Murderous Mistral

Captain Roger Blanc is newly divorced and transferred to the south of France, which is seen as a demotion.  Fortunately he does have the old house his uncle willed to him.  How will the other detectives in this southern gendarmerie take to him, who has come from Paris?  However, his new partner, Lieutenant Marius Tonon is very welcoming.

Within minutes of meeting, the pair are called out to a murder scene.  The victim is badly burned, and there are many Kalashnikov shell casings nearby.  When the crime of scene doctor turns the body over, Tonon recognises a necklace the victim had been wearing.  The victim is a local man.  Second Lieutenant Fabienne Souillard is able to come up with further information from police files about the victim.

Blanc is surprised to find that the judge in charge of his investigation is the wife of the minister who transferred him down to the south.  He is sure that she will attempt to derail his career, too.  However, he continues with the investigation.

Blanc discovers that two of the victim’s neighbours had had arguments with him in the days leading up to his death?  Also, why was a German painter who lives in the area asking questions about the victim before he was killed?

The next surprise for Captain Blanc and Lieutenant Tonon is the death of one of their suspects.  Is it a sailing accident or murder? Is it possibly connected to the death of the first victim?  Then a second suspect goes missing.  Has he absconded or is there another reason for him being missing?

An old case worked on by Tonon helps to develop the investigation, but will it lead to the perpetrator of the murder?  Only author Cay Rademacher knows.  Rademacher’s murder mystery is an excellent read and I want to get my hands on the sequels.