Death on the Pont Noir

1963. A disagreement in a restaurant near Amiens turns to violence, and three English tourists are questioned by police. A misunderstanding, say the men, who claim they are visiting local British military cemeteries in search of a family member’s grave. They even have a map of the region to prove it. They offer generous compensation and profuse apologies before being released. After all, there are talks of building a channel tunnel; why stir up trouble unnecessarily?

But when Inspector Lucas Rocco learns that one of the Englishmen is a London gangster with links to the notorious Kray twins, he decides to investigate further. He uncovers a shady trail of crime that may end with the assassination of the President himself.

The author was shortlisted for the CWA Debut Dagger. Magson’s atmospheric noir-ish French mystery series, which began with Death on the Marais, has echoes of classic Maigret.