It’s Eat Pray Love meets murder mystery in Lise McClendon’s deliciously cozy chronicles of sisterhood, international travel … and a soupçon of danger.5 ★ “This is a charming series of the adventures of 5 sisters. Merle the middle sister is the predominant focus of the books and one falls in love with her! Then we meet the rest of the clan. It is impossible to put the books down (my kind of … kind of books)! Merle’s adventures alone and with her sisters are simply wonderful. There is just enough intrigue to keep one interested and to move on to the next book. I hope you find the books to be as grand as I did.”
“Enjoyed getting to know the Bennet sisters and their relationships. It was nice reading about some women who have a variety of life experiences. These characters are beyond the age of 30. I think any woman would enjoy reading this but the narrator is in her 50’s and I enjoyed her perspective.”
A sprawling, exuberant, generous-spirited cozy mystery series with a yummy side of international adventure.
A little bit chick lit, a touch of cozy mystery, a whole lot of humor, romance, suspense—all in one box set!
BLACKBIRD FLY – Book One
A dead husband might be sadder except that once Harry dies, his widow, Merle Bennett realizes almost immediately it was no wonder she didn’t know anything about him. They’d pretty much been leading separate lives—several of them, as it turns out. Still, the will’s quite a shock. And so is an intriguing surprise—Harry left her a family home in a tiny French village. Or maybe a family home. Because who was Harry’s family? Finding out is half the fun.
Merle sets out to claim her inheritance, adolescent son in tow, and thus begins a sojourn reminiscent of A Year in Provence mixed up with something by Carolyn Hart, maybe, or M.C. Beaton. Because Malcouziac, Merle’s tiny Dordogne town, is the quintessential village—just perfect for a murder. And a rollicking good time.
THE GIRL IN THE EMPTY DRESS – Book Two
Law practice is in the Bennett sisters’ blood—along with designer suits and stilettos. But they’ve decided to ditch the more predictable Caribbean cruise or spa weekend at a five star hotel to celebrate Merle Bennett’s 50th birthday hiking the French countryside of Dordogne. There’s just one catch: Merle’s little sister Francie has decided to bring along a sixth wheel: a work colleague named Gillian Sargent, whose utter aloofness wouldn’t be so bad. Except she seems to be hiding something…
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This was an easy read.
Loved these two books.
Slow to get into
WAS OKAY BUT TOO WORDY, LITTLE BORING
Fun read for both books. I found them both to be witty. It took a bit to get into the first book but when I did I remained interested. I see this frequently…both books need editing. Missing words, words used where they shouldn’t be, etc.
Really enjoy this series. The setting and characters are realistic and immerse you in the story.
It took only a few pages before I switched to another book. It’s not my “cup of tea.” The story flow was lacking, and the language wasn’t appealing.
Wasn’t sure about the books at first, but once I got into them I didn’t want to out t hem down.
This series is enjoyable. The Bennett sisters relationships are relatable. The individual stories aren’t super predictable; however, the overarching story is as little more mundane.
Didn’t like
I thought this was an unusual and interesting couple of stories and although they were related, they could also be enjoyed singly.
This was such a good read, that I was real happy to have a second book right there to read soon too! But I wanted to get the most enjoyment out of it and decided to wait awhile and not “binge”….. So I have the second book to look forward to yet.
I enjoyed these books very much. Sometimes they would drag a little bit but the subject was good, the characters relationships wonderful. I even learned a little French!!
The beginning was slow and rather depressing but after about the first 150 pages it got really good
Slow in the beginning, but picked up pace and kept me wanting to read more
I did enjoy it.
Enjoyable read. Ready to read more about the Bennett Sisters.
This is just fiction, they are not mysteries.
I have read the first book and nearly finished with the second. It’s hard to put down.
I tried and tied but this book was totally uninteresting. 100 pages in and not a single redeeming quality.