“Death and Croissants” (Follet Valley #1) by Ian Moore ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Genre: Cozy Mystery/Slapstick Crime Noir. Location: Val de Follet in the Loire Valley in France. Time: Late Spring, present.

QUESTION: What do you get when you mix an old man gone missing more than once, a cranky retired judge, a policeman who doesn’t investigate missing persons, a mysterious Italian couple, 2 nude British swingers, an exotic French widow; a bemused B&B owner, a terrifying housekeeper, an almost ex-wife, and a dead hen?
ANSWER: A screwball comedy full of murder, twists & turns-and mafia.

Richard Ainsworth is a 53-year-old Englishman quietly running his French B&B. Richard likes things just so. His approach to running his B&B: Look approachable, but disengaged. Attentive, but standoffish. An elderly guest disappears, leaving a bloody handprint and a pair of broken glasses. Bored guest Valérie D’Orçay pushes Richard into investigating with her. He reluctantly follows her around. But then, someone murders his beloved chicken, Ava Gardner. Now it’s personal!

Author Moore uses Richard’s eyes to view the events. This paints a picture of a situation out of Richard’s control, thanks to his fascination with Valerie’s antics. Richard’s role is the innocent who sees and comments on things without realizing their significance.

Unfortunately, Richard’s eyes a tiny bit boring. The premise is clever and twisty, but it’s too easy for one’s mind to wander while reading it. Moore plans a series, and I hope the characters bloom a little more in the next book. It’s 3 stars from me. 🌵📚💁🏼‍♀️Thank you to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and Ian Moore for this early ecopy. Publishes 3/14/2023.

This book was dull. It started off fun and funny but got repetitive. I did not end up finishing this one.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC copy of this book to read and review. All of these thoughts and comments are my own.

This was a short story following the incident of another guest in the hotel mysteriously disappearing with only a bloody hand print on the wall. The only person in my opinion who seems interest with solving this mystery is the guest by the name of Valerie. Richard didn’t seem much to care, well atleast to me.

I will say this story was a tad boring. For a short story, it took me a bit to read because I just lost interest. Now there were parts in this story that were funny because some of the characters are a hoot and it made me smile but I just didn’t relate much to the characters, so I just couldn’t really “get into the book”. I think though if you like short mystery reads then you would enjoy this book.

All in all the plot was just lacking for me but I don’t think it was a bad book. I think this book speaks to people who love this type of genre and it was just wasn’t for me. I’m not much for cozy mystery type books. I love thriller mysteries, so this just didn’t speak to me personally.

3 stars! And thank you again for an ARC copy!

"Richard is a middle-aged Englishman who runs a B and B in the fictional Val de Follet in the Loire Valley. Nothing ever happens to Richard, and really that's the way he likes it.

One day, however, one of his older guests disappears, leaving behind a bloody handprint on the wallpaper. Another guest, the exotic Valérie, persuades a reluctant Richard to join her in investigating the disappearance.

Richard remains a dazed passenger in the case until things become really serious and someone murders Ava Gardner, one of his beloved hens... and you don't mess with a fellow's hens!

Death and Croissants is an unputdownable, hilarious mystery perfect for fans of Richard Osman's The Thursday Murder Club."

Anyone who names a chicken Ava Gardner is someone I need to know more about.

A quirky charming read, but it felt like the murder mystery plot took a backseat to the humor. Maybe thats why it took me a while to get into the story, but there are quite a few very funny moments and i really liked the twist at the end.

I got this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I am an avid cozy mystery reader and was very excited to read Death and Croissants by Ian Moore .

Sadly , this book was not what I expected.

The characters fell flat for me .

The pacing was so slow and some of the content didn’t seem appropriate for a cozy mystery.

The mystery was quite predictable .

Death and Croissants by Ian Moore.


+Richard owns a B&B in the French countryside. Despite his impending divorce, his life is fairly boring and that's how he likes it. Until one day, one of his hens is murdered and one of his guests is missing. Another guest of his, Valerie, is determined to solve the mystery, taking Richard along with her.+


I thought this was a fun and humorous read. I'll be honest and say I wasn't sure if I'd like it much at first, but I am happy to say that I enjoyed the whole thing. I even chuckled out loud a few times.

I found Richard and Valorie to be a great duo. The mystery was also exciting because I could not figure it out. The reveal was fantastic.

This is perfect for cozy mystery lovers.

I had high hopes for this cozy mystery, but the writing was terribly dry and the characters did frustrating things and had outdated, provincial views. Perhaps older, conservative readers will find more to love here than I did. Thanks, NetGalley!

