Ian Moore: Death and Croissants [2021] hardback

'A very funny page-turner. Fantastique!' Adam Kay, Comedian and author of This is Going to Hurt
'A writer of immense wit and charm.' Paul Sinha, ITV's The Chase

THE FIRST NOVEL IN THE ENTHRALLING FOLLET VALLEY SERIES, BY TV/RADIO REGULAR IAN MOORE

Richard is a middle-aged Englishman who runs a B&B in the fictional Val de Follet in the Loire Valley. Nothing ever happens to Richard, and really that's the way he likes it.

One day, however, one of his older guests disappears, leaving behind a bloody handprint on the wallpaper. Another guest, the enigmatic Valerie, persuades a reluctant Richard to join her in investigating the disappearance.

Richard remains a dazed passenger in the case until things become really serious and someone murders Ava Gardner, one of his beloved hens ... and you don't mess with a fellow's hens!

Unputdownable mystery set in rural France, by TV/radio regular and bestselling author Ian Moore - perfect for fans of Richard Osman's The Thursday Murder Club, Julia Chapman, or M.C. Beaton.

Praise for Death and Croissants:

'Death and Croissants is a far funnier book than a story about a bloody murder has any right to be.' Josh Widdicombe, BBC's Mock the Week

'This is like two great books in one, a tricksy whodunnit, and a really, really funny story.' Jason Manford

'Ian is one of my favourite writers; this is hilarious and a great mystery too.' Janey Godley

'Good food and a laugh-out-loud mystery. What more could anyone want in these dark times?" Mark Billingham

'Death and Croissants is such a relentless rollercoaster ride of laughs and twists, it should come with a height restriction and health warning.' Matt Forde

'Sharp, slick and surprising - like the author himself - Death and Croissants is the Loire Valley's answer to Murder on the Orient Express. I'd marry him tomorrow (Richard, the protagonist; Ian too).' Cally Beaton

'Though I disagree with the opinions on muesli and the hen naming system that are in this book, I will let those pass and say that it is funny, pacy and very entertaining! It also has short chapters - I find many modern novels take far too long to get to the next chapter, but there's no hanging about here.' Robin Ince

'I'd never connected the words "death" and "croissants" before, but now they're inextricably linked. It's a rollicking qui-dunnit with as many twists as the Loire itself'. Stephen Clarke, author of 1000 Years of Annoying the French

'Moore's French whodunnit is an engaging caper through the Loire Valley with an expat reluctant hero mixed up with a Maigret-like rural cast, a glamorous heroine and a couple of Mafia killers. It is finely paced, truly funny and written with a wry detachment that conjures up a gentler age of murder mystery.' Charles Bremner

'Just like the Loire's other great export, Sancerre, Ian Moore's prose is reassuringly dry, beautifully constructed, and deeply satisfying. The Follet Valley series is a pleasure you'll return to again and again.' Marty Wilson, former Australian Comic of the Year

Everyone is wanting Moore! - what people are saying about Ian Moore:

'Charming, witty, a brilliant read.' Sarah Millican

'There are a great many comedians who think that they can also write books, myself included, but very few who can rival Ian Moore's immediate warmth and skill with language.' Jon Richardson

'Ian Moore is a brilliantly funny writer and that's all there is to it.' Annabel Giles

'Everything its author is: immaculately turned out, sharp and consistently hilarious.' Mark Billingham

'What a strange and wonderful sight Ian Moore must present in the Loire Valley - an English Mod kicking around rural France with a young family, a few goats and big dreams of the good life. His brilliant book is warm, funny and big-hearted - easily the best Englishman-abroad memoir since Gerald Durrell was in short trousers and knocking around pre-war Corfu.' Tony Parsons

'So well written and funny you feel you're there flailing with him in the chicken coop. Warm, tender and incredibly funny. Treads that perfect balance between thigh-slappingly hilarious and heartbreakingly human: a unique and wonderful book.' Isy Suttie

'Ian Moore is a brilliant comedian whose wit is as sharp as his dress sense and he has managed to take that on stage story telling brilliance and put it in his writing. A great read - even if you're French!' John Bishop, Comedian and Broadcaster