In the novel Hotel Pastis, the English writer, gourmet and esthete Peter Mayle again takes the reader to his favorite place - the South of France, Provence. Recently divorced, disillusioned with everything and tired of working in a prestigious advertising agency, Simon Shaw responds to the proposal of the beautiful Nicole Bouvier to save a hotel in the town of Brassieres-les-Deux-Eglises from bankruptcy. Simon leaves the agency and comes to Provence. While rescuing the hotel, he accidentally becomes embroiled in the affairs of a gang planning to break into a bank vault in a neighboring village. Tart as a sip of aniseed drink "Pastis", this novel combines irony and seriousness, love and endless admiration for the fertile southern region, seasoned with magnificent descriptions Provencals and their way of life.