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A review by srivalli
THE BAGUETTE MURDERS by Anne Penketh
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
2.75
2.7 Stars
One Liner: Nice!
Pippa runs her bakery in Brittany and spends her evenings with her gendarme boyfriend. She has a few friends like Jennifer, Meredith, and Gwen. As per her habit, Pippa goes to Derek’s house to drop a basket of fresh baguettes only to find him dead on the piano with blood and breadcrumbs around him.
Derek is a retired GP from Britain offering physical fitness training in his new home. Who could have killed him and why? Pippa joins hands with Jennifer to solve the case.
The story comes in the third-person POV of multiple characters.
My Thoughts:
Though this is the third book in the series, it can work as a standalone (I didn’t read the previous books). However, the town politics might be a bit confusing (even if it is easy enough to follow).
The murder happens fairly early so we are pretty much into the mystery from the beginning. Pippa and Jennifer are the sleuths, though the police (gendarme) have some role. However, neither lady follows the sleuthing template, so I was confused for a while.
The story moves quickly and is a short book (250-odd pages) that works in its favor. There’s an overarching plot with the local politics and dramas as well as the developments in the characters’ personal lives.
The writing is simple and easy to follow. There’s a fair sprinkling of French words and sentences that I didn’t bother to translate. I went with the flow.
There’s a list of suspects and more deaths happen. The case is easy to solve once the clues are in place. However, the reason I couldn’t enjoy the book more was my inability to connect with Pippa. She just doesn’t seem like someone who solves crimes. Cozy mystery is my go-to genre, so I read dozens of such books every year. She didn’t click for me. I think the book will work for those who already enjoy the series or can connect with Pippa.
Despite everything, I’m glad to read a book that discusses the impact of Britishers relocating to other European countries and disturbing the local infrastructure, pricing, etc. It’s not something I’ve read in fiction though I did see quite a few articles on the internet.
To summarize, The Baguette Murders is a quick and easy mystery with a large cast set in a French town. How you enjoy the book will depend on how much you like the main characters.
My thanks to the author, publisher Joffe Books, and Zooloo’s Book Tours for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
One Liner: Nice!
Pippa runs her bakery in Brittany and spends her evenings with her gendarme boyfriend. She has a few friends like Jennifer, Meredith, and Gwen. As per her habit, Pippa goes to Derek’s house to drop a basket of fresh baguettes only to find him dead on the piano with blood and breadcrumbs around him.
Derek is a retired GP from Britain offering physical fitness training in his new home. Who could have killed him and why? Pippa joins hands with Jennifer to solve the case.
The story comes in the third-person POV of multiple characters.
My Thoughts:
Though this is the third book in the series, it can work as a standalone (I didn’t read the previous books). However, the town politics might be a bit confusing (even if it is easy enough to follow).
The murder happens fairly early so we are pretty much into the mystery from the beginning. Pippa and Jennifer are the sleuths, though the police (gendarme) have some role. However, neither lady follows the sleuthing template, so I was confused for a while.
The story moves quickly and is a short book (250-odd pages) that works in its favor. There’s an overarching plot with the local politics and dramas as well as the developments in the characters’ personal lives.
The writing is simple and easy to follow. There’s a fair sprinkling of French words and sentences that I didn’t bother to translate. I went with the flow.
There’s a list of suspects and more deaths happen. The case is easy to solve once the clues are in place. However, the reason I couldn’t enjoy the book more was my inability to connect with Pippa. She just doesn’t seem like someone who solves crimes. Cozy mystery is my go-to genre, so I read dozens of such books every year. She didn’t click for me. I think the book will work for those who already enjoy the series or can connect with Pippa.
Despite everything, I’m glad to read a book that discusses the impact of Britishers relocating to other European countries and disturbing the local infrastructure, pricing, etc. It’s not something I’ve read in fiction though I did see quite a few articles on the internet.
To summarize, The Baguette Murders is a quick and easy mystery with a large cast set in a French town. How you enjoy the book will depend on how much you like the main characters.
My thanks to the author, publisher Joffe Books, and Zooloo’s Book Tours for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.