Sophie Lavigne writes cozy mysteries set in the sun-drenched villages of the French Riviera — the kind of places where everybody knows your order and nobody talks about the body in the lavender field.
She is the author of the Mimosa Bakery Mysteries series, which follows former San Francisco pastry chef Wren Harper as she inherits a crumbling bakery in the fictional village of Les Mimosas — and discovers that small French villages are considerably more dangerous than anyone in the tourist brochures lets on.
Sophie's books are known for their atmospheric Riviera settings, their slow-burn romances, and their fully tested Provençal recipes. She believes the best cozy mysteries leave you wanting to bake something and book a flight somewhere warm.
Like Wren, she has strong opinions about olive oil and the correct amount of patience required for a good fougasse.
The series is set in Les Mimosas, a fictional village on the French Riviera between Nice and Cannes. The village is built around a central square with a boulangerie, a post office that functions as a social hub, and a weekly market that sells everything from lavender honey to wool blankets to suspiciously cheap antiques.
Wren Harper, the heroine, is a former pastry chef who left a Michelin-starred restaurant in San Francisco under circumstances she'd rather not discuss. She inherited her great-aunt Marguerite's bakery, which comes with recipe cards in a drawer that sticks, a stone oven with a temperamental personality, and a calico cat with strong opinions about everyone who walks through the door.
The series is planned for six books. Each book features a standalone mystery, authentic Provençal recipes, a recurring cast of village characters, and the same slow-burn romance that readers either find charming or infuriating (both reactions are valid).
For reader mail, book club inquiries, or anything else:
sophie@sophielavigneauthor.comI read every message, though I may take a few days to reply (especially during baking season).
Each book solves a standalone mystery, but the series has recurring characters, a slow-burn romance, and an evolving village community. I recommend starting with Book 1 — or the free prequel story, which gives Wren's backstory before she ever arrives in France.
Yes. Every recipe in the Mimosa Bakery Mysteries is fully tested and designed for home bakers. They range from simple (the Lemon Cake is genuinely forgiving) to moderately involved (the Fougasse benefits from a baking stone, but works without one).
Mimosa festivals are a genuine tradition along the French Riviera — the town of Mandelieu-la-Napoule is famous for its mimosa blooms in February. Les Mimosas, the village in the books, is fictional, but the flowers and the festivals are very real.
The calico cat (whose name the village can't agree on) appears in every book. He has opinions about everything, and he is almost certainly judging you right now.
The Mimosa Bakery Mysteries is planned as a 6-book series. I publish regularly throughout the year. The best way to stay informed is the newsletter — subscribers hear about new releases first.
"The Last Service" — Wren's last night in San Francisco, and the recipe that started everything. Free for newsletter subscribers.
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