In the last days of the First World War, some young marines in the German army rebel against their officers and take a train home to Alsace. Among them is 20-year-old Jules, whose secret ambition is to follow in the footsteps of his idol Sherlock Holmes. More immediately, he longs to meet for the first time his wartime penfriend Violette. On arrival, he gets caught up in a local revolution, until the French army arrives to reclaim Alsace. How can he balance love, politics, and solving a crime? Excellent historical colour, with a good bibliography. The detection part of the story is a bit confusing, but Jules works it out. It's a long time since I tried to read a novel in French, but the dictionary attached to Kindle added to my appreciation.