Death Set to Music

Book 117 - Mark Hebden - Death Set to Music

With this book I finish a run of 10 free eBooks. Mostly good…some very good…this one…clever…witty…Film Noir-ish with a touch of Maigret thrown in.

Written by Mark Hebden also known as Max Hennessy both were actually pen names of the late John Harris.

A prolific writer of the Inspector Pel mysteries. Set in France the chain smoking inspector solves crime at a leisurely Columbo rate…with a house keeper who looks after herself more than him and a small team of officers who almost see detecting as secondary to everything else in life, Pel goes about his job and life with a packet of cigarettes in one hand and a large glass of red in the other, at most of the cafes he frequents when show more thinking and solving crime.

Well written…bit slow and for once I worked this one out from the who…to the how and the why…

A real change of pace from more modern thrillers which build and build to a crescendo of action…this one meanders…plateaus…stumbles forwards…rests and draws you in to the inevitable reveal.

Don’t get me wrong…that isn’t a bad thing…indeed…I found it very refreshing…slow and steady wins the race…very much of its time, set in the late 1970s when it was written.

If Columbo…Maigret or any of the other detective stories of that era pique your nostalgic muscles, I recommend a visit to the old Gallic country. show less

Death Set to Music is an enjoyabe police procedural set in Burgundy. The lead character is Inspector Pel, an irascible hypochondriac with a weakness for alcohol. A local woman had been bludgeoned to death. It appears 3000 francs and some jewelry were stolen. She was a former opera singer and died while an opera album was playing which made her death “set to music” and probably covered up the sounds of her brutal murder for the housekeeper and her daughter who were both home at the time.

There are plenty of suspects with opportunity, her brother, the neighbors, the gardener, the housekeeper, daughter. There are also plenty with motive, including her husband. She was killed with the fireplace poker so anyone had the means. Figuring it show more out will take true discernment as there are plenty of red herrings.

I like curmudgeons, particularly when you can see their surface misanthropy hides tenderness and compassion. That’s Inspector Pel. There is a lot of humor, some of it a bit broad when mocking Pel’s hypochondriam his weakness in the face of offers of beer and wine, and the way he treats his subordinates. Death Set to Music is my introduction to this series and I look forward to enjoying his futher adventures.

I received an e-galley of Death Set to Music from the publisher through NetGalley.

https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2019/11/04/9781788422260/ show less

Pel #1

"Death Set to Music" is the first of the Inspector Pel novels written by John Harris using the pseudonym "Mark Hebden". He went on to write 14 more.

Pel is not an attractive hero. He is neurotic and alternately a bully and a wimp. He is terrified for his health. Nevertheless, he has a sharp mind and his assistant, Darcy, is used to him. They work together well.

As this is the first in the series, we are introduced to several other characters we expect will recur, including the pathologist, Pel's administrative supervisor, and a new young detective who proves not to be as stupid as he seems.

The mystery is a bit of a closed door murder. Instead of a body locked in a room, Pel is presented with a bludgeoned body in a lake of blood. Yet show more none of the suspects' clothes have more than a trace of blood; blood that is easily explained. The murderer is not obvious to the reader which makes this a particularly good read.

I received a review copy of "Death Set to Music: An Inspector Pel Mystery, Book 1" by Mark Hebden from the publisher, Farrago, through NetGalley.com. show less

Formulaic but still an interesting read abut French Police activities in the Burgundy area.