Heather’s Bookshelf: Homicide Herault
Author: Bluette Matthey
Released: 12/25/22
Genre: Mystery
“‘Hardy is exactly who he seems to be. He has a trek business for points in Europe.” He paused, then added, “He also has an unusual skill set from his military training and for reasons unknown to anyone has a knack for wading into mysteries, stumbling upon dead bodies, and bringing criminals to justice.’”
“Homicide Herault” is a part of a series “Hardy Durkin Travel Mystery” but can be read alone. This review and read was done as a standalone. Hardy Durkin is running a travel trek program which has brought him to the south of France. Hardy has led a group of cyclists in Beziers to a little lunch spot where they can take a break and swim. But when one of their group happens upon a couple of skeletons, their carefree day out turns into a murder mystery.
The skeletons seem to belong to an American and a French soldier with connections to a controversial time in French history - and one of them is carrying a film strip.
Luckily, Hardy has experience with such things and also has some pretty useful/powerful connections. He calls in Lieutenant Colonel Alain Clotiers and Captain Luc Buvain to investigate and hopes to push through with his tour. But when another murder happens right in front of him, he has no choice but to help find the culprit.
Trigger Warning: violence, murder, adult language, reference to prostitution and human trafficking
Overall, I enjoyed this book. Though this is part of a series, I felt the author did well in including enough details from the other books in combination with descriptions in this story to give a solid background for Hardy and his friends. The descriptions of Beziers were exemplary and I felt that I could “see” the little shops and smell the wonderful food. The portion that described Fania at the Feria festival and her performance was also clear and lovely. I also enjoyed the historical tidbits placed throughout the tale that also were important to the overall story. However, I wish I would have felt more of a connection to the ancillary characters. There were a couple of hints of Lane being an out-of-shape loner or Lilith being a spoiled housewife, but more development with the group would have been intriguing, especially for how the tale ended. Speaking of how it ended, I liked the finality of it, but thought there was a portion that seemed a little out there (I don’t want to give anything away). The tale itself wrapped everything up for this individual story while keeping it wide open and hinting at the next stop for Hardy’s adventures. I for one, would be glad to read it.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A beautifully described setting provides an picturesque backdrop for a mystery that develops from a cold case to an active murder to something else.
Want to learn more about the author?
Check out my interview with Bluette Matthey
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Find it for purchase here
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