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Henri Castang #2
What Are the Bugles Blowing For?
A Henri Castang Mystery - A European city, bathed in the sultry heat of a summer afternoon and a telephone call announcing a triple murder. Henri Castang is called into action in this profound and disturbing crime fiction. To protect himself, he must play by the rules but if that were the case, then it wouldn't be Henri Castang. Criminals are more than just about the chase for the unorthodox Inspector.
Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1975
8 people are currently reading
36 people want to read
About the author
Nicolas Freeling
86 books60 followersNicolas Freeling born Nicolas Davidson, (March 3, 1927 - July 20, 2003) was a British crime novelist, best known as the author of the Van der Valk series of detective novels which were adapted for transmission on the British ITV network by Thames Television during the 1970s.
Freeling was born in London, but travelled widely, and ended his life at his long-standing home at Grandfontaine to the west of Strasbourg. He had followed a variety of occupations, including the armed services and the catering profession. He began writing during a three-week prison sentence, after being convicted of stealing some food.[citation needed]
Freeling's The King of the Rainy Country received a 1967 Edgar Award, from the Mystery Writers of America, for Best Novel. He also won the Gold Dagger of the Crime Writers' Association, and France's Grand Prix de Littérature Policière.
From Wikipedia
Series:
* Van Der Valk
* Henri Castang
Freeling was born in London, but travelled widely, and ended his life at his long-standing home at Grandfontaine to the west of Strasbourg. He had followed a variety of occupations, including the armed services and the catering profession. He began writing during a three-week prison sentence, after being convicted of stealing some food.[citation needed]
Freeling's The King of the Rainy Country received a 1967 Edgar Award, from the Mystery Writers of America, for Best Novel. He also won the Gold Dagger of the Crime Writers' Association, and France's Grand Prix de Littérature Policière.
From Wikipedia
Series:
* Van Der Valk
* Henri Castang
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 8, 2017
La Touche is the head of the household and a civil servant who one day shoots and murders his wife, daughter, and the painter he hired to paint his wife when he comes home to find the three of them having sex in the bedroom. He then proceeds to call the inspector Castang to come and take his confession. The book then follows up as they wrap up the investigation and eventual trial of La Touche. This book was so tedious because nothing happened. From the beginning La Touche is clear about being the murder so I don't see why everyone kept trying to go out of their way to exonerate him or make sure he was being truthful. The ending was obvious because again we knew he was guilty to begin with. I had to drag myself through this one. I couldn't get into it and all the slight comments about other European countries was annoying. I can not believe I made it to the end that's how bored I was reading this one.
March 28, 2017
I would like to thank Netgalley and Ipso Books for an advance copy of What are the Bugles Blowing For?, the second police procedural set in a small town in France to feature detective Henri Castang.
On a hot summer's afternoon Castang receives a call from Gilbert La Touche telling him that he has shot and killed his wife, daughter and their lover, the painter Davids. The novel follows the investigation and eventual trial.
I really didn't enjoy this novel and can't find any redeeming qualities in it. It may be that it is too literary for me because it isn't entertaining. The prose is opaque, ambiguous and even stilted in parts and is firstly demonstrated by the author's refusal to date or locate the novel with any accuracy. The level of detail regarding the French investigative and judicial processes is tedious and in parts downright boring. The worst part takes a bit of explaining. The novel opens with the French president reviewing a death penalty case and demanding the answer to a question he has about it. The novel then switches back to Castang and follows the entire case until the end when he is summoned to Paris to answer the president's question. The reader is never told what the question is and finding out what the question is is what made me grit my teeth and keep reading.
I found What are the Bugles Blowing For fairly incomprehensible and in the end pointless.
On a hot summer's afternoon Castang receives a call from Gilbert La Touche telling him that he has shot and killed his wife, daughter and their lover, the painter Davids. The novel follows the investigation and eventual trial.
I really didn't enjoy this novel and can't find any redeeming qualities in it. It may be that it is too literary for me because it isn't entertaining. The prose is opaque, ambiguous and even stilted in parts and is firstly demonstrated by the author's refusal to date or locate the novel with any accuracy. The level of detail regarding the French investigative and judicial processes is tedious and in parts downright boring. The worst part takes a bit of explaining. The novel opens with the French president reviewing a death penalty case and demanding the answer to a question he has about it. The novel then switches back to Castang and follows the entire case until the end when he is summoned to Paris to answer the president's question. The reader is never told what the question is and finding out what the question is is what made me grit my teeth and keep reading.
