A former Napoleonic soldier, now the captain of the Saint-Pons gendarmerie (an army corps used to police the countryside), feels something is in the air on this cold, windy Christmas night, so he puts on his uniform and mounts his horse to escort the mail coach. The only passenger is M. Gaspard, an usurer dead drunk on flaming Christmas punch, on his way to expropriate a poor family unable to pay him back.
#Provence
panBlech - I stuck with the awkward and overly dense writing to see how it resolved and frankly, the end wasn‘t worth it. It was really difficult to reconcile the culprit with the person you were getting to know, it just didn‘t feel like they were the same person. And frankly, the characters all felt the exact same, I had a lot of trouble keeping them straight.
First book finished for #TurnThePage and my August #DoubleSpin
pickI loved reading this book while I was on vacation in France in April. I expect that some things have changed since Mayle's classic was written, but he captures perfectly the food culture and relaxed atmosphere, at least in the small part of Provence (Avignon) that we had the chance to visit.
pickA weak pick. I liked the mystery and loved the Provence setting, but had some trouble getting used to the snobbish main character. Still, I enjoyed this novel enough that I plan to continue the series.
#gottacatchemall (Comfey: flowers on the cover) @PuddleJumper
#52bookclub25 (“I think it was blue”)
pickLoved this book and also this morning‘s sunrise in the Irish Hills of Michigan—also known as out my front door. So happy to have found a new series to read, set in Provence to boot. The characters are terrific. No, Verlaque does not annoy me; he‘s complicated and real, as is Marine. The setting, food, wine: 😘 Five stars! I bought the next two from Thrift Books already and have two more on order. Highly recommend Thrift Books too, btw.
#FeelinTheLove
I just realized I used this same book I read & reviewed in 2011 for a similar prompt 5 years ago! 😂 Oh well… it‘s a good one for a #BrokenHeart 💔
pickIt has been a while since I have read a mystery that drew me in like this one. I think it was the depth of the characters that made the difference (I have read so many mysteries lately with 2D characters). There was no mushy middle and on the whole a satisfying ending. I will be recommending this one.
pickA book that‘s been on my shelf for over 5 years is now #OffMyShelf 🎉
While I thought the pacing was inconsistent between the various time periods, I did enjoy this story. And now I want to go to Provence. 🇫🇷
I'd never had thought this short story was written in 1960 and published in Elle magazine! It felt very atmospheric and victorian. 3d