France Cats

The landmark history of France and French culture in the 18th century, a winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize.

What do fairy tales, such as “Little Red Riding Hood,” “Sleeping Beauty,” and “Hansel and Gretel,” have to do with French peasant life in the eighteenth century? What does a cat massacre reveal about the relationship between artisans and the bourgeois in early modern France? In Robert Darnton’s, The "Great Cat Massacre," the underlying themes of fairy tales and the circumstances surrounding a large killing of cats provide the answers to these questions and reveal the attitudes and concerns of peasants and artisans in eighteenth century France.

Christmas in Paris… What could possibly go wrong? Ava Sext, an amateur sleuth and transplanted Londoner who sells books from an outdoor stand that overlooks the Seine, has vowed that this Christmas will be the best Christmas ever. It has to be! It's her first Christmas in Paris as a Parisian. But when someone pushes a book dealer in the Seine at a Christmas Fair leaving him between life and death, Ava, with the help of her fellow bookseller, Henri DeAth, a former notary in a country where notaries are a powerful caste, sets out to solve the crime before someone else dies. A little Paris ...

Death on the Seine - a delightful cozy mystery set in Paris, a city where food, wine, and crime make life worth living… along with a few books and Mercury, the cat. For Ava Sext, a transplanted Londoner who sells books from an outdoor stand overlooking the Seine, her day goes from bad to worse when the tall, handsome stranger whose appearance her horoscope predicted disappears after he is almost killed before her eyes. And that's before she discovers that he supposedly died weeks earlier. With the help of her fellow bookseller, Henri DeAth, a former notary in a country where notaries are ...

Meet Eliza Bennett, a brilliant but slightly klutzy textile scientist with a passion for dressage and a penchant for solving mysteries. Alongside is her charming and incredibly smart orange tabby cat, Merlin—who just happens to talk They travel across Europe, attending conferences and riding lessons. But wherever they go, trouble seems to follow. In this delightful cozy mystery, Eliza and Merlin stumble upon yet another murder. With Eliza's scientific expertise and Merlin's uncanny sleuthing skills, this duo unravels twisted plots and uncovers hidden secrets, all while navigating the ...

Suzy is a small striped cat with long white whiskers, who lives in a French seaside village with a fisherman and his four sons. She likes living in France, chasing butterflies and being stroked the wrong way. She doesn't like straying too far from home. But like all cats, Suzy is very inquisitive - which causes problems when she climbs into the basket of a hot-air balloon, falls asleep, and is carried up, up, and away over the Channel to England!

A visit to Notre Dame... What could possibly go wrong? For Ava Sext -- Parisian bookseller and part-time sleuth -- everything. Roped into attending an impromptu seance, she's faced with a spirit's desperate plea to solve his murder. Dubious but curious, Ava's skepticism shatters when death strikes Notre Dame itself. Alongside Henri De’Ath, her bookselling partner, she races against time to unmask the killer. Turns out that talking to the spirits is easier than avoiding becoming one. “Death in Notre Dame” -- a lighthearted cozy mystery set in Paris, a city where food, wine and crime ...

A snowy afternoon at the Paris Opera... What could possibly go wrong? When Ava Sext, an amateur sleuth who sells books from an outdoor stand overlooking the Seine, is hired to interview the dancers of an upcoming ballet at the Paris Opera House, she jumps at the chance. But her joy is short-lived when she stumbles upon a secret concerning the death of the last dancer who danced the ballet and finds herself pulled into a web of intrigue where anyone and everyone seems to have a motive. Death in the Paris Opera: A lighthearted cozy mystery set in Paris, a city where food, wine, and crime make...

A wine tasting in Montmartre… What could possibly go wrong? When Ava Sext, a part-time sleuth and transplanted Londoner who sells books from an outdoor stand in Paris overlooking the Seine, is invited to a wine tasting held by a dead man to smoke out his killer, she can't resist. With the help of her fellow book seller, Henri DeAth, a former notary in a country where notaries are a powerful caste, Ava investigates the strange goings-on in the world of Grand Cru wines to try and find the dead man's killer before the killer finds her. Death in Montmartre is a light-hearted cozy mystery set ...

