Soeurs: Roman Pocket Book – 21 Mar. 2019

Servaz is back, this time in two interlocking narratives separated by 35 years. One was his first case, as a debutant in the police in 1993, the other a crime in 2018, when Servaz is now the star of the Toulouse force. in 1993, the dead bodies of two girls, dressed in communion garb, are found on an island in the river. Links are soon found to a best-selling crime novelist, but the murders seem to be solved. In 2018 the past returns via a similar crime, and Servaz must reconsider what happen all those years before. I can't say more for fears of spoilers, but this is an almost classical whodunit, with a complex plot and an engaging detective.

In this novel (read in the original French) Servaz begins his career on a low note concerning a case involving a famous author, Lang, suspected then released for the murder of two "soeurs", murdered wearing communion clothes. This is followed in later years by the murder of Lang's wife, again attracting Servaz' suspicions about the author, and his concerns about the solidity of the original "soeurs" case. The plot is interesting and solid, and the detective likeable, but it has one weak point which is nevertheless pivotal to the story in terms of Lang's wife, which I felt was frankly unbelievable.