REVIEWS

Graham Maslen

One of the joys of being in the Viking Book Club is reading a book in a genre into which you don’t usually venture. Murder mystery is not a favoured type of book for me particularly when prefixed by comic. I was pleasantly surprised by this adventure. Ian Moore is an English comic who lives in France and Death and Croissants is his first book of fiction. Richard Ainsworth is running a B&B in the Loire valley. He is quintessentially English - self-effacing, self-deprecating and selfless. He is emotionally separated from his wife and physically from their daughter. He is happily living through his middle age with his stoical help, Madame Tablier and his hens named after once famous film stars which is his passion watching old films. Then one of his elderly guests disappears leaving a bloody handprint on the bedroom wallpaper. Enter the ‘femme formidable’ Valerie d’Orcay and her sidekick chihuahua Passepartout. Together they transform Richard into a hapless sleuth attempting to resolve the mystery. He gets to feature in his own film in which the plot is confusing, convoluted and comical. The main comical signifiers are cultural and linguistic. There is little evocation of place. This yarn is an easy and distracting holiday read.

Sue Coates

From the very first line this book makes you laugh out loud and nod your head in agreement with the witty everyday observations. A joy to read and become enveloped in the world Of Richard Ainsworth as you travel this at times comedic to you, but dramatic to him journey together.

Elgin Schartau

This book is set in rural France where Richard Ainsworth runs his B&B business without the help from his estranged wife. However, he has inherited his cleaner Madame Tablier who came with the purchase of the property. She is a force to be reckoned with, regularly regarding the guests as bothersome and 'stain' creating. She likes everything in the B&B to be spotless and ensures that it is kept that way. Richard, a quiet Englishman prefers his life to be uneventful, finding joy tending his pet hens, watching old films and generally looking after his guests. The mystery begins with an older guest, Monsieur Grandchamps going missing and Madame Tablier finding a bloody handprint on the wallpaper. Valerie D’Orcay, a very glamorous guest is mystified and wants to find out what has happened. She is not only glamorous, but extremely assertive and eventually enlists the help of Richard to persue solving the disappearance. This becomes even more serious when Ava Gardner, one of Richard’s pet hens, is found murdered. This book contains colourful and engaging characters and the story takes many twists and turns and is certainly peppered with humour along the way. Despite this, I didn’t find it a captivating read and lost interest midway. Neither the story line or the plot were strong and I struggled to keep going to the end. I realise that this wouldn’t have been a normal choice of read for me and that others may find it much more engaging and enjoyable.

Jane Williams

I so wanted to love this book as the cover implied that this would be in the same vein as the Thursday Murder Club (which I adored), but it took 100 pages before it got going and the characters became interesting and slightly amusing. The very English Richard Ainsworth lives a quiet life running a Chambre D’hote in the Loire region of France. He is obsessed with classic movies and would love to liken himself as one of Hollywood icons especially in the film noir genre. Unfortunately he is more Basil Fawlty than Basil Rathbone. The plot is complicated by too many characters all seemingly intertwined in a story which was so far-fetched and muddled that I didn’t really care what happened in the end. What I did like was the accurate description of rural France and the characterisation of its inhabitants. I would not dismiss this book as some people may like the comedy, but it was just not 'my cup of tea' as Richard Ainsworth would probably say.

Mary Ames

After reading the first chapter, I was unsure whether I would enjoy this book. I carried on and quickly became absorbed in the characters and the plot. The characters are humorously and well described. There are plenty of twists and turns, a few easy to foresee, but that didn't detract from the enjoyment. The only slight niggle I had with the book was the many references to films and film stars of the 1960s and earlier. The main character, Richard, is a film buff: I am not, so although I recognised many of the references, some were lost on me. However, that is a minor point, and this book is great fun to read, and is ideal for holiday relaxation, especially with the setting of the Loire Valley.

Jane Whelan

When I saw the cover of Death and Croissants, my heart sank. I knew it wasn’t going to be my sort of book. I don’t enjoy murder/mystery type reads. So perhaps I am biased when it comes to this review. However, I was pleased to notice in the first few pages, it was well-written and the characters came alive. There was hope. Unfortunately, my euphoria was short-lived. So much so, it was an effort to turn the page. I found the script dull, unoriginal and old fashioned. It might suit someone of a certain age who enjoys books from the 30s or 40s or someone who rarely picks up a book and suddenly finds time on his hands. Actually, it could be perfect for passenger on a Viking trans-Atlantic cruise!

Steven Aldridge

The author develops some interesting characters and quickly establishes the pecking order (pun intended) for this comical farce. The scene is set very well and early on I was right there with the Englishman in the French B&B. Unfortunately, this isn’t the sort of book I normally read and by a third of the way in I was already persevering with the text for the odd smile, rather than enjoying the read. Sadly, the circumstances of the story and the actions of the characters became a bit too farcical for me. The only other book like this I’ve read was Spitting Feathers by Martyn Smith, which was frankly much better.

Howard Samuels

I was pleased to receive this book from Viking as it is normally not a book I would choose to read. I will certainly be looking out for the next book in the series. The book had a lot of good old fashion humour and at the same time the story line was absorbing and the different characters were bought to life by Ian Moore and you certainly wanted to find out what happened next to the likeable characters. The story had many twists and surprises and at the same time there was lots of humour so a fun read with colourful characters, an exciting plot kept the story moving along at a good pace. I enjoyed the book very much.

Viv Sadd

I really enjoyed the twists and turns of the plot which continued to keep me guessing until almost the final page – such fun. I could not put the book down and I would describe it as an easy holiday read.

Fiona Patterson

A very light cosy crime novel by the comedian Ian Moore set in France, where the author lives. A satirical tongue-in-cheek nod to ‘The Golden Age’ of crime writing, but a bit of Basil Faulty and Fawlty Towers thrown in! Ideal for an easy read by a Viking pool or on the Aquavit terrace, not to be taken too seriously; a classic ‘who done it?’ with limited characters and set in a typical small town B&B in rural France. Lots of red herrings to enjoy too! The hero of the piece is a ‘man of a certain age’ with a femme fatal sidekick, who might be a baddie…. or not? And with a hint of a potential liaison…. I enjoyed the book but as a fan of cosy crime I nevertheless found some of the plot line and narrative slightly silly, and the ‘leading man’ not overly appealing, although his lack of macho makes a refreshing change, perhaps? Is also perhaps autobiographical, at least in part, and it is rather obvious that the book is written by a man (of a certain age)! I didn’t enjoy the constant reference to pre-1960s old Hollywood movies, more my parents generation than mine - and I’m 63! If you like classic Hollywood however then this will be the book for you! That aside, if you are a fan of idyllic place setting for a classic ‘who done it’ and with a satirical tone that’s neither complicated or demanding, a lovely light read to be enjoyed on any Viking ship! Thank you Viking for sending me this book! Overall, 8/10.