Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this Advanced Reader Copy and the opportunity to review “Murder in a French Village.” All opinions and comments are my own.

Jack Carrington’s estranged mother is going to cause all kinds of trouble in “Murder in a French Village,” seventh in the 1950s historical mystery series by Merryn Allingham. Luckily he has Flora Steele at his side when the going gets rough, even if it means traveling from England to France. But this will give Flora a chance to find the grave of her parents, which has been an ongoing issue throughout the books.

Someone’s trying to kill her, says Mom. And that prologue – someone’s already dead when the book begins, so there may be something to this story. Pretty soon we have an unhappy ex-wife, shady relatives, and a whole lot of mysterious goings-on before the truth of the matter is revealed; age-old motives for murder that never get old, not really, especially in a capable author’s hands.

And we also have Jack and Flora Making Decisions. I’ve always liked these two together, and look forward to further adventures. And I do like the series as a whole, although I never get a real sense of historical time and place. But if you’re looking for a cozy mystery with strong characters and a diverting plot, “Murder in a French Village” certainly fits the bill.

So happy to read this next adventure of Flora Steele -
A '50s murder mystery in which she has so much to deal.
It starts with a phone call to her beau, Jack, from his Mum
Who demands he should to Paris at once come.

He'd not heard from his Mum, Sybil, for many years
But she'd called him now because of her fears.
She needs him now to find who is trying to kill her
The thought of which is a real chiller.

For Flora, exploring Paris has long been a dream
This could be her chance - or so it would seem.
She can also use the opportunity to investigate
What happened when her parents both met their fate.

A stay with an Italian Count and his family, too,
In his Chateau and vineyard could be a dream come true.
However, events there are of a more nightmarish kind
But can Flora and Jack the perpetrator(s) find?

With family dramas, romance and mysteries, too,
This is an enthralling read I highly recommend to you.
For my complementary copy of this book, I say thank you -
As I share with you my honest review.

This latest volume in the investigations by Flora and Jack does not disappoint. The action moves from rural England to Paris and Provence, which makes this a perfect holiday read for anyone travelling to France. The descriptions of the town of Vaison took me right back there, it was wonderful. I also love the period setting, apwith the slower pace of life in the 1950s, and no social media! The couple are investigating a series of attacks on Jack’s difficult mother: or are they accidents? Having to tussle with staying at the home of a volatile Italian family, Jack and Flora have their own problems to deal with too. This is a thoroughly enjoyable book and I’m already eagerly anticipating the next in this great series.

The seventh book in the Flora Steele series. I have read and enjoyed all of them.

Murder in a French Village begins with Jack Carrington receiving a surprise call from his estranged mother demanding that he drops everything and comes to Paris because she is in fear for her life. This sends Flora and Jack rushing across the Channel where Flora will be visiting Paris for the first time. When they arrive not one but two murders put them into super sleuthing mode.

Nicely written as always, and with two charming characters and a deepening relationship, there's lots to look forward to in the next book.

Jack gets a call from his mother, Sibyl, in Paris asking him to come help her. Someone is trying to kill her. Jack asks Flora if she would go with him, figuring she could try to find her parents' graves. When they arrive, they find that a care has deliberately rundown Sibyl's new friend when they were trying to cross the street. Sibyl is sure they meant to get her. She has been staying with the wealthy Italian Count Massimo Falconi. His divorced wife and two daughters are not happy that he is seeing Sibyl. Sibyl has already had all her money stolen and her pills changed.

They all go to Provence, where things continue to happen. The good thing is that Flora does find the resting place of her parents. Soon, there is another unexplained death, and Flora is almost caught by a falling wine case. Will Flora and Jack be able to find out who the culprit is before Sibyl, Flora, or Jack is the one found dead? The book becomes very exciting as one gets near the end.

I thank Netgalley and Bookouture for an ARC for me to read before publication.

