A Daughter’s Guide to Mothers and Murder by Dianne Freeman (Austenprose PR Book Tour)

 

Where would you like to vacation this summer?  We are touring my second child around to colleges this year so that is our vacation.  We recently camped in the Duluth, Minnesota area and visited a college.  A Daughter’s Guide to Mothers and Murder is set in Paris, which is a place I have always wanted to visit.

Frances and George are relaxing and spending time in Paris when Frances meets with an old frenemy, Alice.  Frances’s first husband died in bed with Alice, so Frances and Alice have a strained relationship.  Regardless, Alice seeks Frances out to ask for her help investigating her daughter’s love interest.  His first wife was murdered, and Alice wants to know if he had anything to do with it. An incriminating piece of evidence is found with Sarah Bernhardt.  Could America’s sweetheart be a murderer?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This is the eighth novel in the Countell of Harleigh Mystery series.  It can be read as a standalone novel.  I’ve only read the seventh novel in the series, and I enjoyed this addition.  I do need to go back and start this series from the beginning.

·       I love George and Frances.  They are both wonderful characters and such a great couple.  I love their relationship.  I also love that they are such great sleuths that the French police ask for their help in this book. Frances definitely took the lead on the investigation in this novel.

·       This was a delightful cozy mystery that kept me guessing.  I did not see the ending coming!

·       I loved the addition of actress Sarah Bernhardt as a suspect.

·       This novel had great female characters and empowerment in this novel. 

·       Frances’s sister Lily has just had a baby and I felt for her in this novel.  Her portrayal of a tired young mother really spoke to me.

·       I thought it was interesting that the plot included the second Olympics in Paris as well as the Paris theatre scene.  It was fun!

Overall, A Daughter’s Guide to Mothers and Murder by Dianne Freeman is a delightful historical cozy mystery starring my favorite couple and crime solving duo, Frances and George.

Book Source:  Thank-you to @diannefreemanwrites @kensingtonbooks @austenprose for the review copy as a part of the Austenprose PR Book Tour.

COVER REVEAL - A Daughter's Guide to Mothers and Murder by Dianne Freeman

Do you like cozy historical mysteries?  Then you may be interested in a new novel, A Daughter's Guide to Mothers and Murder by Dianne Freeman.  I'm happy to share all that I know about this new novel and reveal the beautiful cover. 

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Frances and George are enjoying some well-deserved leisure time in Paris when an old acquaintance from London, Alicia Stoke-Whitney, seeks Frances’s help to investigate a personal matter. Alicia’s daughter is being courted by Carlson Deaver, a wealthy American shadowed by a very suspicious tragedy.

Less than a year ago, Carlson’s wife, a former actress, was murdered, her body discovered in one of the more dubious quartiers in Paris. Though authorities guess it was a robbery gone wrong, no one was ever brought to justice. Until Daniel Cadieux, Inspector for the Sûreté, follows a startling new lead. None other Sarah Bernhardt, legendary icon of the Paris stage, receives a piece of jewelry stolen from the victim, along with an incriminating note: I know what you did.

It opens a new door for the Hazeltons’ investigation, as well. But not a soul believes that the Divine Sarah would become entangled in something so disreputable as murder—even if she and the late Mrs. Deaver did have a history of theatrical clashes. Amid questions of revenge, blackmail, scandals, and secrets, more poisoned pen letters follow, and suspects abound. Now it’s up to Francis and George to infiltrate the most elite social circles of Paris, and find a culprit before another victim faces their final act.

AUTHOR BIO

Dianne Freeman is the acclaimed author of the Agatha and Lefty Award winning Countess of Harleigh Mysteries, a two-time finalist for the Macavity’s Sue Feder Memorial Award, and a finalist for the Mary Higgins Clark Award. She spent thirty years working in corporate accounting and finance and now writes full-time. Born and raised in Michigan, she and her husband now split their time between Michigan and Arizona. Visit her at DiFreeman.com.

