Mysteries In France

In the slums of 18th-century France, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is born with one sublime gift - an absolute sense of smell. As a boy, he lives to decipher the odors of Paris and apprentices himself to a prominent perfumer who teaches him the ancient art of mixing precious oils and herbs. But Grenouille's genius is such that he is not satisfied to stop there, and he becomes obsessed with capturing the smells of objects. Then one day, he catches a hint of a scent that will drive him on an ever-more-terrifying quest to create the "ultimate perfume" - the scent of a beautiful young virgin.

This easy French mystery includes a story in French, a complete English translation, and tons of fun exercises. Il est quatre heures 15 de l’après-midi quand j’arrive dans la rue Saint-Jacques. Je remarque tout de suite qu’il se passe quelque chose de bizarre. "Connaissez-vous monsieur Pierre-Henri de Longchamps ?" Le policier me regarde dans les yeux. Il prend son temps pour choisir ses mots. Un nœud se forme dans mon estomac. "Monsieur de Longchamps est mort, me dit-il. Et vous et votre amie madame Brown, vous êtes suspectées du crime."

Alice and Julia, two Americans, are going to Paris to see Madame Blanche de Monceau, Julia's French cousin. The day after they arrive, Madame de Monceau is found dead in her wine cellar. This audio recording contains the full French text, read by the author. The book includes a story in French, a complete English translation, and tons of fun exercises.

Paris, 1396. Scribe Christine de Pizan is shocked when the duke of Orleans' fools find a baby, wrapped in rags and covered in sores, abandoned in the palace gardens. Was there really a wicked plan to substitute the child for the queen's own baby daughter and blame the duchess of Orleans, Valentina Visconti? Who would commit such an evil act, and why?

Alice, an American who loves to speak French, wants to study in Paris. She spends a week in a language school for adults. The students are friendly, and the school is located on the most beautiful avenue in Paris. At first, it's a dream! But her dream turns into a nightmare when Madame Douce, her French teacher, is found dead in the classroom.  

Paris, 1393. Recent widow Christine de Pizan became a scribe to support her family, but when she is called to the palace to work, she dreads going. There, everyone fears the king's attacks of unreason and they believe the charlatans who claim they can cure him with vile potions. But when a mysterious book of magic leaves a trail of real murdered bodies in its wake, Christine has more than black magic to worry about. Then one of the king's favorites, Hugues de Precy, is found murdered and his wife Alix de Clairy is blamed.

Antoine Verlaque, examining magistrate for the beautiful town of Aix-en-Provence, doesn't like Christmas. The decorations appear in the shops far too early, festive tourists swarm the streets, and his beloved Cours Mirabeau is lined with chalets selling what he regards as tacky trinkets. But his wife and partner Marine Bonnet is determined to make this a Christmas they can both enjoy, beginning with the carol sing at the Cathedral Saint Sauveur, a beautiful service in a packed church. Just as the holiday cheer is in full swing, a man is poisoned, sending the community into a tailspin.

Musketeer cadet Charles de la Forêt has been assigned his first mission: travel to a small French town far outside of Paris and retrieve a prisoner accused of killing an entire family. Arriving in Pontcourt, Charles finds the villagers ready to take justice into their own hands. Mob rule threatens to prevail over the King’s law, and, worse yet, Charles discovers the locals may be seeking vengeance against an innocent man. Compelled to investigate the truth behind the murders, Charles explores the complex and dark side of rural French life in the 17th century. With little more than his ...

Paris—the city of love, lights … and murder? Join tour guide Lana Hansen as she escorts five couples on an unforgettable Valentine-themed vacation to France! Unfortunately it will be the last trip for one passenger… Lana Hansen’s future is looking bright. She has money in her bank account, a babysitter for her cat, and even a boyfriend. Regrettably she won’t get to celebrate Valentine’s Day with her new beau, Chad. Instead, she will be leading a lovers-only tour in France. Luckily for Lana, her best friend, Willow, and her partner, Jane, will be joining her. Things go downhill ...

Maggie Newberry is an advertising copywriter who’s fast on her feet and a little stunned to realize that she’s over 30 and still hasn’t found true love. When her missing sister ends up dead, Maggie flies to the south of France to find the little niece that no one in the family even knew existed. Along the way, she finds handsome, sexy Frenchman Laurent Dernier to help search for the girl. Meanwhile, her sister’s murderer sets his sights on the little girl - and Maggie.

