Book Review & Giveaway: The Fatal Farandole By Ana T. Drew

It makes me so happy to be welcoming Ana T. Drew  to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, The Fatal Farandole.

The Fatal Farandole is a cozy mystery full of plot twists and small-town secrets. It’s perfect for fans of character-driven crime novels with emotional depth.

A beloved Provençal festival.
A murderous conspiracy.
A bullfighter who knows too much.

When two local chefs are killed within a week, shockwaves ripple through the region’s tight-knit culinary world.

Suspicion lands squarely on baker Julie Cavallo.

As whispers turn to accusations, her eccentric family closes ranks, and her loyal friends rally to her side.

But Julie’s running out of time. Her pastry shop is at risk. Her love life is unraveling. The gendarmes are tracking her every move. Julie can’t afford to wait for the official investigation to uncover the truth.

Her instincts go into overdrive. Dots connect. Patterns appear…

Can Julie make it through this case, when asking the right questions has already gotten others killed?

*****

Julie has a lot in her life that she loves – her own Pastry business, a relationship with the handsome Gabriel and a great support system around her in the form of Grandmother, Rose, sister, Flo and colleague, Eric. However, when two fellow chefs are murdered within a week of each other, Julie soon becomes a suspect. Can Julie and the other members of FERJ find out what’s going on before someone else gets hurt?

The premise for this book sounded right up my street – a murder case/puzzle to solve, and a strong female lead. I jumped at the chance to take part in the blog tour for The Final Farandole. I couldn’t wait to get started.

This book starts out strong and puts the reader right into the thick of the action. The stakes are high from page one. Julie, the lead character, is immediately in a life-or-death situation. Not only this, but her Grandmother’s dog, Lady, is also with her. This meant that it didn’t take me long to completely get invested as I just kept saying ‘one more chapter.’

Told from the point of view of Julie, the plot develops well and at a great pace. There was never a dull moment. This book follows on from the author’s previous novel, The Ruthless Rice, but can be comfortably read first/as a standalone. It is actually quite clever how it refers to the events of the first book. The style of writing feels effortless and there were many ‘edge of your seat’ moments. There were also parts where I laughed, cried and cheered. The term ‘Dexter with a whisk,’ is one of my favourite lines from a book…ever.

The setting sounds wonderful. I want to visit. Ana T. Drew does a beautiful job at drawing the reader into the scenes; especially when it came to the festival. I could see all the dancing, the colours and I could hear the music.

The characters are wonderful. Julie is a strong woman who is not afraid to face things. I loved her and already want to read the next novel, so I get to hang out with her and the FERJ gang again. Speaking of which, Rose, Flo and Eric made up a terrific supporting cast. They all complemented each other well. As for Gabriel – I am not going to say too much about him, but I hope it’s not the last we see of him. Lady, well, she’s my favourite. 🥰

As usual, I am in danger of giving too much away so I am going to leave it here.

In conclusion, The Final Farandole is a masterful ‘whodunnit’ with a relatable set of characters, and a well thought out plot with plenty of suspense and tension. I look forward to the next book.

About Ana T. Drew –

Ana T. Drew is the evil mastermind behind a recent string of murders in the fictional French town of Beldoc. A first-place winner of the Chanticleer MYSTERY & MAYHEM Awards, her books have been released in several languages, both independently and through traditional houses, including HarperCollins France and Straarup & Co.

When she’s not plotting mysteries, Ana can be found perfecting her low-carb cookie recipes or watching The Rookie to cope with the void left by Castle.

Ana lives in Paris with her husband and their dog, but her heart resides in Provence.

Say hello to Ana via her website, Facebook and Goodreads. 

The Fatal Farandole is part of the Julie Cavallo Investigates series and was released in May 2026. Click to buy on Amazon UK and Amazon US. 

*****

Win A Boxset Of The Three Books in The Provence Mystery Series – 

We have a chance for one lucky winner to win a boxset containing the three books in Ana T. Drew’s mystery series.

The prize invludes The Murderous Macaron, The Killer Karma and The Sinister Superyacht.

For more details, including on how to enter, click this Gleam link.

This competition is open internationally.

*Terms and Conditions –

Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Gleam link above. 

The winner will be selected at random via Gleam from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. 

Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  

I (Novel Kicks) am not responsible for dispatch or delivery of the prize.

by

Laura

I'm Laura. I started Novel Kicks back in 2009 as I wanted a place to discuss books and writing - two loves of my life. As someone who has anxiety, these two things give me, and I am sure countless others, a much needed escape.
There is a monthly book club, writing exercises, prompts, reviews, author interviews, competitions and guest posts. I cover many genres and I hope there is something for everyone.
I grew up by the sea in Dorset and currently live in Poole with my husband, Chris and three cats. I love writing and have a BA (Hons) in Creative Writing from Falmouth University. I am writing my first book. If only I could stop pressing delete. Chris has threatened to stop it from working. Haha.
I have always loved creative writing since I was in first school and would very much like to meet my teacher, Miss Sayers, to say thank you for all the encouragement she gave me then.
When not writing, I love reading, cats, Disney, singing (I can't sing but this doesn't stop me,) and falling into a good TV show or film. If I could step into any fictional world, it would be amongst the characters in ABC's Once Upon a Time.
I love reading many genres and discovering new authors.