A Twist of Orchids: A Death in the Dordogne Mystery
Any mystery writer who can elicit outrage over the use of orchids to produce the Turkish answer to Viagra can persuade readers of just about anything. In this third installment of Wan’s acclaimed Death in the Dordogne series, she sets herself the difficult task of persuading contemporary, CSI-bred readers that a landscape gardener and orchid enthusiast (Julian Wood) and his girlfriend (Mara Dunn), who specializes in interior design, also possess a knack for solving crimes. As a duo, they are a throwback to Lord Peter Wimsey, but once disbelief is suspended, they prove entertaining and witty. They operate in a tiny village within a region that Wan brings vividly alive—the Dordogne in southwestern France. This landscape, the conversation between Wood and Dunn, and the meals they enjoy help readers forget the unlikelihood of their detective work. In the latest serving of orchid lore and murder, a body found in the ruins of the ancient Roman temple of Vesunna is linked to the illegal selling of salep, an aphrodisiac dependent on the harvesting of 30 million orchids a year. Great for atmosphere and orchid lore. --Connie Fletcher