I found What are the Bugles Blowing For fairly incomprehensible and in the end pointless.
October 13, 2023
Freeling is a Writer, in every sense of the word. Characters, the sense of presence, plotting; all are excellent. He takes the story of a murder, and takes it through the slow-moving, almost Byzantine French justice system. The murderer has confessed, there is no mystery in the who-done-it sense but fascinating all the same. Highly recommend!
May 30, 2020
One hot summer afternoon, Castang gets a phone call from Gilbert La Touche, who informs him that he has killed his wife, his daughter, and the well-known artist with whom they were both having sex. La Touche is prosperous and well spoken, successful socially and in business. He is neither enraged nor distraught, just calmly describes the events and his actions. No explanation, no blame, no regrets. So an admitted homicide, and charges must be brought, but what charge - an intentional murder, an impulse killing, an accident? La Touche is the ultimate enigma, unwilling to participate in his own defense, not protesting or advocating anything, placing himself in the hands of the court which is left with no option other than the most drastic one. Fascinating and pretty disturbing.
June 25, 2021
A somewhat literary crime novel, but not too much so. Written by an English writer, but feels very European. Subtle, both funny and melancholic, kind of slow, but never boring, disregards crime fiction conventions. How did i not stumble upon Freeling earlier …
February 3, 2018
Not very impressed by this book. It would not encourage me to read more of his books
May 27, 2015
Another surprise - while I found my previous book by Nicolas Freeling ("Dressing of Diamond", reviewed here ) surprisingly weak for this phenomenally accomplished writer, this one, "The Bugles Blowing", although I like it much better, is just unremarkable. Well, Mr. Freeling's literary output totals 42 books, so it is natural that in addition to several masterpieces, it contains average and weaker items as well.
This is the second book in the Castang series. Castang, an inspector of the Police Judiciaire in a provincial French town, receives a phone call from Monsieur La Touche, as an Inspector of Finance a highly placed personage, who tells Castang that he has just killed several people: "My wife. My daughter. A man." Indeed, the inspector finds naked corpses of the three victims, stopped by bullets in the course of a sexual act.
Throughout Castang's investigation, M. La Touche insists on his guilt, and the police are trying to make sure there are no political undercurrents in the case. The male victim is Jewish, and the pro-Arab organizations are concerned about the case. The most interesting aspect of the book is the exposition of the French criminal law and how it is different from the Anglo-Saxon law process (the inquisitorial system vs. the adversarial system). The case is first considered by a Judge of Instruction (also known as the examining magistrate; what a vivid portrayal of Judge Szymanowski!), and when the "instruction" ends, the case goes - through the Chambre d'Accusation - to the Assize Court, where the actual trial takes place. The presentation of the trial is so refreshingly different than the tired, formulaic depictions found in the courtroom dramas of John Grisham, Scott Turow, or Steve Martini.
One of my favorite fragments is the sharp and scathing characterization of high-rank police and judicial functionaries and their often base motives. I have also been happy to find a short passage where Mr. Freeling utilizes the trademark stream-of-consciousness narration, so successfully used in his later novels. I still have 25 "Freelings" to read and - going chronologically - I hope the writing will get better and better.
Three stars.
This is the second book in the Castang series. Castang, an inspector of the Police Judiciaire in a provincial French town, receives a phone call from Monsieur La Touche, as an Inspector of Finance a highly placed personage, who tells Castang that he has just killed several people: "My wife. My daughter. A man." Indeed, the inspector finds naked corpses of the three victims, stopped by bullets in the course of a sexual act.
Throughout Castang's investigation, M. La Touche insists on his guilt, and the police are trying to make sure there are no political undercurrents in the case. The male victim is Jewish, and the pro-Arab organizations are concerned about the case. The most interesting aspect of the book is the exposition of the French criminal law and how it is different from the Anglo-Saxon law process (the inquisitorial system vs. the adversarial system). The case is first considered by a Judge of Instruction (also known as the examining magistrate; what a vivid portrayal of Judge Szymanowski!), and when the "instruction" ends, the case goes - through the Chambre d'Accusation - to the Assize Court, where the actual trial takes place. The presentation of the trial is so refreshingly different than the tired, formulaic depictions found in the courtroom dramas of John Grisham, Scott Turow, or Steve Martini.
One of my favorite fragments is the sharp and scathing characterization of high-rank police and judicial functionaries and their often base motives. I have also been happy to find a short passage where Mr. Freeling utilizes the trademark stream-of-consciousness narration, so successfully used in his later novels. I still have 25 "Freelings" to read and - going chronologically - I hope the writing will get better and better.
