Setting can become iconic for certain novels. Middle Earth for Tolkien, Hogwarts for Harry Potter, Arrakis for Frank Herbert, Palimpsest by Catherynne M. Valente, Ambergris for Jeff Vandermeer, and Bas-Lag for China Miéville, all stand out as the setting being as important as the story. Reading any of those works evokes a wonderful place that’s fun to visit (at least, vicariously). While all of these are fictional settings, there exist plenty of real world settings that make their stories excel. The Old West in Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry and John Irving’s New England setting have always felt as important to their stories as the plot. For The Body by the Sea by Jean-Luc Bannalec, the setting of Brittany in France is not only important to the book, but it hooks the reader as the main character, Monsieur Le Commissaire Georges Dupin, takes readers on a tour in this eighth book of the Brittany Mystery Series. As this was the first book by Bannalec that I’ve read, I found the setting to be delightful and tempting. If my son were a bit older, we might have taken the trip to Concarneau to experience the region that Bannalec loves so much.
Disclaimer: The publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Any and all opinions that follow are mine alone.
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TL;DR
The Body by the Sea by Jean-Luc Bannalec follows Georges Dupin as he tries to solve the murder of one of Concarneau’s wealthier citizens. This police procedural also acts as a tour through Concarneau. Even though this is book eight in the series, The Body by the Sea welcomes new readers. Highly recommended.
From the Publisher
In all of Commissaire Georges Dupin’s time living in Brittany, there has never been a murder on his home turf, until now, in Jean-Luc Bannalec’s The Body by the Sea.
A town on the sea, Concarneau’s nickname is Ville Bleue, or the Blue Town. With three harbors at its center, visitors can see enormous ships, sailors, fishermen, and the industry that goes alongside it. Because of its geographical location, Concarneau has shown it’s perfectly positioned to protect its inhabitants from enemy attacks.
For this reason and more, including his favorite restaurant, the Amiral, Commissaire Georges Dupin calls this town home. Most of his colleagues are on vacation for the Pentecost long weekend, but Dupin remains. His future in-laws are coming to visit.
But what happens when an enemy attacks from within? Dupin’s plans as host must change when the body of Doctor Chaboseau is discovered. Chaboseau fell to his death, pushed from his home above the Amiral. With only two new colleagues to help—no one else is answering their phone—Dupin is tasked with finding out what happened to the doctor.
Review: The Body by the Sea by Jean-Luc Bannalec
Monsieur le Commissaire Georges Dupin is preparing for the long Pentecost weekend when a murder strikes, and it strikes in his town, Concarneau. Concarneau is on the southern coast of Brittany in France. Dupin must put his long weekend and plans with his in-laws on hold in order to solve this murder. Doctor Chaboseau is a wealthy investor, art collector, and owner of a lucrative medical practice. His death sends Dupin delving into the wealthy of Concarneau, their businesses, and their history. Dupin is running on all cylinders from the start, but he’s without his best detectives Nolwenn and Riwal. Follow along as Dupin works through the mystery of who killed Doctor Charboseau.
The Body by the Sea by Jean-Luc Bannalec is third person point of view novel that closely follows Georges Dupin throughout the course of a murder investigation in Concarneau, France. The pacing is a bit slower than U.S. readers are used to in mystery novels. Bannalec rewards his audience with a lovely travelogue around Concarneay and Brittany. This book is very much a police procedural in that readers follow Dupin through all aspects of leading an investigation. Since Dupin is without help on the long weekend, he’s the one doing the interviews. It’s an excellent police procedural and an even better enticement to visit the region of Brittany in France.
An Amazing Setting
As said earlier, this book does an excellent job setting us in Concarneau and the northwest of France. Bannalec truly loves the region and writes like a public relations agent. Hopefully whoever is in charge of French tourism is giving Bannalec commissions on all the vacations his writing induces. I want to visit Concarneau and Brittany now. Readers learn about the area, many restaurants that Dupin loves, surfing in the area, some local legends, and a bit of the geography. It’s clear through Dupin’s love of the region that Bannalec loves the region. Concarneau is as much a part of the story as it is a setting. The town’s history and industry play a role in the mystery surrounding the doctor’s death.
Distinctly European
Jean-Luc Bannalec is the pen name of Jörg Bong, a German writer, who splits his time between Germany and the southern part of the French department of Finistère. The Body by the Sea was originally published in German. (It’s translated into English by Sorcha McDonagh.) So, it’s a thoroughly European book from my two favorite countries in Europe. But more than that, it has a distinct feel from U.S. literature that drew me and was off putting at the same time. While Dupin is under time pressure to get the mystery solved in hopes of preventing more murders, he’s not rushing around without thought. He takes a very cerebral approach to solving the case. His cops aren’t violent; there’s no gun battles or car chases; and no one’s framing Dupin for the job. It’s a straight forward murder investigation that involves gathering information, sifting through it all to find important details, and putting it together to make a coherent story. It sounds like it shouldn’t work, but it does. Dupin and Concarneau carry the story in a way that action would for a U.S. author. I found this change of pace to be refreshing.
To be clear, there exists plenty of tension in the novel. Readers can expect that the story will keep their interest. For those like me who must know who the murderer is, you won’t be disappointed. Bannalec kept me guessing until the very end.
Monsieur Le Commissaire
Georges Dupin is the point of view character for the novel, and the weight of the narrative rests on his shoulders. He came off as likable with a need to solve problems. He rushes around the region looking for answers, gathering details, and eating. Georges loves coffee and can give you a list of places to get the best coffee at any time of day in Concarneau. He’s often ordering two petits cafés, drinking one down straight away. His mother-in-law plagues him during this novel, and he seems lost without Nolwenn and Riwal, even as he’s irritated by Riwal’s constant digressions. It’s clear that he trusts his assistants to help him and let’s them do their job without micro-managing them. Dupin is mostly a genial man but can turn up the heat when needed.
Dupin also plays so different from what a U.S. author would write of a law enforcement officer with Dupin’s experience. He’s not world-weary; the job doesn’t weigh on him; he’s not burned out; and he doesn’t suspect everyone as being a liar. Despite all the murder that Dupin’s investigated, he still loves his wife, loves his town, and, like any good Frenchman, loves his food. He doesn’t blame the media for all the wrong in the world, and people seem to generally like him in the town. Is this how it is with European police?
Conclusion
Jean-Luc Bannalec’s The Body by the Sea is an excellent police procedural set in the lovely city of Concarneau and its surrounding region. Though I’ve never been, I now want to visit Brittany, to take in the sights that Bannalec so lovingly describes. Until that day, I’ll be returning to Brittany with another of Bannalec’s Dupin books. Highly recommended.
The Body by the Sea by Jean-Luc Bannalec is available from Minotaur Books on April 25th, 2023.
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