academy, amateur-sleuth, artist, audiobook, cold-case, contemporary, cozy-mystery, crime-fiction, cultural-assimilation, cultural-differences, cultural-exploration, first-in-series, France, gossip, hospitality-industry, local-law-enforcement, murder, murder-investigation, neighbors, read, small-business, small-town, thriller, language issues*****

Molly took her money from the divorce and went to a place she thought of as ideal. A village in France where she bought a cottage with a smaller one on the property that she could let out to keep costs in order. She was very happy with her situation until a young art student disappeared and there were no answers. The story is well written and all too believable with a plot full of twists and some credible red herrings. Besides that, it is a lovely study of a woman changing lifestyles in dramatic and positive ways. Looking forward to reading more in this series.
I enjoyed the narration by voice artist Becket Royce!

#IBPA #AuthorSales #MollySuttonMysteries #FirstInSeries ( )

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This is the first time I've read anything by this author. The story was good but it did drag a little. I started to think it wasn't going to be solved in this book because it took so long for any clues to come up. I will read more by this author and hopefully she will pick up the pace just a little. ( )

THE THIRD GIRL by Nell Goddin is Book 1 of the Molly Sutton Mysteries.
Molly Sutton (in her late 30s) moves to the small village of Castillac in France’s southwestern region of the Dordogne. She is making a dramatic life change after a devastating divorce. (I would like to see more background on this event. We only have rare glimpses.) She uses what settlement monies she has to purchase a small house with a guest cottage which she uses as a ‘gite’ or French-style B&B. As she gets to know the village and its inhabitants, Molly becomes part of the village’s interest in a missing student from the near-by art school.
I did like the title. The characters were detailed and the location really interested me. There was a decent plot-line with some suspense.
I enjoyed reading about the daily routines of the characters - cooking, gardening, the small market, the local cafe, the herbal tincture that the police chief ‘takes’ to relieve stress. I liked the basic French language glossary.
I really wanted a map of the village and the region. It is a region known for its history and scenery and caves and wine and ducks. A little more local ‘color’ would have been nice.
The title reminded me a little bit too much of Martin Walker’s Bruno series. But readers are very intrigued with France and its language and customs. (I will give this comment a pass until I have read more titles in the series.)
As a Cozy Mystery, I would rate the book 4 stars ****.
As a general mystery, I would have to give it three stars ***.
I am eager to read the second book in the series. Who doesn’t want to spend time in a small French village? ( )

First in the Molly Sutton murder mystery series, the Nell Goddin's The Third Girl starts as American Molly, newly divorced, starts her new life in a new country. Evocatively portraying the French countryside and people, author Nell Goddin even manages to imply the switches between languages semi-seamlessly, gradually adding to Molly’s halting vocabulary, and steadily inviting her, together with the reader, into the small-town community of Castillac. Natural conversations balance cultures perfectly with cleverly surprising turns of phrase and a pleasingly French allure. The local bar and boulangerie provide calories, characters and theories aplenty once murder adds to the menu. The local cops bounce from bumbling to sure, with deep self-doubts well-balanced against well-trained certainties. Intuition plays its undeniable part. And America may not be the only place where violent death mars the peace.

Rather like Miss Marple in France, with a pleasing touch and possibility of romance, Nell Goddin’s the Third Girl offers great scenery, great characters, intriguing mystery, and plenty of reason to return for more.

Disclosure: I can’t remember why, but this and book two were a gift, and I really enjoyed them. Just sorry I didn’t read them sooner! ( )

Good read ( )