It’s Eat Pray Love meets murder mystery in Lise McClendon’s deliciously cozy chronicles of sisterhood, international travel … and a soupçon of danger.
A dead husband with a secret life is always a winner (fictionally speaking, of course), but what about a secret past for a special treat? In fact, a past so secret even Harry the husband didn’t know about it. That’s the delicious underpinning of … know about it. That’s the delicious underpinning of this 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…
GIVE HIM THE OOH-LA-LA – Book Three
It’s Bridget Jones does Christmas in the Big Apple, and this year it promises to be especially festive, as all five Bennett sisters are in town for a very special occasion: Annie, the oldest Bennett, is engaged at the tender age of fifty-five. But while Bohemian Annie is securely and happily in love with a devoted fiancé, Merle-in-the-middle is navigating the roller coaster of her own love life: Pascal, her one-time French summer fling, has unexpectedly flown to New York for the holidays. But why? A relationship ultimatum? Or is there something more mysterious in the works? Because a festive family outing to a drag revue at Pascal’s request just begs more questions to be answered…and the unfolding of dangerous connections to Merle’s own family.
THE THINGS WE SAID TODAY – Book Four
Annie is finally getting hitched to Callum Logan in the picture-postcard idyllic Scottish Highlands. The mother of the groom has generously put up the Bennett family in her Kincardie House estate, a gorgeous hunting lodge that’s been in the Logan family for generations. But Annie has reservations. Meanwhile, Merle and Francie are navigating relationship crises of their own. And amidst the Highlands’ signature fog, rain, sheep, and heather—not to mention the festivities’ decadent five course meals and family drama—a rare rainstorm with hurricane-force winds is heading right for the wedding party. And Jinty Arbuckle, the high-strung estate housekeeper, struggles to keep the Kincardie House in order and its brash American guests happy, all the while guarding secrets of her own.
more
Love this series. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the escapades of Merle and her sisters.
I liked volume 1 the mystery and the characters , Vol 2 was good, Vol 3 did not get, Vol 4 just went on too long with so many characters
Great series … (Just don’t expect Jane Austen)
I found them boring and repetitive.
Personal decision. Just not reading books with cuss words any more
I could not put this book down. the characters were well developed, the locations of the stories were unique the descriptive writing was wonderful
I loved these books and I can’t wait to read the rest of them. I was transported to each location every time.
Hard time keeping my interest
I had a difficult time getting into these books.
Blackbird Fly #1 – This is my first read by this author and it was not what I expected. A good story filled with plenty of storylines that did keep my interest. Merle has so much happen to her with the death of her husband; her discoveries are many and varied. I like that the characters are real and do not follow the stupidity formula so commonplace today. There are several mysteries ongoing and while you know some of the endings, there is more depth than expected. I did find too much wordiness with quite a few unnecessary details, which proper editing would have reduced the page length and corrected the possessive vs. plural usage and other errors. There is infrequent vulgar language, which I did not find necessary. 4*
The Girl in the Empty Dress #2 – This book begins a year after Blackbird ends. I like the way the blog told parts of the story without the wordy descriptions that are too much in these stories. There’s an increase in the vulgar language. Editing is needed for the misuse of words, for example: guano, the improper use of God and expressions with God, and the wordiness with unnecessary details. I was confused by the chauvinist label when a policeman told Merle to be careful with the kidnappers; that was not being a chauvinist, that was common sense. There is not much of a mystery, but the other storylines are still interesting, especially the relationship between Merle and Pascal. The regular characters are growing with each addition to the series and are still interesting. 3.5*
Give Him the Ooh-La-La #3 – This starts five months after Girl ends. I do not understand why someone is in love and yet distrusts or resorts to secrecy without good reason, instead of communicating their concerns to their beloved. Merle disappoints me with her avoidance and bad thoughts of Pascal, and the way she thought about the Christmas gift. She is definitely following the stupidity formula so common today; I am losing respect for her. There is not much of a mystery in this story. Needs the same type of editing as the previous books. 3*
The Things We Said Today #4 – This book starts six months after Give ends. The same as the last two, but this one is heavily against marriage – not modern, but the old traditional one of man is obeyed. Gee, the intolerance and prejudice by supposedly intelligent, older women who act so stupid about men and marriage. Merle does act better in this addition. There’s not much mystery but a lot of worries and doubts by many of the characters. This is mainly about the lives of the sisters. Pascal still shines in his role. Needs editing; has the modern trend usage of God, which reeks of intolerance and prejudice. 3*
Blame it on Paris #7 – I read the first four books because I had them a while in my library and volunteering to review Blame made me clean out my library of these books; I do not find them worth keeping, not even the first and I liked it. But I promised to review this book; the others were purchases I never made time to read. This book starts since one year after Things ends. The emphasis is on Francie and her woes; sexual harassment charges at work from a younger man, which allows her three weeks in Paris to help an American in prison facing drug charges.
With her involvement with the American there is finally an involved mystery, which the other books just attempted as a sideline. Unfortunately, the culprits were easy to figure out in both the harassment and the drug charges. Merle and Pascal are still a good part of the storylines, which I was happy to see them involved so much with Francie. Francie was not an interesting character for me, but M and P were my favorite characters throughout this series. I still have a problem with the lack of basic editing: God; proper names lowercased; etc. I found this book on Booksprout; the others are purchased. 3.5
Bennett Sisters French Cookbook #8 – This cookbook consists of basically 25 well known French recipes and depending on where you live some ingredients will be difficult to find. There are histories behind the recipes; the books in which they appear; and some excerpts from those stories.
Those already knowledgeable about the recipes and Bennett Sisters books will not find this book a good addition to the series or cookbook collection. Many of the recipes are better written from other sources; Julia Child is the go to for these recipes, but they are available everywhere. For those who are absolutely in love with this series and do not care that the author has her personal opinions infused in the recipes and/or may never try a recipe, this book is for you. Gee, you can boil potatoes in cold, salted water? Silly me, I always used fresh water brought to a boil; all that Swiss chef school training wasted on me. Be careful, there were mistakes. 4*
Good read
Light entertainments
The story was captivating; made you want to read on……
Couldn’t get into it.
Blackbirds started out slow in my opinion but I kept reading. I am very glad I did because I ended up really enjoying all of the books.
This book contains mysteries involving 5 sisters. Much of it takes place in France and Scotland. I am enjoying the descriptions of the small towns and countryside where the action takes place.
Loved it. It might be my favorite over all
Interesting family characters and personalities. Adventures in France and Scotland. Well developed romance.
Did not finish, did not appreciate the crude language.
These are billed as “cozy mysteries,” but the first one is not. It is a novel about a middle-aged woman who has just lost her husband, and I found it depressing. I did not finish it or go on to the next.