Murder in the Rue Dumas (Verlaque and Bonnet Provencal Mysteries)

by M. L. Longworth

Paperback, 2012

Status

Available

Description

When Dr. George Moutte is found murdered, Judge Antoine Verlaque is stumped. Certainly, the director of theology at the Universite d'Aix had his enemies. Moutte was just about to name the recipient of an elite fellowship as well his own successor--a hightly coveted position that includes a lavish apartment in the seventeenth-century mansion--when his lips were sealed permanently. Yet, Verlaque isn't convinced that any of the academics are capable of murder. Aided by his on-again, off-again girlfriend, law professor Marine Bonnet, Verlaque turns Provence upside down, uncovering a world far more complicated than university politics.

User reviews

LibraryThing member MurderMysteryMayhem
Murder in the Rue Dumas by M.L. Longworth is the second in a series of whodunit mysteries set in Aix-en-Provence, France, and featuring chief magistrate Antoine Verlaque and his crime solving partner law professor Marine Bonnet. Verlaque might just be a modern day Maigret. He's a bit gruff, likes a
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good smoke, and mystifies his colleagues -including his sometime girlfriend Marine.

When the Chair of the Theology department at the Universite of d'Aix is found dead in his office Verlaque, like Maigret, isn't adverse to following the clues through the neighboring countryside where the opportunity to sample the local cuisine and wine is a distinct possibility.

Marine proves invaluable in providing insight to the scholarly community. The opportunity for a highly coveted position, academic jealousy, and the competition for a lucrative fellowship all provide motives for murder. Fragile egos, bitter rivalries, and plain old greed make for a deadly combination.

A traditional mystery offering the colorful and romantic backdrop of France and Italy.
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LibraryThing member lucybrown
This is a book that would be receiving a 3-1/2 rating, if there was the possibility of that. Mind you, I don't care to enter into the fray of the star ratings war; life is too short. My review will make feelings clear enough. The best points of Longworth's Murder in the Rue Dumas are her personable
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protagonists, Verlaque and Bonnet. Even better is the commisaire Paulik. Longworth's minor character posses equal charm. However, with all but Paulik I feel a slight doubt as to their credibility. I would like to believe in them, but don't quite. Of course, though Sayers's mysteries are on my top three series list, I never BELIEVED in Peter Wimsey to the extent that I accepted as real Marsh's brilliantly conceived Inspector Alleyn or Lovesy's equally brilliant Peter Diamond. I won't even mention the absolute perfection of Kate Ross's Kestrel. I could gush for hours on that subject. Still It is for the charm of the characters, despite the gnawing dissatisfaction as to their absolute verisimilitude, that I will return to this series. I found the author's use of setting underwhelming. Honestly, the story might have been set anywhere. In Donna Leon's series, Venice itself takes on the status of a character, as is the case with Cara Black's Paris detective series. Longworth's use of Provence can't even begin to compare with her compatriots Mayle's. If one holds Longworth's novel up to any of the before mentioned works, it is found wanting. Yet, it remains a charming and highly readable entry into the genre.

The mystery itself is problematic. It is plausible enough, but the strings were not well tied up in the end. Murder in the Rue Dumas wasn't by any means a stumper. From the beginning it was quite obvious what was up and who of the main cast was up to what. Can't say more for fear of giving too much away.
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LibraryThing member Maya47Bob46
Of the three Verlaque et Bonnet books I've read, this is my least favorite. I think I enjoyed Murder on the Ile Sordou the most, followed by the first in the series, Death at the Chateau Bremont. But it was still enjoyable.
LibraryThing member Cecilturtle
This is my first in the series and I found it absolutely delightful. Longworth strikes the right balance between plot and character development. The main characters of Marine, Antoine and Bruno are engaging with their faults and strength - and don't have excessively bizarre foibles as is often the
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case in murder mystery series. I thoroughly enjoyed the Provençal backdrop, the hints to wine and the art history theme. A light, fun read, it is perfect entertainment for the weekend. I'm looking forward to reading more in the series.
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LibraryThing member Auntie-Nanuuq
Le Judge Antoine Verlaque & law professor Marine Bonnet are progressing quite well in their renewed relationship, when two murders take place at a local theological school, where Marine's distant mother has a connection.

The school's department head, Professor Moutte liked to play his students &
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professors against each other.

After Professor Moutte has announced his retirement and has promised each of the candidates they would be the one chosen (the lifetime department head position included a large top-floor apartment in a formerly grand historical mansion). The night of his retirement party, Moutte announced that he had changed his mind & would not be retiring as planned.

Moutte had been responsible for awarding the top prize, a fully-funded scholarship & apartment to a top theology student as well... The four students in contention for the prize, were also played off against each other.

After the party, two of the students break into the Moutte's office, searching for the file that would contain the name of the award winner, only to find Moutte dead on the floor, coshed in the head.

While searching Moutte's apartment, Verlaque & co-investigator Bruno Paulik, come across a shattered art glass vase, which turns out to be a forgery that send Verlaque & Marine to Italy in search of a suspect (who was in the running for the department head position).

