A mystery house in France
346023
Our Heroine has lots of surprises coming after her husband's sudden death. I admired how she keeps on going even with blow after blow. And I admire her ability to avoid bitterness.
I really enjoyed how she struggles with the house and brings it to liveability. I figured out the mystery about 3/4 of the way through the book.
Go read it.
1000790
LOVED this story! Because of an upcoming visit to the Dordogne France region I've been "due-diligence" reading for stories with this region as a setting. I'd read these authors' first book, A Castle in the Backyard: The Dream of a House in France and was thrilled to find their Murder in Lascaux. I read this story with the Michelin #337 Guide (Lot, Tarn-et-Garonne) open at my side and followed the action from the beautifully described Lascaux cave art to Sarlat, Beynac, Cazenac, Domme, and La Roque Gageac. (We will spend time in Vezac, close by.) The mystery had a very satisfying ending served up within wonderful archaeological information tempered by in-depth knowledge of French culture ... and food! So well done!
4332259
The synopsis of this book is a bit misleading. The reader should know that the house is not the central character, nor is it called Greyglass. The idea that it builds on itself is also misleading but you could surmise that through the happenings and inevitable hauntings are what causes the rebuilding/changes therein.

The actual story surrounds Susan, an insecure young woman who goes through changes that could reflect changes in the house as well. She has a strained relationship with her mother and an almost non-existent one with her grandmother Catherine, whose death in the beginning causes much of the weird happenings involving the house. By the time Susan is secure in herself and finally finds a friend, the house has come full circle to become a home for her.

The twisty ending was not surprising if you are familiar with Lee's work. While it did have closure, the end can leave you guessing. It is a short read but very worth the time and has the appeal of all Lee's novels.
2200855
What gave someone the idea to make House 2,with this one A young man inherites A house from his parents not knowning the danger that lies. In this story the house sits on A portal in time which brings in some strange story lines and people,and the ending well you figure it out.
3406092
Based on a play by Spanish writer Juan Mayorga, Franois Ozons latest work In the House (Dans la maison) follows the unusual story of Germain (Fabrice Luchini), a tired and disillusioned French teacher at Gustave Flaubert High School). One day he discovers a 16-year-old student with talent for writing in his class; he is Claude Garcia (Ernst Umhauer), who has done his homework by vividly describing what he experienced in his friend Raphas house.

Germain decides to take Claude under his wing and starts teaching about writing, but Claudes writing gets more and more real  and alarmingly so, with descriptions about Raphas mom Esther (Emmanuelle Seigner), to whom, it seems, Claude is attracted. While Germains private lesson develops into battle of wits, Germains wife Jeanne (Kristin Scott Thomas) gets interested in Claudes story.

Like in some of Ozons works, the world he describes is unique in blurring the line between fiction and reality. Claude as an imaginative and creative writer slowly takes the lead in telling the story, which could be fiction after all. Everything is done smoothly and stylishly, while players effectively become seemingly impossible characters.

For all these merits, however, I couldn't help feeling, well, in short, so what? The stagy film intrigues us with its unique set-up, but what follows is not really surprising. In the House has a well-told story, but the story, intelligent and interesting as it is feels very distant.
1414811
There was a murder for Bruno to solve, but this novel is more about the French countryside than about the murder.  Solving the murder gives Walker a reason for giving the reader a history lesson about the Dordogne section of France.  The descriptions of the area remind me of Peter Mayles stories centered in Provence.  Either author makes me want to grab my passport and head for France.
2566395
Again, a lovely depiction of Dordogne and the rural French culture. Bruno, the chief of police in St. Denis, encounters a dead, naked woman floating down the river. There are signs of Satanism on the body. This starts a quick moving series of increasing mysteries involving the caves in the area plus some tourism expansion plans that may be related. Bruno is able to sort out the various strings with his innate intelligence.
1317534
The troubled relationship between Francis Bacon and his lover, David, is at the center of this mystery set in Morocco.  The mystery finds Francis trying to track down the source of counterfeit artwork.  David suffers from mental health issues and a fiery temper, and when he runs from Francis to Tangier, Francis follows.  There Francis is pulled deep into an effort to capture art forgers, a high-stakes venture that puts him squarely in the line of danger.

