A French Country Murder

by Peter Steiner

Book Overview

When political intrigue drove Louis Morgon from a successful career at the State Department, he moved to a cottage in France, far from Washington and what he called "the sordid world." He took up painting. He grew vegetables and flowers. He ate long, lovely meals on the terrace overlooking fields of sunflowers. He thought that he had found happiness. Then one day Louis's past lands squarely on his doorstep. It does so in the shape of a dead man. His...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312306873
• ISBN13: 9780312306878
• Release Date: March 2003
• Publisher: Minotaur Books
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.8" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Paperback available - Different title

FYI, A French Country Murder was reprinted in 2008 as a paperback with a different title, Le Crime (Louis Morgan Mysteries).

Read this before you retire to France

Over twenty years ago Louis Morgon resigned in disgrace as a State Department liason with the CIA as an expert in middle east policy. Having divorced his wife he has spent the last twenty years living alone in Saint Leon sur Deme, a small village in France. When a dead body turns up on his doorstep one morning he is confronted with the fact that "the sordid world" as he likes to call his former life, has finally caught up with him. Louis intuitively knows that the dead body is a message meant solely for him. He begins to investigate and is soon collaborating with the local police constable to learn why he is being targeted. Along the way we learn what happened to Louis so many years ago and why anyone cares about him now. So that's the crime and the vehicle the author uses to take us on a trip through rural France. Peter Steiner is a gifted writer that brings the sights, sounds, smells and day to day life of the French countryside to life. It is an idealic setting that contrasts starkly the cutthroat and corrupt world of Washington politics. In order to put the personal threat to him to rest Louis must return to his former life and confront enemies he never knew he had. The prose is smooth and powerful. The story is both nostalgic and viloent. An unusual combination makes for a terrific story of political intigue and revenge in a beautiful setting.

A compelling first novel

I eagerly awaited this book after reading an interview of the author for his second book. I thought I should start at the beginning of what I hope will be a long series featuring Louis Morgon. The writing is colorful with great descriptions of France as he walks through the country. Descriptions of food will make you wish you were there! The characters in the small town where Louis settles are a perfect cast of French citizens. An enjoyable story all around. Amusing observations at the workings of the State Department and the CIA. It will make you think about airports in a different light!

The Best Thriller of the Year

Peter Steiner's new book is a tightly written, suspenseful political and psycholgical thriller that keeps one "hooked" to the end. Peter's concise writing style and great ability to select exactly the right word to express detail give one a greater appreciation of his gift as a writer. It rises above other books of the genre because of the fully developed characters and Peter's wonderful ability to convey his love for France and the French countryside. Additionally, it is informative about French history, customs, and culture. I highly recommend anyone's sitting down with this captivating book for a sophisticated thrill and vicarious journey to France.

David vs. Goliath type thriller

Sixtyish American expatriate Louis Morgan lives in countrified Saint Leon, France estranged from the government he once toiled for and the family he never had time for because of his top secret State Department work. Louis follows the same routines every morning carrying his breakfast out to the terrace only this day he is greeted by the corpse of a black man. He calls Gendarme Renard who immediately begins an investigation that Louis knows is hopeless because his past has returned.Years ago in the DC area, Louis saw his wife having sex with his mentor, Undersecretary of State Huge Bowes. Louis humiliated Hugh before walking out on his spouse and his former mentor. Now thirty years later Louis believes Hugh, the Secretary of State, has left a calling card to remind his former protégé that he never forgot the debasement. Louis knows to survive he must return to Washington to gather information and challenge one of the most powerful and highly regarded people in the world.This inviting thriller is a David vs. Goliath tale with the odds greater than Douglas-Tyson. The story line enables the audience to see behind the façade of power into the motives of the key players including an in the pocket media. Though the flashbacks are critical to explain the present scenarios of the two combatants, they also disrupt the flow of the prime plot. Still Peter Steiner furnishes an intriguing story that will bring the popular cartoonist many thriller fans.Harriet Klausner