Tödliche Camargue

Capitain Roger Blanc #2

by Cay Rademacher

Dunkle Geheimnisse in der Camargue - Capitaine Roger Blancs zweiter Fall

August, die Luft über der Provence flirrt in drückender Hitze. Capitaine Roger Blanc und sein Kollege Marius Tonon werden in die Camargue gerufen: Ein schwarzer Kampfstier ist ausgebrochen und hat einen Fahrradfahrer mit den Hörnern aufgespießt. Ein bizarrer Unfall, so sieht es zunächst aus. Bis Blanc ein Indiz dafür entdeckt, dass jemand das Gatter absichtlich geöffnet hat.
Der Tote ist Albert Cohen, Reporter eines Politmagazins, Modeintellektueller aus Paris, Fernsehberühmtheit. Er war in der Camargue, um einen großen Artikel über Vincent van Gogh zu schreiben. Doch was kann das mit dem Anschlag zu tun haben? Während ein fröhlicher Bautrupp das alte Dach von seiner halb verfallenen Ölmühle abträgt, aber kein neues eindeckt, stößt Blanc bei seinen Ermittlungen auf Cohens unvollendete Reportage, die gar nicht so harmlos ist, wie sie zunächst aussieht – und auf eine alte Geschichte, die jeder, aber auch wirklich jeder vergessen will. Mit seinem zweiten Fall kommt Blanc seiner neuen Heimat ein Stück näher. Doch der Preis, den er dafür zahlen muss, ist hoch.

Mord in der Provence - Capitaine Roger Blanc ermittelt:
Band 1: Mörderischer Mistral
Band 2: Tödliche Camargue
Band 3: Brennender Midi
Band 4: Gefährliche Côte Bleue (erscheint Mai 2017)

Alle Bände sind eigenständige Fälle und können unabhängig voneinander gelesen werden.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, France, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook, Cozy Mystery

Paperback

First published March 12, 2015

About the author

1965 in Flensburg geboren, studierte in Köln und Washington Anglo-Amerikanische Geschichte, Alte Geschichte und Philosophie und lebt heute mit seiner Familie in der Provence.

Seit einigen Jahren Redakteur bei GEO sowie Geschäftsführender Redakteur des Geschichtsmagazins GEO EPOCHE. Außerdem schreibt R. historische Romane und Sachbücher.

Reviews

[Cristina Lazăr · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://carti.blog/2024/11/26/moartea...

[Caroline]

Good lockdown / broken ankle read. The first in the detective Roger Blanc series was a better mystery , and probably better overall. But this was good. I always enjoy books that teach me some history, in this case about a specific terrorist group that came out of the 1970s. Some reviewers say it lacks the charm of Peter Mayle. For me, that’s fine. I’m looking for something more realistic, without being a totally calamitous hopeless view of life. The ending here, ( not the confession, but how it plays out) seemed very realistic. How more than one case in a policeman’s life culminates, no doubt.

And I am enjoying getting to know more about Blanc’s colleagues and neighbors. Since this is set in a heat wave in Provence, this Californian joined them in a Ricard or two.

[Sonja Bee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Provence-Krimi mit ungewöhnlicher Tötungsweise.

An dem Buch hat mir der reine Kriminalfall gefallen und dass man kulturell und geschichtlich einiges über die Camargue und Vincent Van Goghs Leben lernt.

Der Rest dazwischen war unglaubwürdig und teils peinlich.
Das Buch ist 2015 erschienen und seitdem in mehreren Auflagen veröffentlich worden.
Es kann mir doch keiner erzählen, dass bei Wörtern wie Schlitzaugen und Z-Wort-Musik heutzutage niemand mehr im Verlag bedenken äußert.
Außerdem ist das Frauenbild teils naja. Wenn eine Frau eine kurze Hose anhat ist es aufreizend.
Aber dass unser lieber Monsieur Blanc es mit den Frauen schwer hat möchte Rademacher uns am liebsten auf jeder Seite erzählen.
Er vermisst so sehr seine bald Ex-Frau Genevieve, dass Blanc sich regelmäßig bei einer anderen Frau trösten muss.
Dazu scheint er noch ein Auge auf Paulette, die Nachbarin, geworfen zu haben.

