The Messengers of Death: A Mystery in Provence [Hardcover]

Pierre Magnan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 2008

“Stylish . . . Magnan blends elegant clue laying and deft characterizations that strike to the core of human frailties, all within a detective tale with a theme as old as Cain and Abel, as new as tomorrow's headlines and as eternal as the Greek myths that inspire Magnan's fiction.”
---Publishers Weekly (starred review), Best Mysteries of 2008

Last year Death in the Truffle Wood introduced renowned French crime writer Pierre Magnan to rave American reviews. Now the celebrated Commissaire Laviolette is back in a second delectable mystery set in Provence.

Emile Pencenat is in a cemetery, designing his own ornate tomb. In a disused postbox by the gate he discovers an envelope addressed to a Mlle Veronique Champourcieux. He is puzzled, but being a former postman, he dutifully purchases a stamp and posts the letter. When the body of this same Mlle Veronique is later discovered---pinned to her own piano by a bayonet attached to an ancient ri?e---Commissaire Laviolette is coaxed out of retirement to solve one of the most bizarre crimes imaginable.

Tautly plotted and brimming with suspense, The Messengers of Death is a story of dark vengeance and avarice that will thrill and intrigue Magnan’s ever-growing audience in the English-speaking world.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. A crime offering delicate soupçons of passionate desires and outrageous sex lures former Superintendent Laviolette out of retirement in Magnan's stylish second Provence mystery (after 2007's Death in the Truffle Wood). When avaricious spinster Véronique Champourcieux is found with 30 centimeters of rusty 1871 bayonet in her belly, Laviolette's old acquaintance Judge Chabrand enlists his help in the murder investigation. As one grisly killing after another ensues, the pair delve into long-repressed secrets of the poor, harsh Provençal countryside. Magnan blends elegant clue laying and deft characterizations that strike to the core of human frailties, all within a detective tale with a theme as old as Cain and Abel, as new as tomorrow's headlines and as eternal as the Greek myths that inspire Magnan's fiction. (Oct.)
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From Booklist

The second Commissaire Laviolette mystery (Death in the Truffle Wood, 2007) opens in the Provence village of Banon with the death of a local woman shortly after she receives a mysterious letter. Laviolette, now happily retired and ruled by his large band of cats, is only reluctantly drawn in to investigate after being repeatedly pestered by his friend, Judge Chabrand. Mademoiselle Veronique’s death is not the first; it seems all her female relations are being targeted, and Laviolette is convinced that the answer lies in the family’s tumultuous past. The story unfolds slowly, wrapped in the rich atmosphere of 1960s Provence. The landscape, with its distinctive scenery and way of life, becomes as much of a character as Laviolette. Best-sellers in France, these delightful, old-fashioned mysteries will appeal to readers who prefer their crime fiction with a strong sense of place and a heavy dose of local atmosphere. The Provence setting will draw in Peter Mayle fans, even if they are not regular mystery readers. --Jessica Moyer

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; First Edition edition (September 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312387563
• ISBN-13: 978-0312387563
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,128,138 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Dark and Stormy Night in France . . ., November 28, 2008

By 

Francisco Espaillat (Orlando) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Messengers of Death: A Mystery in Provence (Hardcover)

If you're willing to engage in quite a bit of suspension of disbelief, you'll be rewarded by smart writing, engaging characters and a page-turner plot set in the dark yet appealing French countryside. The dialogue seems a bit awkward, sort of like anime cartoons translated from Japanese. It's understandable, but English speakers don't usually speak as disjointedly as the French characters do.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Too hard to get into, March 23, 2010

By 

avid reader (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Messengers of Death: A Mystery in Provence (Hardcover)

I have a policy that I give EVERY book until atleast page 50 to grab and interest me. Unfortunately I could not get into this book. As another reviewer has stated, it is written in such cut english that I had a hard time reading the dialogue. I LOVE mystery novels....and was so sad I could not get into this one. The opening scene had me so interested...and then it seemed to get less interesting from there. Like I said, I gave it 50 pages, and I realised it was taking way too much effort to considering "leisurly reading". I think that if you are an intellectual and a deep thinker, you would probably have an easier time with this book. See, I read as an "escape". I am a stay at home mom, so my couple hours of "me" time to read is very precious...so if it requires too much attention, I am not interested. Hope some of you might be able to enjoy this book more! I was sad I could not:(

4.0 out of 5 stars charming and clever, April 8, 2010

By 

reneereader (rockville, md USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Messengers of Death: A Mystery in Provence (Commissaire LaViolette Mystery) (Paperback)

I didn't have any trouble getting into this book as the one reviewer did. I figured that any stiltedness came from translation - plus these characters are not ones who would be super talkative anyway. What I enjoyed most was the clever way the author described settings and wry social interactions. For instance, the descriptions of whether the local postmistress has read or seen the person posting the letter later known to be written by the murderer: we see the postmistress speculating about it, the detective thinking to himself she probably read it, the umbrage she takes at the idea of her offending the privacy of the post! Oolala, the little character points. The murders and the reasons behind them were set up well to make you want to know why these women are being targeted and just what "treasure" it is the murderer wants that they are hiding. The author does a nice job of using the environment and setting to increase the sense of some tragedy playing out. Yet at the same time it feels a lot like a "cozy" or "country house" mystery. We feel buffered from too much gore, and the provincial setting with all the townspeople and their little ways reminded me a bit of Agatha Christie. I plan to read the others as they are translated to English.