He had seen hundreds of films where one man tails another, yet it was sadly, and very swiftly, clear to Richard that none of the finesse or techniques of such an enterprise had rubbed off on him.’ There is humour throughout, with Richard bearing the brunt of the jokes. He does seem to get himself in scrapes, if you can call hunting for an old man who may have been murdered a scrape. He finds he’s caught up before he knows it but soon realises he’s having more fun than he has in years and that Valérie and her unorthodox ways have given him a new lease of life. They say you should not judge a book by its cover but this story is just as charming and brilliant as its cover.

I was reminded of an earthbound The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, as poor hapless Richard (Arthur Dent) is chivvied around by the glamorous, strong-willed Valerie (a mixture of Zaphod Beeblebrox and Trillian) and the dour, pessimistic Madame Tablier (clearly Marvin). Richard is a middle aged man living a quiet life in France. One day, one of his guest goes missing living a bloodied hand print behind and suddenly Richard find himself dragged along femme fatale Valérie who is determined to find out what happened. Richard is more of an outside viewer to the events taking place around him until one of his beloved hens is found dead. You don’t mess with a man’s hen. Death and croissants will take you on a ride with nudists, mafia, old man with a grudge, an other one with a price on his head and secrets. Disclaimer: Please note I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. Richard is a middle-aged Englishman who runs a B&B in the Loire Valley. Nothing ever happens to him and that’s the way he likes it.Along side Valerie who isn’t all she seems Richard plunges head first into adventure and intrigue in the Loire Valley. What a fantastic series debut! I thoroughly enjoyed reading Death and Croissants. Quirky characters, a dash of humor and a (murder) mystery to keep guessing till the end, this book is an absolute delight for mystery lovers.

Richard just wants a quiet life running his B&B in the beautiful Loire Valley, but when one of his guests goes missing he gets caught up in the action! Rural France setting, croissants, a bossy French lady and a dog named Passepartout - now, doesn't this sound exciting? Wait, there's more - do not forget to add Italian mafia, movie dialogs and double crossing to the list.Death and Croissants is such a relentless rollercoaster ride of laughs and twists, it should come with a height restriction and health warning.’ Matt Forde