Splendour Falls by Susanna Kearsley

genre: mystery

where did I get it: free advanced readers copy from Netgalley, read on my Kindle

Emily's cousin Harry is taking a trip to Chinon, France, to explore the once-home of Queen Isabelle, wife of King John of England.  He's on the hunt for something precious that legend says is buried and Emily decides to come along for the adventure.  When Harry failed to meet her on the appointed day, she doesn't particularly worry (he's always following tangents) and the beauty and history of Chinon capture her fancy enough that she stays happily entertained with her fellow hotel guests.  Soon, however, things begin to unravel and what had seemed like no big deal is suddenly a rather big deal and Emily finds herself at the center of a mystery that is far more deadly than a legendary buried treasure.

So.  Eh.  I love Susanna Kearsley.  And I do think this is a well written book - I have never actually felt much of a desire to visit the French countryside but this story really did make me want to see it with my own eyes and explore it my own self.  She is a solid writer, the plot moved along enough and I enjoyed her secondary characters.  However, two big things:  this one is definitely a mystery, a murder mystery, really, as opposed to the usual paranormal/historical romance of the other books of hers I've enjoyed.  I just prefer the other genre better.  The second is this: about 50 pages into it the story felt vaguely dated to me, so much so that I was almost annoyed and went to look at the published date and  OH, this was published originally in 1995 and is just being republished by Sourcebooks.  So, I cannot actually blame her for that, I just wish I'd paid attention before I read because I had a hard time stopping my brain from noticing it :)  The ending felt a bit anti-climactic but I was a fan of the final love interest.

I am glad I read it because she has introduced me into a new part of the world and even though it didn't astound me, it did surprise me a couple times and I don't feel like my time was wasted.

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