Longworth’s gentle procedural succeeds on several levels, whether it’s for academic and literary allusions, police work, or armchair travel. With deftly shifting points of view, Longworth creates a beguiling read that will appeal to Louise Penny and Donna Leon fans.”— Library Journal The mystery is there; witnesses and suspects interviews, clues followed and investigation done. However, it does seem somewhat secondary to the abundance of characters and descriptions. Oddly, this is not a complaint.

Marine had an exciting weekend away planned for the pair before he received a call to say that he would no longer be able to go on the trip. In Sept. 2011, I first discovered Mary Lou Longworth and her first mystery ( Murder at the Chateau Bremont) set in Aix-en-Provence. I waited, impatiently at times, for her follow up books. It is worth the wait. The plot was of a kind that I prefer ie with a small group of suspects and clear motive potential. I didnt spot the culprit but that didnt spoil my enjoyment of the read. Professor Moutte, the Doyen of the School of Theology at the University of Aix, is found murdered in his office. The murder occurred just after he announced that he would not be retiring. His announcement affected three of his colleagues who thought they in the mix for his prestigious position. Also affected were 4 post-graduate students in the competition for the lucrative Dumas Fellowship. Two days later, the professor’s secretary was killed in a hit and run accident. Coincidence or related to the murder? Into this turmoil, another crime is added – art glass forgery. Aided by his on-again, off-again girlfriend, law professor Marine Bonnet, Berlaque must turn Provence upside down, uncovering a world far more complicated than university politics, to find the killer before it’s too late.When Dr. Georges Moutte is found mudrered, investigator Antoine Verlaque is stumped. Certainly the director of theology at the Université d’Aix had his enemies. Moutte was just about to name the recipient of an elite fellowship as well as his own successor—a highly coveted position—when his lips were sealed permanently. But Verlaque isn’t convinced that anyone in the tiny community of academics is capable of murder. When filmmaker %C3%89tienne de Bremont takes a fatal fall out of a window of his Aix-en-Province chateau at the start of Longworth's disappointing debut, his lawyer cousins, Charles and Eric Brey, Continue reading » Thats all very well and good, but I think the mystery element suffers for it. I spent more time enjoying the discussions of the regions than being even slightly interested in the crime, or who might have done it. Alongside Roger Allam, The Crown actress Nancy Carrol plays Marine Bonnet, Antoine’s romantic interest in the show. Longworth’s charming, if talky, fifth Verlaque and Bonnet mystery (after 2014’s Murder on the Île Sordou) looks at the art world. The book alternates between the now troubled relationship Continue reading »

Kanter, Jake (2021-05-25). "BritBox Sets Crime Series 'Murder In Provence' As First U.S. & UK Co-Production". Deadline . Retrieved 2022-03-07. Furthermore, a suspect with Church connections would have made a very worthwhile and entertaining addition to the mix of potential wrong-doers (and motives), an opportunity lost through bad preparation. Spoiler: the who-why-how is one of the weakest I have ever encountered in a murder mystery. The pair investigate murders, mysteries and the dark underbelly of their idyllic home in the south of France.The Verlaque and Bonnet mystery novels are, now that I think about it, more about Provence and its culture, history and wines than it is about the mystery.

Mary Lou Longworth, known as M. L. Longworth, is a Canadian author best known for her Verlaque and Bonnet series of detective novels set in Aix-en-Provence. What really makes Longworth’s writing special is her deep knowledge of French history, landscape, cuisine, and even contemporary cafes and restaurants. This is that rare atmospheric mystery that is street-wise and café-canny.”— Booklist (starred review) Longworth was born in Toronto and moved to Aix in 1997. She has been influenced by Barbara Pym, and her mysteries are like "intricate puzzles". Longworth also teaches writing at NYU Paris. [3] Bibliography [ edit ] I soon felt at home in Aix with Judge Verlaque and Marine Bonnet thanks to the descriptive writing. My weakness for french cuisine did cause hold ups in the reading as I diverted from the text to look up the recipe of a particular delicious morcel ( in case it had anything to do with the plot - you understand!)Brian Keen asked: "Can't they make it a little bit more watchable and try French accents to show us who's who?" In Longworth’s thoroughly delightful fourth Provençal mystery (after 2013’s Death in the Vines), examining magistrate Antoine Verlaque and Marine Bonnet, his law-professor girlfriend, take a Continue reading » While life seems to be going well for the pair, it all of a sudden comes crashing down when a professor is murdered just before he was due to retire.