Book
The Fleur de Sel murders : a Brittany mystery / Jean-Luc Bannalec ; translated by Sorcha McDonagh.
"The old salt farmers have always said that the violent scent of the Fleur de Sel at harvest time on the salt marshes of the Guérande Peninsula has been known to cause hallucinations. Commissaire Dupin also starts to believe this when he’s attacked out of the blue in the salt works. He had actually been looking forward to escaping his endless paperwork and taking a trip to the “white country” between the raging Atlantic Ocean and idyllic rivers. But when he starts snooping around mysterious barrels on behalf of Lilou Breval, a journalist friend, he finds himself unexpectedly under attack. The offender remains a mystery, and a short time later, Breval disappears without a trace. It is thanks to his secretary Nolwenn and the ambition of the perfect that Dupin is assigned to the case. But he won’t be working alone because Sylvaine Rose is the investigator responsible for the department—and she lives up to her name… What’s going on in the salt works? Dupin and Rose search feverishly for clues and stumble upon false alibis, massive conflicts of interest, personal feuds—and ancient Breton legends."-- [Goodreads]
Record details
- ISBN: 9781250071903
- Physical Description: 307 pages ; 22 cm
- Publisher: New York : Minotaur Books, 2018.
- Copyright: ©2017.
Content descriptions
| General Note: | First published May 2014 as Bretonisches Gold by Verlag Kiepenheuer & Witsch, Cologne, Germany. |
| Original Version Note: | Translation of: Bretonisches Gold |
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | Murder > Investigation > Fiction. |
| Genre: | Mystery fiction. |
Search for related items by series
Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at Portage la Prairie Regional Library.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Holdable? | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portage la Prairie Regional Library | AF BAN (Text) | 3675000204568 | Adult Fiction | Volume hold | Available | - |
- Booklist Reviews : Booklist Reviews 2018 March #2
The title refers to the highly prized sea salt (the "flower of the salt") harvested in Brittany. In this, the fourth mystery starring Commissaire Georges Dupin, an unwilling transplant from Paris who has grown to love Brittany, one of Dupin's informants, a journalist friend, Lilou Breval, urges Dupin to inspect a particular part of the salt marshes for barrels with suspicious contents. Then Dupin suffers a gunshot wound, and Breval's body is found later at low tide. Dupin's investigation hinges on uncovering what the journalist was working on: the existence of a "salt war" between powerful rivals. This is an exciting, well-plotted mystery, but it suffers somewhat from a clumsy translation from the French that is often stilted and repetitive, as in the statement that Dupin couldn't identify the local birds since "his ornithological knowledge was lacking." Even so, Bannalec's mystery is a worthy addition to contemporary mysteries set in France, like those set in the Dordogne (by Martin Walker) and Aix-en-Provence (by M. L. Longworth). A fascinating glimpse into salt harvesting, with exciting action. Copyright 2018 Booklist Reviews. - Kirkus Reviews : Kirkus Reviews 2018 February #2
Commissaire Georges Dupin (Murder on Brittany Shores, 2016, etc.) strays off his patch to probe a murder in the salt marshes of Guérande.The White Land is almost impossible to describe. Its light, filtered by clouds and reflected upward by the shallow pools of the salt gardens, its scent of seawater, iodine, and "a curious fragrance of violets" that fills the air after the harvest of the most delicate sea salt, fleur de sel, combine to form a landscape that even sturdy, sensible folk like Dupin's secretary, Nolwenn, swear is the work of the fairies. But it's not fairies who shoot at Dupin when he finds himself on Maxime Daeron's salt farm; it's someone who wants to stop him from investigating a report from his friend Lilou Breval, a journalist with Ouest-France, of suspicious blue barrels out on the marshes. Dupin won't be stopped, not by a painful flesh wound that sends him briefly to the hospital, not by the death of Lilou, whose body is found in Gulf of Morbihan, not even by the realization that the salt flats are in the Department Loire-Atlantique and therefore out of his jurisdiction. Instead, he teams up with charming, determined Commissaire Sylvaine Rose of the Commissariat de Police Guérande. Dupin's delicate negotiation of his necessary but challenging relationship with Rose, his careful but unobtrusive detailing of the mechanics of salt farming, and his growing affection for the landscape of Brittany are just some of the joys of his latest outing. Bannelec's Breton adventures are some of the best French local color going, with a deft blend of puzzle, personality, and description of the indescribable. Copyright Kirkus 2018 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved. - Publishers Weekly Reviews : PW Reviews 2018 February #2
The tightly regulated and lucrative salt trade is the spark for the intriguing plot of Bannalec's third Brittany mystery to be translated into English (after 2016's
Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly.Murder on Brittany Shores ). Commissaire Georges Dupin, who's been deskbound for weeks, welcomes the request of Lilou Breval, a journalist who's helped the police in the past, to take a look around a salt pond and a nearby hut where she saw "something very fishy." When an unknown shooter hits Dupin in the shoulder at the scene, the case becomes personal. But this is not his jurisdiction, and Dupin must work with Sylvaine Rose, the local commissaire. He's desperate to speak with Breval, but she has disappeared, so Dupin and Rose start talking to those involved in the highly competitive salt trade without her. When a body is found, the inquiry turns into a murder investigation. Multiple red herrings draw readers off the scent. Well-drawn, complex characters, the lovingly described countryside, and the area's culinary bounty make this a winner. Some fans will be inspired to take their next vacation in Brittany.(Apr.)
