The Granite Coast Murders

Some time ago, I wrote about a book called The Missing Corpse, a Brittany mystery. I loved it, and when I found The Granite Coast Murders, I was delighted. Both books are by Jean-Luc Bannalec, set in Brittany and feature the wonderful Commissaire Georges Dupin.

In this story, Dupin has been ordered to take a break, so he and his girlfriend Claire Lannoy go to Tregastel, a small town in Brittany. They spend their time on The GrevedeToul Drez, the most northerly of Tregastel’s twelve beaches. The hotel, L’Ile, where they are staying, is owned by Rosmini Bellet, who sees himself as a bit of a crime expert and becomes quite involved in the happenings inside and outside of his hotel. Dupin enjoys the sea and sand, but what he loves more is investigating a murder. To him, lying on a towel, on the sand, no matter how beautiful the surroundings, is like hell on earth.

However, he has been ordered not to work, while his girlfriend has been told to keep him from any involvement if, by any chance, a murder takes place. She, a cardiologist, has also agreed not to get involved with any medical issues that may come her way. We shall see if they keep their word.
At first, there are rumours about a stolen statue of a saint, which provides a small amount of interest. But, when a tourist goes missing and an attack is made on a deputy to the local assembly, Dupin’s interest is most definitely aroused. Later, when a corpse is found, he tries to be part of the investigation, but orders have been given to the local police and the officers at his headquarters not to provide him with any information. Even his friend Nolwenn, who works with Dupin, won’t help. Later on, as Dupin conducts a secret investigation with the help of his neighbours, and Nolwenn finds out that something she loves in the area where Dupin is threatened, she is more than happy to help. Dupin, of course, has to keep all this hidden from his partner Claire, which means many phone calls made in secret, an unnecessary visit to the barber, and lots of conversations with Monsieur Bellet, who thinks of himself as Dupin’s offsider. When Dupin discovers that Claire has been talking to her hospital about this complex case, he realises that neither of them held their bargain. This is such a good book. The characters are great, and the
story has enough twists to keep you reading. I have always loved Brittany, although maybe the idea of it, rather than the reality. I had the chance to go there once but didn’t take it. The description of the area known as The Granite Coast- the amazing pink rock formations, the fantastic shape of the huge
lumps of granite lying on the sand and in the sea, and the tall twisted groups of granite, towering over the small cove where each day, Dupin and Claire laid the towels, and pretended to be on vacation, made me regret my lost opportunity.

After reading these books, I looked up the history of Brittany, that mystical place where legends of fairies and the devil abound and links to Celtic myths and ancient druid cults. Until next time,
Janice