The Sea Mystery

This was a good book, although I don’t consider it much of a « sea » mystery; the body is found in the river but the story moves to dry land very quickly. In this one I especially liked the emphasis on thorough analysis of all lines of inquiry (although French needs more of a team approach). Warning that this book spoils The Cask, an earlier entry in the series.

A complicated murder plot takes Inspector French on a frustrating investigation. It shows his determination to solve the case.
It's a plot driven story in the English countryside. The characters do not get developed but the complexity of the plot makes up for that.
Good reading for fans of traditional English detective stories.

To me, this story is a bit too close to the classic The Cask, as it also involves finding a dead body in a container, this time a crate in the sea. As usual it is competently handled by Inspector French.

Inspector French, l'un des trois détectives satisfaisants selon Auden dans son article The Guilty Vicarage. A essayer.