MURDER VISITS A FRENCH VILLAGE

An American woman intent on restoring an ancient château in France faces many challenges.

Ariel Shepard has recently lost her wealthy and beloved husband, Dan. Refusing to battle his first wife over his estate, she finds herself left with an expensive New York apartment and, to her surprise, the decrepit French château she’d admired on their honeymoon almost four years earlier—which she didn't know Dan had bought as a gift for her. She decides to take a leap of faith and move to Reigny-Sur-Canne, and through a friend she meets Katherine and Michael Goff, fellow American expatriates. Monsieur Brunet, the lawyer who handled her husband’s acquisition of the château, is happy to lend a hand, suggesting workers to help restore the property, which needs massive repairs. Ariel quickly strikes up a friendship with Katherine, who approves of her plans to run a B&B but warns her that it will take much longer than she thinks to restore the building. She also meets British mystery author Pippa Hathaway and French scholar Christiane Breton, who can tell her more about the history of the château. As the multinational crowd working on the restoration makes slow progress, Christiane, who’s interested in tracing the building's provenance, finds something that doesn’t look quite right. When Ariel stumbles over Christiane’s body, her dream turns into a nightmare. Soon thereafter, Ariel narrowly escapes a robbery attempt and Christiane’s husband is attacked. Ariel, Katherine, and an enthusiastic Pippa start sleuthing in the hope of finding the killer before they become the next victims.

The charming details of French country life make up for a mediocre mystery.