A hilarious murder mystery set in the Loire Valley with a cast of unforgettable characters, lots of verbal pyrotechnics and a crazy plot centred around the quiet life of Richard Ainsworth, an English expatriate, B&B owner and genial film buff (Hollywood Golden Age of course) whose peaceful existence is suddenly shattered & thrown totally out of kilter by the rather ominous disappearance of one of his guests.....Of course mayhem quickly ensues and with the help of a beautiful and mysterious femme (maybe) fatale our phlegmatic Brit will soon find his daily grind packed to the rafters with bounty hunting, the Italian mafia, swingers, cantankerous twins, onanistic chimpanzees, murdered fowl and much much more...... A terrific blend of Gallic offhandedness and English humor that heralds the arrival of a new and hilarious series full of murderous fun and delicious pastries! Finally and thanks to Mr Moore, I will probably waste lots of time during my next camping trip around Tours or Blois, asking every hen or rooster unfortunate enough to cross my path if they knew Ainsworth's beloved Ava Gardner... Yes, it's going to be impossible to look at those feathered creatures the same way after reading his crazy novel...🐓🤣👍

Many thanks to Netgalley and Farrago for this marvellous ARC

A story about a board Brit who gets pulled into a murder mystery by a French girl. More comedy than mystery but enjoyable either way. I found myself enthralled in this gentle mystery, it’s well written with nice touches of humour. To be honest wasn’t what I was expecting but enjoyed it for what it was.

A ⭐️⭐️⭐️ For me on this one. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review

Wonderful read love the setting the French Countryside.A mystery chickens well written characters really enjoyed.#netgalley #duckworthbooks

I’m afraid that, despite warm endorsements from a lot of comedians whom I like very much, I didn’t like Death And Croissants.

Richard, a middle-aged ex-pat Brit, runs a small B&B in the Loire Valley. A guest disappears mysteriously, leaving some bloodstained clues and Richard is reluctantly strongarmed into investigating by a forceful and glamorous Frenchwoman who is also a guest. It’s mildly amusing in places (with the occasional strong whiff of A Year In Provence), but I’m afraid I found it slow and rather tedious with some very laboured humour. Richard himself is an insipid protagonist which is intended to fuel a lot of the humour, but it just didn’t for me so I was left with an uninspiring character in slow, not-very-interesting story which wasn’t nearly as funny as it wanted to be.

I’m sorry to be critical, but I just got fed up and gave up around half way through. It’s possible that I missed a comic masterpiece in the second half, but I doubt it somehow. Farrago do an excellent job in bringing us a lot of both new and neglected humorous writing, much of which I have enjoyed very much. This one, though, wasn’t for me.

(My thanks to Farrago for an ARC via NetGalley.)

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.
WHAT I LIKED
- The humor
- The relationship between Valérie and Richard
- The excentric characters (especially the Thompsons)
- All the funny quips againts the french people
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
- The weird french names (You can tell that maybe the author tried a little bit too hard to made them sound french)
I truly liked this book and would recommend it to anyone who loved the Thursday Murder club by Richard Osman. In fact Valérie reminds me of Elizabeth. They have the same personality.
I can’t wait to read more about this duo.

And enjoyable story about a bored, clueless Brit who gets pulled into a mystery by a French gal who’s more than she seems. A fun cast of zany characters round out this madcap mystery that very much reminds me of British comedies.

This was such a fun romp. I appreciated the twists and turns of the mystery and the wide variety of characters and their personalities. Richard was a lovable, bumbling character who is trying to sort his life and fun his bed and breakfast. I love how clever and brave Valerie is. If you have seen old movies there are references you will pick up on more so than others. The characters were fun, the story was enjoyable. I would read a follow up into that world.

Richard is an english b&b owner in the french countryside, who seems kind of bored with life in general. He often escapes into old Hollywood movies, and silently mocks his guests. That is, until he finds a bloody handprint (but no body), and he’s convinced by one of his guests to investigate.

Its a fairly classic dorky detective novel, thrilling at moments, also funny. A thriller for the gentle soul!

I'm a huge fan of crime fiction, especially this kind of comic 'cosy mystery. Death and Croissants didn't disappoint. Full of witty one liners that had me literally laughing out loud and with a solid plot that kept me guessing. I would recommend it for fans of The Thursday Murder Club, the Death in Paradise novels and Agatha Christie. Thoroughly enjoyable. Thanks to Netgalley, Ian Moore and Farrago for the ARC.

Richard a 50 something Englishman running a French B&B, has his life thrown for a loop when one of his guests goes missing. Very funny moments abound. Heavy on the humor, light on the mystery.

I enjoyed this mystery quite a bit. It reminds me of the PBS/BBC shows that I like to watch. It has humor too which those shows sometimes don’t have.

I recommend this book for anyone looking for any enjoyment in a lovely book.

A light, very funny mystery with appealing characters in a wonderful French countryside. Its like a more amiable Carl Hiaasen book with French accents.

A rather daft but enjoyable romp from the author. Here we meet Richard, a middle aged, separated, English B&B owner in the French countryside. Not much going on bar a few customers to grin and bear, and afternoons spent watching DVDs from Hollywood's Golden Age.

All of this is interrupted by a potential murder, sans a corpse, and a collection of odd ball characters and strange goings on.

No Booker Prize in the offing here but a few hours escapism and a few chuckles, particularly when our 'hero' takes a facetime call.

Will now check out the author's previous work for some rainy Sunday reading

This has some real comic genius moments. Love the movie refences, the shuns to IMDB etc all very funny with some one liners right on cue. The minor characters add real comic value and chaos to proceedings.
Did find the sense of mystery a bit lacking sadly. Some interesting moments, but definitely read this for the comic value rather than the need to resolve the situation.

Richard, a 50-something Englishman running a French B&B, has is quiet life interrupted when a bloody handprint is found at his hotel. Throw in a glamorous and managing French woman, a couple of Italian honeymooners, a couple of swingers who run a rival rival B&B and a pair of elderly twins who hate each other (one of whom may or may not have gone missing).

I enjoyed this gentle mystery, it’s well written with nice touches of humour. It seems to be aimed at fans of The Thursday Murder Club and cosy Sunday night detective shows, which is no bad thing.