The Butler By Clare Mackintosh

This is the first in a brand new whodunnit series that will keep you on your toes.

Favourite Quote:

Baxter marveled at the casual assumption that Villa Serenitie’s domestic staff might work overnight, like some kind of magical elves.

Book Synopsis:

The South of France is stunning, though not without its imperfections, from pickpockets to burglars to the occasional cold-blooded killer. But in his twenty-five years of service, Baxter—with a spotless reputation as a polished, well-mannered butler—has never run into any issues catering to the ultrawealthy. Until now.

Baxter’s latest assignment is at Villa Sérénité, where Alec Prescott is hosting a colorful cast of characters, including his ex-wife, his much younger lady friend, and some Hollywood hotshots, after the Cannes Film Festival. But it doesn’t take long for a week of sun, wine, and a family birthday celebration to devolve into bickering and backstabbing. And soon, secrets aren’t the only thing floating to the surface . . .

When one of the guests is found dead in the villa’s glittering pool, the unflappable Baxter must assist the gendarmes in determining who’s responsible. With some standing to gain and others motivated to take it away, fingers are pointed in all directions. A good butler is expected to see everything and say nothing—but what if he too becomes a target?

Review:

If you love a good cosy mystery and the rich behaving badly, then The Butler is the perfect quick read for you. At barely 200 pages, this book flies by, but is hefty in its character building and development. Here, we met Baxter, who goes by one name. As a career butler who’s freelancing for a new company, he finds himself in the south of France preparing to serve a wealthy Hollywood hotshot and his close family and friends for a week. The wealthy are, for the most part, privileged and terrible and filled with their own secrets and sadness. Baxter, and his team, including a young pickpocket named Red that he befriends by accident, have a front row seat to the drama and scandals of the week, while being almost completely ignored by the guests who are used to having their every need met without having to think about it. 

And then someone dies, and Baxter is determined to solve the murder before someone else is killed, because he’s sure the murderer is one of the guests. This story is set in Cannes and is filled with wealth, glitz and glamour which is tempered by the view from Baxter as he, the housekeeper and chef, keep the wheels on the bus quite literally at times. Baxter has his own back story that I loved learning about. He’s a blend of Barney Thompson (the hotel manager from Pretty Woman) and Inspector Poirot, which delighted me. The mystery was a fun whodunnit and it was a delight to guess who it was as I read. The story is set up to continue the series and I very much hope I get to visit Baxter and Red again in some other exotic location where more of the 1% are acting terrible and get their comeuppance. 

My only gripe? I wanted a longer story! This book flew by and I couldn’t put it down. It has excellent pacing, well fleshed out characters and exploits and hijinks that bring the drama. 

Thank you to Podium Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.