To Die In Provence "A great read. You can almost taste the flavors and aromas of Provence, almost sit on a terrace and feel the sun. And in the Garden of Eden is a human snake, one of the most terrifying killers to appear in years." -Barbara D'Amato, Agatha and Anthony Award-winning author

To Die In Provence is the first novel in a series featuring Police Detective Michel Danton. The sequel, The Deadliest Art, will be published by Forge in July 2001.

Read an excerpt from the book

Read an interview with Norman Bogner in which he talks about the real-life inspiration for the character of Boy, the serial killer in To Die In Provence

Reviews

"In Norman Bogner's To Die in Provence, the cheerful and sunny resort in the south of France takes on a decidedly shady cast. Actually, Bogner (author of the bestselling Seventh Avenue) presents an Aix-en-Provence as picturesque as the one Peter Mayle writes about, but he includes such realities as crooked cops and prostitutes, and ratchets up the suspense levels with the invention of...a thrill-killer couple who should give even Quentin Tarantino nightmares. Die's cast is large...but Bogner manages to present them in full color and dimension. And each fits into his jigsaw puzzle of a plot so meticulously that the end result is picture perfect. [W]hile the novel is by turns charming, funny and good-naturedly sexy, there are some sections that explode into extreme violence...fans of the Thomas Harris brand of intelligent, fast-paced suspense and hard edged action should find Bogner's trip to Provence just the ticket."
Dick Lochte, Los Angeles Times, September 20, 1998

"Norman Bogner's first thriller in 15 years is the grisly, noir side of Peter Mayle's sweet books about Provence (A Year in Provence, Chasing Cezanne, Hotel Pastis). Bogner offers a spooky evocation of the horror that can live alongside all that great food and scenery. We first find top copper Michel Danton recovering from shotgun wounds while working in his father's restaurant in Aix, where 'fresh strings of Arles sausage and legs of jambon de Bayonne slyly waltzed on their hooks in the window.' Michel's father is a tyrant, and his latest lady friend has just dumped him, so he's ready for a new case. Enter Darrell Vernon Boynton, a charming young psychopath called Boy by the women he conquers and the wealthy tourists he murders. Boy is a true descendant of Hannibal Lecter, and the only reason he hasn't eaten any of his victims is that the other food in Provence is too tempting. But be warned: not many other atrocities are beyond his imagination. As Bogner has proven in such previous blockbusters as Seventh Avenue and California Dreamers, he has the imagination to create nightmare landscapes in all manner of settings -- and the writing skills to quickly make us a part of them."
Dick Adler, Amazon.com

"Michael Danton, the detective hero of Seventh Avenue author Bogner's welcome return to fiction, resides in Provence. Amid the well-documented bucolic splendor and pastis, there are laptops and lattes as well as a serial killer on the loose who has just murdered two Americans in a particularly grisly fashion. There is enough carnage to satisfy even the most sanguinary tastes. Among the novel's standout strengths are a richly detailed setting, psychologically accurate character portrayals, an attractive and engaging hero and Danton's hot-tempered American love interest."
Publishers Weekly, July 13, 1998

"Not exactly a Provence novel in the Peter Mayle mold, this tough, violent, sexy thriller concerns a French detective who must catch a 'vacationing' American serial killer and his girlfriend. Bogner, who took a 15-year break from fiction writing to work as a Hollywood 'script doctor,' seems to have a movie adaptation in mind here, but the story doesn't read like a screenplay treatment. This is a rich, atmospheric novel with a cast of characters -- policemen, criminals, prostitutes -- who would make Victor Hugo proud. Watching Chief Inspector Michel Danton pursue the killers while simultaneously outwitting his own slow-witted colleagues is a constant delight, and if watching the evil Darrell Vernon Boynton, known as Boy, ply his murderous trade is hardly delightful, it is certainly compelling. The serial-killer-and-his-moll scenario is hardly new, and the excessive violence may offend some, but Bogner wins us over with a tightly constructed plot and those endlessly fascinating, full-bodied characters."
David Pitt, Booklist, August 1998

"The author of the best-selling California Dreamers returns after years in the Hollywood salt mines with a strongly plotted family novel/Frenchified thriller...swaggeringly well-written...Smart, magnetic dialogue, suspenseful but very ghoulish, scenic and filmable. Some pages you'll read through your fingers."
Kirkus Reviews

"Provence is more generally associated with Impressionist scenery, glorious food and wine, and escapism for expatriates of all nationalities, rather than murder. But Norman Bogner changes all that in his gruesome but entertaining tale of mayhem set in this most picturesque region of France...A frightening, tightly-paced thriller."
Yvonne Crittenden, The Toronto Sun, August 9, 1998

"To Die in Provence is a frightening novel written by the brilliant Norman Bogner, author of Seventh Avenue, and like its predecessor, this novel is a great, but scary, tale...It is the characters, especially the seemingly angelic first impressions of the evil Boy, who turn this novel into a first rate and refreshing sub-genre entry. Readers will welcome Mr. Bogner's triumphant return to fiction after a 10-year self-imposed exile with his latest novel."
Harriet Klausner, BookBrowser

"To Die in Provence is about some of my favorite subjects: women, food, murder and France. Having lived there myself, I can say that Norman Bogner has captured in this brilliantly written novel of suspense, the sights, flavors and smells of Provence. He has created a remarkable detective and one of the most perverse, frightening villains in contemporary fiction. I couldn't put it down. Plan to stay up all night."
Harold Robbins

"When you pick up To Die in Provence, you won't put it down until you've finished it. This fast-paced, suspenseful, psychological thriller is a real page turner, one that kept me on the edge of my chair right to the end. Norman Bogner has drawn extraordinary portraits of two young psychopathic killers who are all too frighteningly real. At the same time he has painted an evocative picture of Aix-en-Provence right down to the taste and smells as well as the Cezanne-like vistas. Well written and skillfully plotted, the novel is bound to hit the bestseller lists."
Barbara Taylor Bradford

"Norman Bogner scores a scary bull's eye with this one, like a baguette straight to the heart. I know I'll be thinking of Boy for some time to come and looking over my shoulder whenever I do. Move over, Hannibal Lecter, and pass the brie!"
Anthony Bruno, author of Devil's Food and Seven

"Like the recipes over which his characters feud and obsess, Norman Bogner's To Die in Provence is wonderfully delicious, immensely satisfying and so rich that the reader is left sated but, at its end, already hungering for Bogner's next feast. I was there, in Provence, while reading this book. With wit, elegance and insight, Bogner weaves a stunning tale of murder which -- in stark contrast to the pleasure of being transported to Aix-en-Provence and the delight of getting to know his wonderfully quirky characters -- is sure to haunt and chill even the most hardened crime novel enthusiasts. To Die in Provence is brilliant, a true treasure."
April Christofferson, author of Edgewater

All content © 1998-2001 by Norman Bogner (No Inc.).