The Messengers of Death

Commissaire Laviolette #6

by Pierre Magnan, Patricia Clancy (Translator)

In a sleepy Provencal village, retired postman Emile Pencenat is busy digging his own grave when he spots an unstamped letter in the cemetery's disused postbox, addressed to a Madamoiselle Champourcieux. He dutifully posts the letter. When the body of this same Madamoiselle is later discovered - pinned to her piano with an ancient bayonet - Commissaire Laviolette is coaxed out of retirement to solve one of the most bizarre crimes imaginable.

Genres: Mystery, France, Fiction, Crime

311 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

Pierre Magnan was a bestselling French author of detective novels steeped in the sights and sounds of his beloved Provence; to readers, his sleuth, Commissaire Laviolette, was as indelibly linked to the land of lavender as Colin Dexter’s Inspector Morse was to the colleges of Oxford.

Magnan’s autumnal years were prolific; he wrote more than 30 books and saw his novels adapted for French television and cinema. He was never afraid to experiment and shifted easily to non-fiction, writing, amongst other publications, a gentle portrait of Giono (Pour Saluer Giono, 1990), a study of Provençal novels (Les Romans de ma Provence, 1998) and two volumes of memoirs. In The Essence of Provence (1998) he followed the story of L’Occitane from roadside soap stand to globally known brand. “La Provence was present in all his books,” noted Marie-Laure Goumet, his editor at Robert Laffont.

Reviews

[Brackman1066 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was probably a good book, but I didn't like it. I can appreciate that the spare style of Hammett and Chandler shouldn't put a choke collar on mystery writers forever and aye. But the fact is, I'm over lyrical realism. Magnan even does it well--he avoids the usual trap of having *all* of the characters indulge in lengthy meditations about nature and the human condition, whether it's in character for them to do so or not. Still, having the narrator break in for long passage after long passage of such prose slowed this book down and I had to fight to keep from skimming. It felt like about half of these interludes were about wind. Wind in the trees. Wind in other kinds of trees. Wind on mountains. Wind as a metaphor for human life. More wind. It's interesting to compare this to Zafon, who also has passages or lyrical realism but who also has such zinging one-liners between he characters that the mode never becomes unremitting, as it is in Magnan.

My other issue with this book, which again is probably more about me than it, is that no one was likable or interesting except the detective. The book spent most of its time introducing (and usually killing off) all kinds of loathsome and/or contemptible characters--only, of course, after describing their sex lives described in sad detail. Alas, their tragic lot to love this barren land with the wind in the trees! On the whole, I can pity two characters per book. Maybe three. I can despise about the same number. When a book asks me to pity or despise the entire cast, I balk. I let myself start skimming.

Like I said, this review may not be fair to the book, since it hit two of my known pet peeves. For that reason, I'll give it three stars instead of two.

[Sarah Haddad · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do not usually like to read crime fiction, but this was brilliantly written. I felt like I was drawn into a different world in France, rich in history, surrounded by distinct unusual characters. I suspected the killer very early on, from a subtle familiarity. Some passages were so brilliantly written, I would read the passage and then think - did I just read that?! Wow! 'Even the most shocked reactions die down quickly in these deep valleys where eternal mystery is inherent in the geology and geography of the place, as well as in the physical appearance, the character and the habitual silence of the cautious inhabitants'.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very well written, very entertaining, very uniquely French detective novel. I will definitely be looking to read more books from this author.

The mystery of the novel was very well laid out. It's a whodunnit tale, and I had a pretty good (and ultimately correct) guess at who the culprit was. Anyone with a good grasp on story structure and mystery writing probably would as well. What helped in my case though, as an American, was that Victor Hugo is one of my favorite authors and so I've dabbled in other French novels and am somewhat familiar with French history. This book may be set in the seventies (it could be set today almost just as easily) but elements of the tale go back to the times of Napoleon III or further.

The characters were well written and developed well, with just enough intrigue to keep the average reader guessing which one could be the killer. The settings were fantastic. Sure, I probably subbed in a little scenery I' familiar with in my mind for parts he was describing, but only when it accurately matched the vivid descriptions of the mountains and hillsides we often traverse in the text.

All in all I was thoroughly pleased, and even passed my copy on to my grandmother to read.

[Nicole Harkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A retired inspector is brought out of retirement to help the local Judge figure out what happened as people start dropping like flies. They all receive a letter in the mail that says one thing: The measure that you give will be the measure that you get. Avarice. This French book covers the topic of avarice with abandon. I did not know what the word meant when I first started reading. Just in case you don’t know: greed. The book explores the greed of towns, ideas, histories, and most of all people.

The mystery takes place in Provence, at the base of the Alps. The descriptions of the regions are at odds with that well-known American book about Provence, A Year in Provence. It sounds cold and desolate and someplace I don’t want to visit for any amount of time.

I enjoyed the book, as I am enjoying translated works a lot recently. But I felt a little set apart from the characters. I had a hard time identifying with them. And while many footnotes helped the foreign reader understand cultural references that would be lost without these footnotes, I felt like I still missed a lot of references. In any event I feel like I learned a bit, and while the book might not be something I would normally read, I enjoyed it.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here's PW:

"A crime offering delicate soupçons of passionate desires and outrageous sex lures former Superintendent Laviolette out of retirement in Magnan's stylish second Provence mystery (after 2007's Death in the Truffle Wood). When avaricious spinster Véronique Champourcieux is found with 30 centimeters of rusty 1871 bayonet in her belly, Laviolette's old acquaintance Judge Chabrand enlists his help in the murder investigation. As one grisly killing after another ensues, the pair delve into long-repressed secrets of the poor, harsh Provençal countryside."

This is a flat-out weird book. Very creepy descriptions of the bizarre women who get murdered. Lots of wind-sighing-in-the-trees action.

The solution winds up being fairly prosaic — just your run-of-the-mill murderer who dresses up like a sapper in Napoleon's army.

I thought I was going to bail after the first chapter but I resumed reading — by kerosene lamp — at my family's summer camp, which is miles from anything and anyone. The atmospherics made a lot more sense.

[Ulysses · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up on a whim at the Harvard Book Store from the remainders pile, based on the title alone. And what do you know... it was a really frickin' good book. Like, REALLY frickin' good. I seriously considered giving it five stars, but couldn't bring myself to do so in the end, as a result of (A) its author's laughable (and totally irrelevant, in the context of this book) obsession with sex, and (B) the fact that no book's punchline should ever require a non-ironic footnote.

Still... If you like mysteries: you really ought to read this book. And if you're like me and don't like mysteries: you really ought to read this book. But be sure to bring a blanket and a glass of wine with you...

[Tomchicago · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laviolette is an exception to the "super-detective" rule: I found it very appealing that he admits to his grudging friend, Chabrand, that he was not really meant to be a detective. Laviolette has a mellow bearing and a lyrical way of seeing things around him. I'm enjoying this one; the severe land in which it takes place is also described fully and is a vivid element in the story. The clues are very plainly set out, but I have no idea (yet) who is the villain.

One of the best things about this one is the atmosphere. While there were a number of translation quirks that were distracting, the description of the place is powerful and consistently interesting.

[M M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pierre Magnan's dark and dank and claustrophobic thriller of selfishness, familial discord and greed is set in the cold winters of Upper Provence. Aman finds an unstamped letter lying by postbox outside a cemetery in a village and posts it. The recipient is shortly murdered. And then another letter is posted and another victim is found killed. And yet another. The retired inspector Laviolette is dragged into the case and he has to use his deeply sympathetic understanding of the closed and serf-like minds of the locals to track down the killer. Meanwhile, Magnan's overwrought plotting, descriptions and histories stretch and curl around the reader. A sumptuous and exhausting treat.

