This is a true crime story concerning the death of an Englishwoman, Olive Branson, in her house in Les Baux in Provence in 1929. We are told from the beginning that the case remains unsolved. Stapleton follows the investigation step by step and looks at the evidence from the trial and from various media accounts at the time. Along the way we learn about Olive’s life as an artist and something of a bohemian, and Stapleton paints a picture of life in the isolated and rather unwelcoming community of Les Baux.

I’m afraid I found this quite disappointing overall. There are two real problems with it: firstly, that the crime is rather dull and sordid and, secondly, that there is no solution, so the reader is left to decide based on the information Stapleton provides, none of which is new and which was therefore all available to the investigators and jury at the time. Stapleton pads this simple unresolved story out with diversions to discuss the history of Provence, or the biography of local notables, or, unfortunately, salacious details of the sex lives of Olive and various other people involved. While these are all well enough written and seem well researched, they also veer between irrelevance and what felt like rather sleazy if mild voyeurism at points.

After a rather itinerant life, Olive had settled in Les Baux for the last few years of her life. Apparently she was a well regarded artist at the time and Les Baux was home to a tiny community of artists and writers. Olive, however, became unusually involved in the life of the village, a place that seems not to have been very welcoming to outsiders. The picture Stapleton paints of Olive is of a busybody, usually with good intentions, but using her moderate wealth to interfere unasked in the locals’ lives. Stapleton gives a list of all the people Olive had annoyed or offended, and it’s quite long. However most of these offences seem too trivial to have led anyone rational to murder.

The police soon zone in on François Pinet, a good-looking if surly young man to whom Olive had left the local hotel she had recently bought and with whom it transpired she had been having an affair of sorts. The hotel story – who owned it, why Olive acquired it, who ran it, why it was the subject of a local feud – is complicated, and I never felt that Stapleton clarified it well enough. François’ family had previously owned it, and it was run by several members of the family. I found even quite late on that I didn’t know how these people were related to each other without flicking back to check.

The other prevailing theory was that Olive killed herself. This seemed unlikely in the extreme to me, and I wondered why both the police at the time and Stapleton now were giving it serious consideration. The theory as I gleaned it from the book is that Olive, in a sudden fit of depression that came on while she was still chewing the last bite of her evening meal, stripped off her skirt and shoes, walked in her underwear and stockinged feet round the side of the house, climbed a steep rock, squeezed through a very narrow gap into a water cistern and then shot herself – with that last bite of meal still in her gullet. This all seems so laughably unlikely that I felt there must have been elements missing from the description that had made professional investigators willing to consider it.

And that brings me to my final criticism, which is that the French police and justice system are shown as incompetent buffoons. François is eventually brought to trial (although we, the readers, already know he was acquitted, removing any suspense from the proceedings). The court scenes especially feel like something out of a Laurel and Hardy movie. Maybe it really was like that, but it felt a little like English superciliousness towards those quaintly silly French people over the Channel.

I always feel it must be tough for an author when they research a case that sounds as if it should be interesting, only to find that it isn’t really. Does one ditch the research and all that time investment, look for a new crime and start again? Or does one bash on, trying to add stuff around the periphery of the story to make it seem more interesting than it is? My guess is that Stapleton went for the latter option. I felt she did the best she could with a crime that may have seemed sensational at the time but doesn’t have enough unique features or newly discovered information to make it a good subject for a true crime study a century later, especially since the end result is that we still don’t know what happened to Olive. 2½ stars for me, so rounded up.

NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Pan MacMillan via NetGalley.

I knew nothing of Olive Branson or the mystery surrounding her death in 1929 Provence, France, so I was approaching this one with fresh eyes. I am always interested by real life mysteries and the time period and setting were intriguing.

The book is impeccably researched. There is a lot of time spent early on, detailing the history of Les Baux, which although it adds context it does slow the pace of the book down. The second half picks up tempo as it deals with the police investigation and subsequent court case.

I was really interested to learn about the forensic techniques that were used at the time and also the considerations given by the police in disproving the suicide theory. It was also fascinating to learn about the role the press played in influencing the investigation and mounting pressure on the police. This was very reminiscent of modern day.

Olive Branson’s personal letters and diaries were used in the research for the book and excerpts are included throughout. This really helped to show Olive’s character and it added a personal touch which I enjoyed.

