I just finished reading Murder in Lascaux, kind of a fun mystery set in the Dordogne. The authors, Betsy Draine and Michael Hinden, also wrote A Castle in the Backyard, a nonfiction book about buying a house in the shadow of the château of Castelnaud. It's a light novel, but well-written and especially fun if you have been to the Dordogne, as they do a good job of setting the scene.
Unfortunately the new book is only available in hardcover, and is pretty expensive. I got the one I read from the library, and I suspect it was available there mainly because the authors, retired professors from the U. of Wisconsin, now live in Sonoma County. In fact, an interview I read said they had sold their house in France, and if they write a sequel to this mystery, it may be set in Sonoma.
A Castle in the Backyard is an excellent travel book. I thought it was very well-written and I liked the way the authors described their search for that special house; the initial enthusiasm for some properties before reality sets in; eventually finding the perfect place beside the wall of Castelnaud; and their experiences fitting in to their new home and community. I tried to figure out the location of their house when we visited Castelnaud in September 2010. I suppose even the "perfect place" wears thin after a while.
