A KILLER. A SAINT. A TOWN FULL OF WHISPERS

When an English expat is brutally murdered, his charred corpse left on a Loire Valley hillside, the police turn to juge d’instruction Matthieu Lombard to find the killer.

Instead, Lombard discovers a wealth of secrets, grudges and feuds in the idyllic town of Saint-Genèse-sur-Loire. He begins to suspect that the remaining members of the Comité des Fêtes know more about the death than they are letting on.

But rather than towards an arrest, each clue he uncovers seems to point in one, unexpected direction: Joan of Arc. Is the answer to the murder hiding in the barroom gossip of the Lion d’Or? Or in another century altogether?

The thrilling new crime series from The Times-bestselling author of Death and Croissants

‘With more twists and turns than a backwoods farm track, Moore has made a blistering start to what is near certain to be a long-running series’ Barry Turner, Daily Mail

'Like a French inspector Morse, a gallic delight reminiscent of Fred Vargas and Donna Leon' C. K. McDonnell, author of The Stranger Times

‘A cracking good read’ Mark Billingham, author of the Tom Thorne thrillers

'Charming, clever and expertly crafted… wickedly fabulous' Rachel Lynch, author of the Detective Kelly Porter thrillers

'Full of twists and turns, I couldn't put this down. Great stuff' Simon McCleave, author of the D.I. Ruth Hunter thrillers

‘This is great fun… crime fiction at a European pace, with a fabulous Loire Valley setting… reminiscent of Michael Dibdin’ Sarah Hilary, author of the D.I. Marnie Rome thrillers

'An accomplished and compelling tale of French cops, the legend of Joan of Arc and a ceremoniously murdered Brit, all set in France's luscious Loire valley' Martin Walker, author of the Bruno, Chief of Police, Dordogne Mysteries

'Wine, chateaux and murder, what's not to love? I highly recommend' Cara Black, author of the Aimée Leduc Investigations

'An engrossing, slickly plotted policier that will leave you wanting more' Tom Benjamin, author of the Daniel Leicester mysteries

'A bracing antidote to the many stories of beautiful, sun-soaked French towns... Juge d’instruction Matthieu Lombard is a great character, curmudgeonly but clever, dogged but sensitive, and with a brain packed with the kind of general knowledge that wins quizzes' Literary Review

'A hotbed of grudges and feuds. Thrilling’ Marie Warren, Crime Monthly

'A cunning murder mystery, a dive into history, a warm and intimate portrait of provincial France and, in Juge Lombard, a compelling continental detective – a terrific read' Jon Henley

Ian Moore is a leading comedian and TV/radio performer. He is the author of the bestselling Follet Valley series, which includes Death and Croissants and Death and Fromage; as well as two memoirs on life in France, À la Mod and C’est Modnifique. Ian lives in rural France and commutes back to the UK when occasion demands.