Zu allem Überfluss gehen auch noch das Ziegeldach und sein alter Espace kaputt und es stellt sich heraus, dass sich Würmer im Dachgebälk befinden.
Alles sehr teure ungeplante Kosten für den Polizisten die ihm ein großes Loch in seine Ersparnisse reißen.
Dies hindert ihn jedoch nicht daran in der Woche mehrmals mit einerseits seinen Kolleg:innen und andererseits seiner Affäre feudal essen zu gehen UND ein Hotelzimmer zu buchen.
Dieses Hü und Hott, diese Unglaubwürdigkeit ist eigentlich das Größte was mich an diesem Buch gestört hat.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

By accident I started this book with the second installment my mistake of course. This is a book about a French Police lieutenant who was send away from Paris for doing his job too good down south to the Camargue. He has found that his life down south does suit him in the wake of his divorce and living in his house he inherited does come with some extra costs.

A fellow on a bike gets gutted by an escaped fighting bull and Robert Blanc, our hero, is the only one who in the beginning considers something else than an accident. His colleagues consider this option a lot of bull.
As the story continues in a slow pace that fits the heatwave currently punishing the people of the region, we get a famous reporter that died, a story about a theft of a van Gogh painting that has never been solved, a history in terrorism and the daily life of a copper in the Providence in France.
It is a fun read that does not outstay its welcome and makes for relaxed reading.
I have a weak spot for these Italian and French tales from the countryside and as such this one s quite a bit of fun. They are a far cry from the high octane action thrillers I enjoy but somehow a change of pace is good for the soul. And of course I did enjoy my backpacking through France al by myself so this one was just enjoyable.
By now I am halfway through the first book so yes I will return to the life of Robert Blanc who was banished from Paris, his tenacious investigating might just be what the South of France needs.

[Ioana · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Moartea în Camargue" de Cay Rademacher este al doilea roman din seria Roger Blanc, după "Mistralul ucigaș", citit de mine anul trecut.
În sudul arzător al Franței are loc un accident nefericit. Un jurnalist cunoscut din Paris este găsit fără suflare alături de ucigașul său, un taur de elită. Simțul căpitanului Roger Blanc îi spune că acesta nu are cum să fie un simplu accident, ci o crimă ingenioasă. Așa că începe discret, dar intens, cercetările, dând peste secrete ce se îmbârligă cu lumea artei și a operei lui Vincent Van Gogh.
Am scris mai multe despre carte într-un articol publicat pe blog.

https://ciobanuldeazi.home.blog/2023/...

[Natalia · Rating 1 out of 5]

1,9 *
Mă umflă rasul când văd rating-ul ăsta. Am tot împins balanța între una sau două stele, având, uneori, sentimentul că sunt prea nemiloasă cu această carte.

Aveam o altă idee formată despre romanele polițiste, diferită de imaginea pe care mi-a creat-o acest roman. Nici nu știu dacă l-aș băga în categoria de roman polițist fiind nu chiar convinsă că, e într-adevăr unul. Nu o dată parcurgând romanul am avut senzația că tot ce ar trebui să fie "polițist" e trecut în plan secund. Am avut impresia că autorul trebuie să scrie un anumit număr de pagini și a băgat tot felul de aiureli că să-și ducă misiunea la capăt. Și, colac peste pupăză, mă mai și lasă cu buza umflată lăsând "marea enigmă" a poveștii rămânând enigmă. Cine mă a furat tabloul ăla? În fine.
Hai să îndreptăm reflectoarele asupra polițistului nostru, care, nici nu am înțeles ce se vrea a fi. Intabil emoțional-numai un gând fugar la fosta soție îl și face să cadă că într-un fel de transă.
Nu mai vorbesc de cadrul crimei și tot ce ține de încercarea de a o rezolva.
#dezamăgire
this is how "romanele polițiste ieftine" looks like?

P.S.Am fost foarte surprinsă să văd că e destul de apreciată acestă carte. Mă întreb de ce.

Câteva lucruri care m-au făcut să văd, încă o dată, superficialitatea valorilor promovate și m-au făcut să-l pun pe acest autor în categoria celor pe care "nu îi voi mai citi vreodată".
Voi lăsa câteva pasaje din carte.
~Hoții de obiecte de artă sunt fie niște personaje strâmbe pentru care un tablou este cam ceea ce este un băiețel pentru un pedofil [...].
~O clădire tencuită de mult în alb, care acum strălucea într-o tentă gri, de parcă ar fi fost pipăită fără jenă peste tot de mâinile unsurosoase ale unor copii
CE E ASTA? SERIOS, DE CE SE PUBLICĂ AȘA CEVA?

