I love a book that invokes a feeling of otherworldliness, a book that takes you away from a grey sky. Death and Croissants, our first summer read is just that book. 

Whether you are lounging by the pool, wine in hand or wanting to evoke a summer feeling if you are not quite in that zone then this is the absolutely most perfect book for you.

Death and Croissants is the first book in the Follet Valley Mystery series, written by Ian Moore, an Englishman. The main character in the book, Richard, is a middle-aged Englishman who loves films and his hens named after Hollywood stars; we don't know if the author based Richard upon himself but every reader will fall for him and his eccentric charm. 

Death and Croissants is set in the Loire Valley where Richard runs a Bed and Breakfast, although as he often takes care to stress 'a class above a normal B&B', his life is quiet and he likes it that way, until the glamorous Valerie crosses his path around the same time as a bloody handprint is found on the wall of his guesthouse. 

The unlikely pair set out to discover what is going on, with the help of an eclectic ensemble, a bumbling policeman, a formidable housekeeper, a glamorous ex-wife and an various others.  The characters are well written and I challenge you not to imagine just what they are like. 

The book takes you to long summer days, beautiful villages and a glass of wine as the evening closes. 

This book is funny, charming and eccentric. It's not too dark or gruesome nor too simplistic and pleasingly it's part of a series of six to keep you going well past the summer season. 

Cosy Crime Corner recommendation: 10/10