The Messengers of Death by Pierre Magnan

First Line: On the gate of the cemetery at Barles, there's a postbox.

It is a Sunday when ex-postman Émile Pencenat decides to stop digging his own grave for the day and notices that a letter has blown out of the bottomless, purely ornamental postbox. His sense of duty forbids him to ignore the letter, so he walks into the village, buys a stamp, and posts it. Within just a few days, the recipient of the letter is found murdered. The police are baffled, and Commissaire Laviolette is persuaded to come out of retirement long enough to solve the case. As Laviolette is soon to learn, this is only the beginning of the deadly correspondence.

Originally published in French in 1986, The Messengers of Death tells the tale of a series of crimes that occur in the 1960s. Pierre Magnan skillfully takes readers back to what seems a quaint and simpler time in the countryside of southeastern France.

Over his long career, Commissaire Laviolette has learned a great deal about the habits of people who live in small villages. He's an observant, intuitive sort of policeman who knows that the postmistress undoubtedly reads the mail that comes in and out, and he also believes that the reason for these crimes lies in the past. When one needs stored memories, where better to go than the local old people's home? His interactions with all the townspeople allows Magnan to show their foibles to perfection.

Another area in which the author excels is in using the setting and the weather to affect the mood and to create tension and suspense. In more than one scene, the killer is moving through the rooms in the victim's home, and Magnan had the hair standing on the back of my neck. (If I'd been reading late at night, I would have jumped a mile if a floorboard had creaked.)

I know that some readers worry about translated books, but I had no problems with it at all. I slid easily into the story and quickly became so intrigued that I had to know how it ended. At times throughout the book, I had to smile. Each woman's appearance and sex appeal are speculated upon in a manner that did not offend me in the slightest but made me wonder if Magnan had been a bit of a ladies' man. This book is not only an enjoyable mystery, it also oozes French charm and wit. Do I recommend Pierre Magnan's books? Bien sûr!

The Messengers of Death by Pierre Magnan

Translated from the French by Patricia Clancy

ISBN: 9780312387570

Minotaur Books © 2009

Paperback, 320 pages

Police Procedural, #6 Commissaire Laviolette mystery

Rating: B+

Source: Purchased at The Poisoned Pen 

Celebrating Mysteries: Les Gendarmes

This month, in honor of the Tour de France, I'm taking a look at crime fiction that takes place in the beautiful country of France.

This week, I'm spotlighting four authors who have created exceptional characters who are all members of the police force. With any luck, I'll be taking a look at one of your personal favorites, but it's also my hope that this post can introduce you to books and authors that are new to you, and that you just have to read.

Georges Simenon

I don't think any overview of French policemen would be complete without mentioning Georges Simenon's Inspector Maigret. From 1931 to 1972, Simenon wrote 77 Inspector Maigret books-- and that's only a small proportion of his literary output. He is, without doubt, one of the most prolific writers the world has ever seen. It should be no surprise that in 1966 he won the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America, and many films have been adapted from his books.

Inspector Maigret and his wife, Madame Maigret, live in Paris, France. Three titles in the series include Maigret and the Death of a Harbor-Master (1932), Maigret's Rival (1944), and Maigret's Pipe (1947).

If you'd like to sample a bit of Simenon's Inspector Maigret, a good place to start might be with Maigret's Pipe, a collection of seventeen stories featuring the tireless inspector as he works on some baffling cases both from his base-- Paris police headquarters on the Quai des Ortevres-- and throughout the provinces.

Fred Vargas

If you've only heard of Fred Vargas in passing, you might be surprised by the photo of her to the left. Doesn't look much like a Fred, does she?

Fred Vargas is the pseudonym of the French historian, archaeologist, and writer Frédérique Audoin-Rouzeau. Her crime fiction novels have won three International Dagger Awards for three successive novels in 2006, 2008 and 2009. She is the first author to achieve such an honor. If you've read any of her books featuring the quirky Parisian commissioner of police Jean-Baptiste Adamsberg, you'll probably agree with the award givers.

There are currently eight books in the series. The ones which have been translated from their original French are: The Chalk Circle Man (2009), Seeking Whom He May Devour (2004), Have Mercy on Us All (2003), Wash This Blood Clean from My Hand (2007), This Night's Foul Work (2008), and An Uncertain Place (October 2011). (No, the series was not published in order. Don't ask me why!)

Booklist had this to say about the first book in the series, The Chalk Circle Man:

"Newly promoted from the provinces to a post in Paris, the Maigret-like Adamsberg—whose intuitive sleuthing combines the 'belief of a child and the philosophy of an old man'—quickly overcomes the doubts of his colleagues and homes in on the seemingly insignificant phenomenon of chalk circles being drawn at random points around the city, each circle enclosing a piece of urban detritus (a Coke can, a single shoe). Adamsberg senses that the circles will soon surround dead bodies, and so they do. In addition to introducing her hero, Vargas also provides backstory on a host of other ongoing series characters, including the white-wine-swilling Inspector Danglard, whose logical mind is continually tested by his new boss’ belief in instinct. Later installments ramp up the contrast between Vargas’ comic touch and her dark themes, but as a stage-setter, this one is required reading...."

