WW2 crime mystery set in Canterbury, Kent (and London)
Ten Great Books set along the French Atlantic Coast
19th June 2024
Ten Great Books set along the French Atlantic Coast. The coast, stretching from the rugged shores of Brittany to the sunny beaches of the Basque Country, offers a captivating blend of natural beauty, historical charm, and laid-back seaside living.
The coastline is a kaleidoscope of scenery. Dramatic cliffs pounded by fierce waves give way to long stretches of golden sand dunes. Picturesque islands like Ile de Ré and Oléron beckon with charming villages, salt marshes teeming with birdlife, and a relaxed pace of life. Lush forests fringe the coast in some areas, providing opportunities for hiking and exploring.
Here are ten of our favourite books set in the Region.
Her Mother’s Secret by Rosanna Ley – BELLE-ÎLE-EN-MER, BRITTANY
For many years Colette has avoided returning to her homeland – the magical island of Belle-Île-en-Mer in Southern Brittany – afraid to confront the painful memories she left behind. She is living on the Cornish coast when she hears about her mother Thea’s failing health and realises that the time has come for her to go home. But can Colette ever forgive Thea for what she has done?
Despite Colette’s wariness, romantic Belle-Île still fascinates her. She takes on the running of her mother’s flower shop and makes friends with Élodie from the Old Lighthouse where Thea once worked as a nanny and with the enigmatic Étienne who shares Colette’s mixed feelings about the island. As Thea opens up to her for the first time, Colette finds herself softening and being drawn back into the landscape of her past. But can Belle-Île also be a part of her future?
The ghosts of that past still linger. What happened all those years ago and how did it cause the rift between mother and daughter? It becomes clear that the beauty of Belle-Île hides a devastating family secret – one that Colette is determined to unravel at any cost.
Death in Brittany by Jean-Luc Bannalec – CONCARNEAU, BRITTANY
Commissaire Georges Dupin, a cantankerous, Parisian-born caffeine junkie recently relocated from the glamour of Paris to the remote (if picturesque) Breton coast, is dragged from his morning croissant and coffee to the scene of a curious murder. The local village of Pont-Aven–a sleepy community by the sea where everyone knows one other and nothing much seems to happen–is in shock. The legendary ninety-one-year-old hotelier Pierre-Louis Pennec, owner of the Central Hotel, has been found dead.
A picture-perfect seaside village that played host to Gaugin in the nineteenth century, Pont-Aven is at the height of its tourist season and is immediately thrown into uproar. As Dupin delves into the lives of the victim and the suspects, he uncovers a web of secrecy and silence that belies the village’s quaint image.
A delectable read, Jean-Luc Bannalec’s Death in Brittany transports readers to the French coast, where you can practically smell the sea air and taste the perfectly cooked steak frites in an expertly crafted, page-turning mystery for fans of Martin Walker.
Coastliners by Joanne Harris – LE DEVIN, BRITTANY
On the tiny Breton island of Le Devin, life has remained almost unchanged for over a hundred years. For generations, two rival communities have fought for control of the island’s only beach.
When Mado returns home ot her village after a ten-year absence, she finds it threatened, both by the tides and by a local entrepreneur. Worse, the community is suffering from an incurable loss of hope. Taking up the fight to transform the dying village, Mado must confront past tragedies, including the terrible secret that still haunts her father.
Death in Pont-Aven by Jean-Luc Bannalec – PONT-AVEN, BRITTANY
A strange murder in an idyllic French seaside village, a major family tragedy, and a puzzling secret await Commissioner Dupin in this captivating whodunit thriller.
At the Central Hotel in Pont Aven, Brittany, 91-year-old manager Pierre-Louis Pennec is found murdered. Police commissioner George Dupin and his team takes on the investigation and narrow the list of suspects down to five people, including the manager of a rival hotel, a longtime friend of the victim, and a wealthy art historian. Further incidents–first a break-in, then another mysterious death–muddy the waters yet more.
As Commissioner Dupin delves further and further into the lives of the victim and the suspects, he uncovers a web of secrecy and criminality that belies the village’s idyllic image.
A surprise hit in its original German, it is a book so atmospheric readers will immediately want to wander through the village’s narrow alleyways, breathe in the Atlantic air, and smile at the Breton peculiarities. Spellbinding, subtle, and smart, this crime novel is peppered with cryptic humor and surprising twists.
The Disappearance of Emily Marr by Louise Candlish – ÎLE DE RÉ, LA ROCHELLE
Arriving on the windswept Ile de Ré off the coast of France, Tabby Dewhurst is heartbroken and penniless, unable even to afford a room for the night. Then she overhears a villager repeating aloud the access code to her front door and, hardly believing her own actions, Tabby waits for the villager to leave and lets herself into the house . . .
