A missing girl. An expat amateur sleuth. And a whole lot of croissants.Meet Molly Sutton, 38 years old and out of work, who moves to the French village of Castillac to recover from the end of her marriage. She’s looking for peace, beautiful gardens, and pastry—but she’s barely gotten over jet-lag when a local girl goes missing. In between getting her old ramshackle house in order and reveling in … in order and reveling in French food, Molly ends up embroiled in the case, along with the gendarmes of Castillac. And unlike the Nancy Drews she loved as a child, this mystery stirs up emotions she thought had been put to rest..and terrifies the residents of her beloved village.
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Wow, good one!
Really enjoyed this book. Characters were intriguing and the story was gripping.
a good read overall
It seems so stilted to have an American in a small town in France trying to connect three missing girls and solve the mystery. I didn’t love this book, but others who love France might. It gives a good sense of location.
I didn’t love this book. I enjoyed the setting but Molly was not my favorite main character. Molly thought a lot but didn’t do much but weed her garden while listening to blues music, walk to town for pastries or drink kir at the bar while gossiping. Also she is stupidly careless with her own safety knowing there’s a abductor/murderer in their town. For example: “Molly was quite happy to be living alone, thank you very much, and she was not going to get frightened just because some young girl ran off with somebody else’s boyfriend. She stayed firm in her belief that her new country was much safer than her former one. Spitefully—although whom she was spiting was a little unclear—she left the French doors to the terrace not only unlocked but cracked open that night.” Why? She and everyone else know the girl didn’t run off so why be that willfully stupid? Also why walk alone out into the countryside without mace? (Again left at home because she’s not afraid.)
Molly also just does stupid stuff like “ordering what she’s drinking” rather than think for herself then is surprised when the drink is terrible. “She narrowed her eyes at her drink and then took a long slurp of it, hating it but wanting to be done, making herself drink it instead of ordering something else as a kind of penance. Penance for what, was not clear.” Again, why? Molly doesn’t seem to like herself much so I don’t either. I found myself almost wanting her to be the fourth girl.
Loved the descriptions of France and the characters. Solving the mystery was a little too pat but it was enjoyable, nonetheless.
I really enjoyed the characters
I’ve recently found myself looking for a new release, bring me back to these wonderful characters.
The story was a great read. I enjoyed it very much. Unpredictable.
goes nowhere
I enjoyed reading it . Characters were well defined. Seeing the crime from the perspective of both the kidnapper and the victim as well as her family made for interesting reading and thought processes. It kept my interest from beginning to end.
Did not care for some of characters, however was fairly interesting mystery.