Murder in the Rue Dumas (A Provençal Mystery Book 2)

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Fans of European sleuths with a taste for good food such as Martin Walker’s Bruno (Bruno, Chief of Police) will have fun.

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In this way, the book reminded me quite a bit of David Lodge's books, which are sort of academic humor and are in fact referenced in this novel. The second book in the delightful Verlaque and Bonnet mystery series is another page-turning whodunit, this time in set in a small community of theology students and professors at Aix-en-Provence's university. There are inconsistencies in the writing sometimes translating the French other times using the French word and italicising them, so why not use autoroute for example rather than highway, other times using the English word when the French would be better. Intryga kryminalna zupełnie nie wciąga, pan sędzia wciąż jest seksistą (choć kryguje się, że nie jest), jego partnerka wypowiada pierwsze pełne zdanie gdzieś pod koniec książki, a na domiar złego autorka w jednej scenie utrwala stereotypy nt.

What really makes Longworth’s writing special is her deep knowledge of French history, landscape, cuisine, and even contemporary cafes and restaurants. The differences in the Catholic Church in France were also explored (or exploded) as part of the plot. Although not directly concerning the case, I thought that the Epilogue did wind everything up rather nicely. Considering the plot involves an examination of the department's funding (the separation of church and state in France means that no public funds can be provided for the study of religious subjects and so public universities do not have theology departments, a paradox which is brushed aside in a single paragraph which makes only limited sense) , the only way colleges can afford to maintain such courses is with the help of the Catholic Church.Plus, if you are reading Aixcentric because you like Aix, you will love all the spot-on descriptions of the town.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Daarnaast ontdekken ze dat hij naast zijn werk nog een andere passie had, die een extra onderzoekslijn oplevert. Apart from probing the rivalries among the university’s faculty, Verlaque also looks into the possibility that the killer was an art thief.When the director of the theology department at the university in Aix is found dead, Judge Verlaque is dumbfounded. Professor Moutte was about to announce the recipient of both a fellowship, and his position as Director - which includes the coveted apartment in a 17th century mansion. Longworth has written for The Washington Post, The Times (London), The Independent, and Bon Appétit magazine. Nicely written, easily read, and the murder of the professor is solved after lots of food is eaten, lots of wine drunk, several cigars smoked, and we learn a lot more about Verlaque's back story.