Love & Death In Burgundy

Our Review

LOVE & DEATH IN BURGUNDY is a mesmerizing mystery full of charm, cheese, and colorful, clever characters. A gifted artist, Katherine Goff, along with her musically acerbic husband, Michael, move into a tight knit community in Reigny-sur-Canne. Katherine longs to be accepted by her neighbors but it’s harder than she expects. One of her neighbors is a cute teenage girl, Jeanette, who has a natural born tendency to snoop and is light-fingered. She steals in the night, listening at doors and windows to people’s conversations. She is a fount of information when it comes to village affairs.

So, when an older Frenchman, Albert, is discovered dead at the bottom of the stairs in his village chateau, foul play is suspected. Who would murder an elderly tour guide? Jeanette knows something and is eager to tell someone. Will they listen to her?

There are a bevy of neighbors who offer up their opinions to Katherine on the turn of events. There is the grande dame of the village Chateau de Bellegarde, a melodramatic, cultured bookseller, a family of ruffians with a teenage daughter, Jeanette, a country singer with her husband and teenage son, Pippa, an English mystery writer who is Katherine’s friend, and an assortment of other foreigners. Katherine is drawn into the whodunit-case and weeds out clues along with amateur sleuth, Pippa, who is writing a mystery book. Also, Jeanette wants to share her news but it falls on deaf ears. Will Katherine ever uncover the murderer?

LOVE & DEATH IN BURGUNDY is a mystery to savor slowly. Wine flows, dramatic situations explode and secretive gossip abounds in Ms. Shea’s fabulously French mystery novel. The author uses the voices of two characters, Katherine, an artist, and Jeanette, a teenage girl, to narrate the tale about the mysterious death of a noble Frenchman. Many outrageous rumors, entertaining conversations, challenges of fitting in, and quirky characters combine into a tricky mystery. I was immediately enchanted by the whole gang! The story flows smoothly with a velvety richness like fine wine. The author includes descriptive scenes of the French village and its occupants, which adds a magical touch to the total story. Who knew the world of noble French folk could be so entertaining? LOVE & DEATH IN BURGUNDY is a slow burn, is sweetly reminiscent and has a killer twist ending! Crème de la crème!