Pel

Chief Inspector Pel is taking a well-deserved break from detective work, and setting off for his honeymoon with his new wife, Geneviève. 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 Désiré 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

Murders circle around Burgundy where Pel has just been promoted to Chief Inspector, starting with the case of a woman whose body is found on the beach one morning. A death that appeared to be suicide at first glance turns out to have plenty of suspects, each with their own particular motive. Pel’s personal life is going far from smoothly, as he discovers himself to be the target of a letter-bomb sent by an old enemy – aside from the obvious danger, this is yet another obstacle to his plans to marry Madame Faivre-Perret. Can Pel keep his life, his love and his career by solving the murder mysteries, and keeping the predators at bay? 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 Désiré 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

Life is going well for the usually irascible Chief Inspector Pel: he is basking in the warm glow of married life, and his bullying housekeeper Madame Routy is no longer tormenting him with deafening television shows and terrible cooking. But police work never stops, and Pel soon finds himself investigating the deaths of a series of young women, who have been strangled and left with macabre messages next to them. Pel’s investigations lead him to the city’s student community, and into a deadly game of cat and mouse. 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 Désiré 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

In his beloved Burgundy, Chief Inspector Pel finds himself incensed by interference from Paris, but it isn’t the descent of rival policemen that makes Pel’s blood boil – crimes are being committed by violent gangs from Paris and Marseilles. On top of all this, it’s down to Pel to unravel the riddles of a robbery on the road to Dijon airport and mysterious shootings in an iron foundry. And as if that wasn’t enough, the Chief Inspector must deal with the misadventures of the delightfully handsome Sergeant Misset and his red-haired lover. 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 Désiré 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

A gang rob a supermarket, a home-made bomb is found at the airport, and the body of an old man is found on the motorway. Also, what is the connection between a fearful lawyer and the fatal stabbing of a tourist? On top of all this, Daniel Darcy, trusted deputy to Chief Inspector Pel has been suspended on suspicion of taking bribes.

Chief Inspector Pel and Brigade Criminelle are mobilised when a fatal stabbing, an anticipated delivery of lethal drugs, and the discovery of a corpse in an ancient tower all coincide with a frantic search for two murderous hitchhikers.

An unidentified, faceless corpse is discovered near a memorial dedicated to villagers killed by the Nazis. The trail leads Pel from Burgundy to the frontiers of France, aided by a canny Sergeant Darcy and the shy, resourceful Sergeant Nosjean.

An extravagant, big time gangland criminal is ambushed and assassinated; the only witness a ten-year-old-boy. Chief Inspector Pel is called in to investigate the killing, which spirals into an international investigation when a respected spinster is bludgeoned to death and some curious links begin to clink into place.