Pierre Magnan

In the late 1970s, author Pierre Magnan introduced Commissaire Laviolette, a police detective in Provence, France, to the world. I've read the first book in the series, and I was charmed by Laviolette and his supporting cast of characters as well as the depiction of village life in Provence at that time.

So far two of the Laviolette mysteries have been translated from the original French, and (once again) they have not been published in order for English speakers. Don't let that put you off sampling this author because you'll be missing something quite special.

Death in the Truffle Wood (1978/2005) and The Messengers of Death (1986/2006).

Publishers Weekly was just as charmed by Death in the Truffle Wood as I:

"First published in 1978, this delightful mystery from French crime writer Magnan brings to life the quirky, earthy peasant culture of the Provence region. One November evening, Roseline, an enormous, truffle-sniffing pig, escapes from her owner, Alyre Morelon, leading him into the woods, where an unseen figure injures the sow and then runs off. When Superintendent Laviolette arrives from Marseille to investigate the disappearance of five young people, Alyre demands his assistance in identifying Roseline's attacker. The overall humorous tone contrasts with a number of grisly incidents, including the discovery of a body in a freezer and a throat-slitting. The author treats village politics as well as the quarrels and liaisons of his marvelous characters with sly wit and compassion."

Martin Walker

Martin Walker's resume can boggle the mind. Senior Director of a Washington, DC think-tank; Editor of a global news agency; historian; journalist with Britain's The Guardian newspaper where he also served as bureau chief in Moscow and the US; regular broadcaster for the BBC-- and that's just a very brief summary.

Walker has also created Chief of Police Benoit "Bruno" Courrèges, who lives in St. Denis in the Périgord region of southwestern France.

There are four books in the series so far: Bruno, Chief of Police (2008), The Dark Vineyard (2009), Black Diamond (US, August 2011), and The Crowded Grave (UK, September 2011).

Here's what Publishers Weekly had to say about Bruno, Chief of Police (which is waiting for me on my to-be-read shelves):

"Policing in Chief Bruno Courrèges's sun-dappled patch of Périgord involves protecting local fromages from E.U. hygiene inspectors, orchestrating village parades and enjoying the obligatory leisurely lunch—that is, until the brutal murder of an elderly Algerian immigrant instantly jolts Walker's novel from provincial cozy to timely whodunit. As a high-powered team of investigators, including a criminally attractive female inspector, invade sleepy St. Denis to forestall any anti-Arab violence, the amiable Bruno must begin regarding his neighbors—or should we say potential suspects—in a rather different light. Without sacrificing a soupçon of the novel's small town charm or its characters' endearing quirkiness, Walker deftly drives his plot toward a dark place where old sins breed fresh heartbreak."

Well now... have I tempted you at all? I know I've tempted myself because I stopped to go in and pull Bruno, Chief of Police off the shelf! Are there any other French gendarmes that you would recommend? Please share-- and don't forget to stop by next weekend when my tour of France will continue!

Death in the Truffle Wood by Pierre Magnan

Title: Death in the Truffle Wood
Author: Pierre Magnan
Translated from the French: Patricia Clancy
ISBN: 9780312367190, Thomas Dunne Books, 2005
Original Publication Date: 1978
Genre: Police Procedural, #1 Commissaire Laviolette mystery
Rating: B+

First Line: "Come on Roseline!"

Five young people have disappeared in the vicinity of Banon in Provence. When Commissaire Laviolette comes to investigate, villager Alyre Morelon immediately demands that the police officer looks into a recent incident when someone tried to kill his Roseline, the best truffle-sniffing pig in the entire area.

Laviolette has been sent to Banon because there's nothing remarkable about his appearance and he can blend in anywhere. Well... that's what he tells people. What he's not telling anyone is that his unremarkable visage hides a very observant and intelligent man. When Laviolette obliges Morelon and looks into the incident concerning the pig, he stumbles across something that ties right into the missing persons case he is investigating.

Originally published in 1978, some of you young whippersnappers who read Death in the Truffle Wood may miss your computers and cell phones, but this old fogey found their absence refreshing. (It is nice to remember the "good old days" once in a while when detecting didn't seem to rely on gizmos.) Magnan's sense of pacing is sure, and his characterizations show flashes of brilliance. The various plot lines of injured pig, missing young people, heirs to fortunes and philandering spouses were woven together into an intriguing mystery.

As much as I enjoyed the mystery, it was Magnan's humor and his depiction of the culture of Provence and its people that really won me over. The "forensic lads from Criminal Records" who loved to race between Marseilles and Banon, the relationship between Roseline and her owner Alyre, the description of a local wedding and the behavior of the guests... these are only three instances that made me laugh and made me feel as though I was getting a feel for the real Provence.

Combine all that with a very ordinary-looking and extraordinarily observant policeman, and I find myself with a new and delightful mystery series to continue reading. C'est magnifique!

[Source: Purchased from Bookcloseouts.]