Road Trip Reads: Merle by Angela Wren

Continuing my series of reading books appropriate to the places I visit:

 

Passing through France, I grabbed a copy of this detective story set in the French town of Merle. I’d really enjoyed Messandrierre by the same author so was looking forward to reading this one. Jacques Foret the very likeable main character in Messandrierre also stars in this story. Formerly a gendarme, he’s now a private detective and is called in by The Vaux organisation to investigate malpractice within their firm. But the case turns out to be more complex than it appears and then a young woman’s body is discovered. Who’s behind it all and why? Will Jacques find the answer before another person ends up dead?

The story starts quite gradually as we’re introduced to the firm and its problems but what I loved here was the sense of place and the growing tension between Jacques and his ex, Madeleine. The pace picks up as the mystery progresses and I found it hard to put down and was sorry when it ended. Angela Wren obviously knows France inside out and paints evocative scenes with convincing dialogue. I’ll be looking out for the next one in this series. If you love detective stories and France you’re in for a treat with Merle!

Merle is available in paperback and ebook forms and is available here

My rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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