Death in le Jardin by Ian Moore, Reviewed

Prior to reading Death in le Jardin, the fourth in the Follett Valley Mystery series, I had not been acquainted with this series or author Ian Moore. It took m​e no longer than reading the first page to absolutely fall in love with the characters, the writing style, and the anticipation of what was to come.

 Insouciant, middle-aged Richard Ainsworth is living the sweet life in Saint-Sauver in the Follet Valley, a quiet French backwater, puttering around his posh B&B with sidekick gal pal, former bounty hunter, and possible assassin, Valérie d’Orçay and her pampered Chihuahua, Passepartout.

 When the housekeeper of their B&B is charged with murdering her brother-in-law, who was at one time her fiancé (gotta love the French) life gets complicated. Their investigation sends them to a rather bizarre garden town/commune filled with a variety of strange and dodgy people.

 In addition to being a wonderful and complex mystery, the story is very atmospheric. The descriptions were so vivid and detailed that I felt as if I were there right along with the characters. The characters themselves are rich, well developed, quirky, and strange, you name it, and you’ll find it in this book.

 At this point I might add that there is no need to have read the previous books in this series (although you will definitely want to), as this stands quite well on its own.

 I can’t remember the last time I had such a good time reading a book. It was a wonderful bonus that I was surprised by the conclusion of the mystery. Wonderful.

 It is scheduled for publication on June 6^th; you can preorder here.

 Many thanks to NetGalley, Farrago Publishing Co., and author Ian Moore for the advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

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