The vineyards of the Willesford Wine Group occupy a particularly choice section of French wine country. From the grapes of Provence, the owners of this impeccably managed syndicate have squeezed international fame and fortune. Next to their spectacular estate lies the petite Peregrine Winery, whose shadowy owners suddenly make repeated requests to buy Willesford's property - raising their offer each time. Unable to discern Peregrine's motive for these attempts, the Willesford group sends for London's gourmet detective, a sleuth with impeccable reasoning and an even finer palate.

The fisherman who pulls Sophia out of the harbor has a secret, and she's dying to know it, but hopefully not literally. Sophia decides to take a vacation in the South of France to get away from troubles back home from her ex and work. As she strolls along the quayside, she trips over a discarded rope and head over heels falls into the dock.

Sir Jack Drummond, with his wife, Lady Anne, and their 10-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, were on holiday on the French Riviera when they stopped to make camp just off the road near a farm called La Grand' Terre in Provence. The family was found murdered the next morning. More than two years later, the barely literate, 75-year-old proprietor of La Grand' Terre, Gaston Dominici, was brought to trial, convicted, and condemned to death by guillotine.

Coming out of retirement can be deadly… After tragedy struck three years earlier, art sleuth Carmen De Luca vowed to never work in the field again. But fifty is too young to fill her days with water aerobics and bingo, so when her former partner calls and begs for her help, Carmen gladly agrees. Yet after their first assignment – the recovery of a rare medieval prayer book from an eccentric collector living in rural France – goes horribly wrong, Carmen ends up in the crosshairs of both the local police and a murderer! With her target dead and the stolen book missing, she and her ...

When a French priest collapses at Easter Mass, the church suspects foul play. A missing junior priest quickly becomes the prime suspect, but not everyone agrees. Reverend Annabelle Dixon and Inspector Mike Nichols were looking forward to a few days off, but when her oldest friend in the whole world asks for help with this conundrum, how can Annabelle say no?...

An international serial killer is at large. Countless murdered victims are being discovered throughout England, France, and Spain. Will the killer or killers ever be caught? SO MANY HAUNTING QUESTIONS ARE LEFT UNANSWERED SO MANY FOOLISH MISTAKES ARE MADE SO MANY BRUTAL KILLINGS ARE LEFT UNSOLVED The year is nineteen eighty-five, and thirty-one-year-old Katherine looks back over her life and asks herself many challenging questions. Where do I belong? Is there any hope for me left? Can I survive another day? Sadly, no answers to her plaguing questions come to her muddled mind. Slumping back ...

In this thrilling historical spy novel from New York Times best-selling author Alan Furst, two heroic resistance fighters smuggle valuable information to occupied Paris to turn the tide of the World War II and defeat Nazi Germany.

Stuck in the shadow realm and straight out of luck, I’m more alone than ever. Even my friends are frightened of me now that they know the truth. Happy mid-life to me! That is, until my demon in rusty armor comes to my rescue. Now, I realize the magical world is so much bigger than I ever imagined, and it turns out, bigger than anyone else did, either. The Knights Templar are determined to stage a comeback at any cost, and my star-lit blood is the key to their plans. With only a demon to guide me, I have to find a way out of the shadow realm and back to Earth before magic is unleashed ...

It’s 1921, and Sadie Brown, aviatrix, reporter, and sometimes a crime investigator, has a very serious problem on her hands. Two police officers have arrived at Sadie’s home on an early sunny morning, and the news is dire. Her husband was a passenger in an auto accident and was taken to the hospital in a coma. The driver was a Frenchman. A man who left a dubious past in France after the Great War. Rushing to the hospital, Sadie finds out the driver had been shot, causing him to drive his Renault over a bluff in La Jolla. Now the police are concerned that Roger might have also been a ...

Paris, 1938. Two women meet: Mielle, a shy pacifist and shunned Mennonite who struggles to fit in with the elite cohort of foreign correspondents stationed around the city; the other, Jane, a brash American journalist, who is soon to become a fascist propagandist. When World War II makes landfall in the City of Lights, Mielle falls under Jane’s spell, growing ever more intoxicated by her glamour, self-possession, and reckless confidence. But as this recklessness devolves into militarism and an utter lack of humanity, Mielle is seized by a series of visions that show her an inescapable truth.