There was quite a bit going on in this book, but once again this was a smooth read filled with rich details of food, wine, & life in both France & Italy.
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LibraryThing member A_Reader_of_Fictions
Originally posted on A Reader of Fictions.

Despite mysteries not being my favorite genre, I read this one right on the heels of the prequel to Luther. The two could not be any more different, but both turned out to be entirely delightful vacation reads, this one especially so. In a rare occurrence,
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I read this book without first reading the first book in the series. While I would have preferred to read them in order, I will say that my enjoyment of the book was in no way hampered by my lack of knowledge of the first book.

I accepted the review request for this becase of the setting. I have been lucky enough in my quarter century of life to do some traveling abroad, and one of the places I have been to is Aix in Provence. Of course, I only spent a couple of days there and I certainly don't have enough memories of the place to be able to recall anything specific enough to aid in my knowledge of the book, but I still liked being able to immerse myself in smaller town French culture.

In that respect, I got absolutely everything I hoped for from Murder in the Rue Dumas. The book is so French. There is much discussion of food, wine, alcohol, and such things. Warning: this book will make you hungry. There's a certain snobbishness to it, but I found it fabulous.

Longworth's mystery hearkens back to Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers, following more of a classic tradition in both plot arc and hero. Modern detectives seem always to come hard-boiled and violent, getting involved in a very hands-on manner in cases. Antoine Verlaque cares about solving the case of course, but he does not entirely relinquish the finer things in life to do so, nor does he have any intention of being involved in some final, dramatic confrontation with the killer. He is clever and closed off and a little bit sassy.

Bonnet, actually, is not a detective at all. She's Verlaque's girlfriend, who, I presume, he hooked up with in the first book. Their relationship is in that awkward phase where neither is quite sure how serious it is. Bonnet does help some with the case, but is, largely, on the periphery. I do like her, and I like that she isn't his partner, as that changes up typical dynamics a bit. I was not super attached to the characters, but I was entertained by them, which was enough for me.

Murder in the Rue Dumas also happens to be a very academic mystery. The murder victim works in the theology department of the same university where Bonnet teaches law. Most of the large cast of characters work in academia, so there's quite a bit of theological or otherwise very intelligent discussion. In this way, the book reminded me quite a bit of David Lodge's books, which are sort of academic humor and are in fact referenced in this novel.

This mystery will be a breath of fresh burgundy for those who miss the old days and the classic detectives. Everything happens at a slower pace and involves much less vigilante justice and a lot more thinking. I would recommend drinking a nice bottle of French wine as you read.
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LibraryThing member Romonko
I loved this book as much as the first in the series. I did listen to it on audio, but that did not diminish my enjoyment. Verlaque and Bonnet are at their best here. They are exploring and feeling out their own relationship, while at the site time, trying to solve the mystery of the murder of
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Director of Theology in the Aix-en-Province University. There are a lot of people with motives in this crime, so Judge Verlaque has to sift through it all to come up with the right perpetrator. I love the way Verlaque and his talented team work their way through an investigation. I love the Verlaque and Bonnet relationship and I love the setting in Provence France. The scrumptious food and fine wine certainly help, but the settings in this book in Provence and in Italy where Verlaque and Bonnet go to investigate different threads from th mystery is darn well comfort overload. This is a great series with great mysteries, lovely settings, and great characters Highly recommend.
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LibraryThing member murderbydeath
The second in a (so far) 6 book series, this one started off much more slowly for me, as the author takes the time to set the murder scene, introduce the suspects, and hint at motivations before we ever hear from our two MCs. I recognise the value of this, but I mostly find it tedious.

Once the
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body drops, the pace starts to pick up, albeit slowly, and Bonnet makes very few appearances until the last half of the book. From this point on, I once again fell into Aix-en-Provence - and Umbria Italy! - and lost myself in the mystery, the setting and the characters.

The mystery plotting was very good, although I think Longworth could be accused of over-complicating it. But I totally didn't see that ending coming and when it came it was tense.

Murder in the Rue Dumas wasn't quite as good as the first one, but it was still better than most cozies available now - it's got a much more 'traditional mystery' feel and I can't wait for book three to arrive in the post.

This was my Free Friday Read #5 and was 296 pages long.
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LibraryThing member diana.hauser
MURDER IN THE RUE DUMAS is written by M. L. Longworth. The title is a Verlaque and Bonnet Provencal Mystery. It is Book #2 in the series.
“When a shocking murder rocks the theology department at Aix-en-Provence’s University, Chief Magistrate Antoine Verlaque is on the case.”
The main
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characters, Antoine and Marine, are mature, very detailed, very distinctive, very likable. The title (and series) is a Pandora’s Box of food, cooking, wines, coffees, restaurants, outdoor markets and fresh produce, home and apartment interiors, art, travel and French culture. Aix is a great location, as is the entire southern area of France. The conversations, everyday routines and of course, the mystery plot lines, all make for excellent reading.
****
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LibraryThing member bcrowl399
This was a great mystery and the setting was wonderful.
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