder of a has-been actor and a fatal accident years prior come full circle and once the murderer is revealed, it was like a, oh yea, kinda moment.
Great summer read and looking forward to the next in the series!
Although this story was a slower pace than the previous books in the series, it was still a joy to read. A holiday that takes a murderous turn (would we expect anything less when Antoine is involved) on a secluded island that immediately limits the amount of suspects. The island sounds idyllic (well, expect for that little murder) and the description of the food served left me incredibly hungry.
The murder of a has-been actor and a fatal accident years prior come full circle and once the murderer is revealed, it was like a, oh yea, kinda moment.
Great summer read and looking forward to the next in the series!
melindamm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
romonko's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This is the fourth book in the Verlaque and Bonnet series. I love this series set in France so much! As usual, the food and wine are exquisite and the location can't be beat (an isolated island off the Coast of Marseilles). Friends of Marine's have opened up a boutique hotel on the island, and Antoine and Marine have been invited to the inaugural grand opening of this hotel. Things are going well, and then the body of one of the guests is found on the beach and the man had been shot through the head. There is no question it is murder. Who on this island had a reason to see the man dead? As Verlaque investigates, he uncovers 50 year old secrets among the guests, and it looks like more than one person had a good reason to kill. I found the pace terribly slow in this one. It had an unusually long start and the murder doesn't occur until almost halfway through the book. That is why I gave the book 3 stars, but I still really enjoyed Verlaque and Bonnet, and the mystery, when it finally occurred, was a tricky one. I look forward to reading the next book in the series. I did listen to this one on audiobook.
lazygal's review against another edition
2.0
Maybe the blurb needs to be rewritten: this isn't a true locked room (or, more accurately, isolated island) mystery. Yes, there's a storm, but it doesn't keep people from the island for terribly long. And the whodunnit part could have been bumped up while the other stuff, like the number of times we're told that Verlaque has money - a lot, tons, a veritable fortune - could have been lessened. It's also obvious that the author is trying too hard to infuse the series with French flavor; by explaining or translating everything, it just highlights the cultural issues rather than gently inserts them.
ARC provided by publisher.
ARC provided by publisher.
jannie_mtl's review against another edition
3.0
Quite an enjoyable, cosy mystery, set on a fictional island off the coast of Marseille. Would read more in the series.
nonna7's review against another edition
4.0
I can't believe I've missed this author. This is the fourth in the series, so I do have some catching up to do. Judge Antoine Verlaque and his girlfriend, Maxine Bonnet, a law professor, are off for a holiday week at a luxury hotel on one of the many islands near Marseille. They are in a small party that includes two Americans, a retired teacher and poet, a washed up actor who does dog food commercials plus his wife and stepson who hates him, Martine's best friend, Sylvie, and a banker (who is an old school mate of Antoine's) and his wife who are going through a bad period in their marriage. They are also investors in the hotel. The hotel had been a playground for famous French stars in the 50's and 60's, but had fallen into disrepair. The owners have put a lot of effort and money into the hotel. It's been a huge undertaking. Not all of the rooms are full, but they are hopeful. They have small but enthusiastic staff including a young chef who prides himself on using locally sourced foods. When the actor is found dead, the suspect pool is narrow. Someone at the hotel did it. Antoine doesn't want any of them to be the murderer, something I found rather endearing. I loved this for a lot of reasons. It's not a long book, yet it packs all of the salient facts. There's also more than a little humor. The only negative (!) I could find was the description of the cook's meals. This is NOT a book to read when you're hungry! Now I'm going to have to backtrack and read the ones I missed, PLUS look out for Ms. Longworth's next book. In the meantime, I'll be checking out her blog that includes some lovely pictures of Southern France as well as an article about a town that makes aioli for the entire town once a year.
http://mllongworth.com/blog/
http://mllongworth.com/blog/