The Provence Puzzle — Vincent McConnor

A LOAF OF BREAD, A JUG OF WINE AND MURDER

Smith ofArks, the charming French village of Courville drowses in the hot Provencal sunshine, then sleeps under starry skies while a killer slits the throats of pretty girls. The local gendarmerie is baffled. The townspeople are frightened. They believe death walks in the darkness when the bells toll at old Château de Mohrt. And the bells are tolling tonight. Chief Inspector Damiot of the Paris Police quietly sips his Calvados and thinks. He-4s4 after all, on vacation: savoring rich apricot tartes and thick ham sandwiches; relishing extraordinary 'meals cooked in the regional cuisine; enjoying the delicious company of his hostess, the beautiful Aurore. To suspect someone here of murder would be ungracious, nest-ce pas? -But the good Inspector's appetite for investigation is his most discriminating taste. and his cunning solution to The Provence Puzzle is a sumptuous four-star feast served up in the tradition of Georges 4imenon and Agatha Christie -- a true Gallic treat for mystery lavers.