Published by Quercus,
8 May 2014.
ISBN: 978-1-78206-208-0
8 May 2014.
ISBN: 978-1-78206-208-0
Enzo Macleod, former forensic biologist with the Strathclyde Police,
and now professor of biology at the University of Toulouse, has accepted a
wager to re-open a cold case, the ten years old disappearance of government
adviser and high-flying intellectual Jacques Galliard. He soon finds that there are still powerful people who want the case to stay
unsolved ...
I loved Peter May’s Lewis-set
trilogy, so I came to this book with high expectations, and I wasn’t
disappointed. The plot is fast-moving,
with a classic treasure-hunt puzzle at its heart and a satisfyingly
least-likely perp. The narrative is
centred on Enzo Macleod, a strongly-realised character, and we soon got a sense
of his troubled past without too many side-track flashbacks. He worries about two daughters: Kirsty, his
Scottish daughter now living in Paris, who wants nothing to do with him, and
Sophie, the child he brought up alone after his French wife died, who’s now
deeply involved with the nose-studded gym-owner Bertrand. During the book Enzo has to re-assess his
judgements of others, including enigmatic Charlotte, the highly attractive
ex-girlfriend of his helper, journalist Raffin who also wants to know what
happened to Galliard. France is a real
presence in the books: the Parisian cafes, Enzo’s flat in Cahors, Charlotte’s
secluded rural cottage, and most of all the Paris catacombs which are vividly evoked
in the gripping finale. Best of all,
when Enzo wins this wager – as you know he’s going to, this is fiction – there
are another six cold cases to go.
A real treat of an
outsider-detective novel, with interesting characters and a vividly-realised
French setting.
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Reviewer: Marsali Taylor
Marsali Taylor grew up near Edinburgh, and came to Shetland as a
newly-qualified teacher. She is currently a part-time teacher on Shetland's
scenic west side, living with her husband and two Shetland ponies. Marsali is a
qualified STGA tourist-guide who is fascinated by history, and has published
plays in Shetland's distinctive dialect, as well as a history of women's
suffrage in Shetland. She's also a keen sailor who enjoys exploring in her own
8m yacht, and an active member of her local drama group. Marsali also does a regular monthly column
for the Mystery People e-zine.