The detective Francis Bacon is based on a real man, a British artist of the mid-20th century.  I was unfamiliar with him before reading this book.  I was also unaware that Tangier was something of a safe haven for gay British men- Francis and David are part of a large gay, expat population there.  As mysteries go, I'd say this one was average.  It was pleasant enough to read, and it moved quickly.  I found the setting fascinating, as I'd never read anything set in colonial Morocco before.  I'd call this an interesting diversion if you enjoy mysteries.
3031551
A fascinating mystery in a unique setting. The description of the monastic life and of Gregorian chants is excellent. Something I have come to expect in all Louise Penny books. I was so fascinated by the description of the chants that I ran right out and bought some. Also loved the contrast between the devout Gamache and the atheistic Beauvoir as they experience monastic life. Nice touches of humor too.
3556367
A very interesting story based on the true finding of an apartment in Paris full of antiques and journals from the world war ii era, which give a lfe to the relics within.
3648892
The title might make one think the book is about a supernatural character but it's not....quite....that.  We've got a "ghost" writer.  She leaves Paris, France to go to Provence to assist the widow in writing about the murder of her husband.  From there we meet members of her family and a few red herrings pulled into the possible suspect list.  Who done it?  You'll have to read it to find out because I just "ain't" telling.
4789421
Sir Roland Chatterton's country estate borders on the river Thames. Close to the river is "the joy of his heart", a sun trap bordered on three sides by evergreen shrubs and open on the other to the sun and the river. Here, during fine periods of the summer, he has his chair placed and here her sits surrounded by his books and papers sometimes for his whole day. On one such day, when members of his family and household are summoned to the sun trap by the sound of a gun shot, it appears that he has suicided.  This is the principal mystery around which Freeman Wills Crofts builds his 1949 book "Silence For the Murderer". Allied to this mystery there is also a clever swindle perpetrated by two of the principal characters. The swindle and the suicide are so ingeniously contrived by Crofts that their discovery and explanation, at the hands of Chief Inspector French, are almost too amazing to be believed. There is also an amazing twist at the end of the book, when it seems that the case is well and truly solved.
Nearing the end of his detective fiction career, Crofts has here allowed less space for the dogged detection, timetable checking formula he had used ever since 1920. A love interest component occupies a considerable part of the book. Chief Inspector French's entry is delayed until two third of the way through.
4806704
Lise McClendons The Frenchman is McClendons fifth novel in her Bennett Sisters Mysteries series. It is a frame story variation in that Merle, the protagonist, tells a story of her own throughout the mystery.

As McClendons story opens, Merle seems to be a bit lost within herself. Shes taking an extended leave from her work as a lawyer in New York in order to go to France and get started on her novel. Merles son, Tristan, is growing up and heading off to college this year, and her French boyfriend, Pascal, works a job that frequently keeps them apart for long periods of time and with little communication. Upon arrival in France, Merle finds herself with tangible insecurities as well  her house has been vandalized, and she has need for a vehicle but no knowledge of how to buy.

Meanwhile, Merle begins to write her novel, Odette and the Great Fear, and McClendon includes Merles chapters as stand-alone chapters within The Frenchman. Writing acts as Merles escape: It was so comforting to live in another world where the mundane was an afterthought, where pain was just a word, where one had control of all events, and the author was a god. (Kindle Locations 1356-1357). This comfort is better understood later, when McClendons mystery comes to light as Pascal disappears.

The Frenchman is as much a mystery novel as it is an exploration into the personal life of an author. McClendons character, Merle, strives to build her own character, Odette, in a seemingly reflected manner of McClendons own efforts to dive into Merles character. McClendon skillfully reveals thought and emotion of her characters to her readers, and ties together Merle and Odette in a pleasant analogy.

The Frenchman is a delightful stroll through a grove of mystery, with a woven path through a light French countenance that makes for a formidable leisure read.
3419875
Wonderful film in the French style, with unexpected twists and turns. and great photography.
178466
The third Gervase Fen novel is another "locked door" mystery. Richard has bullied his publisher into giving him an advance so he can take a short holiday in Oxford to refresh his creative juices. He finds himself without a place to stay and begins poking around town. He is surprised to find a shop with an unlocked door and heads inside. It is a toyshop and there is a living quarters upstairs. He is shocked to find the body of a woman, and she has clearly not died of natural causes. He hears a noise behind him, is knocked out, and awakens in a small closet. He escapes the building and heads to the police to report the crime. When they return, instead of a toyshop, there is a grocers in its place. Completely perplexed, Richard turns to his friend Gervase Fen, to help him solve the mystery. The story moves on to a mysterious inheritance done through a trust with each recipient having a code name from an Edward Lear poem. Each have been brought to the scene of the crime, but each has an apparently solid alibi at the time of death. Gervase must use his quirky wit to solve a most complex and odd case. The story contains many references to literature, and Gervase even breaks the fourth wall and talks to directly to the reader for some added quirkiness.
3590048
When real estate aficionado Madison Boone discovers a quaint, mysterious cottage carefully tucked away behind a beautifulbut unkemptgarden, she has no idea what she has gotten herself into. All she knows is that she may have finally found a place to call home, a concept unknown to her since her parents died several years back. Lucky for Madison, her best friends Gen, Gabi and Anna are there to help her both make the house her home as well as to unravel the myriad of mysteries within. Many of these concern the history of the former owners, Mallory and Edward Blackburne, a seemingly lovely Irish couple involved in the study of birds and assisting orphans. But were they as sweet as they seemed?

A clever and intelligent mystery which I thoroughly enjoyed unravelling the clues to. This is also a fantastically fun mystery filled with friendship and humour. Molly Greenes characters were realistically portrayed, warm and inviting. Her setting and descriptions were skilfully drawn, and her clues carefully planted. This is a mystery which non mystery fans will also enjoy reading.
3362125
Designer and Renovator peel back layers to expose a historic gem and not to mention a murderer.

***
First entry in a new home-renovation and design-tips mystery series, author Jennie Bentley introduces Avery Baker, a designer from New York to Derek Ellis, a home repairman who is really handy with his hands. When Avery's mother encouraged her to find out what Inga Marie Morton, an aunt she only met once wanted, the last time she expected when she arrived in Maine was to find her aunt dead with her the sole beneficiary. Mixed in her ex-boss/ex-boyfriend, mysterious antiques stolen years ago with Derek's pushy ex-wife realtor who would like nothing more that to get Avery to sell the house at a steep discount, to the two resentful cousins who did not inherit and you get a home repair project that may never end. Unlike most renovation projects, Bentley employs a cast of strong characters, steps up the timeline and wraps up loose ends on time.