If you like your travel books with a dash of intrigue, then Peter Mayle's "The Marseille Caper" is what you are looking for. The second installment of Mayle's Sam Levitt mystery series has Sam in Marseille impersonating a developer to make sure that his employer's building development wins a competition, but another developer NEEDS to win, and hijinks ensue. Sam, with his coterie of unlikely heroes, must save the day-- and his girlfriend. It's all really quite implausible, and I am still fuzzy on the details. However, this is beside the point, which is to highlight Marseille and its designation as a European Capital of Culture in 2013. Mayle's talent lies less in mystery writing and more in extolling all things French, and here is where the book shines. He captures all that makes Marseille the beautiful and vibrant city it is today. So while, it does not hit the marks for a mystery, it does hit the marks for Marseille.