What was I thinking? When I decided to write a novel about an American couple that moves to rural France on a whim and must figure out how to fit into the local community, I didn’t think through the storytelling complications. She speaks French well enough, although much of it… Read more
Read this exclusive guest post from Susan Shea about where she drew inspiration from for Love & Death in Burgundy, and then make sure to sign in and comment below for a chance to win this wonderful French-themed mystery! When I began writing what became Love & Death in Burgundy,… Read more
The Eskimo Solution by Pascal Garnier is a crime novel that finds reality and fiction overlapping for an author's stay in Normandy. Pascal Garnier (1949-2010) has become one of my favorite writers—not just of noir fiction, but among all scribes whose work I’ve read, regardless of genre or style. A… Read more
In addition to the return of Endeavour on Masterpiece Mystery this week, PBS will air The Tunnel, a French-English co-production from 2013. If the initial episodes are any indication, this police procedural might be worth digging into. Fair warning to those who prefer their mysteries on the mild side, however—there’s… Read more
Too Close to the Edge by Pascal Garnier is a tale of retirement and calm domesticity, with a hint of menace about to explode (Available in ebook format today, and in paperback on June 14, 2016). I’ve written about Pascal Garnier here before, so I am going to skip right… Read more
1, 3, or 5. While definitely odd, these are your only choices at the world’s first short story vending machines in Grenoble, France—a small town of 160,000 located in the French Alps.
Ah, smell the fresh school supplies and this ripe shortlist for The M.O.! Read four sneak peeks of very-short stories, based on the theme of “Lesson Learned,” then vote at the bottom for the one you'd most like to read through recess and on to The End. (We'll be posting… Read more
A Pattern of Lies by Charles Todd is the 7th historical mystery in the Bess Crawford series where an explosion at a gunpowder mill leaves questions in its wake (available August 18, 2015). Almost a character in itself, the English countryside of Charles Todd’s Bess Crawford series shows again and… Read more
I hate watching reruns of mystery and crime TV shows I’ve already seen—it’s not much fun to tune in when you already know who did it. And, while the networks offer plenty of summer replacements, this season, none captured my attention as much as the shows I enjoy the most…. Read more
Death in Brittany by Jean-Luc Bannalec marks the debut of the internationally best-selling procuedural series featuring the coffee-loving Commissaire Georges Dupin who's just relocated from Paris to a quaint coastal town (available June 30, 2015). When it comes to crime, I read noir stuff primarily. Speaking broadly, I read a… Read more
