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The Body by the Sea: Brittany Mystery #8    by Jean-Luc Bannalec Amazon.com order for
Body by the Sea
by Jean-Luc Bannalec
Order:  USA  Can
Minotaur, 2023 (2023)
Hardcover, e-Book
* *   Reviewed by Hilary Williamson

Jean-Luc Bannalec's The Body by the Sea is the eighth (following The King Arthur Case) in his engaging police procedural series that is as much a celebration of Brittany as it is about whodunit. The series (full of mouthwatering delicacies and breathtaking scenery) stars Commissaire Georges Dupin, who has his very own way of doing things.

Dupin and chief cardiologist Claire Lannoy live in seaside Concarneau, centered on three harbors. As the episode opens, she is very busy at work but Dupin and his colleagues have been avoiding the office, because of noisy - and smelly - renovations at the police station. Even the reliable Nolwenn is on a cycling tour. And Claire's parents are on their way for a Pentecost long week-end visit.

So it's not really a good time for a murder investigation, but that's what happens. After cardiologist/GP Pierre Chaboseau is found by his wife in a large pool of blood, Dupin is kept very busy chasing leads (and his scattered staff) while trying to avoid their guests. Claire's mother is not impressed!

Fortunately, Dupin's favorite restaurant is just below the victim's apartment, which makes it the obvious base of operations. Oddly, Dupin finds parallels between a Maigret mystery, The Yellow Dog, and this case. Though it's a challenging one, he does solve it and ends appropriately enjoying an Amiral dinner with Claire.

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