I was sent a copy of Death and Croissants by Ian Moore to read and review by NetGalley. I loved this novel! It was light, funny, full of intrigue and had the odd film reference thrown in – what’s not to love! Looking at some of the other reviews I wonder if I have read the same book, but perhaps the other reviewers just didn’t ‘get it’?! I am sincerely hoping that this is the first in a series as I’m missing Richard and his cohorts already! More please Mr Moore!

Richard Ainsworth runs a B&B. Unfortunately his personality isn't very fitting for the job. He'd rather just stay out of the way and relax. That's hard to do when a mystery falls into your lap. One morning a bloody handprint is found in a room with the occupant disappearing. With the help of a beautiful guest of the B&B Richard finds himself investigating.

This is very much a character focused book. There is a distinct style and voice to the narration. There is some humor as well. It is a short book but it feels longer. The pace is kind of slow which matches how Richard would like his life to go.

Mystery readers looking for something a little different might enjoy this.

Richard is an Englishman running a bed and breakfast in the Loire Valley. He lives a rather bland life, running the b&b and enjoying his film buff hobby. Everything changes the day a guest in his establishment goes missing under mysterious circumstances. Richard is dragged along for the ride by another guest and soon they are investigating the disappearance themselves and getting involved in all sorts of mischief. His colourless life suddenly is quite bright.

I've seen comparisons to the Thursday Murder Club series but I find this book has a different feel despite also being written by a well-known comedian from the UK (with which I am completely unfamiliar). The book is witty but the protagonist is definitely unwilling at the start and reluctant to get more involved than he already is. Instead, I find this book a wake-up call for a bored middle-aged man who needs to find more in life than an ong0ing film hobby. I like the way he is pulled into some mischief with his partner in crime, so to speak. Well before the conclusion he is feeling more alive than he has in years and his perspective on life changes somewhat. And he finds himself useful in ways he hasn't before. Nothing about his life is the same and maybe it will all be a permanent change. But his satisfaction with the status quo drops considerably while he reassesses his life and the people in it.

Overall, this was a rollicking good time and I couldn't help but cheer Richard and co along as they get deeper into the mystery. I give this 3.5 stars and thank Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for giving me an advanced reader copy. I have provided my review voluntarily.

I liked the idea of a mopey B&B owner, separated from his wife, who finds his life turned upside down—and energized—by the disappearance of a regular guest and the arrival of the beautiful and mysterious Valerie. Unfortunately, the execution of this good idea doesn’t pan out. The characters never come to life and the writing lacks spark.

Complicated…but with its own charm!

My heads still spinning from the idea of a slightly outdated gentleman running a B&B in the Loire Valley.
I must admit Moore’s opening salvo on muesli was a hoot. One I all to readily concur with.
“Muesli…rejected budgie food!”
Richard Ainsworth is a middle aged, fractious man who’s all charm on the outside and seemingly a curmudgeon on the inside. (Or does he just go through life on a slightly different plane to others?) He’s a film historian which probably answers all questions about his jaded, ennui bordering on mécontent attitude.
His hen’s have movie star names, Lana Turner, Joan Crawford, and Ava Gardner. He’s bullied it seems, by his staff he more or less inherited from his former or not? wife Clare.
When his cleaner finds a man’s handprint in blood on the wall of one of the guest bedrooms Richard tries to explain it away as a child’s painting. He wants to immeadiately eradicate it. His cleaner (eye roll please) Madame Tablier and his new guest, Valérie d’Orçay,an elegant and seemingly languid woman won’t hear of it.
All Richard wants to do is hide in plain sight and be left alone. Mais non, he has “blood on the walls and a missing guest.”
Along with Richard, I’m thinking what fresh hell is this, and have a lingering suspicion I’ve wandered into Fawlty Tower’s sister establishment.
I rather liked Richard’s attempts at stoicism, with his overblown yet understated (can you do both?) approach to all things.
Anyway it seems a murder might have taken place but, as the tale gathers steam, it also gathers quite a cast. What happened becomes complicated by the what might have been, being trumped by the what actually did. The pace picks up as does the danger.
Well written, with some gems. Not quite my cup of tea, although for cozy mystery fans, surprising and a bit of a hoot.

A Poisoned Pen Press ARC via NetGalley.
Please note: Quotes taken from an advanced reading copy maybe subject to change

This hit the right notes for a cozy British mystery. For fans of Richard Osman and Midsomer Murders a great addition to a collection.

