The Curse of La Fontaine: A Verlaque and Bonnet Mystery
I'm continuing my quest to read more mysteries, and thanks to Penguin Books, I was able to try a mystery series that took me to Aix-en-Provence, France. There are five previous mysteries in this series, but I didn't have any problems starting this far into the series. I may go back and read from the beginning, if only to see the backdrop to Verlaque and Bonnet's romance. Antoine Verlaque is a French judge; Marine Bonnet is a law professor. They are enjoying life as newlyweds and have the pressing problem of deciding what to do with two apartments. An appreciation of good food and wine adds a lot of charm to these characters and I felt immediately at ease with them. In this mystery, a new restaurant has opened in town called La Fontaine, run by Siegbert "Bear" Valets. It's a hit, but Bear has created a stir by getting approval to have outdoor seating that nestles up against a private courtyard shared by the surrounding apartment buil...