Chief Inspector Pel is taking a well-deserved break from detective work, and setting off for his honeymoon with his new wife, Genevive. Surely there's nothing more relaxing than an island getaway, and a bout of ferocious seasickness on the ferry journey there is a small price to pay.


But the newlyweds' holiday plans are disrupted when a local taxi driver is murdered on their first night. More puzzling is his attempt to reach Pel before the brutal killing and his message is one of murder, arson and smuggling. Can Pel break the silence surrounding the Islanders, and catch the killer?


Moody, sharp-tongued and worrying constantly about his health, Inspector Pel ensures that no case goes unsolved, in these mordantly witty French mysteries.


Praise for the Inspector Pel Mystery series: 'Totally convincing.' Financial Times
'Mr Hebden has created a nice band of flics.' Oxford Times
'Pel and his procedurals are some of the best things since Maigret.' Observer
'Chief Inspector Evariste Clovis Dsir Pel, as well rounded a character as Maigret or Van der Valk.' Punch
'Impeccable French ambience, unexaggerated flics, and a well-constructed solution. Hebden proves again that few understand Gallic cops better than English writers!' The Times
'Some characters grow as their saga lengthens and Pel... is one of them. You might say he is ripening along with the grapes.' Police Review
'...written with downbeat humour and some delightful dialogue.' Financial Times
'...all is most cunningly contrived and dovetailed into a coherent plot.' Irish Times
'A thoroughly entertaining read.' Evening Standard
'The best Gallic sleuth since Maigret.' London Mystery Selection