Book review of Death in Avignon by Serena Kent

Death in Avignon by Serena Kent

Death in Avignon by Serena Kent

My review today is for Death in Avignon, book two from Serena Kent’s cozy mystery series set in Provence.

With the renovations of her house in St Merlot coming along nicely and following her super sleuthing to solve the murder of the body she found in her swimming pool, Penelope Kite is hoping her new life in the Luberon will be a little less exciting, in terms of dead bodies, from now on.

As a guest of Laurent, handsome Maire of St Merlot, Penny is looking forward to an evening at a local art gallery in Avignon, followed by dinner for two at an exclusive restaurant. The four artists featured by gallery owner Gilles de Bourdan are all very different, in style and personality. There is loud and brash Doncaster with his not-so-subtle commercial art, Nina the installation artist, Scarpio and his studies in black and Nicolas Versanne, friend of Laurent and an artist whose abstract work Penny enjoys. A commotion, a collapse and Penny’s excitement at dinner for two is replaced with disappointment. One of the artists has been poisoned and as the finger points to the other three, strange things keep occurring, including another murder, a disappearance and a fire. Can Penny leave it to incompetent Chief of Police, Georges Reyssens, who failed to solve the murder in her pool, or should she do her own digging around and find some answers?

With her good friend Frankie, larger than life and happy to indulge in all Provence has to offer, by her side, Penny’s questions may not always win her friends, but with lots of twists and unexpected turn-ups, this book is great fun with both characters and a setting that come to life. I had no doubt Penny would get there in the end, but when things reach a dramatic climax, will she find herself with friends or foes?

This book will be a great accompaniment to any French holiday, especially if it happens to be in Provence.

You can read my review of book one, Death in Provence here and find out what character Penelope Kite does on her ideal Lazy Sunday in France here. Join me back on the blog tomorrow to discover what makes a perfect Lazy Sunday in Provence for the authors behind Serena Kent, husband and wife writing team Robert Rees and Deborah Lawrenson.

Death in Avignon is published by Orion and available in ebook and paperback, links to Amazon can be found below.

You can read more about Serena Kent at her website and follow her on Facebook Twitter and Instagram.