I really enjoyed this seventh instalment of Flora Steele’s investigations with her partner Jack Carrington. This series set in the early 1950s usually takes place in the country village of Abbeymead where Flora runs the local bookshop and Jack writes his crime novels. However, the scene is varied in this one as Flora and Jack travel to France after receiving a distressed phone call fr iom Jack’s mother. They first of all travel to Paris and then on to a village in Provence. As well as trying to look into Julia’s fears that someone is trying to kill her, Flora also gets the chance to do some investigating into the death of her parents.
As always with this series, there is a strong cast of characters. Flora and Jack make a strong partnership and the introduction of Jack’s estranged mother, Julia gives his character a bit more depth. The characters at the chateau in Provence are all interesting especially the Count’s two daughters and there are lots of potential candidates for the murderer.
One of the things that I enjoy about Merryn Allingham’s novels is the settings and I loved the French setting of this one. She evokes a real atmosphere for Paris in 1950 and then the small village in Provence. Wandering around the local market would feel pretty much the same today as it did then.
This is a slow burn mystery and definitely not a book where the murder takes place in the opening chapter but that means that the characters have plenty of time to develop before things get exciting. The book is really well plotted with plenty of twists and turns.
I enjoyed this mystery immensely and the gorgeous Provencal setting made it a real pleasure to read.
I would definitely recommend this book and all the previous ones in the series for anyone who enjoys a well plotted mystery with a historical setting.

When writer, Jack Carrington, received a phone call from his estranged mother he was shocked. It was seven years since they'd spoken, yet Sybil expected Jack to drop everything in Abbeymead and head for Paris. With fellow sleuth and good friend Flora Steele by his side, they arrived in Paris, worn out but happy to be there. Flora had never been to Paris so she was in awe at everything she was seeing. But when Sybil told Jack of the death of her friend, when the car had deliberately driven toward them on the streets of Paris, he wondered if it was an accident and his mother was fantasizing as she was wont to do. Then, as Flora and Jack headed to the small village of Vaison, to meet up with his mother and Italian Count Massimo Falconi, whom Sybil had plans to marry, it soon became apparent that there was definitely something wrong, and that perhaps his mother hadn't imagined it all...

Staying in the chateau was an experience in itself, but both Jack and Flora were uncomfortable in the tensions that were flowing between the residents. Moving into an hotel seemed sensible, but when Flora was attacked and in danger not once, but twice, their move was immediate. Finding out who was the culprit for all the misdeeds was proving difficult, but Flora and Jack had their suspicions. Would they be right? And could they stop the perpetrator before anyone else lost their life?

Murder in a French Village is the 7th in the Flora Steele Mystery series by Merryn Allingham and once again, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Flora and Jack make a good team, and with the setting in a completely different place, it was fresh and new. I'm looking forward to #8 very much. Highly recommended - but my advice: read from #1 to get full benefit of the series.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book I've read in this series. The story was good, with a lot of characters who could be behind the killings.

Jack's estranged mother thinks someone is trying to kill her. His good friend Flora has had word that her parents' graves may have been found in a most unexpected location. Since both feel the need to travel to similar locations in France, they go together.

They arrive in France, thinking that Jack's mother, Sybil, may be more than a bit paranoid about people wanting to get rid of her. However, the longer Jack and Flora stay, the more they think Sybil may be right. As "accidents" pile up, as well as bodies, they become more and more alarmed. The work to figure out Jack and Flora spend more time investigating.

Eventually the plotter is revealed. Although the story was interesting, the pacing was slow.

Murder in a French Village is the seventh book in the Flora Steele Mystery series by Merryn Allingham. This cozy series set in the 1950s features Flora, a bookstore owner in the sleepy village of Abbeymead and Jack, a writer of crime fiction. Jack settled in Abbeymead after WW II in search of a quiet life but since becoming involved with Flora they have been involved in multiple investigations. In this novel our two sleuths are off to France to help Jack's mother who thinks someone os out to kill her. We also learn more about the ties to France in Flors's past. This is a strong cozy mystery series. Well plotted and paced. I feel this can be read as a stand alone but recommend the sentinel series.

This is a book that was a great length and I read it in one sitting in one day. Having not read any of the other books in this series I wasn't sure if I would be missing out on anything. I don't feel I have missed out by not reading the others but I do feel like I now need to search them out to read them all.

Flora is a great character and is well thought out and suits this story well. Jack also fits in well and I do like him and love the paring. The story takes you on an adventure and by the sounds of previews for some of her other books in the series, they all take you on a journey. I like when a good story does that.

There is murder(?), mystery and drama. The pace is a bit slow but not too bad as the book isn't too long. There is some suspense and action within the story, a great plot and many suspects. Who dunnit?

