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Murderous Mistral: A Provence Mystery    by Cay Rademacher Amazon.com order for
Murderous Mistral
by Cay Rademacher
Order:  USA  Can
Minotaur, 2018 (2017)
Hardcover, Softcover, CD, e-Book
* *   Reviewed by Hilary Williamson

Cay Rademacher's Murderous Mistral opens a police procedural series set in Provence, France and starring Capitaine Roger Blanc. He was an investigator with the anti-corruption-unit of the French Gendarmerie, based in Paris. Having done his job rather too well, he's been exiled to the south of France. His career is in the trash can and his marriage is breaking up too.

Now he's moving into a dilapidated house he inherited from an uncle, once home to an olive oil press. He's starting work at the gendarmerie of Gadet, near Marseille. He meets new neighbors - one friendly, one not - and his new partner, Tonon. They are sent to deal with a burnt 'corpse, found on a garbage heap', with bullets everywhere - a drug dealer feud?

Turns out the victim was a local, suspect in a murder, and in a recent break-in at the home of an architect. Blanc investigates, along with Tonon and young cybercop colleague Fabienne Souillard. He and the reader become familiar with the region at the same time. Another murder increases the pressure to solve the case, and a suspect goes missing.

When Blanc finally figures out whodunit, it's someone in a high position - can his career tank even further? Fortunately, a new lover (with powerful connections) has his back. Murderous Mistral is a strong start to an intriguing new series in a marvelous setting - not to be missed.

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