AND THE BEAUTIFUL NEW COVER ....

What do you think?  This eighth entry in the Countess of Harleigh series will be published on June 24, 2025.  I read the 7th entry, An Art Lover's Guide to Paris and Murder, and greatly enjoyed it.  You can read this new novel as a standalone or as the latest in this great series.

An Art Lover’s Guide to Paris and Murder by Dianne Freeman (Austenprose PR Book Tour)

 

Are you an artist?  Do you enjoy creating or viewing art?  I am not very good at art myself, but I enjoy looking at the work of others.

Frances and George Hazelton have journeyed to France in 1900 to visit the Paris Exposition and to help George’s Aunt Julia investigate a death she suspects was the murder of a famous artist, Paul Ducasse.  Paul was also Aunt Julia’s former lover and father of her child.  Another tragedy strikes and Frances and George are suddenly trying to solve two murder cases during the flurry of the Paris Exposition.  Will they discover the murderer?

My thoughts on this book:

·       This was a great cozy mystery.  Reading this book was a great way to relax during a very busy time.

·       I loved Frances and George as a couple and as a crime solving duo.  They worked great together and had wonderful chemistry. 

·       I enjoyed the turn of the century, Paris Exposition setting.  The changing times and business of the exposition added an extra layer to the tale.  I felt emersed in this setting.

·       This is the seventh book in the “A Countess of Harleigh Mystery” series.  This was the first book I’ve read in the series, and it worked for me as a standalone.  I really enjoyed the characters and the mystery.  I will be going back to the start of this series.

·       The mystery was very engaging.  It kept me guessing to the end but left enough breadcrumbs for the ending to be very believable.

Overall, An Art Lover’s Guide to Paris and Murder was a very engaging cozy historical mystery.  I really enjoyed it as a standalone and I’m ready to go back and start this series from the beginning!

Book Source:  Review copy from Kensington Books as part of the AustenprosePR Book Tour. Thank-you!  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Filled with Victorian-era intrigue for readers of Rhys Bowen, Deanna Raybourn, Tasha Alexander, and Julia Seales, Dianne Freeman’s Agatha Award-winning series takes a delightful jaunt to the City of Light as Frances Wynn, the American-born Countess of Harleigh, encounters a murder scene at the Paris Exposition.

Frances and her husband, George, have two points of interest in Paris. One is an impromptu holiday to visit the Paris Exposition. The other is personal. George’s Aunt Julia has requested her nephew’s help in looking into the suspicious death of renowned artist Paul Ducasse. Though Julia is not entirely forthcoming about her reasons, she is clearly a woman mourning a lost love.

At the exposition, swarming with tourists, tragedy casts a pall on the festivities. A footbridge collapses. Julia is among the casualties. However, she was not just another fateful victim. Julia was stabbed to death amid the chaos. With an official investigation at a standstill, George and Frances realize that to solve the case they must dig into Julia’s life—as well as Paul’s—and question everything and everyone in Julia’s coterie of artists and secrets.

They have no shortage of suspects. There is Paul’s inscrutable widow, Gabrielle. Paul’s art dealer and manager, Lucien. Julia’s friend Martine, a sculptress with a jealous streak. And art jurist, Monsieur Beaufoy. The investigation takes a turn when it’s revealed that George has inherited control of Julia’s estate—and another of her secrets. While George investigates, Frances safeguards their new legacy, and is drawn further into danger by a killer determined to keep the past buried.

AUTHOR BIO

Dianne Freeman is the acclaimed author of the Agatha and Lefty Award winning Countess of Harleigh Mysteries, a two-time finalist for the Macavity’s Sue Feder Memorial Award, and a finalist for the Mary Higgins Clark Award. She spent thirty years working in corporate accounting and finance and now writes full-time. Born and raised in Michigan, she and her husband now split their time between Michigan and Arizona. Visit her at DiFreeman.com.