Toujours Dead [Paperback]

Susan Kiernan-Lewis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2001

When her boyfriend inherits an ancient vineyard in France, Maggie Newberry quits her job in Atlanta to accompany him for a year abroad. They settle in the tiny village of St-Buvard, but murder has gone long before them and follows close behind. The serenity of the picturesque French village was shattered 50 years earlier when an English family was brutally murdered on the steps of Maggie and Laurent's house. Shortly after their arrival, history repeats itself in the vicious murder of one of their dinner guests--a fellow American with a penchant for disrupting the seemingly sleepy village. When Maggie investigates the old and the new murders, she finds that--as quaint French villages go--maybe St-Buvard isn't so charming after all....

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

If you're looking for a good, fun read to take along to the beach or poolside this summer, you won't find one better than Susan Kiernan-Lewis's debut mystery. This fast-paced novel provides a delicious escape into the sights, sounds, tastes, and smells of Provence--with a healthy dash of murder thrown in. Kiernan-Lewis writes with meticulous attention to detail, capturing the ambience of a land renowned by lovers and artists for its sensuousness, dazzling light, and windswept horizons. If you've ever dreamed of putting everything in storage and moving to the backwoods of France, this book is for you. Or if you just want to experience France vicariously this summer without the jet lag, this book is for you.

Parlez-vous murder?

From the Author

I love France, especially the south of France. Writing "Toujours Dead" was like taking an extended vacation there. I hope reading it affords the same experience...without all the murders, of course!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 420 pages
• Publisher: Abdale Books (April 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0970671601
• ISBN-13: 978-0970671608
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,426,432 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Susan Kiernan-Lewis is an author from Atlanta, Georgia who writes about horses, mysteries and France--her three passions! Professionally, Susan is a freelance advertising copywriter and video editor.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pleasing mystery with a French twist, May 9, 2001

By 

kathrynlively (Norfolk, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Toujours Dead (Paperback)

Ooh la la! What could be more romantic than spending a carefree, rent-free year in the South of France with a tall, hunky Frenchman who loves to cook? If you're Maggie Newberry, you might be hard pressed to find an answer to that question, despite the few inconveniences she discovers upon arriving in Provence to help boyfriend Laurent settle affairs with an inherited vineyard.

It's not enough that several locals are breathing down Laurent's neck and pressuring him to sell his land, but Maggie appears to have her own collection of detractors. Sneering Gaston LaSalle, the spawn of gypsy stock, has made harrassing Maggie a top priority, while local tart Babette (who, appropriately, works in the bakery) is hell-bent on seducing Laurent. It's a sure bet Maggie would tell them what to do with themselves...if only she knew enough French.

Oh, and did I mention the dead body found in the basement of Maggie's house on Thanksgiving? That the house was also the scene of a brutal multiple homicide committed fifty years ago which continues to haunt the village and her residents? Come to think of it, maybe Maggie could think of more romantic things.

If you're looking for something mysterious, a mystery with a French twist, consider a stop in Provence with Susan Kiernan-Lewis's Toujours Dead. Toujours follows Maggie through her adjustment to country living, her friendship with expatriates Grace and Windsor Van Sant, and ultimately the murder of a brash American opportunist which she believes is connected to the half-century-old massacre that happened on her front steps. Lewis paints a desirable picture of Provence and creates in her townsfolk an array of interesting characters one would hope to meet on a European vacation.

Especially Laurent. A gorgeous Frenchman who cooks? If anyone needs me, I'll be at Priceline.com.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Whodunnit!!, May 11, 2001

By 

Donna Thomas (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Toujours Dead (Paperback)

A great page-turner!!

Who would not give their eye teeth to be able to take an entire year off from their job - knowing that their job will be there when they return - to travel and live in the wine country in the south of France and be able to do their heart's desire? The excitement of being able to meet people, experience the French culture, eat in the sidewalk cafes, travel to Paris for the weekend, and, hopefully, pick up a new language, is tangible. Not to mention living with someone who excels in the art of French cooking.

Maggie Newberry does just that in Toujours Dead. The author's rich color palette of the small town in Provence is beautifully portrayed along with the dangerously entwined relationships that develop between Maggie and the local inhabitatns. Fortunately, Maggie is able to hook up with an independently wealthy American couple who, with one child, are experiencing infertility issues and happen to live in a lovely French chateau with the finest furnishings money can buy...

The ending - well, you'll just have to read the book. It's twisted!!

2.0 out of 5 stars Nice, but not necessarily enthralling, January 25, 2005

By 

Evin "Writer, Photographer, Traveler & Food E... (Ireland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Toujours Dead (Paperback)

I adore France and having spent extensive time there, I expected this book to be set in a town much like those I know. Instead, the environment seemed more secluded than I expected. Evening upon evening passed with friends while enjoying fine food and good wine embodies the French culture. I just didn't sense that warmth in the book. Not that it is a big deal since it is not a tourism guide, but a mystery novel. Which brings me to another thought, I didn't feel that the story was compelling. Usually, when I am reading a mystery, I stay up all night once I have read past halfway, but with this book, I set it down each evening after a few pages and easily went to sleep. Sadly, I set it down several months ago and forgot all about it, now I cannot even find the book. If you prefer slow-paced mysteries, this might be just the book for you, but in my experience it was not what I expected out of a mystery novel set in beautiful france.