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manek_m's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
clairewords's review against another edition
4.0
Death at the Château Bremont is a mystery and in order to keep the mystery alive, I will only reveal that Étienne de Bremont falls to his death from a Château window, an investigation is requested and after some drama involving clandestine affairs, jealous siblings, polo players, Russian millionaires and a New York suicide, all will slowly be revealed.
What makes Longworth's mystery unique is the journey. It is far from dark and gory, realms she has no apparent appetite for, however she will take you on a gastronomic excursion through the towns, vineyards and countryside of the region, visiting suspects while piecing together the connections and clues to the lives of those involved in this conspiracy. So not just a book for aficionados of mystery's, but one for food and wine lovers and anyone who has ever dreamed of living and working in a city of culture and gastronomy in the South of France.
The second book in the series, 'Murder in the Rue Dumas' will be published on 25 September 2012.
More on this novel at 'Word by Word'
What makes Longworth's mystery unique is the journey. It is far from dark and gory, realms she has no apparent appetite for, however she will take you on a gastronomic excursion through the towns, vineyards and countryside of the region, visiting suspects while piecing together the connections and clues to the lives of those involved in this conspiracy. So not just a book for aficionados of mystery's, but one for food and wine lovers and anyone who has ever dreamed of living and working in a city of culture and gastronomy in the South of France.
The second book in the series, 'Murder in the Rue Dumas' will be published on 25 September 2012.
More on this novel at 'Word by Word'
gillbillian's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I read book 5 first and loved it. This was good but it was definitely a first book. It has improved to book 5. The author seems more comfortable in her writing, but everyone has to start somewhere and this was a good start.
jmeston's review against another edition
Not as lively as I had hoped. The setting is the star but the characters don't live up to it. The realistic sexism of those characters (male and female, oh la France!) didn't make me happy either.
ljkarst's review against another edition
4.0
For a Francophile like myself, this traditional mystery set in Aix-en-Provence was like candy. It's obvious that Longworth, though not French, has a great familiarity with the culture and people. A fun read!
valb's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
lanies's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Let me start by saying this is not a bad book. The mystery plot is interesting enough, but it probably makes up less than 25% of the book, which is dominated by in-depth analyses of unlikeable characters. The characters (particularly Verlaque) are pretentious and irritating, and the main romance was just unconvincing and frankly a bit sad. It was interesting to learn more about the culture of southern France, but my god, a girl can only take so much rambling about cigars and pastis and dining etiquette. Overall, I didn’t hate the book, there was just nothing particularly appealing about it.
fleurette's review against another edition
3.0
I couldn't get into this book and I don't quite understand my problem.
I liked the overall concept, although it's not particularly innovative. This is one of those books that I could put aside without regret for a few hours or even days and do something else, read something else. I wasn't that interested in how it all ends. But it was also not so boring for me to decide that there is no point in finishing this book. It was just fine.
Verlaque is the main character who has many flaws. It should probably make him more human and interesting, but unfortunately it also made him very hard to be likeable. And since this book was not able to really catch my interest, the fact that I could not attached to the main character only exacerbated my problem. Verlaque is not so bad, although at times his snootiness and snobbery was annoying.
The Marine-Verlaque relationship also irritated me a bit. Well, it's hard to talk about any real relationship. I think I liked Marine more than Verlaque, and I was sorry she couldn't get over her feelings for this man. I thought she would be better with someone else. Someone who would treat her better and appreciate her much more.
The plot is fine. There are some interesting twists and possible suspects. The story is set in a small French town and draws from the atmosphere of a quiet sleepy town. Unfortunately for me it somehow didn't work out. The solution to the mystery is interesting and not that obvious, but I'm not sure I'll remember it.
I give this book a weak 3 stars. I am not sure if I will read any more books in this series. Maybe. But certainly not right now.
I liked the overall concept, although it's not particularly innovative. This is one of those books that I could put aside without regret for a few hours or even days and do something else, read something else. I wasn't that interested in how it all ends. But it was also not so boring for me to decide that there is no point in finishing this book. It was just fine.
Verlaque is the main character who has many flaws. It should probably make him more human and interesting, but unfortunately it also made him very hard to be likeable. And since this book was not able to really catch my interest, the fact that I could not attached to the main character only exacerbated my problem. Verlaque is not so bad, although at times his snootiness and snobbery was annoying.
The Marine-Verlaque relationship also irritated me a bit. Well, it's hard to talk about any real relationship. I think I liked Marine more than Verlaque, and I was sorry she couldn't get over her feelings for this man. I thought she would be better with someone else. Someone who would treat her better and appreciate her much more.
The plot is fine. There are some interesting twists and possible suspects. The story is set in a small French town and draws from the atmosphere of a quiet sleepy town. Unfortunately for me it somehow didn't work out. The solution to the mystery is interesting and not that obvious, but I'm not sure I'll remember it.
I give this book a weak 3 stars. I am not sure if I will read any more books in this series. Maybe. But certainly not right now.
abbyprolman's review against another edition
3.0
An enjoyable book, you get more into the mystery later in the book but I like just living in the French countryside. That's all I got a good ass time