I picked up The Chateau Murder by Greg Mosse with some curiosity, drawn to the promise of a
cozy French village mystery set in a grand, decaying chateau. The atmospheric
writing is genuinely one of the book’s strengths—Mosse paints the wintery
grounds, the opulent yet crumbling interiors, and the surrounding village with
vivid, immersive detail that made me feel the chill and the tension in the air.
The premise, centered on a suspicious death amid a dysfunctional family
gathering, had real potential, and I appreciated the occasional clever
misdirection.
That said, I struggled to stay engaged throughout. The characters, with the exception of Russell the dog, felt shallow and largely unlikable. The family members, ex-wives, and staff came across as caricatures driven by petty rivalries and bitterness, but without enough depth or nuance to make me care about their secrets or motivations. Zoe Pascal, the returning amateur sleuth, is pleasant enough, yet even she didn’t pull me in as much as I’d hoped. I kept waiting for an emotional hook or a truly surprising revelation — Why did Adélaïde insist upon Zoe coming to the castle? A third of the way through the book and the reader still doesn’t know — , but the story unfolded predictably, and the murder itself was resolved with surprisingly little impact on anyone involved.
In the end, this was a book I could easily put down—though I did finish it, mostly out of mild curiosity rather than compulsion. For me, The Chateau Murder earns a solid but unenthusiastic three and a half stars: enjoyable enough for a light winter read if you’re in the mood for French ambiance and don’t mind surface-level characters, but it didn’t leave me eager to continue the series.
That said, I struggled to stay engaged throughout. The characters, with the exception of Russell the dog, felt shallow and largely unlikable. The family members, ex-wives, and staff came across as caricatures driven by petty rivalries and bitterness, but without enough depth or nuance to make me care about their secrets or motivations. Zoe Pascal, the returning amateur sleuth, is pleasant enough, yet even she didn’t pull me in as much as I’d hoped. I kept waiting for an emotional hook or a truly surprising revelation — Why did Adélaïde insist upon Zoe coming to the castle? A third of the way through the book and the reader still doesn’t know — , but the story unfolded predictably, and the murder itself was resolved with surprisingly little impact on anyone involved.
In the end, this was a book I could easily put down—though I did finish it, mostly out of mild curiosity rather than compulsion. For me, The Chateau Murder earns a solid but unenthusiastic three and a half stars: enjoyable enough for a light winter read if you’re in the mood for French ambiance and don’t mind surface-level characters, but it didn’t leave me eager to continue the series.
You can order your copy here.
I received an advanced digital copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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