~Își dorea ca locuitorii din Bel Air să mănânce mai multe pulpe de broaște penteu că lumea să poată purta o conversație în condiții normale. (Asta se vrea a fi amuzant?)
"Multe cărți ar trebui rescrise"

"Existau oameni care se dedicau în viața lor unor meserii fără sens [...]" - nu m-aș fi oprit la această idee dacă nu aș ști că e o carte scrisă, publicată și citită în zilele noastre. Dacă astfel de idei clișeice se transmit pron literară, spre care statia adolescenți sunt îndemnați să-și deschidă inima, nu vă mirați de direcția în care o va lua generația ce vine.
Să nu zic că această carte mai are idei din astea precum și unele la dreptul misogine.
Se pare că în zilele noastre trebuie să ai grijă să nu cumva să pui în lumină mai întunecată o persoană cu orientare sexuală netradițională, sau și mai rău, să te ferească să publici o carte în care să nu ai un personaj din această categorie, dar referirea la "pasiunea" unui pedofil nici nu e considerată ca ceva neînregulă.

Alte citate:
~tăcerea pare mult mai ușoară decât mărturisirea~
~[...] n-ai să ajungi prea departe doar prin talent. Există mulți oameni talentați pe lume asta dar puține vedete~
~[...] indiferent de ceea ce psihologii, istoricii de artă sau doctorii șarlatani vă băgă pe gât astăzi: nu originea, educația sexuală sau chiar suma talentelor sale fac din artist un artist, ci geniul său!~
~Chiar și în cea mai frumoasă grădină de trandafiri pute grămada de mraniță.~

"Se poate face o poveste din orice." MĂ ÎNDOIESC

Promovăm toleranță, egalitate și acceptare dar publicăm și le dăm copiilor noștri cărți din astea care protejează cu totul și cu totul altceva. Ideile fine și aparent foarte inofensive din spatele a tot ce citești aici sunt cutremurătoare și ar trebui să ne pună semne de întrebare.

[Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

It is very hot during summer in Provence, but Captaine Roger Blanc and his partner Marcus Tonon are nonetheless called to a mysterious accident in the Camargue. It seems a fighting bull has gored a passing cyclist. Or, was it an accident? The gate to the bull’s pasture was left open – on purpose?

The dead man is Albert Cohen, a magazine reporter who specialized in politics among other things. He was from Paris. He had come to the Camargue to write a story about Vincent Van Gogh.

When Blanc finds Tonon’s incomplete manuscript, it isn’t as innocuous as first assumed. The suspects they discover during the investigation are man, and for many and varied reasons and not just the Van Gogh story. Could it be the old art theft of the Van Gogh from the Musee Maly?

The suicide of one of their suspects only slightly rattles Blanc and Tonon. Behind a letter is left addressed to Blanc. In it the deceased person outlines some things he saw wrong with Blanc’s investigation. Blanc feels guilt and shame at the man’s death.

But the police get a confession and it all feels rather anticlimactic.

This is a well written story. The plotting is a little confusing, but perhaps that is a problem with the translation. I’m not sure I liked Blanc. He seemed – well, I’m not sure what he seemed. Unsure of himself? Going aimlessly from theory to theory?

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur for forwarding to me a copy of this book to read and review.

[Nancy Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overall. Great book to read when it’s freezing out as the author continually talks about the ongoing heat wave in Provence

[Guylou (Two Dogs and a Book) · Rating 3 out of 5]

What does the murder of a rice mogul, the theft of a van Gogh Painting, and the gruesome death of a journalist by bull impalement have in common? You will have to read this awesome detective novel to find out. Capitaine Blanc is on a case which will look in the past and present. What appears to be an accident, smells like murder to him.

I was attracted to this book because of its van Gogh connection. I am a big fan of the artist and I am always interested to read stories where he is involved (in some way). This detective novel is intelligent and gripping. There are so many clues and many suspects.

This novel is the second book in the Provence Mystery Series. I love all the French references and landscapes. If you like Agatha Christie books, you will like this one.

