Death in le Jardin is the fourth book in Ian Moore's Follet Valley cozy series set in the Loire Valley. Released 6th June 2024 by Farrago Books, it's 320 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links.
This is a very light humorous cozy featuring a pair of unlikely amateur sleuths: Richard, a hapless middle aged Englishman running a B&B in France and Valérie, a force of nature femme fatale and, Richard suspects, assassin, or a spy at the very least.
The
inevitable comparisons between this and Osman's Thursday Murder Club
books are not entirely apt and unfortunately this series suffers by
comparison. There is a frenetic bantering quality to the humor here and
there's more self-aware aspect; almost breaking the fourth wall in
places. (Metalepsis for the English majors in the room). Despite that,
it's entertaining and easy to read and the denouement and resolution are
satisfying and well written. There are a number of genuinely funny bits
and the author is quite adept at patter and dialogue and his comedic
timing is excellent.
Four stars. There are four books in the series currently, along
with a couple of shorter stories, and it would make an excellent choice for
binge/buddy read or for public library acquisition.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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