Merle: A French Murder Mystery by Angela Wren #BookTour

 

After reading Messandrierre earlier in the year I was looking forward to the next Jacques Forêt mystery set in rural France. Jacques is a considerate likeable detective who has now left the police force and is a private investigator working for Alain Vaux of Vaux Investments. Initially his task was to find the source of industrial espionage which is causing Alain’s company to loss contracts and money, but as we learn at the beginning of the book, there is now a link to murder.

On the personal front, Beth Samuels has returned from England. Will he be able to persuade her to move in with him and stay in France? She is looking into the possibility of setting up a photography business and in the meantime, is helping Jacques to follow leads.

The plot is complex, involving several employees, one of them Jacques’ old flame, Madeleine Cloutier. She seems to be flirting with him but he tries to keep his distance since she is one of the suspects. This reminds Jacques of his reason for leaving the gendarmerie in Paris and adds depth to our understanding of his character.

The investigation of weaknesses in IT security and unprofessional behaviour from some of the employees occurs against the background of a sinister figure who is a threat to Jacques and Beth. I would have liked to have read more about Jacques and Beth’s relationship but the intriguing murder mystery builds up to a thrilling conclusion.

Book Blurb

Jacques Forêt, a former gendarme turned investigator, delves into the murky world of commercial sabotage – a place where people lie and misrepresent, and where information is traded and used as a threat.

The Vaux organisation is losing contracts and money, and Jacques is asked to undertake an internal investigation. As he works through the complexity of all the evidence, he finds more than he bargained for, and his own life is threatened. 

When a body of a woman is found, it appears to be suicide. But as the investigation takes another turn, Jacques suspects there is more to it. 

Who is behind it all…and why? Will Jacques find the answer before another person ends up dead?

Angela Wren

You can read my review of the first Jacques Forêt mystery Messandriere here

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