This may have just been a case of misplaced expectations, but this wasn't my favorite. Main character Richard was a little insufferable and woe-is-me seeming for my taste, and the comp to Thursday Murder Club may be doing this a disservice as readers don't really get the close knit community feeling that I think really sets that series apart. Read this if you are looking for something with Francophile flair and love classic mysteries and film.

Well I simply adored this book! Richard is a frumpy middle aged man running a b&b in France. It's a typical day making breakfast for his guests when something mysterious happens in one of the rooms and a bloody handprint is left on the wall. Richard ends up being pulled along in an amateur investigation by Valerie, one of the b&b guests. There's a bit of subterfuge, some hilarious side characters, and lots of reasons to laugh in this story. I am already looking forward to more in the series and have been searching for another similar read. It was such a delight to read Death and Croissants by Ian Moore!!

Releases March 14th! Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for my e-arc!

This was delightful… definitely Thursday Murder Club vibes. Richard is a very middle aged Brit, running a B&B in the Loire Valley, separated from his wife, and trying hard to blend into life’s background. An adventurous Parisian multiple divorcée Valarie, gives Richard’s life the kick start it needs. They solve a mystery in the village, and we meet some pretty hilarious characters along the way. Richard’s sweary cleaning lady being a favorite! Funny, a bit silly, and a a lovely pallet cleanser.

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book takes place in the Loire Region, where my husband is from, so it was a must read for me. A nice cozy mystery with French flair.

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

It is definitely an honest review. I did not care for Death and Croissant from the very first page. The prose felt broken. The characters were not appealing. The story then held no interest for me and any humor fell very short. (I know that I am in the minority with this review.) I will say that I am 50/50 when it comes to British authors. So if you're an avid reader of British comedy and mystery, then I'm not insulted if you ignore me.

I enjoy reading cozy murder mysteries and was excited to have a Male protagonist in a cozy. I did find the blurb about the book appealing with hopes of a humorous jaunt around France in search of a murderer. For me it fell flat. I do not plan on reading any more of Ian Moore's books. I think will stick with watching his stand up comedy.

Death and Croissants by Ian Moore follows Richard, a middle-aged B&B owner in France. Originally from Britain, Richard is enjoying life balancing retirement and running his B&B in the rural French Valley. He finds himself pulled into a murder mystery by one of his guests. Now, in addition to running his business, he has to take on the role as investigator. As the book went on, it was easy to become lost as there seemed to be no defined end goal.
It was, however, nice to follow this journey filled with twists, turns, and many many quirks.

While the story gets right into itself quickly, I had a hard time connecting to the characters and the story itself.

Very enjoyable in the vein of Madame Blanc/Midsomer France. I look forward to Steve Edge playing the lead on a Sunday night tv adaptation. Bring on les crumpets

Richard is obsessed with classic film noir. One day his seemingly mundane and boring life takes a wild turn and it is as if he is thrown into on of his favorite films. (Bloody handprints, missing guests, wild neighbors, bounty hunters, stakeouts, you name it!) While I loved the concept of Death and Croissants, I had such a hard time really getting into the story. I loved the humor throughout but I struggled to get into the plot. I found myself getting distracted. I think there was just too much happening all at once. I would be interested in maybe giving this series another try in the future because it was funny. The humor truly was the redeeming factor!

*Thank you NetGalley for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

I don't know quite what to think of this book. On the one hand, I didn't love it, but I also didn't hate it. I was mostly just confused. I felt a bit like main character Richard, going along without really quite ever knowing what was going on or why. It was only when my mind finally settled on an image of John Cleese's Basil Fawltry that I felt like I'd at least helped. Richard doesn't have Basil's pompous arrogance, but that sense of never quite having a handle on events seemed to work for me. Try that angle if you're not lucky enough to be immediately pulled in.

Richard is dull and boring and seems to like it like that. Despite running a B&B, he goes out of his way to avoid even eye contact with guests. He loves old movies and his chickens, dubbing his hens Lana Turner, Joan Crawford, and Ava Gardner. Then he's somehow pulled into helping the lovely but mysterious guest Valerie look for missing guest Grandchaps. What happened to the elderly gentleman? Who is Valerie? Why does she want his help? I mean, it isn't like he's much help, not to mention she seems quite competent of doing, well, whatever she wants.

