When the much-disliked—and very dead—head of the English department tumbles from a classroom closet at her feet, high school French teacher Sadie Cecil must outsmart a quote-loving killer and overcome her own trust issues to keep a favorite student out of jail. 

At a career crossroads, Sadie returns from Spring Break unsure if her love for her students can sustain her in a job that keeps asking for more than she can give, or if it's time to throw in the proverbial serviette. When murder drags the dark side of her school community into the light, Sadie must dust off her snooping skills–the same ones that drove off her ex-boyfriend—and leverage her quick-thinking classroom experience to protect her students and colleagues. 

Soon, the killer turns their attention to taunting her with threatening phone calls, cryptic literary clues in English and French, and a speeding sports car intent on crushing her flatter than a crêpe. Even so, Sadie can’t seem to call it quits, no matter what it costs her. Can Sadie save her student, salvage her career, and solve the murder before the police arrest the teacher’s pet?

Foul Play en Français has been long-listed in the ongoing CIBA Mystery & Mayhem Awards and was selected a Top Pick in the Killer Nashville Claymore Awards for unpublished novels in 2024.