Murder Visits a French Village by Susan C. Shea, published March 7, 2023, Severn House
Genre: cozy mystery, France, Burgundy
About: Ariel Shepard is devastated by the sudden loss of her husband, but nothing could have prepared her for inheriting the rundown French château they'd visited on their honeymoon four years ago. With finances tight she has no choice but to swap her Manhattan apartment and city lifestyle for a renovation project in a peaceful French village. (publisher)
I was in the mood for a cozy mystery and found this one on my ebook shelf. It's a good choice as it also is set in France, which makes it a candidate for the July in Paris 2023 Challenge.
I enjoyed the book, even though much of it has to do with renovations and rebuilding, as so many stories of expats in France do. The chateau is old, but Ariel's husband secretly bought it for her some time before he died, leaving her to do all the changes by herself. She finds it a refreshing challenge, nevertheless.
Of course, there are other expats and many French people who work on the chateau. But this book is a mystery, not a travel memoir, and there is a murder on the chateau grounds that Ariel has to solve. The mystery also involves the French laws of inheritance, which gives any offspring of the owner, legitimate or otherwise, the right of inheritance. The question remains whether or not Ariel legally owns the chateau, or if there is a son or daughter somewhere who would be the rightful owner.
As she is a widow, Ariel had me waiting for a new romance to show up, but it turns out her real loves are the chateau and the memory of her deceased husband.
An enjoyable cozy, overall, but the wrap up takes some time. A four-star read overall.
