The Curse of La Fontaine (A Provençal Mystery)

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

The newest book in the Provençal Mystery series, The Secrets of the Bastide Blanche, is available now from Penguin Books

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

• The Secrets of the Bastide Blanche (A Provençal Mystery)
• The Mystery of the Lost Cezanne (A Provençal Mystery)
• Murder on the Ile Sordou (A Provençal Mystery)
• Death in the Vines (A Provençal Mystery)
• Murder in the Rue Dumas (Verlaque and Bonnet Provencal Mysteries) (A Provençal Mystery)
• Death at the Chateau Bremont (A Provençal Mystery)
• A Taste for Vengeance: A Bruno, Chief of Police novel (Bruno, Chief of Police Series)
• Fatal Pursuit: A Mystery of the French Countryside (Bruno, Chief of Police Series)
• Death in Brittany: A Mystery (Brittany Mystery Series)
• The Fleur de Sel Murders: A Brittany Mystery (Brittany Mystery Series)