From the New York Times –bestselling author: A glamorous French villa. A carefully curated guest list. A body in the pool. The South of France is stunning, though not without its imperfections, from pickpockets to burglars to the occasional cold-blooded killer. But in his twenty-five years of service, Baxter―with a spotless reputation as a polished, well-mannered butler―has never run into any issues catering to the ultrawealthy. Until now. Baxter’s latest assignment is at Villa Sérénité, where Alec Prescott is hosting a colorful cast of characters, including his ex-wife, his much younger lady friend, and some Hollywood hotshots, after the Cannes Film Festival. But it doesn’t take long for a week of sun, wine, and a family birthday celebration to devolve into bickering and backstabbing. And soon, secrets aren’t the only thing floating to the surface . . . When one of the guests is found dead in the villa’s glittering pool, the unflappable Baxter must assist the gendarmes in determining who’s responsible. With some standing to gain and others motivated to take it away, fingers are pointed in all directions. A good butler is expected to see everything and say nothing―but what if he too becomes a target? “A fantastically fun and clever whodunnit. I hope we get to see more of Baxter and Red in the future.” ―Jo Jakeman, author of Safe House and The Exes’ Revenge “Take a dollop of Jeeves, a glug of The White Lotus , and a good splash of Evil Under the Sun and you have The Butler , a witty new sun-drenched mystery from Clare Mackintosh where everyone―even the wonderfully drawn titular butler―has a dark, dangerous, or tragic secret and where motives are ten a penny.” ―Derek Farrell, author of the Danny Bird Mysteries “Glamorous, deadly and so much fun. There’s nothing like a rich, dysfunctional family-and-friends get-together, followed by a murder, to enjoy lashings of schadenfreude. Loved it.” ―Rachel Wolf, author of Five Nights and Sun Trap Clare Mackintosh is the award-winning author of New York Times bestseller I Let You Go and seven other bestselling novels. More than three million copies of her books have been sold worldwide, and her work has been translated into forty languages and spent more than sixty-five weeks on the Sunday Times bestseller lists. Mackintosh is a former police officer and lives in North Wales, United Kingdom, with her family.