It was disappointing to note that the mystery remains unsolved although I appreciate that this is the nature of true stories, we are not always guaranteed a satisfying ending. Susannah Stapleton does dispel some of the myths surrounding the case and offers theories as to what could have happened.

I don't read a lot of non-fiction, but when I do I often turn to true crime books like this one. The crime in question here is the murder – or could it be suicide? – of Olive Branson, an Englishwoman in her forties found dead at her farmhouse in a village in Provence. This happens in April 1929, when she is discovered submerged in a water tank outside the house, a bullet wound between her eyes and a revolver nearby. The local policeman and doctor conclude that Olive shot herself, but not everyone is happy with this verdict. Back in England, Olive’s wealthy, influential cousin demands that the case be reopened, so one of France’s top detectives, Alexandre Guibbal, is summoned from Marseille to investigate.

It’s an intriguing mystery! Could Olive really have lifted the heavy cistern lid, lowered herself in and shot herself – with her left hand, despite evidence suggesting that she was right-handed? Guibbal doesn’t think so and quickly turns his attentions to François Pinet, believed to be a lover of Olive’s for whom she had changed her will to leave him the Monte Carlo Hotel, which she had recently purchased. As evidence mounts up against Pinet, he insists that he is innocent and is defended by many of the villagers who are keen to support ‘one of their own’. There’s eventually a trial, but even then a lot of questions are left unanswered. Susannah Stapleton can’t – and doesn’t – give us those answers, leaving us to draw our own conclusions and try to decide what really happened.

I enjoyed That Dark Spring overall, although it took me a while to get into it due to the amount of background information provided in the first half of the book: a history of the village of Les Baux and the Baussenc people; an account of Olive’s early life and her career as an artist; detailed descriptions of the two rival hotels in Les Baux; and a long and (as far as I could tell) irrelevant biography of the poet Frédéric Mistral. Some padding is to be expected in books of this type, of course, but I found that I only became fully engaged with the story when it returned to the central crime. There are some points that wouldn’t be out of place in a detective novel, such as where Guibbal consults an astronomer in an attempt to decide exactly when darkness fell on the night of the crime or where Pinet tries to use the sighting of a car as an alibi and becomes entangled in his own lies.

It’s frustrating that we still don’t know the truth behind Olive’s death and probably never will. If Pinet was innocent and we assume that suicide was unlikely, that must mean someone else got away with murder – but who was it? Stapleton doesn’t really steer us into one way of thinking or another; she just provides the facts and some possible theories for us to consider. She suggests that the police may have been so determined just to pin the blame on somebody that they ignored or failed to collect important evidence, leaving Pinet’s fate up to the lawyers and the jury.

Stapleton has drawn on a number of primary sources and includes excerpts from Olive Branson’s diaries and letters throughout the text, giving it a more personal touch. There are also notes at the end, a bibliography and a list of Olive’s exhibited artworks. I had never heard of Olive until now, so it’s good to have learned a little bit about her. I’ll have to go back and read Susannah Stapleton’s other book – The Adventures of Maud West, Lady Detective.

Carefully Constructed..
Intricate, meticulously researched and carefully constructed reenactment of a true crime never solved. 1929, the body of a British artist, Olive Branson, was discovered in a water tank outside her farmhouse in a Provençal village. With a bullet lodged between her eyes and a gun by her side, were the authorities meant to think of this as a suicide? Under increasing pressure from the family, a murder investigation was ultimately launched. The author has painted a portrait not only of the crime itself, the place and people, but also of Olive Branson herself. Perfectly crafted.

A very sad story revolving around an artist now largely unknown. In 1929 the body of artist Olive Branson was found in the water tank outside her home in Provence with a bullet hole between her eyes and a revolver nearby. The book looks into whether this was suicide, as originally decided, or murder and brings both Olive and the time and place very vividly to life. The book is extremely well researched and written, reading more like a novel, and it’s nice to see attention brought back to Olive and her beautiful work.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

I found the alternative perspective of Provence albeit many decades before Peter Mayle's 'A Year in Provence' most enlightening. The very peculiar death of Olive Branson must have been catnip for the hacks, a veritable Schrödinger's cat had it been conceived then. Was it suicide or murder most foul? My own thoughts are for the latter but not by the accused.
I really enjoyed the courtroom debacle but found a lot of the book could have been condensed and in doing so, less tiring.

I was intrigued by this story, and as I got into the plot, the mystery about Olive Branson deepened. Set in the South of France, this is a true story that has been meticulously researched. The characters in the area, the silence, the assumptions about how she died all build into a climax. And yet there are lingering doubts about what really happened. I loved it.

That Dark Spring: A True Story of Death and Desire in 1920s Provence by Susannah Stapleton is a compelling and evocative true crime investigation that unearths the tragic and mysterious fate of British artist Olive Branson.

In April 1929, Olive’s body was found floating in a water tank outside her farmhouse in a quiet Provençal village. Dressed only in a pink shirt and stockings, with a bullet wound between her eyes and a revolver by her side, her death was swiftly ruled a suicide. But doubts lingered, and under pressure from her family, a murder investigation was reopened.

Stapleton masterfully reconstructs both the case and the vibrant yet insular world in which Olive lived and died. Drawing on previously unseen evidence, she peels back the layers of village life, exposing festering resentments, tangled relationships, and dangerous tensions. Her meticulous research brings Olive vividly back to life—not just as a victim, but as a complex and talented woman whose art and story deserve to be remembered.

Though the mystery remains unsolved, That Dark Spring is a fascinating exploration of a forgotten artist, a community simmering with secrets, and the shifting perceptions of truth and justice. A must-read for true crime lovers and those intrigued by the lost voices of history.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

Susannah Stapleton’s That Dark Spring: 1929 is a gripping and meticulously researched true crime account that reads like a novel, blending mystery, history, and a poignant exploration of a life cut tragically short. Set in the idyllic yet enigmatic landscape of Provence, this book delves into the mysterious death of Olive Branson, a British artist whose body was found in a cistern outside her farmhouse in 1929. With a bullet hole between her eyes and a revolver by her side, the question lingers: was it suicide, or murder?

Stapleton masterfully reconstructs Olive’s unconventional life and the events leading up to her death, painting a vivid portrait of a woman who defied societal norms to pursue her passion for art. Through never-before-seen evidence and meticulous detail, the author transports readers to a bygone era—a Provence where time moved slowly, resentments simmered beneath the surface, and the arrival of a car was an event worth remembering. The book is as much a love letter to this lost world as it is a compelling investigation into Olive’s untimely demise.

The narrative is immersive and evocative, capturing the beauty and tension of rural Provence while unravelling the complexities of Olive’s relationships with the villagers. Stapleton’s portrayal of the investigation led by Detective Alexandre Guibbal is both fascinating and frustrating, as it reveals a web of rivalries, secrets, and unanswered questions. The author doesn’t shy away from the ambiguities of the case, leaving readers to draw their own conclusions while providing a richly detailed and suggestive picture of what might have happened that fateful night.

What makes That Dark Spring truly stand out is its ability to humanize Olive Branson, ensuring that she is remembered not just as a victim, but as a talented artist whose work has been unfairly forgotten. Stapleton’s writing is both empathetic and compelling, making Olive’s story impossible to put down. This is a book that stays with you, urging you to return to its pages and ponder the mysteries it leaves unresolved.

I noticed another reviewer mentioned this would make a good tv drama, and i agree wholeheartedly. From the beautifully detailed landscapes of provence to the who-done-it tale, the intrigueing investigation is brought to the fore in who or how olive met her demise. A longer story but immersive.

1929. Provence. The body of an English woman is found floating in her cistern, with a bullet in the brain. Suicide - or murder?

This was so good, so well written it could have been a novel.

This stuck in my mind when I wasn't reading it, begging me to come back for another chapter, to peel back the world of Provence and the lives of those living within the small village that Olive had called her final home. More than just an unsolved mystery, this is a love letter to that time and part of France, to a lost world. A time where a car driving past stuck in the mind, to where time was measured by daylight (or lack of it) and where it could be believed that the English wore a shirt and stockings as funeral clothes.

Olive deserves so much more than she received - not just justice for whatever did happen that fateful night, but for her art, now largely and unfairly forgotten.

This engaging tale goes some distance to fix that and while it does not - cannot - answer what happened that night, it does draw a very detailed and suggestive picture, able to rival Olive's work.

When Olive Branson is found dead in a water tank people wonder if it's murder or suicide.

Set in Provence this was a wonderful read for me as I have been there many times.

It is a a good pacy read and an intriguing plot. i loved how the story unfolded and I was interested in the life of Olive and the people she knew..

This would make a good TV drama as it all the drama that would satisfy fans of this genre..