Elodie Marais
Elodie Marais writes destination cozy mysteries set on a floating bookshop barge in sun-washed France. Each book pairs a satisfying murder puzzle with croissants, markets, and gentle community life—low grit, high comfort, and a dash of French charm. When trouble drifts to her mooring, Elodie follows clues with calm wit, and her cat Pistou—plus cookable recipes at home, too.
UTP House author Elodie Marais
A 90-second introduction to Elodie’s themes, tone, and what she’s writing next.
Prefer to read? Scroll for Elodie’s promise, no-go list, and upcoming titles.
Who is Elodie Marais?
Elodie Marais is a UTP House created author persona writing bilingual-flavored destination cozies (English with a touch of French texture). Her signature setting is a bookshop barge moored in story-rich French towns, where everyday comforts—tea, paperbacks, markets, and neighbours—collide with a single, solvable murder. Her books are warm, clever, and gently witty, with fair clues and calm, capable sleuthing.
About the author
What to expect from Elodie’s books
Low-grit, high-comfort mysteries with one clear murder to solve
Sun-washed French destinations: markets, cafés, canals, and festivals
A bookish, observant heroine who follows clues with steady practicality
Pistou the cat: assistance, heckling, and occasional evidence delivery
Bonus extras: simple recipes + a book-club kit in every novel
If you want a satisfying puzzle wrapped in warmth, this is your mooring.
What you won’t find here
Graphic violence, gore, or cruelty-as-spectacle
Gritty procedural deep-dives or forensic detail
Cynical, hopeless, or bleak endings
Cruel humour at a victim’s expense
Romance that overwhelms the mystery (it stays light and optional)
These stories keep the heart soft and the pages safe to sink into.
Books & What’s Next
Books
Out Now: none
Coming Soon:
A Murder Afloat in Avignon (Canal & Croissant Mysteries #1)
Moored under the Pont d’Avignon, Elodie Marais’s bookshop barge becomes ground zero for a lavender-scented death. With a festival ticking down and suspects ranging from vintners to art restorers, Elodie—assisted (and heckled) by Pistou—follows clues through markets, cafés, and canals. Cozy puzzles, zero grit, maximum comfort, plus easy Provençal recipes and a book-club kit.
Forthcoming:
A Cassoulet Conspiracy in Carcassonne (Canal & Croissant Mysteries #2)
At Carcassonne’s cassoulet festival, a star chef dies on the quay—and Elodie’s barge is moored beside the scene. With suspects from rival restaurateurs to a slippery food critic, whispers of a stolen cookbook, and a sabotaged canal lock, Elodie (and sass-forward Pistou) tracks the truth through ramparts, markets, and midnight kitchens. Cozy puzzles, zero grit, maximum flavour—recipes and book-club kit included.
What’s Next
Elodie is currently drafting A Cassoulet Conspiracy in Carcassonne while mapping future Canal & Croissant destinations along the waterways—new festivals, new pastries, and one fresh, fair-play mystery per stop, among them are Carcassone, Strasbourg and Sète (with Pistou demanding editorial credit).
Background
Elodie Marais spent three decades teaching French literature and creative writing, then traded timetables for tide-lines by buying a small bookshop barge on the Rhône. She still can’t resist a good story structure, a fair clue, or a student-like question asked at the wrong time. Her mysteries blend classroom-sharp observation with a retiree’s steady patience.