A review by constantreader471
The Body by the Sea by Jean-Luc Bannalec, Jean-Luc Bannalec

4.0

4 stars for a fast paced mystery that I read in 3 days. I have read books 3, 4, and 5 in this series and this is book 8. While I had enough familiarity with the characters to enjoy this book, I would have enjoyed it more if I had read all of the preceding books. The book opens with a suspicious death of a wealthy man who has fallen through a second story window. Commissaire Georges Dupin is in charge of the case. He and his team do solve the case. The author has drawn parallels with a mystery written by Georges Simenon. The Inspector Maigret book by Simenon was published in 1931 and has similarities to this case. Dupin finds clues in the book that help him solve the case.
Two quotes:
A painting on the deceased's wall: "How much is the painting worth?"
"It's not one of the really expensive ones. They paid one point three million."
Dupin and coffee: "It didn't matter where the commissaire was in the general vicinity of Concarneau, he could have listed in his sleep where to get a reasonable coffee at any time of day or night. Along with the restaurants and cafes, he also knew the petrol stations, supermarkets, bakeries, hotels, clubs, cinemas and train stations"
Thanks to St. Martin's Press for sending me this eARC through NetGalley.