Delicious food, and yay for the wedding! But I felt that some elements of the mystery were deduced with hidden information, so I was confused about how those conclusions were reached. ( )

The Curse of La Fontaine by M. L. Longworth is a Verlaque & Bonnet Provencal Mystery, Book #6.
Newlyweds, Antoine and Marine delve into a centuries-old curse.
Once again, I have enjoyed this title and continuing series very much.
The book is filled with scenic locations both in southern France and Italy. The (very accurate) descriptions of Aix-en-Provence are especially stimulating. One wants to be there in person! Along with the locations, the restaurants and wines, the historical ‘tidbits’, the very detailed characters and plots - all make for a wonderful read.
I did like the characters in this title very much. I had to reread several chapters to make sure I understood the mystery and the many different characters. The cigar smoking doesn’t interest me and puts me off a bit (truthfully) but it is part of Antoine’s character and is a bit of a subplot, all on its own. So I will adjust my thinking.
A great title and a Great series. **** ( )

This one was better than #5, but not quite as compelling as the first few. But I think that's to be expected as a series progresses: familiarity with the characters and the storytelling creates a higher set of expectations.

Love has made Verlaque soft. This isn't a bad thing, but I'll admit he's slightly less interesting now that the sharp edges have been softened. Marine had far fewer pages in this book, which was a little bit of a disappointment; I liked her presence and contributions to earlier cases in previous books.

There were several plots going at once, all interwoven together and delightfully - and believably - muddying each others' waters. Almost all of the stories were interesting (one was a bit meh) and the resolution concerning the murder victim's drug usage/dealing was so very cheeky; I loved it. In the background runs the Curse of La Fontaine, adding a touch of atmosphere to everything.

I'm thoroughly enjoying this series and am very pleased there's another one on its way; I'm really looking forward to its release.

This works for the Book themes for Advent: [...] or a book featuring 4 siblings. The murder victim is 1 of 4 brothers, and at least one of the other brothers plays a significant part in the book; the other two brothers appear frequently as well. ( )

This was the first of the series that I read and it is unlikely that I would seek out the rest. A cute story but not interesting enough for me to continue to read. ( )

Actually 3.5 Stars

Judge Antoine Verlaque & Marine Bonnet have just gotten married. He is a Magistrate of Aix (France) and she is a Professor of Law who has just finished writing a book on the relationship between Beauvoir & Sartre. They share two apartments, but it is Marine's that overlooks the garden & "La Fontaine".

La Fontaine is the source of water for those living around its garden and is said to be cursed due to the hanging of a French peasant who refused to hail Louis XIV and the murder of two WW II partisans by the Nazis. Whenever murders have taken place, La Fontaine has stopped flowing until justice has prevailed.

When the new tenant, Chef Sigisbert "Bear" moves in & opens a small restaurant, the past is stirred. While working in the restaurant's herb garden the skeleton of a young man is dug up, and La Fontaine immediately stops flowing. To further add to the mystery, Bear begins to receive threatening letters, the local racists & pro-nobility group gets riled up and begin making threats as well...

There are other quasi-interesting sub-plots, but for those you must read the book.

At first I really didn't know what to think about the book... It was odd in the fact that I really couldn't be sure that this was a mystery; Antoine's & Marine's life was just going along just fine (I was like: "where the heck is the murder?") and then in the 8th-9th chapter the bones were dug up in the garden. From that point, the book picked-up and became much more interesting, which gave it the extra 1/2 star.

The writing has a nice comfortable flow and it held my interest. Although I enjoyed the characters, I held no pronounced feeling for them one way or another. ( )