THE BODY BY THE SEA

4 stars out of 5

A police procedural with relatable characters, an intriguing plot and a far-away setting that sounds like a wonderful place to visit (if only through someone else's eyes)? In my book, it doesn't get much better. The star of this show is French Commissaire Georges Dupin, who lives in Brittany. And for the first time in the series, his home turf is the setting for some very nasty goings-on.

This is the eighth in a series, of which I've previously read only one; I assure other readers, though, that this stands alone well (although I do feel it was an advantage to be at least somewhat familiar with the characters). At any rate, it's Pentecost season, and most of Dupin's cohorts are on vacation - even he, a workaholic, is taking things a bit easier than usual. Then, it all takes a nosedive; well, more accurately, a town big-wig, a doctor, takes a dive off the balcony of his residence - and not by accident. 

Turns out the good doctor and two also big-wig friends are business partners in several ventures, and in the midst of an investigation that seems to be going nowhere, one of them is the scene of a big explosion that quite likely also wasn't an accident. One by one, Dupin's treasured and relied-upon team members return to work (all of them are workoholics just like their boss). In the midst of all this, Dupin's lady love, Claire, was hoping he'd be around for the weekend because her parents are coming for a visit. Having to be on the job makes Dupin quite certain they won't be happy - and Claire's mother has never been all that fond of him anyway. Then comes yet another murder, and an intriguing twist: What's happening now bears an uncanny resemblance to events from a book a local author wrote many years earlier. 

As always, readers are treated to enticing descriptions of Brittany, its people and it's places as well as plain old good sleuthing by Dupin and his colleagues. Very enjoyable, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy.

The Body by the Sea by Jean-Luc Bannalec (Minotaur Books, April 2023); 298 pp.

THE FLEUR DE SEL MURDERS

4 stars out of 5


Different, but delightful! That's my reaction after reading this, the third book in a series featuring French Commissaire Georges Dupin (Brittany Mystery Series). Although I have not read the other two, this one sounded so intriguing that I requested, and was approved for, an advance review copy from the publisher via NetGalley. And it turned out to be an excellent choice - a wonderful change of pace, in many ways, from my usual fare of police/detective/murder mysteries. 

Make no mistake, though - it's in the same genre - but somehow the setting in the salt gardens near the Medieval town of Guerande gave it a more mondain (a.k.a., worldly) air. As the story begins, Dupin has come to the salt ponds at the request of his friend, journalist Lilou Breval. He is, she told him, to look for blue plastic barrels amid the ponds and small farmers' huts that dot the surroundings. As he pokes around in the surroundings that are totally unfamiliar to him, mon dieu! Bullets begins to fly in his direction, one of which hits its mark.

Not seriously wounded, Dupin begins his getaway, but suddenly the local police show up - most notably in the person of investigator Sylvaine Rose, who isn't happy to find an officer from another department trespassing on her territory. But then, with the unexplained disappearance of Dupin's friend Lilou, comes an uneasy truce; the two investigators and their teams are ordered to work together to find out who shot at Dupin and why and what has happened to Lilou.

When the latter investigation doesn't end well, sacre bleu! The situation goes from bad to worse - leading to all sorts of questions about interactions among the owners of the various salt ponds and what's really going on. In between it's fun to watch the often reluctant interactions between Dupin and Rose and learn more about salt than I ever imagined possible. All told, a very enjoyable experience.

The Fleur de Sel Murders by Jean-Luc Bannalec (Minotaur Books, April 2018); 304 pp.