Sam Gordon

This was a great read, an interesting mystery, with characters both funny and admirable.

The book is set mainly in France, and opens with Commissaire Capestan being assigned to take charge of a new, isolated police team of misfits and troublesome officers. The creation of the squad is meant to place the officers somewhere out of the way, powerless but still employed by the police department. Then loads of cold cases are shunted their way. Along with the hopeless cases comes the blame of having solved nothing. It is a perfect cycle of justifying giving the team no support, so they are unable to effectively solve cases, and since they are not solving cases, they get no more support.

Capestan is a great lead, both powerful, a little off the rails, caring and committed to justice. This may have involved a past bit of vigilantism, but maybe she is trying to get control of her fiery temper? Can not tell, and do not care, because in this book she does not lose it much.

The other misfits are both endearing, hilarious and terrifying. There is a constantly sauced captain, a bestselling author whose scathing descriptions annoyed coworkers, a gambling addict, a commandant who was too skilled at investigating his fellow offices, a lieutenant with a history of injured partners, a cheerful empty-headed former pugilist, an IT expert who always focuses on the wrong information, a very reckless driver, and a captain with way too many connections to the press.

Together, their skills work well, and as 'cast-offs,' they form a familial bond. The cold cases that they work seem hopeless, but Capestan inspires, scolds and encourages them to work at it faithfully.

Very entertaining, funny, cozy mystery police procedural redemption story in modern-day France. I hope to read more with these characters. Highly Recommended.

*eARC Netgalley*… (mais)

Commissaire Anne Capistan is in trouble, she has shot one too many suspects and is suspended. Salvation comes in the form of Chief Buron who allocates Capistan to a new squad who will look into cold cases. However when Capistan sees who is on her squad, she knows that her team consists of those officers that cannot be fired but need to be parked out of the way. The team pick up on a couple of unsolved murders, the only ones that they have, and they quickly find that they are related. Bureaucracy seem determined to stop the team investigating these crimes but against the odds the individuals bond together with common cause.

I really enjoyed this French police procedural mainly because there is an excellent story and a terrific bunch of characters. It is easy to get engrossed in the plot but the little hints and slow development of the backstories and idiosyncrasies of the individuals also beguiles. I found the book humorous but also clever which is a great combination.… (mais)