Freelance butler Baxter has never had trouble with the uberwealthy in his career. But when he arrives at a glamorous estate in Cannes (during the film festival, of course), he's in for a challenge. The "caretakers" have been hosting wild parties, and the family renting the mansion for the duration of the festival have more than their fair share of secrets and grudges. Throw in a pickpocket, some attempted robberies, and, eventually, a dead body in the pool, and well, yes, Baxter is in over his head. However, he's determined to solve the many mysteries in the house, whether his clients want him to or not. (Not so spoiler: the butler did not do it in this one.)
The setup for this book is kind of fantastic, seeing the rich and obnoxious through the eyes of the high-end hired help. However, it didn't really follow through on that promise. It's too slow to be a thriller, and the dead body doesn't really appear until the middle of the book, making it a bit short on the mystery side too. That said, the setting for this book, both the mansion and Cannes itself, are so wonderfully created on the page that I felt like I was there. Or maybe I just wished I was.
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