Bonjour, and welcome to my adopted home in France. My name is Ariel Shepard. I’ve been rebuilding my life for more than a year now since my dear husband died back home in New York and left me a rather dilapidated but romantic château here in rural Burgundy, about 90 miles south of Paris. No Eiffel Tower or trendy boutiques, but lots of gorgeous white cattle, neon-yellow rapeseed fields, and food, glorious food!

The renovation of my new home is coming along, if slowly. The chimneys have been repaired, the windows no longer leak, and I have hot and cold running water and working electricity! Grouchy but talented stoneworker Raoul has surprised me by proving himself to be a passionate gardener, so my potager – kitchen garden – is well underway. I found impressive local workers and I’m making new friends. They’re quite a bunch: Katherine’s husband is an American rock singer who’s suddenly big again; British Pippa sold her first murder mystery and is latching on to any criminal activity here in search of a new plot. Sadly, things keep happening that could inspire her. By “things,” I mean murder and robbery, suspicious strangers popping up at my door, and, last month, the mysterious disappearance of a dog who had been devoted to an eccentric old Frenchwoman. Tragically, she died by homicide at the door of Katherine’s little shop, and her constant companion was nowhere to be found.

The Brigadier of the local gendarmerie is not interested in the canine puzzle. While I understand and agree finding the person who killed Madame is the priority, I can’t help but wonder if the dog’s disappearance could be relevant. After last year’s mess, when the Brigadier got angry at Katherine, Pippa, and me for helping to solve one murder, he’s made it clear we’re to leave the sleuthing to the police. But he never said we couldn’t look for the dog, and if that search brings us closer to finding the killer, I’m sure he’ll understand.

Meanwhile, Regine, Tony’s girlfriend and a fabulous cook, is providing simple but delicious Burgundian classics at their little café in town. Her cooking and my still-primitive kitchen lure me there for coq au vin, boeuf bourguignon, tarte tatin, espresso and local wines. The tourist season is still a couple months away, it’s chilly, and evenings spent at Tony’s are pretty much the only entertainment. An interesting man looking for a house to buy is staying in the upstairs apartment at the café at the moment. Seems he knows Madame has died and is already sniffing around for a bargain. My first reaction was “vulture,” but I wonder about the persistence of his snooping to know more about the situation. It’s probably my amateur detecting habit at work.

Uh oh, someone’s knocking on the massive wooden front door. Could be anyone from a painter to a policeman, which is the story of my life these days. Merci beaucoup – thank you – for stopping by and au revoir, see you again soon, I hope.

Murder and The Missing Dog, A Château in Burgundy Mystery Book #2
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: March 2024
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link

Ariel Shepard has spent the last year renovating her beautiful French château, while also ingratiating herself into the lives and hearts of the quirky locals of Noyers-sur-Serein. The shocking business of the murder of the local historian is behind her and she is finally feeling at home.

However, it’s not long before murder and mystery once again seek Ariel out, when she and her friend Katherine find the body of the elderly Madame Toussaint in the doorway of Katherine’s flea market shop.

Who would want to harm this lonely soul? Where is the bag the woman never leaves home without? And more importantly, where is her loyal, loving dog who never leaves her side? Could Raoul, Ariel’s stoic gardener, really have something to do with it? And could Madame Toussaint have been mixed up with the robberies increasing around the idyllic villages of France?

Despite warnings from the rather handsome Brigadier Allard, Ariel, with help from Katherine and Pippa, once again dons her sleuthing hat . . .

About the author
Susan C. Shea is the author of seven mysteries, the Dani O’Rourke series set in the USA, and four set in rural Burgundy, France. She’s a past member of Sisters in Crime’s national board, a member of Mystery Writers of America, and blogs on 7CriminalMinds. She loves traveling in France, but is happy to live and garden in northern California, where two orange tabbies pretty much rule the house. Visit Susan at susancshea.com.