> Skip to content
  • Published: 1 December 2015
  • ISBN: 9780143128076
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 320
  • RRP: $35.00

The Mystery of the Lost Cezanne



Antoine and Marine are investigating both a murder and the provenance of a mysterious painting. Could it be a genuine Cezanne?

Pierre, a friend from Antoine Verlaque's cigar club asks him to visit a cranky old man named Rene, who thinks he may have discovered a Cezanne painting. But when they arrive, Rene is dead, the painting is gone, and a beautiful American art history professor is in Rene's flat. Did she kill Rene? And where is the painting?

When the painting is recovered, the mystery only deepens. The brush work, the colors, the scene all point to Cezanne. But who is the smiling woman in the painting? She is most definitely not the dour Mme Cezanne. As the investigation continues, it turns up more questions than answers. Who killed Rene? Who tried to steal the painting? And what is the beautiful and mysterious American professor hiding?

A beguiling mystery that finds Verlaque and Bonnet searching for a murderer—in a crime tied to Provence’s greatest artist

Provençal Mystery Series #5
Watch the series! Murder in Provence is now on Britbox.

A friend in his cigar club asks Antoine Verlaque to visit René Rouquet, a retired postal worker who has found a rolled-up canvas in his apartment. As the apartment once belonged to Paul Cézanne, Rouquet is convinced he’s discovered a treasure. But when Antoine arrives at the apartment, he finds René dead, the canvas missing, and a mysterious art history professor standing over the body.

When the painting is finally recovered, the mystery only deepens. The brushwork and color all point to Cézanne. But who is the smiling woman in the painting? She is definitely not the dour Madame Cézanne. Who killed René? Who stole the painting? And what will they do to get it back?

Like Donna Leon and Andrea Camilleri, M. L. Longworth’s enchanting mysteries blend clever whodunits with gustatory delights and the timeless romance of Provence. The Mystery of the Lost Cézanne adds a new twist by immersing Antoine and Marine in a clever double narrative that costars Provence’s greatest artist.

“Art theft is a hot topic on the mystery scene, and no one’s heist is livelier than Longworth’s.” —Kirkus Reviews

  • Published: 1 December 2015
  • ISBN: 9780143128076
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 320
  • RRP: $35.00

Also by M. L. Longworth

See all

Praise for The Mystery of the Lost Cezanne

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