[Kikuhiko · Rating 3 out of 5]

Non seulement j'ai eu beaucoup de mal à rentrer dans l'histoire (il m'a fallu lire entre 150 et 200 pages pour enfin sentir l'envie de connaître la suite, sur 400 pages c'est beaucoup trop) mais en plus le style d'écriture est... spécial. Autant l'auteur a de bonnes bases littéraires qui lui permettent de nous offrir d'assez belles phrases, autant il se laisse soudainement aller à des mots beaucoup trop vulgaire. Chatte, cul, pute, sont des mots que j'ai vu et revus pour certains tout au long du récit, c'était assez gênant. Si encore le style littéraire de A à Z était vulgaire, on aurait pu s'y attendre, mais là on est pris au dépourvu et j'ai trouvé ça très déplaisant.
Passons aux descriptions. Bon Dieu que certaines étaient inutiles et lassantes. J'aime beaucoup Zola, les longues descriptions je connais et j'apprécie énormément, quand c'est bien fait. Ici, Pierre Magnan use deux pages pour décrire le vent entre les arbres, le vent entre les branches de ces arbres, le vent entre d'autres arbres, le vent contre la façade d'une maison, le vent encore et toujours le vent. L'intérêt? Aucun. Au bout de deux phrases on a très bien compris que le climat était venteux, ça c'est sûr, on aurait pu passer à autre chose.
Quant aux personnages, que dire... La narration était tellement en fouillis que je n'ai pas réellement eu le temps de les apprécier. Car la narration est un problème pour ce livre, à mes yeux. J'ai relativement bien suivi le changement de narrateur, mais un moment d'inattention et on ne sait plus qui parle, qui fait quoi, qui est où. Quand on veut conter sous plusieurs points de vue, il est important de ne pas embrouiller l'esprit du lecteur, de rester clair,, ce qui n'est pas le cas en l'occurrence.
La fin, elle, était plutôt sympa, pas extraordinaire non plus mais bien pensée.

Somme toute, Les courriers de la mort me donne moyennement envie de lire d'autres livres du même auteur.

[RC Prentice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Four men get together regularly for card games--one of them with an unknown past, arriving one day on the bus without luggage and without a past, or perhaps with a past woven from the fabric of the imagination—another spinning yarns about making and losing fortunes from gambling and drug selling; another a ship’s captain escaping the sea; the fourth, a retired postman digging his own grave just for the fun of it. Two women, cousins, comfortably well off thanks to generations of successful hat-makers before them, one almost a recluse and the other imagining herself a femme fatale, are murdered. Both women receive letters consisting only of a message: “The measure you give will be the measure you get.” After their murders, a young relative gets the same missive. A man is on a moped at two in the morning, but nobody spots him. A man resembling someone who died in 1929 and collected post office calendars, smelling of chrysanthemums (or is it chamomile?) IS spotted posting a missive in a bottomless letterbox at the gates of the cemetery, a letterbox that no longer functions but, rather, allows postings to drop onto the earth of the graveyard, which the retired postman dutifully delivers. Will not-quite-retired Commissaire Laviolette put together the arcane clues to prevent yet another murder? Is the miscreant the moped-rider or the letter-poster? Or could it be one of the four card-playing men, all with dubious pasts, except for the retired postman, whose past is well known, and would seem to be in an optimum position to carry out a self-righteous threat?

[Barak · Rating 2 out of 5]

Join together a sleepy village, a sleepy, retired, useless investigator and a very lucky murderer whose victims are utterly stupid; add to the mix pages on pages of descriptions of scenery, using as many names of obscure plants as possible, and don't forget to make sure the investigation is utterly patchy, impotent and completely anecdotal so that the murderer can kill all his intended victims and then die by a very unlikely lightning bolt just before being caught. And what do you get?
Correct! a colossal waste of time.

