One day I will catch up with reviewing the books I read over the last few months. Anyway, here’s a review of the third Jacques Forêt mystery, Montbel. This was on the target list for my 2019 challenges, and has counted towards my 2019 Goodreads Challenge– and it’s my seventh Cloak and Dagger read of 2019; with two more to review.
Montbel
by
Angela Wren (Goodreads Author)
A clear-cut case? A
re-examination of a closed police case brings investigator, Jacques Forêt, up
against an old adversary.
After the murder of a key witness, Jacques finds himself, and his team, being
pursued. When a vital piece of evidence throws a completely different light on
Jacques’ case, his adversary becomes more aggressive, and Investigating
Magistrate Pelletier threatens to sequester all of Jacques papers and shut down
the case. Can Jacques find all the answers before Pelletier steps in?
The Jacques Forêt mystery series:
Messandrierre
Merle
Montbel
Review 4.4 stars
This was another intriguing case for Jacques Forêt with a plot that involved chefs and identities, clouded by family intrigue.
It was great to be back in the Cevennes with Jacques, Beth and co. I savoured the familiarity of the setting and the characters, despite the speed at which I devoured the pages. At 178 pages, this was always going to be a fast read, and the dual plots ensured I was wanting more.
Hence, also the brevity of this review.
One plot even builds on the previous book Merle. Plus, Beth, as a photographer gets her own leads to follow – her own mystery to solve – while proving indispensable to Jacques with his investigation. Their romance adds to the novel in a satisfying way.
As before, the French elements imbue the storylines and makes for a rich atmosphere.
One plot ends with a cliff-hanger, and I missed having a resolution. In a way, that sets up the next anticipated book. Jacques and Beth are such memorable characters, I can’t wait to see what happens next.
A fun read, although short – so, four stars plus.
Story – four stars
Setting/World-building – five stars
Characters – five stars
Authenticity – five stars
Structure – four stars
Readability – four stars
Editing – four stars
Writing Wings 
Police procedural, eh? Sounds good! I must admit, though, it never occurred to me that crime fiction would have cliffhangers so you had to read the next book. I wouldn’t like that, even if I liked the story. It’s one reason I read so little secondary world fantasy.
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I’m not fond of cliffhangers either, Sue – not at the end of a novel. I might have knocked off more stars if I didn’t like other aspects as well.
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I hadn’t heard of this series. It sounds good. I don’t love cliffhangers either, but sometimes it’s okay, as long as it’s not the main plot, more of a sideline.
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This is a series I’ll keep reading, Carol – and the cliffhanger on the side so acceptable – as long as the resoluton is imminent. Angela Wren tells me Book 4 is out soon.
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