And so she enters the strange, hidden world of Emmie, whose sudden offer of friendship is at odds with her obsession with her own privacy. Soon Tabby begins to form suspicions about Emmie, suspicions that will lead her back to England – and to a scandal with shattering consequences.
Toute Allure by Karen Wheeler – POITOU-CHARANTES, NOUVELLE-AQUITAINE
There is so much to look forward to in the months ahead – to lengthening evenings, bike rides past fields of sunflowers or wild meadows of bluebells and poppies (just like the seventies Flake ad) and several months of fetes, vide greniers (car boot sales) and barbecues in friends’ gardens. And I cannot wait to get back to see if Andy Lawton has called… After reaching the heights as a successful fashion editor, Karen said goodbye to all that and set about renovating a run-down house in rural Poitou-Charentes, in central western France, and living a simpler life. Her idyll is almost complete when she is blissfully ensconced in her fully plumbed, tiled, floored and ‘warm as the hug of a pashmina’ Maison Coquelicot – until, that is, a gang of macho Portuguese builders, a procession of Brits behaving badly and the ghosts of boyfriends past begin to arrive on her doorstep. Karen soon finds her (dancing) feet in the small rural community when she discovers the key to acceptance is le danse country. And after a few shuffles and twirls she meets the love of her life – he has dark, shaggy hair, four paws and a wet nose…
Treachery in Bordeaux by Jean-Pierre Alaux and Noël Balen – BORDEAUX
In modern-day Bordeaux, there are few wine estates still within the city limits. The prestigious grand cru Moniales Haut-Brion is one of them. When some barrels turn, world-renowned winemaker turned gentleman detective Benjamin Cooker starts asking questions. Is it negligence or sabotage? Who would want to target this esteemed vintner? Cooker and his assistant Virgile Lanssien search the city and the vineyards for answers, giving readers and inside view of this famous wine region. The start of a 22-book wine-plus-crime mystery series that delves into the underworld of a global luxury industry. The world of wine is no more respectable than the world of finance. There’s money, deceit, death, crime, inheritance, jealousy-all the ingredients needed to distill a fine detective series. The series is a hit on TV in France.
Cold Winter in Bordeaux by Allan Massie – BORDEAUX
The war is turning against Germany on the Eastern Front. The Americans land in North Africa. Meanwhile, in Bordeaux, Superintendent Lannes – himself an object of suspicion, with one son in Vichy and another with de Gaulle’s Free French – investigates the murder of a woman. It looks like a crime of passion. His subordinate, Inspector Moncerre, calls it ‘a pre-war crime’, one which they may be allowed to solve. But the dead woman has been engaged in activities which have attracted the attention of the Vichy Secret Service, the Germans, and even the Resistance. The investigation will lead Lannes into dangerous territory. He has family problems, too, with his wife sinking into depression and his daughter in love with a boy of whose politics and ambitions he disapproves. His own disaffection is sharpened by Vichy’s complicity in the deportation of the city’s Jews. Things, he fears, will get worse before they get better, as divisions between Vichy and the Resistance threaten civil war. The third instalment in Allan Massie’s acclaimed crime series continues the story of dogged detection in a world seemingly gone mad. And, by popular demand, a fourth title will follow – set in 1944, the year of the Liberation as well as the ‘Épuration’ of those who collaborated with the Nazis…
Surf Mama by Wilma Johnson – BIARRITZ
Wilma Johnson was living on the west coast of Ireland with her family, balancing the challenges of being an artist, wife and mother, until, in her forties, she was gripped by a deep desire to seize the day, and moved to Biarritz to become a surfer. The plan hits troubled waters as she arrives in France with her marriage on the rocks and three children who speak no French. Her first attempts at surfing are disastrous; resulting in bruises, broken bones and a damaged ego, but when she experiences the euphoric feeling of catching her first wave and sets up the Mamas Surf Club, it’s all worth it.
Two Days in Biarritz by Michelle Walsh Jackson – BIARRITZ
They’re chalk and cheese but always the best of friends . . . until Biarritz! Meet best friends Kate and Annabel, all set to celebrate a big birthday in style. And where better to do it than the chic resort of Biarritz packed with yummy food, heady wine and surfers? Kate is an artist and lives in France, while Annabel’s only ambition is to hang on to her Yummy Mummy status back in Dublin. But Annabel has been keeping a shocking secret from Kate for years. Then in Biarritz, in a haze of alcohol, she at last lets it slip. Kate is devastated and runs back home to the Pyrénées. Then her mother’s illness forces her to return to Dublin . . . to Shane, a pilot, the one-time love of her life . . . and to Annabel. Meanwhile Annabel’s perfect suburban life is rocked and she throws herself into setting up a small business. Her husband Colin is appalled at the new Annabel . . . new friend Gary, however, approves . . . Can the women’s friendship survive deception, betrayal and anger? Can they survive Biarritz?
Enjoy your books along the French Atlantic Coast!
Tony for the TripFiction team
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