PS: the only spoiler is the book/author themselves.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading the first book in the series, I immediately wanted to read the next. The mysteries are macabre and yet the rural setting and likable detective bring humor to the story. Great " late night alone" reading. The translation can be a little awkward in spots, but the story is worth it anyway.

[Chrichrilecture · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mitigé
Le début de l’histoire est bien avec de bonnes descriptions sur notre cher Provence plus précisément les Alpes de hautes Provence puis très vites on tourne en rond comme dans les séries de La violette on perd vite le fil et cela devient ennuyeux

[Yves Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pour une raison mystérieuse, j’ai trouvé la lecture pénible par moment. Pourtant une assez belle plume, immersion dans le village provençal reculé...l’intrigue, les personnages et les différentes narrations ont limité mon plaisir.

[Yassi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh.

[Lily · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay, but not amazing. The suspense buildup is pretty good, but I didn't like any of the characters and its difficult for me to get into a story if I don't like any of the people in it.

[Selene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was alright until the end. The writing is beautiful but he does go on.

[Adrienne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reason for Book’s Selection: The book’s back cover grabbed my attention.

Plot: When people in a small village begin dying, it is quickly discovered that before their deaths each received a strange and cryptic message through the post. Speaking generally, the plot is moved along by the suspense which stems from wondering first who murders the citizens of the town, then why they are murdered, then what particular thing the murderer was seeking.

Characterization: As expected of a French novelist, the author becomes obsessed with the “observed” oddities of people—while this can generally make for dynamic, interesting, or memorable characters, it can also detract from the plot. At the beginning of the novel, the author introduces characters. Then, he introduces more characters. Then more and more and more—many readers will grow bored of not sticking with any particular character for long.

Narration: This is a French novel. As such, the author waxes philosophical on almost every page. As regards an issue particular to this novel, the constant switch in narrator detracts greatly. Unlike books that switch between two narrators (as is currently popular), the author freely switches between narrative styles and narrators at will, yielding an unusual cacophony of storytelling.

Description: The author describes everything. And the “everything” described usually involves sex or some philosophical aside.

Setting: French countryside

Prequel / Sequel / Etc: N/A

Ingenuity/Premise: The author’s use of the familiar phrase from the Bible as the “prior-to-death” message is ingenious.

Language: The book contains much discussion of sex and death.

Positives: Unlike many books written in the naturalistic style, this book actually contains a workable plot. Occasionally, the author’s asides yield an interesting idea or a humorous thought.

Negatives: Some of the author’s writings and characterizations are mildly inconsistent. I did not finish the novel (was 7/8 finished), as by the time I had waded to almost the end, I simply stopped caring to know what the murderer was seeking. After 246 pages of switched narrators, philosophical asides, etc…, it no longer seemed to matter whether or not I finished the novel.

[Cathy Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published in French in 1986, The Messengers of Death tells the tale of a series of crimes that occur in the 1960s. Pierre Magnan skillfully takes readers back to what seems a quaint and simpler time in the countryside of southeastern France.

Over his long career, Commissaire Laviolette has learned a great deal about the habits of people who live in small villages. He's an observant, intuitive sort of policeman who knows that the postmistress undoubtedly reads the mail that comes in and out, and he also believes that the reason for these crimes lies in the past. When one needs stored memories, where better to go than the local old people's home? His interactions with all the townspeople allows Magnan to show their foibles to perfection.

Another area in which the author excels is in using the setting and the weather to affect the mood and to create tension and suspense. In more than one scene, the killer is moving through the rooms in the victim's home, and Magnan had the hair standing on the back of my neck. (If I'd been reading late at night, I would have jumped a mile if a floorboard had creaked.)

I know that some readers worry about translated books, but I had no problems with it at all. I slid easily into the story and quickly became so intrigued that I had to know how it ended. At times throughout the book, I had to smile. Each woman's appearance and sex appeal are speculated upon in a manner that did not offend me in the slightest but made me wonder if Magnan had been a bit of a ladies' man. This book is not only an enjoyable mystery, it also oozes French charm and wit. Do I recommend Pierre Magnan's books? Bien sûr!