Very entertaining, enjoyable and definitely readable.

Thank you Net Galley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Wow, we're going to France. Not just France but, be still my heart, Paris. Of course, with Flora and Jack involved, not to mention his downright not-at-all-maternal mother, Sybil, ou know something unexpected is going to happen. Seems she fears her life is in danger and has called Jack to come figure it all out so she can marry her rich Count and live happily-ever-after. Or something like that. We also take a deeper dive than usual into the fate of Flora's parents and what finally learning the truth may mean for her future, including the one with Jack. In the process, we'll not only visit some gorgeous countryside, experience life with servants, be reminded of the annoyance of being unable to simply pull a cell phone out of our pockets to make a call, get a glimpse of how grapes are harvested and prepared, and take in some of the historic sites. And, oh, yeah, solve a murder while surrounded by one almost creepily family. Plus, oh, yeah, I forgot. Try a ferry ride between England and France. Let's just say Flora is not cut out to be a sailor and leave it at that.

Oddly enough, I've always felt myself more drawn to Jack than Flora. This time, however, we get to find out what has stopped Flora from being able to commit to Jack. In the meantime, despite his mixed feelings about his mother, Jack proves a good son and is doing his best, with Flora's help, to figure out, first, if his mother really was the target of a hit-and-run death, and, two, if so, who is behind it. That's where we meet Count Massimo Falconi and his extended family. A family that also seems to include a very vocal, hostile ex-wife who still claims to still be THE wife. Accidents keep happening. Suspect numbers actually increase rather than decrease much to Jack and Flora's dismay. Not only is Sybil a target, but both Jack and Flora find themselves as targets, too. Even the Count meets with an accident. His family is....oh, never mind. Enough teasers. No one seems safe. Things seem off-kilter.

Although I wasn't as immediately taken with this update to Jack and Flora's lives as previous installments -- the pace seemed unusually slow -- there is much to like here. First, of course, Paris. The setting sounds absolutely gorgeous and the author is wonderful at creating mental images that put you right there. The side story involving Flora's own quest to finally find out the truth about her parent's death is tinged both with sadness and hope. Her brief encounter with a former romantic partner is both worrisome and revealing to Jack. They are still working on building their own relationship and this trip, despite the danger, offers up not just glimpses of what makes Flora in particular, well, Flora, but I guarantee that regular readers will love the hopeful ending. While it works as a standalone, regular readers will probably grasp more of the meaning behind various words and actions than someone new to the book. That shouldn't stop anyone from reading, however. It just means you'll have some catch-up reading to do. Grin.

Thanks #NetGalley and #Bookouture for letting me catch up with Jack and Flora in, wow, France. I loved how the author worked in info on what was going on back in Abbeymead, not to mention how she teased us with possibilities to come. Love this series.

Paris is a place book shop owner Flora Steele has always wanted to visit. Beau Jack Carrington however, isn't feeling quite so enthusiastic about it after a phone call out of the blue from his mother who is visiting the French capital with her new partner's family. Shocked after she was involved an accident, which she is convinced was deliberate, Sybil turns to her son expecting him to drop everything and rush to her side. Persuading Flora to accompany him is the only positive he can see to his trip especially as his mother seems as acerbic as he remembered.

The weather is as beautiful as the landscape and Flora is entranced by everything she sees. With the possibility her parents are buried in the south of the country, close to the chateau Sylvia calls home, Flora knows there is no better time to conquer her fears and try to find out what actually happened many years earlier. Before doing that Jack needs her help and she has no intention of letting him down especially as it seems the threat hasn't gone away and all of them could be in more danger than anyone could imagine.

Book seven in this brilliant series sees Flora and Jack leave their familiar surroundings to help his mother, a wonderful addition to the series who must have been such fun to write. The atmosphere, locations, and new characters meld perfectly within the storyline and offer promise of appearances in future books.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Bookouture, but the opinions expressed are my own. Thoroughly enjoyable throughout this is easy to recommend as is the whole series so far.