Chief Inspector, Lord Ralph McGinniss has booked his boat fare to Australia to find his wife, Professor Claire Lane. Then a mysterious cold case file is handed to him from Sgt Pennyworth. British Army Intelligence has requested his help. Can he find Squadron Leader Mike Bristol? Was he last seen leaving The Fur & Feathers Pub in Stow on the Wold on the date stated on the warrant, 30th August 1944? Suspected of murdering two women. A well-known West End Actress Mia Jones and local shopkeeper Mrs Anne Tumbler. The Chief Ralph McGinniss is not convinced. With the war over, the cases of ...

A film shoot in Paris… What could possible go wrong? For Ava Sext, an amateur sleuth and transplanted Londoner who sells books from an outdoor stand overlooking the Seine, an early morning knock on her door leads to a job on a film shoot. Her film career gets off to a roaring start with murder on her first day on the job. With the help of her fellow bookseller, Henri DeAth, a former notary in a country where notaries are a powerful caste, Ava investigates the strange goings-on in the production while rekindling a relationship with the film's producer, an old flame who may or may not be ...

A visit to the Eiffel Tower… What could possibly go wrong? When Ava Sext, a part-time sleuth who sells books from a stand in Paris overlooking the Seine, visits the Eiffel Tower, she meets a famous TV chef who is killed minutes later. Unconvinced that the death was an accident, Ava infiltrates the world of TV chefs where nothing is as it appears. With the help of her fellow book seller, Henri DeAth, a former notary in a country where notaries are a powerful caste who not only know where the bodies are buried but probably helped bury them, Ava investigates the strange goings-on in the run ...

A leisurely morning in the Louvre... What could possibly go wrong? For Ava Sext, an amateur sleuth who sells books from an outdoor stand in Paris overlooking the Seine, a visit to the Louvre ends with the murder of an artist who manages to leave her a clue to his death before he dies. With the help of her fellow book seller, Henri DeAth, a former notary in a country where notaries are a powerful caste, Ava investigates a group of artists and discovers a mythical painting someone is willing to kill for and that includes killing her! Death in the Louvre is a light-hearted cozy mystery set in ...

I’m Honorio, a noble cat. No brag, just fact. On vacation in a mysterious part of France with pink swamps, wild and free white horses and a wandering ghostly salt-marsh woman. My eccentric “owner,” her two devoted friends, and I, are eye-witnesses to a sudden and shocking murder! Was it murder? It was there in the room of this terribly tragic-looking, twisted, creepy mask that some archaeologists unearthed and maybe should not have. The detective in me that I was . . . that I am . . .moves into action. I detect a number of quirky people who are suspicious, if not downright fishy—...

Near the end of the 19th century, Otto von Bismarck, the German chancellor, brought the plenipotentiaries of all major powers of Europe together to deal with Africa's colonization in such a manner as to avoid provocation of war. This event, known as the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885, galvanized a phenomenon that came to be known as the Scramble for Africa.

In the early 18th century, 80 years prior to revolution, France went wild for stocks and bonds. Mechanics dropped their tools and tradesmen closed their shops. There was but one profession, one employment, one occupation for persons of all ranks, from peasant to prince. And that profession was speculating in stocks. This is the story of John Law, the adventurous Scotsman played chance against an entire nation.

Get ready for an epic adventure full of unexpected twists and turns! Follow the journey of two brave middle-aged Brits who abandon their comfortable life in the UK and take on the challenge of restoring a charmingly dilapidated French property. But this isn't your typical renovation project - it takes place during the height of the worst financial crisis in modern history, making the obstacles seem insurmountable. From dealing with troublesome builders to navigating the complex legal system, and from coping with stubborn relatives to contending with an uncooperative housing market back home...

Want to teach your children about France and the French culture? Whether going on holiday trip to France, moving there to live, or just for education's sake, this little book is here to help explain it all to your youngsters. Think of it as a mini French culture class, with plenty of fun en route.

The Norman Conquest of England was that series of events during the latter part of the 11th century by which a Norman Duke was set on the throne of England, and was enabled to hand down the crown of England to his descendants. The Norman Conquest of England means a great deal more than the mere transfer of the crown from one prince or one family to another. It means a great number of changes of all kinds which have made the history and state of England ever since very different from what they would have been if the Norman Conquest had never happened.