Bennett Sisters Mysteries Series by Lise McClendon, Merle Bennett

Deep in the French countryside-- as the country reels through rebellion, beheadings, and starvation-- a goat-herder named Odette is trying to survive. Just that-- survival is on her mind. Since she marched to Versailles with a group of Parisian women to protest the high prices of wheat, her life has spun out of control. She's fled the capital for the countryside... moreDeep in the French countryside-- as the country reels through rebellion, beheadings, and starvation-- a goat-herder named Odette is trying to survive. Just that-- survival is on her mind. Since she marched to Versailles with a group of Parisian women to protest the high prices of wheat, her life has spun out of control. She's fled the capital for the countryside. But what will happen to her? Can she stay in the Dordogne where the kindly farmers have taken pity on her? 'Odette and the Great Fear' is a bonus novella from the novel, 'The Frenchman,' by Lise McClendon. Merle Bennett is writing a gothic romance by that name, and sample chapters are included in 'The Frenchman.' Here the story is fleshed out, characters are made clear, and outcomes are decided. Will Odette and her handsome stranger find each other? How did the Count get his horrible scar? Will the villagers burn out the nobles for good? Read 'The Frenchman' for the story of how Merle Bennett came to write 'Odette and the Great Fear.' less

More international intrigue draws the Bennett Sisters overseas. Francie Bennett is a hard-charging attorney whose boyfriend Dylan Hardy invites her to join him in Paris to help with a client. When Axelle Fourcier left Paris and her strict parents behind after the student riots of 1968, she vowed never to go back. She made a life for herself in Canada and America as a professor. But now a beloved aunt, age 104, has died and left her an inheritance to be shared with a cousin she never met... moreMore international intrigue draws the Bennett Sisters overseas. Francie Bennett is a hard-charging attorney whose boyfriend Dylan Hardy invites her to join him in Paris to help with a client. When Axelle Fourcier left Paris and her strict parents behind after the student riots of 1968, she vowed never to go back. She made a life for herself in Canada and America as a professor. But now a beloved aunt, age 104, has died and left her an inheritance to be shared with a cousin she never met. A fabulous Belle Epoque apartment in Paris filled with valuable pop art from the '50s and '60s is just the start of Axelle's discoveries in Paris. Wrangling with her slick, rich cousin for the proceeds is distasteful but oh so French. Then the apartment is broken into, a friend is murdered, and Axelle's fears that the French state is once again conspiring against her seem very plausible. Francie must deal with her paranoid, cranky client, her new relationship, and her boyfriend's nine-year-old daughter, as the estate problems spin out of control. Intrigue, romance, Paris and the Dordogne, and a soupçon of murder, wrapped in the legal and art world of France bring more than a few 'Bolts from the Blue' to the Bennett Sisters. This next installment in the Bennett Sisters Mystery series will release in August, 2019. less

At long last French policeman, Pascal d'Onscon, a beloved character in the Bennett Sisters Mysteries, has his own adventure in wine and France. Pascal is ready for a long break with his live-in love, Merle Bennett, at their cottage in the Dordogne. But a favor is called in from his boss and off he goes to Champagne, to investigate a fraudulent labelling of wine at a swanky domaine... moreAt long last French policeman, Pascal d'Onscon, a beloved character in the Bennett Sisters Mysteries, has his own adventure in wine and France. Pascal is ready for a long break with his live-in love, Merle Bennett, at their cottage in the Dordogne. But a favor is called in from his boss and off he goes to Champagne, to investigate a fraudulent labelling of wine at a swanky domaine. Thus starts Pascal's first adventure in the Bennett Sisters Mystery series, as a wine fraud cop working with the Police Nationale. This first installment, a novella, explores the inner life and family ties of the attractive French boyfriend of the series. Dead Flat is a trilogy. 'Bottle of Lies' is the first release in the trilogy. less