Another great adventure in this series. Flora and Jack are a wonderful pair/couple, and this latest mystery takes them into France. Jack is frantically called to come to his mother's rescue, her friend has been run down and someone is after her. Is there really someone after her, or is it all in his mother's head? Lots of little things seem "off" to Jack and Flora, but does that mean a crime has been committed?
As always the characters are great, like old friends you get to catch up with. The plot flows smoothly from scene to scene, with a few twists in there to keep the reader guessing. I was happy for Flora that she finally had some closure in the deaths of her parents.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I've read some of the Flora Steele mysteries before and I really like them. Flora and Jack are lovely characters and work so well together, and I always think the author does a great job of creating that comforting cosiness I'm looking for.

This is the seventh instalment in the Flora Steele series, and it was as charming as the previous ones I've read. In fact, this one was slightly different, as Flora and Jack took a trip to France to investigate a murder. The English village setting is always comforting, but I think the fact that this one was set in France added a little extra charm and excitement.

If you like cosy historical mysteries, I would recommend this series. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

The seventh instalment of Flora Steele Mystery series - a cozy mysteries set on the 1950s - follows another sleuthing adventure of Flora and Jack Carrington, this time farther away from their little village of Abbeymead.

Two women were crossing the busy street of Paris, when a black car suddenly jumped from a traffic light queue, hit one of them to death, then drove away. The survived woman is none other than Sybil Carrington, Jack's estranged mother. She summoned Jack to come to Paris, as she's convinced the incident was a deliberate murder, and SHE was the intended target. Stunned but intrigued, Jack left for France, accompanied by Flora, who has her own unfinished business of solving the mystery of her parents' tragic death in France when she was a kid.

Sybil lives in Provence with a wealthy Italian count called Massimo Falconi. Lately she's been a victim of various incidents, which she claims, done by the count's family, who want her to leave him. Is this true? Or is it just a woman's paranoia? And Sybil's friend's death, is it not pure accident? Even Jack and Flora are now victims for some incidents. Are they just coincidences? Or is there a murderer lurking inside the chateau?

Murder in a French Village is a very engaging read. First of all, due to several minor incidents that scattered along the story, we are provided with a handful of suspects. Moreover, with each incident, more clues are revealed itself. It was exciting to keep guessing who could have done this and that, as we know little by little. more secrets of everyone. Then another thing would happen, that the one we were currently suspecting couldn't have done it, so we suspected another one, and so on. Each suspect is equally explored, which made it more difficult to guess whodunnit until the climax. At least, I couldn't guess, though I have suspected the murderer earlier, along with the others.

I also love how Allingham explores Flora's personal struggle about her late parents. It adds a deeper touch to this cozy mystery, and made me connected more with Flora and Jack. Speaking of the couple, I love how their relationship also develops along the story. I loved them from book one, they have a strong chemistry from the start.

**complete review is on my blog**

France Beckons…
The seventh in the Flora Steele Mystery series, set in the sleepy village of Abbeymead, and another worthy addition to this most satisfying series of cosy mysteries featuring book shop owner Flora and her, now not so new, acquaintance and crime writer, Jack Carrington. On this occasion, the sleuthing duo find themselves unexpectedly travelling to France where a catalogue of unimaginable events is about to ensue. Wholly entertaining with likeable protagonists in Flora and Jack, a well imagined setting and a colourful cast of supporting characters that develop nicely as the tale progresses. An easy, relaxing and enjoyable read.

Writer Jack Carrington gets a call from his estranged mother Sybil, asking him to come to France as she thinks someone's trying to kill her. Of course he asks his girlfriend Flora to come along. There are lots of suspects and red herrings but I found the pacing of this book very slow.

I read this book while traveling and enjoyed thinking about the protagonists’ journey as experienced my own.
Jack and Flora were engaging company and I found myself far more interested in their personal relationships than I was in the actual mystery.

Jack’s mother could win an award for lack of maternal feeling, but that added spice to the story and kept me engaged.

I have not read other books in this series and I am anxious to learn more about Jack’s career as a novelist and the life in the village where they live.

Having lived for a few years in France myself and having read previous Flora Steele books, I was delighted to get the chance to review this book. Jack's mother believes her life is threatened. A friend has been killed in Paris and she believes it was meant to be her. Flora has her own reason for wanting to go to France so they go together. After several more "accidents" the duo come to believe that there really is something afoot but who is responsible? An enjoyable read.

Lots of action, suspense, drama with plenty of twists and turns! Wow I did not expect this book to be like it was! I highly recommend reading this one! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!