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  • Published: 3 July 2017
  • ISBN: 9780143110941
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 320
  • RRP: $32.99

The Curse of La Fontaine



Chef Bear Valets has just opened his own restaurant, La Fontaine, in Aix-en-Provence. It's an immediate success--great reviews and a loyal clientele, including Verlaque and Bonnet. But when he decides to extend his restaurant's seating into an historic courtyard, some very powerful neighbors are against him. The historical society wants the courtyard, which had witnessed the 16th century hanging of an innocent man, and the murder of two resistant fighters in 1943 by the Gestapo, to remain untouched. Valets charges on, but has to temporarily close the restaurant when a skeleton is unearthed in the garden, buried in shallow ground next to an ancient stone fountain. La Fontaine reopens, only for more bad luck to hit. But when Valets begins receiving threatening letters, he becomes convinced that his life is in danger. And then the fountain, for only the third time in 352 years, stops running. By disturbing the garden, has Bear triggered the curse of la fontaine? And can newlyweds Verlaque and Bonnet solve the mystery before someone else ends up dead?

In this captivating installment of M. L. Longworth’s acclaimed series, our newlywed investigators contend with their most sinister challenge yet: a centuries-old curse

Provençal Mystery Series #6
Watch the series! Murder in Provence is now on Britbox.

Chef Sigisbert “Bear” Valets has just opened his own restaurant, La Fontaine, in Aix-en-Provence. It’s an immediate success—glowing reviews and a loyal clientele, including our favorite investigative duo, Verlaque and Bonnet. But when he decides to extend his restaurant’s seating into a historic courtyard, some very powerful neighbors are against him. The local historical society wants the courtyard, which witnessed a seventeenth-century hanging and two World War II-era murders, to remain untouched.

Valets charges on, even after a skeleton is found buried next to the courtyard’s ancient fountain. But when Valets begins receiving threatening letters, he becomes convinced that his life is in danger. And then the fountain inexplicably stops running. By disturbing the garden, has Bear triggered an age-old curse? And can newlyweds Verlaque and Bonnet solve the mystery before someone else ends up dead? Set against the blossoming backdrop of the south of France, M. L. Longworth’s latest is sure to thrill fans of Donna Leon and Andrea Camilleri.

“Beguiling . . . Longworth evokes the pleasures of France in delicious detail—great wine, delicious meals, and fine company.” —Publishers Weekly

  • Published: 3 July 2017
  • ISBN: 9780143110941
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 320
  • RRP: $32.99

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Praise for The Curse of La Fontaine

"Charming"--Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review
"Longworth...shows there's more to France than Paris and more to mystery than Maigret." - Kirkus

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