"Death and Croissants" is a rollicking combination of "Clue" and a French dramedy. The characters are crafted into slightly eccentric personalities who conflict with each other as much as they cooperate. This is the kind of story that should be made into a PBS movie. It's a mystery that keeps you thinking until the end.

I love cozy mysteries and I enjoyed this one! Loved the characters and the story was easy to get into for me!

small-business, small-town, hotelier, expats, situational-humor, verbal-humor, sly-humor, family-dynamics, friendship, France, farce, animals*****

Richard is a Brit film history buff and hotelier in rural France when he is dropped into a world with people who absolutely befuddle him (like the older couple of nudist swappers) and the twin brothers who are more than a bit dotty and bitter rivals. The characters most certainly are! And the names of the chickens! I laughed myself silly, and that was after a bad day!
I requested and received an EARC from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

I am going to be very honest in this review. I did not finish this book, I got to 60% of the way through and decided it was not worth my time. I know an ARC is meant to be an exchange for an honest review and the honest review is that I did not was to finish this book.

My issues can be outlined can be outlined in two main areas: characters and the story itself.

Characters:
Richard is our protagonist who owns a French bnb from where a guest goes missing under mysterious circumstances. Richard then gets roped into trying to solve this mystery with the help of another guest, Valerie. Richard himself is an incredibly hard character to like. He’s very much a push over to the extent where it is quite pathetic. Every time he seems to try and stand up for himself, it lasts for all of two seconds before he immediately crumples. He also whines continuously about being dragged along on this mystery to the point where it is incredibly annoying.

Now moving onto Valerie. Valerie is the guest who essentially drags Richard into this mystery, and completely inserts herself into this narrative. She too is a very unlikeable character. Her audacity is unparalleled. For example, when someone connected to the mystery asks to stay at Richard’s bnb, she immediately says yes despite the fact that she’s known Richard for all of two seconds and it’s not even her bnb. Plus her actions here could endanger Richard and the other bnb guests.

Similarly many of the other characters jump to completely random assumptions incredibly quickly and with little to support said assumptions. There are two particular instances where different characters automatically assume Richard and Valerie are engaging in an affair after spending approximately five seconds with the pair. Not only is this a completely random assumption to make, it’s also a dangerous trope to include in media. It supports this absurd belief in society that men and women cannot be solely friends and there must be something inherently sexual in their wishing to spend time together.

In general, I mainly just think the characters are very flat and one dimensional and really don’t have much going for them.

The story itself:
At first glance the plot seems interesting. It seems like something one would see in an Agatha Christie which would take us on a fun journey through the Loire Valley. This was unfortunately not the case. I think my main issue with the plot is how it was executed and paced. The writing style at times was very confusing and disjointed. It was hard to tell where we were or whom we were following and why. This confusion stems from the poor use of a third person omniscient narrator that really does not land. I think this issue could perhaps be solved by not following every side character and instead leaving a bit of mystery.

In a similar vain the pacing was incredibly random. The story starts off fairly quickly with the guest going mystery and Richard and Valerie forming an alliance. It then slows dramatically and not much else happens for the first 60% of the book. I really think if it were better paced, I wouldn’t have DNFed it. But I was just sick of nothing happening, or very minor things happening that didn’t make sense.

Lastly, I just have a few issues with some of the content. Namely, the kink shaming. Personally, I’m not into swinging or being a nudist, however I don’t think its appropriate to imply that people who do, are “sex perverts” or must therefore have a “sex dungeon” where its suggested they are holding someone hostage. The shaming was continuous and added nothing to the story and dramatically impacted my own enjoyment of this book.

Overall, I would not recommend this book, I did not enjoy it and I almost regret even requesting it as an ARC. I know this has been a bit of a brutal review and I do apologise but these are truely my thoughts and I don’t intend for them to be taken personally.

I would like to thank NetGalley for the ARC they provided me with in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and for the ARC of this book.

This is the third ARC that I've read, but the first I actually enjoyed. Since the other editions of this book are already published, I read this edition and also listened to the audiobook. I was curious what the difference is and apart from three words replaced in this edition, everything else is exactly the same.

The plot is fun and entertaining. The writing style is lighthearted and funny. There were some instances that were supposed to me funny but didn't do it for me and those were more visual jokes like Richard falling down the stairs.

I'll be continuing this series for sure.

Full Blog Post coming in a couple of weeks.

The first in a new cozy series set at a b&b in France. When an elderly guest goes missing, owner Richard investigates with the help of other guests.

I think it had promise, but the writing style was not my favorite!