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 recipes you can try at home.
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.