Against the background of fascinating Provence, a fantastic case is solved. Chief Inspector Littlejohn is sent to France to make informal enquiries about a motor accident.

But his job is not easy, for he finds himself amongst the sombre, secretive inhabitants of St. Marcellin, a dying French village in the mountains of High Provence. Dominated by the aristocratic Monsieur le Marquis, the village obstructs his every move. But they had under-estimated the kindly, courteous Littlejohn.

Reviews

“One of the subtlest and wittiest practitioners of the simon-pure British detective story” - The New York Times

“Mr Bellairs always gives good value” - The Sunday Times

"Pure British detective story" – The New York Times

“Bellairs works in a comic tradition that extends from Ben Jonson… Each character has a particular trait exaggerated to the point of obsession or caricature.” - Susan B. MacDougall