The Secrets of the Bastide Blanche

Name: The Secrets of the Bastide Blanche
Brand: Tantor Audio
Availability: InStock
Author: M.L. Longworth
ISBN: 9781541443907

Author: M.L. Longworth

Series: Verlaque and Bonnet Provencal Mystery #7

Narrator: Christa Lewis

Unabridged: 9 hr 6 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 01/17/2019

Categories: Fiction, Mystery & Detective, Police Procedural, International Crime & Mystery

Synopsis

One hot summer night, Aix-en-Provence is aflutter with news that controversial author Valère Barbier, who once shared dinners with French presidents and all-night drinking bouts with rock stars, has moved into La Bastide Blanche, a grand house left empty for decades. But Valère's ideas of a peaceful retirement are quickly dashed. Rambunctious neighborhood children, a fast-talking gossip of a housekeeper, and a rival novelist filter through the home at all hours of the day—and by night there are unseen visitors with more sinister intentions.

While Antoine Verlaque investigates Valère's sordid history, his wife and partner, Marine Bonnet, questions why the estate was abandoned in the first place—and what they both find raises more questions than answers. Is Valère imagining the ethereal cries that fill the bastide at night? Is he losing his mind? Or have these ghosts returned from Valère's checkered past to haunt him?

About M.L. Longworth

M. L. Longworth has lived in Aix-en-Provence since 1997. She has written about the region for the Washington Post, the Times (UK), the Independent (UK), and Bon Appetit Magazine. She is the author of a bilingual collection of essays, Une Americaine en Provence, published by La Martiniere in 2004. She is married and has one daughter.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Kathy on November 14, 2019

A very different construction of a story that is more a literary investigation vs the usual crime story where the judge (Verlaque) and commissioner (Paulik) join forces to catch the murderer. There are echoes of du Maurier's Rebecca in this ghost story, a delightful and creative addition to this ser......more

Goodreads review by Angie on July 04, 2018

I love the way this book was written - in an old school mystery kind of way. I am giving this book 4 stars because of the writing more than the plot. I enjoyed all the references to good food and drink (mostly wine), literature and art, with a touch of paranormal, making for an interesting, sophistic......more

Goodreads review by Filip on June 20, 2024

I can see why to many people this seems like the weakest volume, but I enjoyed it much more than some of the previous one. The composition of the novel and the way the story is presented is quite interesting and the mystery itself is quite good and with multiple layers - pity the solution isn't that......more

Goodreads review by Dogsandbooks on June 04, 2018

Probably 3.5 because of atmosphere. This time, following the characters felt like work and the story was way more out there than previous versions. Still, a very enjoyable series. DPL book......more

Goodreads review by Mia on October 11, 2019

This was a selection for our local library’s mystery book group. I had not read the six books in the series which preceded this book, but it is obvious that there are many recurring characters. Otherwise, why does Verlaque visit the old farmer and have lunch with him? It seems clear that for fans of......more