National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day 2019

Happy National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day!
PUT on your ugly sweater and snuggle with a cozy book next to a warm fire. Egg nog on the side table is optional ;-)

I am cracking this one open...

A Noël Killing
by M.L. Longworth
-Mystery, Cozy, Christmas, France | Goodreads
Christmastime in the south of France is as beautiful as ever, but when a shady local businessman drops dead in the middle of the festivities, Verlaque and Bonnet must solve the case while keeping the holiday spirit alive

Antoine Verlaque, examining magistrate for the beautiful town of Aix-en-Provence, doesn't like Christmas. The decorations appear in the shops far too early, festive tourists swarm the streets, and his beloved Cours Mirabeau is lined with chalets selling what he regards as tacky trinkets. But his wife and partner Marine Bonnet is determined to make this a Christmas they can both enjoy, beginning with the carol sing at the Cathedral Saint Sauveur, a beautiful service in a packed church.

Just as the holiday cheer is in full swing, a man is poisoned, sending the community into a tailspin. The list of suspects, Verlaque and Bonnet quickly discover, almost fills the church itself, from the visiting vendors at the Christmas fair to the victim’s unhappy wife and his disgruntled business partner. In A Noël Killing, with the help of an ever-watchful young woman named France, the pair must solve the murder while the spirit of the season attempts to warm Verlaque’s stubborn heart.


~*~
* image source: spock and kirk

Dreaming of France - 7

Dreaming of France
meme created by An Accidental Blog
join this week's round and add your link here
Grab a copy of the photo above and link back to my blog. Share with the rest of us your passion for France. Did you read a good book set in France? See a movie? Take a photo in France? Have an adventure? Eat a fabulous meal or even just a pastry? Or if you're in France now, go ahead and lord it over the rest of us. We can take it. Maybe we can all satisfy our yearnings for France, until we get there again.

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Today I will feature an article about Aix en Provence I came across on NPR last week which also includes a book recommendation:

Mystery Writer Weaves Intricate Puzzles In Sleepy French Town
by Eleanor Beardsley

Excerpt:

The southern French town of Aix-en-Provence is known more for good living than for murder. But the town's languid beauty is also what makes it a perfect setting for Mary Lou Longworth's Provencal mysteries with Inspector Verlaque. -read complete article here

Death at the Chateau Bremont:
A Verlaque and Bonnet Mystery
by M. L. Longworth
Amazon | Goodreads
Set in charming and historic Aix-en-Provence, France, Death at the Château Bremont introduces readers to Antoine Verlaque, the handsome and seductive chief magistrate of Aix, and his on-again, off- again love interest, law professor Marine Bonnet.

When local nobleman Etienne de Bremont falls to his death from the family château, the town is abuzz with rumors. Verlaque suspects foul play and must turn to Marine for help when he discovers that she had been a close friend of the Bremonts. This is a lively whodunit steeped in the rich, enticing, and romantic atmosphere of southern France.

-----> I had the pleasure of visiting Aix on Provence a couple months ago for one night during the Summer solstice celebration. Lots of people, lots of music and happy vibes all-around.

In general, I found the place to be a small charming town in Southern France that definitely is a place to visit again (at daylight).

Books&Brioche: Death at the Chateau Bremont

Books&Brioche
french themed - ooh-la-la
June 21 - August 31, 2011
Bienvenue!

I've been catching up on detective Poirot episodes and enjoying some mystery these days. Agatha Christie's Poirot character is Belgian but his dialogue is often sprinkled with French words. So, I'm including him in my Books&Brioche event.

Grab a cappuccino...



and listen to this...


La Noyee solo
(Yann Tiersen cover)
played by Dave Thomas

and daydream about this...

Death at the Chateau Bremont
by M.L. Longworth
Win this book at Readaholic
-ends July 13, 2011
Introducing a seductive new mystery series set in Provence-featuring chief magistrate Antoine Verlaque.

Set in charming and historic Aix-en-Provence, France, Death at the Château Bremont introduces readers to Antoine Verlaque, the handsome and seductive chief magistrate of Aix, and his on-again, off- again love interest, law professor Marine Bonnet.

When local nobleman Etienne de Bremont falls to his death from the family château, the town is abuzz with rumors. Verlaque suspects foul play and must turn to Marine for help when he discovers that she had been a close friend of the Bremonts.

This is a lively whodunit steeped in the rich, enticing, and romantic atmosphere of southern France.

~*~
* image source cappuccino

* part of Vacation Reads (or, Books for the Armchair Traveler)
hosted by Ruby Reads and Manga Maniac Cafe

~->~-> books&brioche schedule <-~<-~