![]() Once you get past all the Breton and salt farming sections, things pick up rather nicely. The mystery itself had a lot of action to keep it moving forward. I loved how they interacted and worked together to solve the mystery. They were each individually enjoyable but also worked well together. I really liked the two main characters-Commissaire Dupin and Commissaire Rose. ![]() I mean the author writes with authority and authenticity but for the average reader just wanting to read a mystery novel and focus on that-those parts might be a little tedious. There was a lot of detail and while interesting, I don’t know that it was really all that necessary. While I enjoyed it, I don’t know that other readers will. The author did go into a lot of detail about the Bretons and the salt farming industry. The other part that was surprisingly interesting was the Bretons culture and history. I really loved that aspect of the story and for me that’s what made it quirky-the location and topic. I loved that it was set in the salt region of France, someplace that I know nothing about but now thanks to this story I have gotten a proper education. So many mysteries are set in familiar areas like London or Paris with the occasional book set in quaint country towns. I liked that this book was set in a completely random place. I didn’t feel terribly lost or confused as the focus was on the mystery rather than the larger storyline. This book is the third in the series (there are 6 books so far) and while it is part of a series, I thought it read perfectly well as a standalone. What’s going on in the salt works? Dupin and Rose search feverishly for clues and stumble upon false alibis, massive conflicts of interest, personal feuds-and ancient Breton legends ( summary from Goodreads). But he won’t be working alone because Sylvaine Rose is the investigator responsible for the department-and she lives up to her name… It is thanks to his secretary Nolwenn and the ambition of the prefect that Dupin is assigned to the case. ![]() The offender remains a mystery, and a short time later, Breval disappears without a trace. But when he starts snooping around mysterious barrels on behalf of Lilou Breval, a journalist friend, he finds himself unexpectedly under attack. He had actually been looking forward to escaping his endless paperwork and taking a trip to the “white country” between the raging Atlantic Ocean and idyllic rivers. Commissaire Dupin also starts to believe this when he’s attacked out of the blue in the salt works. The old salt farmers have always said that the violet scent of the Fleur de Sel at harvest time on the salt marshes of the Guérande Peninsula has been known to cause hallucinations. ![]() How does one make the ‘sea salt industry’ look glamorous and intriguing to the average reader? Even with a mystery? I was up for the challenge and dug right in. I debated about reviewing it but ultimately decided on picking it up. It’s 50/50 for me….either weird works or it doesn’t. Sometimes that works out and other times it doesn’t. Don’t get me wrong, I love traditional story telling with traditional themes and relatable stories but I also tend to gravitate toward strange or unusual books that are off the beaten path. ![]() I am always open to reading quirky books. ![]()
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