I won't even attempt to explain the plot. Somewhere along the line Richard's beloved Ava Gardner is killed. In fact, unless I missed it during one of the sections that I zoned out in, I don't think we ever find out what happened to Ava Gardner. Let's just say, somehow it veers from a bloody hand print, his chats with his wife, dressing in a chicken suit, discovering neighbors who have a dungeon (and more), the mafia, a chihuahua with attitude, and, oh, so much more. I couldn't connect to any of the characters, but somehow found myself continuing to read. I think perhaps I'd segued into imagining it all as a Monty Python skit in my mind. There was humor, yes, which is probably what really kept me there, even as confused as I was about what was going on, not to mention why. 

Thanks #NetGalley and #PoisonedPenPress for letting me take a look into Richard's world, confused as it left me. Somehow, I was not surprised to discover the author's connection to Basil at the end.

Ian Moore did a fantastic jobs creating an intriguing mystery with characters you really grow to care about. Whilst the main character was insufferable at time you got the impression that this was intentional and almost ‘social commentary’ on Moore’s part. I will say that the main thing that bought this book down for me personally was how much I had to suspend my disbelief when it came to certain plot points but other than that the writing was truly excellent. It was incredibly well plotted and once you get to the end of the book you can certainly see the different threads tying together.

Combine a low-achieving British B&B owner in France with an alluring & mysterious guest, and another guest who disappears and you get a mystery that is madcap and will keep you guessing. It's full of eccentric characters, making it great fun to read.

This was a fun, quick read! The ensemble of characters was unique and entertaining, and I always like a mystery that isn't scary; I can try to think through what happened without feeling stressed. I was a little confused at times -- I think sometimes the characters would reach conclusions that weren't ever fully explained, but other than that I liked this book a lot and I'll look forward to the next one.

Definitely reminded me of the Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman, which I really liked.
This book takes place in the Loire Valley, where I currently live, so I thought it'd be nice to read "local" for a change.
I liked this book, it was a nice and light read. Might read the other books if it's turned into a series.

This first installment of Moore's cozy mysteries was not my cup of tea. I never connected with Richard and was more interesed in the bed and breakfast setting - mystery was a slow go for me. Clever cover and title at least.

Death and Croissants. Although I enjoyed the main character the style of writing was not for me. However I’m sure many of our patrons will enjoy this series.

This was a fun mystery. It was amusing but also had a pretty clever mystery and kooky characters. I identified strongly with the protagonist Richard since I often didn’t know what was going on but it made for a good ride. I’d definitely read more in this series.

If you are looing for something to fill the void after you've read the latest Richard Osman than look no further! So cozy and so quaint. It was a great mystery. I highly enjoyed it!

There is Nothing I love more than a great mystery with a a dose of humor!!!! This book was a fun read that kept you guessing. There are so many great characters and I look forward to seeing them, and the relationships, develop in future books. Overall a great quirky mystery! Thank you #NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Fifty-something Richard Ainsworth is stuck in a rut. After he lost his job, he and his wife Clare decided to make a fresh start by moving to the Loire Valley in France to run a B & B. When this doesn't provide the excitement he anticipated, Richard suggests he and Clare embark on an "open marriage." Clare enthusiastically embraces the suggestion, eventually leaving Richard to go back to London and live a swinging lifestyle (so he imagines). That leaves Richard, a former film historian, alone running the inn with the taciturn local woman Madame Tablier, who cleans and helps out (not very happily).

One morning Richard and the guests are in the dining room when Mme Tablier comes in complaining loudly about having to clean blood off the walls. Everyone rushes to the room recently occupied by an elderly male guest to find a bloody handprint on the wall and a pair of smashed glasses in the waste basket. One of the guests, an attractive woman named Valérie d'Orçay, becomes very interested in getting to the bottom of what happened. The other guests, an Italian pair of newlyweds, are so horrified that they immediately leave. Richard is drawn into the mystery when the handprint is cut out of the wallpaper and the glasses also disappear. Once they discover that the elderly guest who has disappeared is, in fact, a man who lives only 20 minutes away, Valérie and Richard begin to try to get to the bottom of the disappearance. This leads to all sorts of complications, including S&M dungeons, secret tunnels, a life-sized chicken costume, embarrassing video calls with his estranged wife and daughter, and, sadly, a murdered hen named Ava Gardner. At least Richard is getting back some of his zest for life as he is pulled, reluctantly and somewhat cluelessly, into the investigation.

I enjoyed the story and seeing Richard get snapped out of his lethargy. by the vibrant and mysterious Valérie. The situations they find themselves in are quite funny. I can imagine the film buff Richard would translate well to the silver screen in this story!