A big thank you to Minotaur Book and St. Martin’s Publishing Group of my advanced reader’s copy of this awesome detective story. Deadly Camargue by Cay Rademacher will be available at your favorite bookstore on November 20th, 2018.
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[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tödliche Camargue ist mehr als ein Krimi. Cay Rademacher erzählt auch in diesem Teil viel über die Region, in der der aktuelle Fall für Roger Blanc spielt. Dass in der Camargue Reis angebaut wird, wusste ich ebenso wenig wie die Tatsache, dass auch hier Stier kämpfen, wenn auch anders als in Spanien. Auch von Festen und anderen Traditionen habe ich gelesen. Die Sommerhitze im Buch nimmt Rademacher als Anlass zur Mahnung, nicht nur auf sich, sondern auch auf die Menschen in seiner Umgebung zu achten.

Roger kommt immer mehr in seiner neuen Heimat und in seinem neuen Team an. Er versteht sich immer besser mit seinen Nachbarn und schließt erste Freundschaften. Bei der Arbeit ist es nur sein Chef, der ihm immer wieder Rätsel aufgibt. Mit dem Rest der Kollegen versteht er sich gut und hat sich an den anderen Arbeitsrhythmus gewöhnt.

Dabei gerät der Tod des Journalisten fast zur Nebensache. Ohnehin habe ich manchmal den Eindruck gewonnen, dass die Ermittlungen zumindest für den aktuellen Fall fast eine Nebenrolle spielen. Sicherlich gibt es Spuren, die in die Vergangenheit führen, aber trotzdem sollte sich das Team davon nicht ablenken lassen.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somehow I missed the first of this new series and, after enjoying Deadly Camargue, I will go back and read Murderous Mistral. Captaine Roger Blanc is a man tossed out of his comfort zone in midlife. After a successful career as a policeman in Paris he has crossed the line with some people in power and that gets him turfed out of Paris and into the South of France and the Camargue. At the same time his wife decides to go her own way (with a lover) now that their two children are grown and Roger is gone. She keeps their Paris apartment and he gets the broken down car and a broken down converted olive oil mill that had belonged to his uncle. Both Roger's life and the old mill are in need of serious fixing up. Roger Blanc is a man who is being forced to reinvent most of himself and he is really struggling. But, as he is a very good investigator, when the gored body of a nationally known reporter is found next to his bike and so is the deadly fighting bull......the conclusion is that it was a tragic accident. Or was it? Blanc digs deeper along with the help of his co-worker, Fabienne Souillard, a lady with mad computer skills. Between them they uncover more than just a death by fighting bull. Can it be connected to an art theft from 1990? A Van Gogh painting was stolen from a small local museum and the case went stone cold. Might it be heating up because of Blanc's new case?
Along with being a very smooth translation and a multi layered mystery, the draw for me was the focus on Van Gogh and the setting of the South of France. I'm looking forward to seeing what life has in store of Roger Blanc in the next mystery.
My thanks to St. Martin's/Minotaur Books and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Judy · Rating 2 out of 5]

A black bull who murders isn't a usual subject for a mystery, but there's one here in the Camargue where bull fighting, flamingos, steamy August weather, and rice-growing are all part of the Provence countryside and the plot. The investigation even manages to draw in the question of whether Vincent Van Gosh's missing ear was really self-mutilation. Capitaine Roger Blanc, who lives in an old oil mill whose tiled roof is blowing away, has been banished to the countryside when his over-zealous work in Paris wasn't appreciated. Now he's on another quixotic quest to find a crime where his colleagues and boss see only an unfortunate accident and want to close the case of a mountain biker killed by a bull. Blanc, who has a sterile personal life that includes sleeping with a woman married to a powerful man as he pines after his wife and awaits with dread the arrival of the divorce papers, bounces over the countryside in an old deux chevaux to trace connections between the victim, Albert Cohen, a Parisian political reporter, and two old crimes, a political murder and the theft of a Van Gogh.

Athough the tiled roof, the oil mill, and the scent of roadside rosemary rang true, the Provencial setting and art theft seemed a thin, throw-it-all-into-the-pot ploy to tag along with current best-sellng themes.

[Laura Hundley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book certainly caught me off guard. I could not put it down. Only a few books have been placed in that category and this is one. A rogue police officer Roger Blanc, who has butted heads with the higher echelon, was moved from Paris to the South of France and the Camargue. Roger’s life has drastically changed and he must try to move on and start anew. His wife left him for another man and she got the house and the good stuff while he got the car that needs repair and the old mill he inherited that is also in dire need of remodeling. Yet all of that will need to be placed on the back burner. A body is found Beside a dead fighting bull. At first glance it looks as though it could be an accident but Roger thinks different. Then there is something that happened in the past with art being stolen and they may be able to connect the two together. The author does a great job with the historical parts as well as providing details about present crimes in the book that help the reader to follow along without difficulties. Rademacher does not disappoint. This is a great thriller from page one.

Thank you to netgalley as well as the author/publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again, I was seduced by the locale, the Camargue region, comprising wetlands and marshy areas of Provence. (During WWII, farmers from Vietnam, which was then a French colony, were brought to the region to grow rice in the marshes. The red rice is now a feature of local cuisine.)
It's not often that a fighting bull figures as a murder weapon, but that's what the detective thinks may be the case after a high-profile journalist is gored after cycling past a field where the gate has been left open. The French bull-fighting tradition is vastly different from the Spanish one; for starters, the bullfighters are armed only with what looks like a large crochet hook. which is used to retrieve a rosette from the base of one of the bull's horns. Having witnessed this on a Road Scholar trip, I was quite intrigued by Deadly Camargue.
The mystery surrounding Van Gogh's last years in the region also comes into play, but I might not have given this four stars simply on the basis of the story itself. However, If you fancy a side trip to this less visited corner of Provence, Deadly Camargue is just the ticket!

[Gică Andreica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lumea antică, indiferent dacă ne referim în proximitate, la greci, romani, vikingi... sau ne îndepărtăm, spre popoarele amerindiene, azteci, incași, mayași... a avut o predilecție pentru sacrificiile umane și animale, aducând jertfe de sânge unor zei păgâni, cruzi și orgolioși, ce-și amenințau adulatorii cu pedepse crunte, precum potopul sau dispariția soarelui înainte de următorul răsărit. Mai târziu, ca o reminiscență a vitelor ucise pe altar, în lumea hispanică au apărut celebrele coride, confruntările, sub formă de divertisment, între om și taur, ce se purtaseră cândva între muritor și zeu. În prezent, putem găsi o variantă adaptată a acestora în sudul Franței, mai exact în Camargue, unde jucătorii, cunoscuți ca raseteur-i, încearcă să scoată, cu o unealtă specială, asemănătoare unei furci, cocardele din coarnele taurilor, înainte ca animalele antrenate ani la rând să se repeadă asupra lor și să-i spintece.

http://www.cartilemele.ro/2023/05/rec...

[Pietavandyke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up because I once made a short visit to the Camargue and was taken by the unique landscape, culture and history. Having read it I think its OK, but never really grabbed my interest. I like some of the characters - I like his lesbian colleague, but not sure why his alcoholic partner is still employed and tolerated. I like his neighbours. His affair with a judge, who is married to his superior, seems gratuitous, as does his use of a derelict vehicle, with no working tail lights and which is unable to go at more than 45 km. The means of death of the victim, gored by a bull, is unusual, and the culprit ends up being one of the small group of suspects.

[Michaela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spannender Krimi, für den die Camargue und die dortige Kampfstierzucht die Kulisse bieten. In diesem zweiten Fall des Capitains Blanc festigt sich das kleine Team um ihn weiter, die beiden Kollegen entwickeln sich zu seinen Freunden. Dass diese drei gelegentlich gegen das gesamte Polizeirevier arbeiten, gehört wohl genauso zum Instrumentarium vieler Kriminalschriftsteller wie die Tatsache, dass in diesem Kriminalfall Geheimdienste und alte Terrorgeschichten eine Rolle spielen. Beides empfinde ich als eher störend. Wie der Fall nun endlich aufzulösen ist, war aber so spannend, dass ich trotzdem eine gute Gesamtwertung vergebe.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second book in the series continues the excellent storytelling of the first. Roger Blanc has been demoted from police service in Paris and sent down to the provinces,specifically Provence. And he is not especially welcomed there by his superior or his co-workers. When well known journalist is killed by a fighting bull in the Camargue, everyone else looks at it as a tragic accident but Blanc senses there is more to it than that. Wonderful, atmospheric police procedural. Looking forward to more from this author.