Three stars.
August 17, 2014
Meh. The book opens with a phone call to the police station by someone claiming that he has killed his wife, daughter, and a man. The killer admits it, the investigation proves it. And the case goes to trial. I just kept waiting for a plot twist, or a revelation, something to make the story more than just a recounting of facts, and procedure.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 29, 2024
hmm…not sure
Since I can’t make up my mind about this book I’ll go right to the middle for the star rating. I think Nicolas Freeling is a fantastic author. I haven’t read any of his Van Der Walk books but I love the the Henri Castang ones. One thing in this book disappointed me. I’ve come to terms with it…but…
Since I can’t make up my mind about this book I’ll go right to the middle for the star rating. I think Nicolas Freeling is a fantastic author. I haven’t read any of his Van Der Walk books but I love the the Henri Castang ones. One thing in this book disappointed me. I’ve come to terms with it…but…
October 29, 2023
Not my most favorite book by Freeling - but even his not-the-best are immeasurably better than some authors’ best efforts.
March 30, 2017
2 Stars
Henri Castang a police officer who has finished law school. He receives a telephone call one Sunday while he is alone at work in a small French town. A man says he has just committed three murders. He arrives at the home to find the man calm. He tells Castang that the victims are his wife, his daughter and a painter named Davids.
Politics come into play in this novel as well. Since M. Davids was Jewish, the politicos are wanting to make sure no Arab-related persons or groups are tied to the crime.
There is much about French police and judicial procedures in this book. I found it all a little confusing, so I skimmed that part. In fact there was much about this novel that I did not like. I found the writing stilted and ponderous. There were poor paragraph transitions and I lost my place a few times.
I usually enjoy a fairly pace-y read, but this was barely crawling. I put it down several times and finally gave up in frustration.
However, I would still like to thank Netgalley and Ipso Books for giving me the opportunity to at least try one of Mr. Freeling’s novels.
Henri Castang a police officer who has finished law school. He receives a telephone call one Sunday while he is alone at work in a small French town. A man says he has just committed three murders. He arrives at the home to find the man calm. He tells Castang that the victims are his wife, his daughter and a painter named Davids.
Politics come into play in this novel as well. Since M. Davids was Jewish, the politicos are wanting to make sure no Arab-related persons or groups are tied to the crime.
There is much about French police and judicial procedures in this book. I found it all a little confusing, so I skimmed that part. In fact there was much about this novel that I did not like. I found the writing stilted and ponderous. There were poor paragraph transitions and I lost my place a few times.
I usually enjoy a fairly pace-y read, but this was barely crawling. I put it down several times and finally gave up in frustration.
However, I would still like to thank Netgalley and Ipso Books for giving me the opportunity to at least try one of Mr. Freeling’s novels.
March 30, 2017
2 Stars
Henri Castang a police officer who has finished law school. He receives a telephone call one Sunday while he is alone at work in a small French town. A man says he has just committed three murders. He arrives at the home to find the man calm. He tells Castang that the victims are his wife, his daughter and a painter named Davids.
Politics come into play in this novel as well. Since M. Davids was Jewish, the politicos are wanting to make sure no Arab-related persons or groups are tied to the crime.
There is much about French police and judicial procedures in this book. I found it all a little confusing, so I skimmed that part. In fact there was much about this novel that I did not like. I found the writing stilted and ponderous. There were poor paragraph transitions and I lost my place a few times.
I usually enjoy a fairly pace-y read, but this was barely crawling. I put it down several times and finally gave up in frustration.
However, I would still like to thank Netgalley and Ipso Books for giving me the opportunity to at least try one of Mr. Freeling’s novels.
Henri Castang a police officer who has finished law school. He receives a telephone call one Sunday while he is alone at work in a small French town. A man says he has just committed three murders. He arrives at the home to find the man calm. He tells Castang that the victims are his wife, his daughter and a painter named Davids.
Politics come into play in this novel as well. Since M. Davids was Jewish, the politicos are wanting to make sure no Arab-related persons or groups are tied to the crime.
There is much about French police and judicial procedures in this book. I found it all a little confusing, so I skimmed that part. In fact there was much about this novel that I did not like. I found the writing stilted and ponderous. There were poor paragraph transitions and I lost my place a few times.
I usually enjoy a fairly pace-y read, but this was barely crawling. I put it down several times and finally gave up in frustration.
However, I would still like to thank Netgalley and Ipso Books for giving me the opportunity to at least try one of Mr. Freeling’s novels.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews