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slferg's review against another edition
4.0
A very interesting read. The main characters are a little different - Marine Bonnet is a law professor in Aix and Antoine Verlacque is a judge. They have a history, but have split up. Etienne Bremont is discovered dead at the chateau owned by his family. He seems to have fallen out of a loft and broken his neck. Marine grew up with the brothers Etienne and Francois at the chateau. Verlaque turns to her for information about the brothers. Most people assume Etienne accidentally fell out of the window but Verlaque has a suspicion that this is not so, that he was pushed. Then, the day of Etienne's funeral, Francois is discovered floating in a fountain at the chateau.
The book is set in France and provides an interesting look at the setup of the French legal system. Of course, the intricacies of the system are not discussed, but a broad overview is provided.
I will read more of the series.
The book is set in France and provides an interesting look at the setup of the French legal system. Of course, the intricacies of the system are not discussed, but a broad overview is provided.
I will read more of the series.
jmballard28's review against another edition
3.0
Lovely mystery to get from the library. Well written with a plot that has a slight twist at the end. In this, the first book in the series, a French nobleman dies by falling out of the window--did he fall, or was he pushed? And so begins the intrigue with cameos by the Russian mob and polo players.
I still think MC Verlaque is too much of a snob for me to like him, which probably dropped my rating a star. But I enjoy the other characters, especially Marine who has her "office" in the local cafe. All of the characters feel like real people. Lots of fun mentions of French culture, the Provence countryside, and good food.
I still think MC Verlaque is too much of a snob for me to like him, which probably dropped my rating a star. But I enjoy the other characters, especially Marine who has her "office" in the local cafe. All of the characters feel like real people. Lots of fun mentions of French culture, the Provence countryside, and good food.
jeo224's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
robinwalter's review against another edition
I couldn't get into it because the balance of mystery and romance was off - too much emphasis on physical attraction and reminiscing about past amour too early in the case.
lisaarnsdorf's review against another edition
2.0
The setting was great, and the central characters were great!
But I found the plot to be a bit too "kitchen sink." It felt as though Longworth couldn't really decide who she wanted the killer(s) to be. We started with an interesting family-based murder, left that behind for a mob hit (or multiple mobs?), and then tried to find something in the middle. What we ended with was a wild goose chase, too many characters, too many main plot points that became sub plot points and vice versa, and all in a rather short book. I mean, Russian models-cum-forced/underage prostitutes? Come on! By the last 40 pages, I was getting annoyed at how slowly it was taking to get to the wrap up.
The final piece was baffling, coming completely out of left field. It made absolutely no sense in relation to the rest of the story. I thought that maybe it was a teaser for the next book, but when I looked up the plot summary, it didn't match. Just plain odd.
And the caretaker of the chateau was a really oddly written character. I couldn't tell if Longworth was trying to write an uneducated middle-aged man with simple tastes, or a very kind but mentally challenged man. This is where the ivory tower stereotypes come from.
All in all, this book left me confused.
But I found the plot to be a bit too "kitchen sink." It felt as though Longworth couldn't really decide who she wanted the killer(s) to be. We started with an interesting family-based murder, left that behind for a mob hit (or multiple mobs?), and then tried to find something in the middle. What we ended with was a wild goose chase, too many characters, too many main plot points that became sub plot points and vice versa, and all in a rather short book. I mean, Russian models-cum-forced/underage prostitutes? Come on! By the last 40 pages, I was getting annoyed at how slowly it was taking to get to the wrap up.
The final piece was baffling, coming completely out of left field. It made absolutely no sense in relation to the rest of the story. I thought that maybe it was a teaser for the next book, but when I looked up the plot summary, it didn't match. Just plain odd.
And the caretaker of the chateau was a really oddly written character. I couldn't tell if Longworth was trying to write an uneducated middle-aged man with simple tastes, or a very kind but mentally challenged man. This is where the ivory tower stereotypes come from.
All in all, this book left me confused.
avidreadergirl1's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
A good start to a series.
I liked the main storyline and it’s twists and turn that seemed to provide false leads as well as real ones.
Overall, the cast of characters was diversified and well explained without too much details but it seems that the same cannot be said of the overload of descriptions that bring nothing to the story, that is mainly lengthy bits about cigars and Verlaque’s libido as well as descriptions of Marine’s activities that bring nothing to the plot.
I’m looking forward to getting book 2 in the series.
I liked the main storyline and it’s twists and turn that seemed to provide false leads as well as real ones.
Overall, the cast of characters was diversified and well explained without too much details but it seems that the same cannot be said of the overload of descriptions that bring nothing to the story, that is mainly lengthy bits about cigars and Verlaque’s libido as well as descriptions of Marine’s activities that bring nothing to the plot.
I’m looking forward to getting book 2 in the series.
gawronma's review against another edition
3.0
A very nice traditional mystery in the South of France. The author did cover a lot of wine drinking, eating and cigar smoking. The characters were fun and a neat plot.
griffinaria's review
Narrator had robotic voice, plus casual misogyny really frustrating
bucherca49's review against another edition
3.0
I will probably give the series another chance, but this first novel has a rather weak plot and seems to focus more on the relationship between the two main characters, Antoine Verlaque and Marine Bonnet. They had been in a relationship, which was broken off by Verlaque, and it appears that they want to get together again, but neither one is sure about it or wants to be the first to suggest it. The city of Aix-en-Provence provides a nice backdrop.