Love & Death in Burgundy: A French Village Mystery

Susan C. Shea

May 2017 · The French Village Mysteries Book 1 · Sold by Minotaur Books

About this ebook

From critically acclaimed author, Susan C. Shea, comes Love & Death in Burgundy, an atmospheric mystery novel filled with good Chablis, french cheese, and, of course, murder.

After three years of living in the small town of Reigny-sur-Canne, all Katherine Goff really wants is to be accepted by her neighbors into their little community. But as an American expat living in the proud region of Burgundy, that’s no easy task.

When the elderly Frenchman who lives in the village chateau is found dead at the bottom of a staircase, the town is turned into a hot bed of gossip and suspicion, and Katherine suddenly finds herself drawn deeper and deeper into the small town’s secrets. A motherless teenager, a malicious French widow, a brash music producer, and a would-be Agatha Christie are among those caught up in a storm that threatens to turn Katherine’s quiet life upside down. As more and more of the villagers' secrets are brought to light, Katherine must try to figure out who, if anyone, in the town she can trust, and which one of her neighbors just might be a killer.

Ratings and reviews

Love and Death in Burgundy by Susan C. Shea is a cozy mystery set in Reigny-sur-Canne, France. Katherine Goff and her husband, Michael own a home in Reigny. They moved to the area three years prior. Katherine has convinced the mayor to let her organize the annual Feast of the Assumption fete. Katherine is hoping the event will be a success, and it will finally get her accepted by the locals (who are leery of foreigners). Katherine receives a call from Adele Bellegarde. Adele and her husband, Albert own Chateau de Bellegarde. Adele states that Albert is dead and wants Katherine to come over quickly. Katherine along with Michael arrive just after Henri Soral, Reigny’s sheriff. Albert is at the bottom of the very narrow and steep steps of the chateau with a broken neck. Was it an accident or was Albert helped down the stairs? Katherine cannot help but make some discreet inquiries to see who wished Albert harm. There is no shortage of suspects in this small town where Albert was not well-liked. Katherine needs to discern the gossip from the truth to find the culprit. Will Katherine succeed before harm comes to an innocent party? Love and Death in Burgundy is easy to read, but I found the pace to be slow. Katherine is the main character, but there are numerous other characters included. Many of them are thrown at the reader at the beginning of the story. Jeanette, J.B. Holliday, Madame Pomfort, Sophie Bellegarde, Brett Holliday, Betty Lou Holliday, Penny Masterson, Marie, Emile, Yves Saverin, Pippa Hathaway, Michael Goff are just a sampling. Along with these characters, there are their storylines. I give Love and Death in Burgundy 3 out of 5 stars. Love and Death in Burgundy is more cozy than mystery. The mystery was far in the background (get out your binoculars). It seemed almost an afterthought. The main focus was Katherine. She needed to be accepted by these villagers (issues from her childhood). Time was devoted to her husband, Michael and his failed music career (he is very disgruntled). Let us not forget young Jeanette, daughter of the local thief. Jeanette is a fourteen and takes after her father. She likes to spy on the villagers and steal small items. Every character in the book is quirky or eccentric. There is just so much going on in this book. I wish the mystery had been the focal point of the story and that it was more complex (the potential was there). The little information provided about the crime allows the reader to easily solve it. There are French phrases and words sprinkled copiously throughout the book. I was grateful for the translate feature on my e-reader. The book does contain mild foul language. If you are a reader who likes quirky, off-beat humorous stories, then you will enjoy reading Love and Death in Burgundy. If you prefer a cozy mystery with more meat to it, than Love and Death in Burgundy is not the right story for you.

About the author

SUSAN C. SHEA spent more than two decades as a non-profit executive before beginning her career as a mystery author. Susan is past-president of the northern California chapter of Sisters in Crime and secretary of the national SinC board, a member of MWA, and blogs on CriminalMinds. She is also the author of the Dani O’Rourke mystery series. Susan lives in Marin County, California and travels to France as often as she can.