Judges’ comments

A sympathetic and deeply researched narrative of the century-old (and still unsolved) Provencal murder of Olive Branson, a talented and bohemian English expat artist. Stapleton throws her net wide to encompass an English artistic milieu, the French police and judicial system, and small-town provincial life full of gossip and vicious rivalries. An evocative portrait of another place and time and a memorable recreation of a genuine mystery.