In the spring of 1940, the mutilated body of a homosexual is discovered in a street near the Bordeaux railway station. It looks like a straight-forward sex crime, but when Superintendent Lannes is warned off the investigation, his suspicion that there is a political motive for the murder seems justified. In defiance of authority, he continues working on the case. And then another body is found...Meanwhile, the Superintendent has other troubles. His eldest son, Dominique, is at the Front, his wife, Marguerite, is depressed, and when the Battle of France breaks out, Bordeaux is filled with refugees fleeing the war. Suddenly civilian crime seems of little importance compared to the chaos that ensues. As Bordeaux becomes an occupied city, Lannes' chief suspect is untouchable, protected by a relative in the Vichy government. Lannes himself is threatened with blackmail on account of his Jewish friends and Dominique is taken prisoner. Common sense should make Lannes abandon the investigation, but honour and a natural obstinacy lead him to pursue it. However, as events turn increasingly bleak, Lannes begins to doubt it can ever be solved...
Death in Bordeaux
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'Massie's evocation of France on the brink of the invasion is vivid and convincing, and this fine novel, set in a period of moral turmoil, introduces a humane and memorable detective.' --The Sunday Times
'The plot Massie lays before his readers is so satisfyingly complex that you'd be best off reading the book in one sitting; it is so well written that you'll probably find yourself doing that anyway. Thought-provoking, fast-paced and gripping throughout, it is the work of a natural storyteller at the height of his powers.' --The Scotsman
'Remarkable.' --The Literary Review
'The plot Massie lays before his readers is so satisfyingly complex that you'd be best off reading the book in one sitting; it is so well written that you'll probably find yourself doing that anyway. Thought-provoking, fast-paced and gripping throughout, it is the work of a natural storyteller at the height of his powers.' --The Scotsman
'Remarkable.' --The Literary Review
About the Author
Allan Massie is the author of twenty novels including the critically acclaimed World War II trilogy: A Question of Loyalties, The Sins of the Father, and Shadows of Empire. He read History at Cambridge and, as a political and literary journalist, has contributed to most national newspapers including The Sunday Times, The Telegraph, The Scotsman and The Spectator.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Bought it really as a who dun it but its much more than that.It explores what happened as the Vichy republic was formed during the second world war.It explores the dilemas that many were faced with in a very believable fashion.There were some, very believable monsters but most were just ordinary people trying to do their best.No heros and not many real villians,which is what it probably was like.Looking forward to more in this series.
16 of 18 people found the following review helpful
By Kirsty
Format:Paperback
The copy editor of this book should be taken out and shot. There were so many errors, most of which would have been caught with a standard spell and grammar check program. I enjoyed the book, but finding mistakes on nearly every page really stopped me from getting into the story.
I hope the publisher tries a lot harder on the next two volumes of the trilogy.
I hope the publisher tries a lot harder on the next two volumes of the trilogy.
14 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Massie is an expert on vichy France in the Second world War, as his earlier, prize-winning A Question of Loyalties amply demonstrated. Now he revisits the stricken country, where people are torn between conflicting loyalties, and tells a compelling detective story in this tense background. Superb!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
a cop compromised by circumstance
The premise of Death in Bordeaux - a cop compromised by circumstance - is an interesting one. Massie manages to keep the uncertainty and concessions working until the last page,... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Rob Kitchin
4.0 out of 5 stars
Unusual setting for a detective story
Alan Massie has created a very credible and fascinating background for this book - in Bordeaux immediately before and then during the German occupation. Read more
Published 2 months ago by William Anthony Strange
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good stuff - terrible editing
I really enjoyed Death in Bordeaux.
It has a fine plot, which develops throughout the book, but remains unresolved, ready for the second and third episodes of the... Read more
It has a fine plot, which develops throughout the book, but remains unresolved, ready for the second and third episodes of the... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Mr. Stephen Edwards
4.0 out of 5 stars
Atmospheric of 1940 France
Massie evokes the atmosphere of Bordeaux in 1940, as the war comes toward it in a police procedural about murder of anti-Franco Spaniards and the rise of the extreme right. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Tom Watson
5.0 out of 5 stars
I liked this book very much
I liked this book very much, because it was obviously well researched, very atmospheric and astutely written. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Peter New
5.0 out of 5 stars
Try this, it's good!
This story, set in France aqt the beginning of the Occupation, gives a very interesting picture of life and people's thoughts there at this time, as well as being a very good... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Muffet
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gripping
A good story about France in the second world war. Very interesting characters and an unexpected ending. Well worth reading.
Published 3 months ago by Freddie
5.0 out of 5 stars
Like a fine wine
A really good, proper novel, this.
At an almost pedantically precise moment in time and space (France, 1940), Massie's detective is the sort of fully-realised character... Read more
At an almost pedantically precise moment in time and space (France, 1940), Massie's detective is the sort of fully-realised character... Read more
Published 4 months ago by JK
4.0 out of 5 stars
A very entertaining historic crime thriller - France 1940
The first book in Allan Massie's Bordeaux/Inspector Superintendent Lannes series and good one it is. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Blue in Washington
4.0 out of 5 stars
New author to me
The story line is fast moving and well structured. But what makes this novel particularly enjoyable is the care taken to get details right concerning a particular locale during a... Read more
Published 8 months ago by jac
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