Penelope Kite is a divorced British woman who left the coroner’s office when her
boss retired. After a difficult Christmas with her stepchildren, she decides
to take an extended vacation for a couple weeks in Provence. She finds herself
looking at potential properties.
“Perhaps she shouldn’t have drunk all that delicious
rose. It had made her bold.”
Boldness is decidedly what she will need, as she
purchases a property that needs a good deal of TLC to bring it back
to life. There are wasps, and crumbling plaster, villagers who greet her with
some reservation, along with a dead body in the clogged pool.
But Le Chant d’Eau has marvelous views, old stones,
and beautiful atmosphere. Penny is not going to be run off easily, not by a
difficult “Chef de Police” or a movie star handsome mayor.
One dead body isn’t that much of a problem. Call the
police, have it removed, and have a service clean out the pool and make sure it
is sound.
The problems, however, don’t quite end there, and as
fast as Penny meets people who become friendly in the village, there are also
mounting dangers.
As a former employee of a genius coroner, Penny is not
without a certain amount of knowledge in investigations, even if she is an
amateur. She definitely has “le courage.” Will it be enough? It must, because
this is a cozy mystery. But how will we get to the satisfactory conclusion?
What twists and turns will we find along the way? That is the joy of a cozy
mystery and it is well accomplished here, along with a healthy dose of armchair
travel to Provence. I highly recommend this one.
I find it interesting that Serena Kent is actually the pen name for a husband and wife writing team, much like on of my favorite
fantasy authors, Ilona Andrews. I’ve also enjoyed humorous adventure books
written by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer. These male/female writing teams bring
something special to the page that I really enjoy. If you’re looking for some
more reading, check them out.
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