Review “The best novel yet in an already strong series. The plot is tight, the subject engaging, and the characters suitably attractive, villainous, and occasionally sexy. Expertly exploring the mystery of Van Gogh’s death, the authors serve us French food and wine along the very enjoyable way.”—Richard B. Schwartz, author of The Last Voice You Hear“A clever mystery that weaves art and murder into a rich, colorful tapestry set against the backdrop of the real-life controversy surrounding the death of Vincent van Gogh. A sure thing for art lovers, Francophiles, and readers who enjoy their mysteries with a glass of fine wine.”—Patricia Skalka, author of Death Stalks Door County“A thoroughly engaging romp set in the olive groves above the French Riviera. Draine and Hinden’s eccentric and amiable characters (one of whom happens to be a murderer) gather together to share delicious meals, amble through medieval villages, and argue about van Gogh’s art, life, and mysterious death in this charming whodunit.”—M. L. Longworth, author of The Mystery of the Lost Cézanne“Into the mix of personalities, the authors weave in tantalizing snippets of letters written by Isabelle’s grandfather about his acquaintance with the extremely moody and vulnerable Van Gogh in 1890. The result is an entertaining whodunit.”—Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine“The real heart and soul of the story . . . is southern France and the life of Van Gogh, both of which figure prominently into the plot. There are lots of tidbits of art history, plenty of French food and wine, and a generous helping of armchair travel highlights included here.”—ReviewingtheEvidence.Com“Highly recommended and certain to be an enduringly popular addition to the personal reading lists of mystery buffs, and a sought after addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections.”—Bookwatch“Making their third sleuthing appearance (after The Body in Bodega Bay), Nora and Toby are utterly delightful. . . . Mystery devotees who want an atmospheric crime novel with an art history slant such as Iain Pears’s  ‘Jonathan Argyll’ books will enjoy this series.”—Library Journal Read more About the Author Betsy Draine and Michael Hinden are coauthors of the mysteries Murder in Lascaux and The Body in Bodega Bay, the first two novels featuring Nora Barnes and Toby Sandler. They also coauthored the memoir A Castle in the Backyard: The Dream of a House in France and translated The Walnut Cookbook by Jean-Luc Toussaint. They are professors emeriti of English at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Long ago, Michael worked a summer as a waiter in Saint-Paul-de-Vence and fell in love with the village. Read more
B**.
History fact or fiction?
Great mystery genre! This team of authors writes enjoyable who-dun-its, clever twists with character development and real places in their settings. I love their use of research to enrich the story.
A**R
Fun
Delighful romp. Toby and Nora are developing in this adnenture. Fun book
J**C
Fun, brainy mystery with plenty of French travel insights
Death on a Starry Night is the third and latest Nora Barnes & Toby Sandler mystery in the series written by Betsy Draine and Michael Hinden. As with the other volumes, it’s full of art and travel knowledge in a place it sounds wonderful to visit.Art historian Nora Barnes and her husband Toby are back in France (setting of the first book, Murder in Lascaux), this time to the Rivera area, and again accompanied by Nora’s sister, who’s on a spiritual quest. They’re attending a conference sponsored by the Society for Vincent van Gogh Studies.The famous painter committed suicide, but new theories are circulating that he might have been killed. (There’s a welcome Afterword that explains how much of this story is true, including the book that introduced the murder theory, and what inspired the authors.) An older woman with family papers relevant to this debate is killed at the opening conference dinner. As the police and the couple investigate, they and we learn more about a number of the artists associated with the area, including Renoir and Matisse.Each of these volumes makes me want to visit their settings, because they’re so great at evoking their distinctive locations. They’re great reads by, for, and featuring brainy people, both fun and educational. (The publisher provided a review copy. Review originally posted at ComicsWorthReading.com.)
R**Z
Toby and Nora's Best Case Yet
In Death on a Starry Night Draine and Hinden present their best novel yet in an already-strong series. The plot is tight, the subject engaging, the characters suitably attractive, villainous, and, occasionally, sexy. The subject—Van Gogh’s death—is explored expertly and we are served French food and wine along the (very enjoyable) way. The authors take their protagonists to an art history conference in Provence. The subject is ‘Van Gogh: Enduring Mysteries’. One of the key mysteries concerns the painter’s death: suicide, murder or accident? One of the attendees is going to deliver a paper on his death, but she turns up dead herself. Thus there are two key mysteries to solve—that of the attendee and that of the painter (which are now neatly intertwined).The attendee has a letter which reveals many of the details of that death; sections of the letter are used as epigraphs at the beginnings of chapters. Thus we have the voice from the past as well as the voice of Nora which provides the narrative within the chapters themselves. In the course of the story the conference attendees visit key locales associated with Van Gogh. The fact that these are authentic, real places adds to the attractions of the narrative and its depiction of key facts concerning Van Gogh’s life. The work builds on actual scholarship and explores that scholarship at some length in an afterword. This is a very nice feature of the book, since readers of cozies and noir (this series bridges the subgenres) want to learn things as they read. Here they learn a great deal.The best installment yet for Nora and Toby. I look forward to many more.
K**S
A delightful read
A third, outstanding book in this lighthearted, well-plotted series. Academic Nora Barnes and her antiques-expert husband Toby Sandler get involved in a murder at an art history conference in Provence. They not only solve that crime but also the mystery of Vincent van Gogh's death--did he really commit suicide? With plenty of fascinating suspects and a wonderful French setting, the book leaves you full of new knowledge about art, poisons, and even perfume-making, all acquired with pure pleasure along the way.
B**S
Loved it.
Pure fun--with some painless art history education as a bonus! Loved it.
A**R
Love it
I love this book I felt like I took a vacation in the south of France
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