Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The story:
Richard Ainsworth is fed up. Lumbered looking after the mayor’s stall at the town of Saint-Sauver’s 25th anniversary celebration of its twinning with Anglethorp Spa, he’d rather be elsewhere. But that’s nothing compared to his mood when he discovers the mayor’s body in an antique dresser he’s been trying to sell…
As ever, his dynamic business partner Valérie d’Orçay is keen to investigate. But when Richard’s suspicions of Valérie’s (most recent) husband drive a wedge between the pair, Richard finds himself investigating solo. But with complications in the form of international art fraud, a pregnant poodle, and two rival boule (or is it pétanque?) teams, will Richard be able to unravel the mystery? And more importantly, will he get some peace and quiet?
My thoughts:
I’ve been reading author Ian Moore’s Follet Valley Mysteries since they began, and “Death and Boules” is now the fifth instalment featuring reluctant sleuth Richard Ainsworth and glamorous bounty hunter (and possibly assassin) Valérie d’Orçay.
This time the story is set against the backdrop of the 25th anniversary celebrations of the town’s twinning, and the centrepiece of the celebrations, a boules match between the English team of Anglethorp Spa and the French Avignon Arrivistes, has drawn in the crowds. But trouble seems to be attracted to Richard, and it’s not long before a murder investigation is underway.
Poor Richard is reluctantly drawn into the investigations, and almost straight away falls out with Valérie over her very suspicious husband Edmond Masson – a man who had been missing for many years and unexpectedly reappeared in Valérie’s life, much to Richard’s annoyance, in the last book “Death in le Jardin”. Left to his own devices, Richard shows a surprisingly determined attitude to get to the bottom of things, despite the interventions of Valérie’s former colleague, now nemesis, Oriane Moulin, and his unexpected recruitment into the British boules team.
As ever, this is a laugh-out-loud book with an eclectic cast of characters, and a genuinely good mystery at its heart – and set in the idyllic French Loire valley, a great summer read too!