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Captain Darac #2
Fatal Music
Captain Paul Darac of the Brigade Criminelle arrives at a crime scene to find a woman's mutilated corpse. Initially routine, the case deepens and darkens into a complex enquiry that threatens to close in on Darac himself. But allegiances past and present must be set aside to unravel a tale of greed, deception and treachery that spans the social spectrum. It is among the winding streets of his own neighbourhood in Nice's old town, the Babazouk, that Darac faces his severest test yet.
463 pages, Paperback
First published April 4, 2017
About the author
Peter Morfoot
18 books11 followersPeter Morfoot has written a number of plays and sketch shows for BBC radio and TV and is the author of the acclaimed satirical novel, Burksey. He has lectured in film, holds a PhD in Art History, and has spent thirty years exploring the life, art and restaurant tables of the French Riviera, the setting for his series of crime novels featuring Captain Paul Darac of Nice’s Brigade Criminelle. He lives in Cambridge.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 29, 2025
There are worse places than Nice, on the French Riviera, to use as a location for a crime series!
On the face of it, it doesn’t sound like a place where the police force would be in huge demand, but Police Captain Paul Darac of the Brigade Criminelle, will tell you that it most definitely is!
He’s been ordered to investigate the apparently accidental death of a naked elderly lady in a hot tub, but he finds himself in an incredibly complex tangle with this particular case. Practically everyone in this story has a secret to hide: and there’s plenty of criminal activity - there’s art crime, sex crime, theft, misdemeanour and, of course, murder most foul. Given my initial reservations regarding Nice being a hotbed of crime, it seems that paradise is definitely a figment of my imagination. Another fantasy dashed!
Fatal music is the second in the Captain Darac series, and was full of twists and turns. The atmosphere in the South of France was beautifully captured, (I can almost smell the Gauloises cigarettes) ! The narrative never falters, and the characters were fascinating. A great read - goes down particularly well with a nice glass of chilled French white!
On the face of it, it doesn’t sound like a place where the police force would be in huge demand, but Police Captain Paul Darac of the Brigade Criminelle, will tell you that it most definitely is!
He’s been ordered to investigate the apparently accidental death of a naked elderly lady in a hot tub, but he finds himself in an incredibly complex tangle with this particular case. Practically everyone in this story has a secret to hide: and there’s plenty of criminal activity - there’s art crime, sex crime, theft, misdemeanour and, of course, murder most foul. Given my initial reservations regarding Nice being a hotbed of crime, it seems that paradise is definitely a figment of my imagination. Another fantasy dashed!
Fatal music is the second in the Captain Darac series, and was full of twists and turns. The atmosphere in the South of France was beautifully captured, (I can almost smell the Gauloises cigarettes) ! The narrative never falters, and the characters were fascinating. A great read - goes down particularly well with a nice glass of chilled French white!
May 19, 2019
3.5 Stars for me - looking forward to book 3
This is my introduction to Police Captain Darac of Nice. There is a book #1(Impure Blood) that was not available but I picked up books 2 & 3 at my library this weekend. I was attracted to the setting of the French Riviera and liked the idea of a jazz guitarist who is also a competent policeman with fine insights and good leadership skills.
From the beginning humour is utilized to lessen impact of dealing with murders. The team has been called to the scene of dead body in a hot tub, an older woman bloated after days of being submerged under water. They are wondering why the prosecutor has called out the full complement of scene of crime people when murder is not obvious.
"'We don't really know anything yet, do we?' Further thoughts were interrupted by an other-worldly sound. The men turned to see a little wisp of a woman hurrying toward them in a whirr of flailing arms and sobs. In pursuit was the short but strapping figure of Officer Yvonne Flaco. A blanket in lieu of a net, she looked like a butterfly collector chasing an evasive specimen.
'The corpse finder?,' Darac said. 'Uh-huh.'"
In the process of checking the interior of the villa Darac is curious to find no evidence of a robe. He finds the idea of an older woman, naked in a hot tub, despite what had been a very cold two weeks of weather more than puzzling.
The investigation of this death spreads into a rather large circle of varying groups of suspects including known criminals in the neighborhood, a prostitution ring, the world of art forgery and more. The action is mixed with Jazz and there will be several murders to solve. Just when things look close to being tied up there is a violent attack on Darac.
I meant to add that this is adult content, some sex if you don't like that in your police procedurals.
This is my introduction to Police Captain Darac of Nice. There is a book #1(Impure Blood) that was not available but I picked up books 2 & 3 at my library this weekend. I was attracted to the setting of the French Riviera and liked the idea of a jazz guitarist who is also a competent policeman with fine insights and good leadership skills.
From the beginning humour is utilized to lessen impact of dealing with murders. The team has been called to the scene of dead body in a hot tub, an older woman bloated after days of being submerged under water. They are wondering why the prosecutor has called out the full complement of scene of crime people when murder is not obvious.
"'We don't really know anything yet, do we?' Further thoughts were interrupted by an other-worldly sound. The men turned to see a little wisp of a woman hurrying toward them in a whirr of flailing arms and sobs. In pursuit was the short but strapping figure of Officer Yvonne Flaco. A blanket in lieu of a net, she looked like a butterfly collector chasing an evasive specimen.
'The corpse finder?,' Darac said. 'Uh-huh.'"
In the process of checking the interior of the villa Darac is curious to find no evidence of a robe. He finds the idea of an older woman, naked in a hot tub, despite what had been a very cold two weeks of weather more than puzzling.
The investigation of this death spreads into a rather large circle of varying groups of suspects including known criminals in the neighborhood, a prostitution ring, the world of art forgery and more. The action is mixed with Jazz and there will be several murders to solve. Just when things look close to being tied up there is a violent attack on Darac.
I meant to add that this is adult content, some sex if you don't like that in your police procedurals.
May 19, 2017
This appears to be the second book of a series surrounding Captain Paul Darac. I enjoyed the setting quite a bit as it was easy to get lost in Morfoot's descriptions of France because I've never been and have always wanted to go. I typically like to read the first book in a series first, but after I picked this (second) book up first instead, I realized that it wasn't necessary to enjoy them in order, although it may be preferred. It's a wonderful mystery, quite cozy, though possibly not intended to be so.
I would recommend this book to those in search of a good thunderstorm read, those in search of a series to sink into, and those in search of a good crime novel hero to get to know. Paul Darac isn't what I expected in a police captain character, but I say that with respect and admiration. Four stars from me.
The only gripe I have in this story is that sometimes Darac and other characters were a bit unreal and unbelievable. I very much wanted Morfoot to give me something extra, some little thing to hang onto that would flesh these people out just a bit more. It won't stop me from reading more in the series, but the little tad extra would have gone a long way.
Review originally posted at www.rhiannonwriteson.wordpress.com
I would recommend this book to those in search of a good thunderstorm read, those in search of a series to sink into, and those in search of a good crime novel hero to get to know. Paul Darac isn't what I expected in a police captain character, but I say that with respect and admiration. Four stars from me.
The only gripe I have in this story is that sometimes Darac and other characters were a bit unreal and unbelievable. I very much wanted Morfoot to give me something extra, some little thing to hang onto that would flesh these people out just a bit more. It won't stop me from reading more in the series, but the little tad extra would have gone a long way.
Review originally posted at www.rhiannonwriteson.wordpress.com
June 7, 2017
A good deep mystery that keeps you guessing , Enjoyable read ,a well written murder mystery.
May 2, 2018
I enjoyed this more than the first book. Interesting character development
The storyline about the American trying to get her hands on a house was a bit long winded though
The storyline about the American trying to get her hands on a house was a bit long winded though
June 22, 2018
somewhat disappointing
February 19, 2019
Very enjoyable - kept me engaged with twists and turns. Still enjoying the setting as well!
January 21, 2020
Not a bad crime book, started off really well. Was a bit slow at times but then it soon picked up. A good read but not one I would read again.
May 15, 2017
An engaging central character in the form of police Captain Darac, a wonderfully atmospheric capture of the South of France and a tale with many twists and false leads. A good escapist read-looking forward to 2018 and the next in the series.
December 15, 2018
The second Paul Darac has really excellent characterisation and a rich tapestry of characters that really fill out the story. It also shows an excellent knowledge of Jazz musicians that anyone interested in the genre will be interested by.
Where it doesn't quite succeed is in a plot that, although interesting, takes way too long to get there. What I found most annoying was the amount of times people stood over computer screens or pieces of paper talking in vague terms about what they were reading and pointing out how important it was. This allowed a build up to a scene in a police station that reminded me way too much of a Hercule Poirot novel where the detective goes through every stage of the story - with a team of junior detectives in tow - before unmasking the killer.
Ultimately this is a very well-written novel that is about 50 pages too long (at least). It also has at least one villainous character whose grudge makes him act in a way that does not really make sense - reminded me a lot of a subplot from the Jo Nesbo 'Harry Hole' novels..
Where it doesn't quite succeed is in a plot that, although interesting, takes way too long to get there. What I found most annoying was the amount of times people stood over computer screens or pieces of paper talking in vague terms about what they were reading and pointing out how important it was. This allowed a build up to a scene in a police station that reminded me way too much of a Hercule Poirot novel where the detective goes through every stage of the story - with a team of junior detectives in tow - before unmasking the killer.
Ultimately this is a very well-written novel that is about 50 pages too long (at least). It also has at least one villainous character whose grudge makes him act in a way that does not really make sense - reminded me a lot of a subplot from the Jo Nesbo 'Harry Hole' novels..
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews