death in the vines

M. L. Longworth’s mystery series, set in Provence, continues to delight readers in its third book, Death in the Vines: A Verlaque and Bonnet Provencal Mystery. As much as the mystery intrigues—in this case some intertwined crimes involving a local winery, a missing elderly woman, and a rich man’s suspicious construction project—what really makes Longworth’s books enjoyable are the atmosphere and details that she includes of the South of France.

Author M. L. Longworth

Although the book can stand on its own, it would be more fully enjoyed if the reader is already familiar with author M. L. Longworth’s cultured sleuth, the Chief Magistrate of Aix-en-Provence, Judge Antoine Verlaque and his lovely law professor girlfriend Marine Bonnet, who previously appeared in Death at the Chateau Bremont and Murder in the Rue Dumas. Verlaque and Bonnet have had an up and down relationship over the course of Longworth’s three novels. Their relationship seems to be in its best shape ever in Death in the Vines, as they grow closer that ever before and Verlaque finally starts to deal with past familial and romantic relationships that have held him back before.

Verlaque is tasked with trying to solve a series of rape/murders in the area, which may or may not be linked to the disappearance of a disagreeable, but well-known in Aix, older woman named Madame D’Arras, who may be suffering from Alzheimer’s. Also gone missing are some rare (and random) wine bottles from the local winery Domaine Beauclaire. Verlaque is ably assisted on these cases by his Commissioner of Police, Bruno Paulik, whose wife Helene works at the winery, as Martine is distracted by personal health concerns.

Verlaque and his crew are able to solve and sort out the various crimes, but what makes Death in the Vines truly enjoyable is the joy that the characters take in between hunting for clues—appreciation of fine wines, a long, leisurely meal at a local restaurant, even the day-to-day decisions involved in Aix-en-Provence grocery shopping.

Longworth has a real feel for her characters and her setting, as she states in her blog:

After moving to Aix-en-Provence in 1997, I began writing articles about the region. I couldn’t get enough of Provence. … I began having conversations in my head and realized that if I wrote fiction then my characters could live in, and experience, Provence as I do. Aix is a law town—it has been since the Middle Ages—which seemed to me a good place to situate a mystery, and I imagined my protagonists involved in the law profession. … But above all, I really want the reader to experience Aix-en-Provence the way I do, as if they were beside me.

Longworth most certainly makes Aix-en-Provence and its environs come alive in a most engaging way. The only downside to Death in the Vines is that when Verlaque finally does catch his culprit the reader will be disappointed—no more shared meals and good times with Verlaque and Bonnet until Longworth’s next entry.

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• Book Review: 'Death in the Vines: A Verlaque and Bonnet Provencal Mystery' by M. L. Longworth

murder in the rue dumas

Article first published as Book Review: Murder in the Rue Dumas: A Verlaque and Bonnet Mystery by M. L. Longworth on Blogcritics.

Penguin has released in paperback Murder in the Rue Dumas, the second in a series of detective novels by author M. L. Longworth featuring the Chief Magistrate of Aix-en-Provence, Judge Antoine Verlaque. The first novel, Death at the Chateau Bremont, centered around a family with old secrets and was a bit of a closed room murder mystery. For her second novel Longworth keeps the reader (mostly) in town, as a teacher at the University is murdered, and Verlaque, with the help of his law professor girlfriend Marine Bonnet, sorts out the clues to catch the killer.


The case centers around a prestigious academic scholarship, forged artwork, and professional reputations - all of which may have played a part in the murder of theology Professor Moutte. As much as most of their questions center around university life, Verlaque and Bonnet also have occasion to leave their beloved Aix and travel up and down the coast of southern France, to Paris, and take a side trip to Italy to solve the mystery. But more importantly, the reader is treated to the various dishes and especially the wines that the pair always find time sample during the course of their investigations.

Longworth deftly portrays a large cast of characters (some of them suspects), including theology students, professors, and friends and neighbors of Verlaque and Bonnet, including police commissioner Bruno Paulik, the chief magistrate's right hand. As interesting as the university milieu, and as intricate as the mystery are, what provides the most pleasure in reading Murder in the Rue Dumas is Longworth's description of Verlaque and Bonnet's daily lives - their up-and-down romance, their conversations, and their relationship to food and wine. The author vividly depicts the town of Aix-en-Provence, its markets, its citizens, and its glorious food. One can practically smell the freshly-baked croissants and savor the espresso on Verlaque's breakfast table.

