Tag Archives: Ian Moore

Quirky Whodunits: Jay to the World & Death and Fromage

15 Oct
Cover of Jay to the World: A Meg Langslow Mystery by New York Times Bestselling Author of Five Golden Wings, Donna Andrews. Features a drawing of six jays with Santa hats and red scarfs surrounding and pulling wrapped packages out of a mailbox decorated with Christmas lights and garland.
Cover of Death and Fromage: A Novel by Ian Moore. Features a blue cover with red white and blue stripes around the edge. There is a red hand print and a spilled glass of red wine depicted.

Jay to the World
by Donna Andrews
Jay to the World is the newest book in my favorite Meg Langslow mystery series by Donna Andrews. This story is set during Christmas season, but the mystery has appeal beyond the holiday season. When Meg’s mother is attacked, Meg learns that she has been receiving threatening letters. There are plenty of red herrings and this one of the more action-packed stories of series. Of course, it is still full of the cozy charm long term readers like myself expect such as a sweet storyline about Meg’s blue jay loving niece. The story also involves the local woman’s shelter and though nothing is particularly graphic in the story, those who are particularly triggered by violence against women should be aware. If you haven’t previously read this mysteries series and love mysteries with quirky characters than this is one you should definitely check out.

Death and Fromage
by Ian Moore
Death and Fromage is the second in Ian Moore’s Follet Valley Mystery series about a British ex-pat who is running a B&B in France. Richard is enjoying a gourmet tasting menu at a restaurant in a nearby village when controversy erupts over the use of vegan goat cheese in the chef’s signature dish. When the cheese supplier turns up dead in one of the pasteurization tanks it leads to speculation over whether he chose to end his life or he was murdered. This had been in my tbr list for a while after enjoying the previous novel in the series Death and Croissants. I found this story to also be a funny whodunnit and it will delight fans of humorous mysteries as well as fans of stories about British expats such as Peter Mayle’s memoirs set in Provence.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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Marvelous Mysteries: The Examiner & Death and Croissants

11 Sep

The Examiner
by Janice Hallett
The Examiner is one of those books that you can’t put down. Told through an online chat network modeled after discord or slack, email addresses, and texts, The Examiner is an epistolary novel for our modern era. The novel begins with the characters taking an experimental masters degree program that attempts to create a learning experience that will not just have them creating beautiful art, but also give them marketable skills for working in the real world. I like that Hallett is able to make the early texts and chats mundane enough that they seem realistic and grounding for the novel, but gossipy enough that they keep the reader hooked. There is also a sense of gothic in the novel looming that something negative has happened, but we at first are unsure what and then to whom. There were several interesting twists which were well balanced in that I didn’t see fully coming, but were built up enough that they didn’t feel as if they came out of nowhere. None of the characters are who they at first seem. The novel will appeal to those who like mysteries and thrillers. Those who work in academics should find Hallett’s satirical takes on the field amusing; I found as someone with an MFA in writing some of the situations very relatable despite the very dramatic ending. If you enjoy this whodunit, you can also check out The Appeal, The Twyford Code and The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels.

Death and Croissants
by Ian Moore
In Death and Croissants, Richard is a middle aged, British expat, French B&B owner on the verge of divorce. He wants nothing more than to ensure his guests have a relaxing vacation and leave him some four star reviews, but that seems unlikely when a bloody hand print shows up on the wall and an elderly guest who lived in a nearby village goes missing. Valerie a recently widowed, stylish French woman with a small pocketbook pooch, Passepartout always in tow, believes they can solve the mystery, but his cynical housekeeper, Madame Tablier, is pessimistic as usual. But when Richard’s beloved hen, Ava Gardner, is murdered, he becomes a man driven to get to bottom of the funny business occurring in the Loire Valley. Although a more traditionally written novel than The Examiner, it shares a similar quirky sense of humor, engaging characters, who are also much more than they seem, and a quick moving plot. This a cozy with a lot of heart and chuckles. The fact that the book is so funny is probably partially due to Moore’s career as a stand-up comic in the UK, as well as being an author. I’m looking forward to reading the other’s in the series.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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