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Robbie Cutler Diplomatic Mystery #3
Murder in Dordogne
In Murder In Dordogne, Robbie and Sylvie are on their honeymoon in the scenic and rural Dordogne region of southwest France. The discovery in one of the prehistoric caves honeycombing the region of a skeleton is the first step in Robbie's attempt to solve a long dormant mystery. Who killed the woman, a British agent who had parachuted into the region to help the Resistance during the darkest days of World War Two? And who stole the priceless Van Gogh that was hidden in the castle called the "French White House"? Robbie's life may well depend upon his unravelling this mystery.
... "Murder In Dordogne is a thoroughly researched yarn... Murder On The Danube reminds me of Eric Ambler's A Coffin for Dimitrios." John Goodspeed. Star-Democrat.
... "Murder In Dordogne is a thoroughly researched yarn... Murder On The Danube reminds me of Eric Ambler's A Coffin for Dimitrios." John Goodspeed. Star-Democrat.
- GenresMystery
248 pages, Paperback
First published April 15, 2005
8 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 4, 2013
If you wrote a novel about wine and got some of the facts right, especially the background of the locale involved, I would give it 3 stars. Shepard makes only one mistake as far as wine is concerned... and it's a serious one. the protagonist brings back several 1989 vintage bottles of Bordeaux on the airplane in his luggage (one gathers that the wine has been aging roughly a decade or less) and offers it up for dinner. Most winos would know to allow the bottle to rest for several weeks before drinking it. OK, I am being picky, but I know how easily wine becomes bottle sick.
In this case Shepard writes an extremely interesting novel with wine in the background. Knowing the area in Bordeaux where most of the book takes place, it was like revisiting old haunts, including learning a number of things I never knew about the area and the issues involving WW II occupied France. Without going into details one may see the chateau on the front cover of the book and realize its more than passing resemblance to The White House. Accident or plan? Actually I am not entirely sure if history can decide that point but it's an interesting issue.
the story begins simply enough with a family gathering in new England. Uncle Seth is the patriarch of the family who always wondered what happened to the woman he loved during the war, She was, as it turned out, dropped into France to work for the French Resistance. Recently this woman's bones have been discovered in a cave with prehistoric cave paintings. The story of the book then appears as a flashback from a journal given to Uncle Seth to read. I found this technique very awkward from the principle of writing a novel: one might have understood various entries explaining things and then modern conversation, but this isn't the case. In fact, the journal is somewhat complex in its mention of not only WW II issues of political ideology and history, but also the continuus statements of various characters which become somewhat confusing at times. Imagine arriving in fifth grade two months after the term had started and having to remember everyone's name and you get the idea. Sometimes you are trying to follow what is happening and then more characters pop up from a different direction. One is sometimes not quite sure which way one is heading.
In this regard, the author is writing an extremely interesting book, but my criticism is that sometimes the book appears to have been a history of WW II French politics that was turned into a mystery. The biggest issue, as stated above, is that we get into the journal and we never get out of it. One wonders why the author didn't just relate the story in stages to Uncle Seth.
Still a novel about Bordeaux can't be all that bad and the history is enlightening and the descriptions of the countryside are delightful and warm. One can feel the closeness of the French temperament, both positive and negative and one can perhaps understand it a bit better than we do from a distance. I only wish the entire journey weren't quite so bumpy a ride in changing of direction so often.
In this case Shepard writes an extremely interesting novel with wine in the background. Knowing the area in Bordeaux where most of the book takes place, it was like revisiting old haunts, including learning a number of things I never knew about the area and the issues involving WW II occupied France. Without going into details one may see the chateau on the front cover of the book and realize its more than passing resemblance to The White House. Accident or plan? Actually I am not entirely sure if history can decide that point but it's an interesting issue.
the story begins simply enough with a family gathering in new England. Uncle Seth is the patriarch of the family who always wondered what happened to the woman he loved during the war, She was, as it turned out, dropped into France to work for the French Resistance. Recently this woman's bones have been discovered in a cave with prehistoric cave paintings. The story of the book then appears as a flashback from a journal given to Uncle Seth to read. I found this technique very awkward from the principle of writing a novel: one might have understood various entries explaining things and then modern conversation, but this isn't the case. In fact, the journal is somewhat complex in its mention of not only WW II issues of political ideology and history, but also the continuus statements of various characters which become somewhat confusing at times. Imagine arriving in fifth grade two months after the term had started and having to remember everyone's name and you get the idea. Sometimes you are trying to follow what is happening and then more characters pop up from a different direction. One is sometimes not quite sure which way one is heading.
In this regard, the author is writing an extremely interesting book, but my criticism is that sometimes the book appears to have been a history of WW II French politics that was turned into a mystery. The biggest issue, as stated above, is that we get into the journal and we never get out of it. One wonders why the author didn't just relate the story in stages to Uncle Seth.
Still a novel about Bordeaux can't be all that bad and the history is enlightening and the descriptions of the countryside are delightful and warm. One can feel the closeness of the French temperament, both positive and negative and one can perhaps understand it a bit better than we do from a distance. I only wish the entire journey weren't quite so bumpy a ride in changing of direction so often.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 7, 2013
I found this book a complete waste of my time. The narrative method eliminated all semblance of tension and excitement. Some sections were made almost impossible to follow as a result of awkwardness of the method combined with lack of editing (you can't nest dialogue within dialogue using double quotes for everything and expect it to make sense). The style was no improvement over the method. There was no showing--only pages and pages of boringly written telling. Mixed in were pages of tourist descriptions that excited nothing in me. Many things were very repetitive, both in wording and in having the same thing be told over and over as if it were new information. Finally, it is sloppy. Missing punctuation and spaces, etc. The POV is unstable at times also.
I really had to force myself to finish it. It was extremely easy to put down at any point and very hard to pick back up.
I really had to force myself to finish it. It was extremely easy to put down at any point and very hard to pick back up.
December 30, 2012
This had a definite flavor of some of the older mysteries I read years ago and enjoyed, a more relaxed approach to a murder investigation, in this case one that occurred many years in the past, during WWII.
Competent plotting, good characterization and a wonderful view of the history and background of that particular location and of the war years as well.
Enjoyable read.
Competent plotting, good characterization and a wonderful view of the history and background of that particular location and of the war years as well.
Enjoyable read.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews