The Vanishing Museum on the Rue Mistral
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4.4 • 95 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
A breezy, charming, and perfectly escapist mystery set in the heart of sun- and wine-soaked Aix-en-Provence--where murder investigations are always put on hold for lunch and the only thing more sweeping than the story is the Mediterranean coastline.
Provençal Mystery Series #9
Watch the series! Murder in Provence is now on Britbox.
Something strange has happened at the unassuming Musée de Quentin-Savary in Aix-en-Provence. When the director, Monsieur Achille Formentin, walks in one beautiful April morning, he is shocked to find the whole museum emptied of its contents--only a bench, the reception desk, and a lowly fern remain.
Distressed, he calls the local police, and Aix's examining magistrate Antoine Verlaque sets out to discover the thief's identity. But it's the most baffling case Verlaque has ever encountered. Why would someone want to steal porcelain dessert plates, some old documents, and a few small paintings? Could this have something to do with the mysterious robbery of Madame de Montbarbon's apartment a few weeks earlier? And how can Verlaque possibly concentrate on the theft when he and his wife, Marine Bonnet, are going to have a baby?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Longworth's entertaining ninth Provençal mystery (after 2019's A Noël Killing) takes Judge Antoine Verlaque, the examining magistrate of Aix-en-Provence, and his wife, Marine Bonnet, along with his team of policemen, to the Musée Quentin-Savary, a drab, rarely visited museum, which has been thoroughly robbed—little remains apart from a bench and a potted fern. Verlaque must discover who emptied the museum and why. As he examines a slew of possible motives, a violent death deepens the mystery. In Verlaque and Bonnet's quest for answers, which involves walking the streets of Aix and driving along the scenic coastal road to Marseille, they enjoy fine dining in small, atmospheric restaurants at every opportunity. Meanwhile, the 45-year-old Verlaque is preparing himself for fatherhood, and tender scenes with his wife give a pleasing balance to the narrative. Charming characters complement the tidy mystery plot. This is just the ticket for those seeking a much-needed vicarious vacation.