[Martina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deadly Camargue is the second Roger Blanc novel in the series by Cay Rademacher. I enjoyed the first book in the series very much. Usually do like books set in the South of France. This was a pleasant visit to an area of Southern France that is not as familiar to me. Interesting material about bull 'fighting' special to the area (which sounded akin to the bull leaping of Minoan art), also Vincent van Gogh, and the action of radical groups in France and Germany. Also crazy tile roof issues! Yes, some very funny bits in between the deadly serious situations. A super fast listen with a good narrator. Just what I needed.

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good series set in Provence, which is not a coincidence. We have been reading the Martin Walker books, but like many things, we have now read them all. So looking for other mysteries that are set in France. This series sees Blanc, a Paris police officer who has been set out to pasture because of his relentless pursuit of the truth at the expense of his job, is settling into his grain mill cum house, and doing what he does best.

[Penney Peirce · Rating 5 out of 5]

I visited the Camargue in France many years ago and was absolutely fascinated with its uniqueness. This detective mystery is set in Southern France and has a great mix of dry wit, unusual creativity, colorful settings, and a plot that weaves together an accident that's really a murder, a possible heist of a missing Van Gogh painting, and a history of an anticapitalist group from years prior. It is skillfully done and I'm definitely going to read Rademacher's other books.

[Michael Dunn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of good things in the book. Ploting is excellent and is how the setting is described.
Roger is very readable.
Main problem is its full of cliches. the Policeman is in a failed marriage, not connected with his kids.
partner is a drunk, at odds with his superior, in an affair with someone powerful wife.

Still readable but not very orginal.
Other problem is that only the first 2 books seemed to be translated to English.

[Michael Springer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Peter Mayle without the charm, this is still a pretty good little entry into the "travel crime" genre. Herr Rademacher loosens up a bit as he develops the story, which starts with a well-known Parisian journalist being gored to death by a Camargue bull. An accident, or did someone release the bull on purpose?

[Susan Springer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating: 2.5. The murder by wild bull in the first half of the book is ludicrous, however a more sophisticated plot line is developed in the second half which redeems the book. The writing, although technically adequate, completely lacks the charm of a Peter Mayle Provence tale. This was a slow read
that I wouldn't recommend.

[Arnita Medina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I give it more a 3.5 stars, I liked the book enough to finish it. I liked the main character, but no other character was I felt in my opinion, developed enough to care about.
I read the second book without reading the reading the first, I don't know if that would have made a difference in my review.
I would like to read the first book to perhaps get a better back ground on the main characters.

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm giving it a three because I sometimes had a hard time following it, and it seemed to wrap up too easily at the end. But I truly enjoyed the book, really liked the main character, loved the description of the physical location. I enjoyed it enough to order one of the other books in the series, Murderous Mistral.

[Tina Cauthorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. The main character, Roger Blanc, is a policeman that was transferred from Paris to a tiny village in the south of France, for political reasons. Kind of a fish out of water. It’s fun to see Blanc begin to enjoy his new world. In this book I learned about the Camargue. I was not familiar with this area in France and it was interesting to learn new things about France. I liked the book and found the characters engaging.

[Kimberly Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Blanc is back and diligently working on the murder of a cycling reporter by a bull, let loose by....

Evidence is uncovered that van Gogh did not maim himself, but was cut by Gauguin... and then it disappears from the police archives in Arles.

A long lost (stolen) van Gogh is still being searched for... and we learn a bit of history of Camargue's riz rouge (Red Rice)

The end was drawn out and the description narrative was a bit boring, but otherwise the book held my interest

[RC Prentice · Rating 3 out of 5]

The hooks for this narrative are daily life in the little-known and even less-visited “cowboy” region of Provence; an art theft; and a revisiting of the life of Vincent Van Gogh. The plot of this police procedural hangs on what a journalist may or may not have discovered, and the efforts of local law enforcement in the person of a capitaine newly-transplanted from Paris to put it all together.

[Maryanne R. Marcellin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed getting to know Captain Blanc more in this book. But he sure does have a long road to hoe to get what he needs or wants in this new life of his. Learned a lot of Van Gough but will admit that I was just as left down as the captain for the final verdict of this mystery. Hoping there is a third installment of this series to see how he fairs with his new life in the south of France.