It might add to the enjoyment of reading Murder in the Rue Dumas if one has taken a trip to the south of France, but it is certainly not necessary (although a map of Aix would have been welcome). The experience of reading Murder in the Rue Dumas is definitely enjoyable, whether one is a Francophile or not. And happily for fans of this delightful series is the news that the third book in the Verlaque and Bonnet series, Death in the Vines, is set to be released this July. Bon!

death and love in the south of france

Article first published as Book Review: Death at the Chateau Bremont, A Verlaque and Bonnet Mystery, by M. L. Longworth on Blogcritics.

Author M. L. Longworth (M.L. stands for Mary Lou) has lived in Aix-en-Provence, France since 1997 and it shows in her delightful debut mystery, Death at the Chateau Bremont. The book is dubbed "A Verlaque and Bonnet Mystery," and is intended to be the first in a series. The characters and settings of the novel are so enjoyable that readers will be happy to come back to Provence and discover new adventures with chief magistrate Antoine Verlaque, and his ex-girlfirend and law professor, Marine Bonnet.

A young count, Etienne de Bremont, has taken a fatal fall out the attic window of the family's broken-down chateau and Verlaque, as le juge d’instruction, must determine if his death was an accident, suicide, or something else entirely. Verlaque had broken up six months ago with the woman who may be the love of his life, Marine Bonnet, who also happens to be Bremont's childhood friend. The inquiry into Bremont's death may be a convenient way for him to get close to Marine again, as he asks for her help on the case, but will it also be convenient for Marine, who is trying in vain to get over him?

In the course of their investigations the two also turn up possible links to the Corsican and Russian mafias as well as consume some wonderful wines and travel to the Cote d'Azur. The mystery is involving, and all of the people that Verlaque and Bonnet meet along the way are interesting, but the main charms of the book lie in their dance around each other and all the little details of life in southern France. No matter how pressing the case may be, Verlaque always has time for a multi-course lunch and some good wine. He is a connoisseur of not just wine and food, but also fine cigars.

There is a wonderful scene with Verlaque's cigar club that illustrates how the French know how to indulge in such pleasures. Their lives are measured in what they eat and drink and how they talk and joke with each other. There is always time for an espresso, or to meet a friend at the local cafe for a glass of wine in the evening.

As Pierre, one of the cigar club members who isn't independently wealthy, muses as he drinks fine champagne, "He closed his eyes and sipped, as if he was enjoying every bubble, and in fact he was. Bookstores didn't — couldn't — pay well, and being in the cigar club was his sole luxury. He repeatedly told himself that he would happily eat beans and rice all week in order to smoke hand-rolled Cuban cigars once a month with his group of friends." It's all about priorities. Longworth, like author Alexander McCall Smith, is good at writing about the little things that make life worthwhile, that indeed should be the bigger things in life.

Longworth also brings Aix-en-Provence to vivid life. Men and women greet each other, regardless of sex, with the bises, the double-kiss to each cheek. Cafe life is life. Shopping for the latest style, and paying great attention to one's appearance, is also part of the routine. For anyone who has traveled to the south of France Death at the Chateau Bremont will be especially enjoyable, as the reader gets to join Longworth's characters as they stroll the Cours Mirabeau.

Cours Mirabeau, Aix-en_Provence

Aix was not my favorite place to visit when I was in the south of France, so I was as happy as the character of Marine when they escaped the land-locked city, which is loomed over by Cezanne's famed Mont Ste. Victoire, and headed for Cannes and Nice. The author was just as at home there, describing the terrible traffic but wonderful sights, such as villas overlooking the ocean, and landmarks like the Hotels Carlton and Negresco and Old Nice.

Verlaque and Bonnet are both complex personalities, and the course of their true love is not likely to run smoothly, but in Death at the Chateau Bremont and, I'm sure, subsequent novels, the reader will want to join them as they eat and drink and solve their way through a mystery in Provence. You might want to crack open a bottle of wine, or make a cup of espresso and pick up some brioches — but make sure they are good ones, or the food snob Verlaque would not approve — before settling down to read this entertaining mystery.