[Val · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm several chapters in and many characters have been introduced which is normally find but its making me confused in this book. Nothing has really happened yet because a lot of it has been devoted to showing the characters and their life. Perhaps i'm not use to reading this type of mystery & thats why i'm finding it difficult to get through - i'm use to the books that introduce a body by the second chapter. I think i'll keep plodding along to see if anything does happen.

*update* Glad I kept reading. It proved helpful to consistently read it without week size gaps. Getting to know the characters and the context of the places allowed me to care about the murdered and wanting to see justice.

[Amy Paget · Rating 4 out of 5]

These novels do NOT take place in Peter Mayle's Provence! Magnan's depiction of the hard-scrabble landscape and its characters bring incredible depth and complexity to to what might easily be dismissed as a 'retired detective set piece'. Not! The Messengers of Death,Magnan's second novel featuring Commissaire Laviolette, has much to say about history, customs, aging and collaboration. Here's the opening incident -- "Emile Pencenat is in a cemetary, designing his own ornate tomb. In a disused postbox by the gate, he discovers an envelope addressed to a Mlle Veronique Champourcieux. He is puzzled, buy being a former postman, he dutifully purchases a stamp and posts the letter" setting in motion a multilayered novel of revenge. I'm off to find the first novel,Death in the Truffle Wood

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rretired policeman Laviolette is drawn into a series of murders by Judge Chabrand. First one woman, then her cousin, is mysteriously, brutally killed. Laviolette is convinced that the secrets lie in the distant past of the Basse-Alpes, among a family of peasants all too willing to kill to preserve their little piece of land. Moody, atmospheric, and downright spooky, this will appeal to many readers of French mysteries.

[Rosanne]

I have to struggle too much to get into these books. I slogged through Death in the Truffle Wood, but there are too many other books to read and so not enough time to spend on this one. The characters don't grab me and the story is too slow moving. How do you tell a book that you're just not that into it? Moving on.

[Donna Jo Atwood · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little French mystery about a family inheritance that incites someone to murder. I don't want to spoil the plot, but I was somewhat underwhelmed.
Well, (gives a Gallic shrug) I read it. The most fascinating thing about this book is the author's picture on the back flap. And it's nothing to write home about.

[Deb · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointed in this book as I liked his other book. It has a twist to it, but its just not an enjoyable read. The plot starts out w/a family being murdered leaving a 3 week old baby alive. Baby goes back home at 23 yrs. old. What happens is a bit strange to me. Someone likes it as it received awards.

[Graham Crawford · Rating 3 out of 5]

A kooky little murder mystery that somehow avoids being quaint. Sometimes the prose was almost Gothic - certainly when it described the houses where the murders happened. I loved the Hitler kitsch chalet with perpetually crunching wood worms. The plot is pretty unbelievable but that hardly matters because this is mostly an exercise in style.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Fiction, Mystery, Translated)

Commissaire Laviolette is lured out of retirement to help investigate the bayonet murder of an avaricious spinster. As Amazon says “the theme of this is as old as Cain and Abel”.

The characters in this seemed alive and the mystery is decent. This second entry in the series surpasses the series debut A Death in the Truffle Wood.

4 stars

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting mystery; not a quick read--it seems a bit more intellectual (has bigger words!). The characters were very coarse (rustic?) and there was much more going on than at first you might think.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm pretty sure that this is the book I read. It was titled 'The Messengers Death' in English. I actually didn't enjoy the book very much and didn't like most of the characters - too dark for me, but the language was beautiful and evocative and I found that I couldn't stop reading it.

[Marilyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I must be getting old or I just don't appreciate French novels. I think this took me 3months to finish and I kept forgetting who was whom and having to go back. This type of book should be a page turner and it wasnt.