3.5 ( )

As usual this book in the Wine Country Mysteries grabs the reader with an unusual tale surrounding the winemakers of Virginia. Lucie Montgomery is preparing for the spring and is having a friend who knows all about plants come to look at the vines in her Merlot block, the vines seem to be dying and she needs expert analysis as to what the problem is. However, her friend was supposed to call when he was on his way and no call came. When Lucie is wandering the vineyard with her fiancé, Quinn, they come across her friend and he has been attacked and murdered.

At the same time as all this is in play, a neighbor is preparing for a 90th birthday for Cricket Delacroix and Lucie's sister, Mia is at their home painting a large mural. Cricket was a friend of Jackie Bouvier when they were in school together and spent the summer of 1949 in Paris. Cricket is donating to a Washington, DC museum, paintings that had been given to her by Jackie. The artist, Élisabeth Vigée le Brun was a friend of Marie Antoinette and as a woman the highest-paid portrait painter of the time. Cricket's daughter, Harriet, came across the notes by Jackie for a book about Élisabeth Vigée le Brun and her friendship with Marie Antoinette. Harriet has decided since she was a former journalist, that she would use Jackie's notes and finish the book. Cricket and Lucie's grandfather are not happy about the use of Jackie's notes especially since Harriet was never a very successful writer.

Are the two events - the murder and the book - connected somehow or is it just a coincidence?

What a great addition to this series! ( )

I really enjoy this series. There’s the usual murder victim found on Lucy’s property but this book is more about family protecting family history and family itself. There’s a big gala happening and Lucy’s sister, Mia, is painting the mural, and they’re awaiting the arrival of their grandfather from France when a friend is found dead on Lucy’s land. Everyone is a suspect because the gala is focused on Jackie Kennedy Onassis’ time in Virginia and Lucy’s grandfather’s relationship with her in Paris and the letters she wrote to him. ( )

I have a guilty confession to make. This is the eleventh book in Ellen Crosby's delectable Wine Country mystery series, and although I've greatly enjoyed every one that I've read, I haven't even read half of the series. Now that The French Paradox is one of my Best Reads of 2021, I should have more incentive to read the rest.

What makes The French Paradox-- and the entire series-- so good? Having also read the two books in Crosby's Sophie Medina series (please, ma'am, I want some more!), I have to say it's because Crosby's writing is a feast for the intelligent, curious reader. If you love strong characters, intriguing mysteries, history, art, literature, vivid settings, learning about winemaking, and more, this is an author you should not miss. I read this book with a smile on my face because I felt as though I were spending time with a kindred spirit.

Whenever Crosby uses historical figures in her books, as she does in The French Paradox, she does so with great sensitivity and after doing much research. I am of the age where one of the defining moments of my life is knowing exactly where I was when I learned that John F. Kennedy had been assassinated. (Sitting in my third-grade classroom.) I have a great deal of respect for the Kennedys, and I doubt very much that any of the clan would be upset with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis's portrayal in this book.

Another reason to like this book is Crosby's drawing attention to the artist Élisabeth Vigée le Brun, friend to Marie Antoinette of France and the highest-paid portrait painter of her day. Vigée le Brun is a fascinating figure in her own right and certainly deserves more recognition. The mere mention of the artist's name reminds me of the first time I ever saw one of her works. Marvelous!

I called The French Paradox a feast for the intelligent, curious reader, and as you can see by my review, I savored every page. I haven't even mentioned the vivid Virginia setting or the deep roots main character Lucie Montgomery's family has in the area. If you haven't read any of Ellen Crosby's Wine Country mysteries, I urge you to do so. The French Paradox can be read as a standalone, but don't be surprised if you discover you're hungry for more.

(Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley) ( )