Dead Bishops Don't Lie

Inspector Thierry Dulac #1

by André K. Baby

Saas-Fee ski resort, Switzerland.

Karen Dawson wakes up early to hit the slopes. For once there’s no line for the cable cars. Then she sees why.

There’s a man hanging from the ski lift. He’s naked except for a cloth round his waist and there’s a wound in his side.

The grey body tied up in the shape of the cross belonged to Monsignor Antoine Salvador, Archbishop of Lyon.

The Swiss authorities call in top investigator Thierry Dulac to hunt down the killers. His search takes him from the hushed corridors of the Vatican to the quiet luxury of a British Marchioness’s château and Moscow’s infamous Lubyanka prison.

Dulac uncovers a conspiracy of dirty money, blackmail and state-backed terrorism. He’s just realized the enormity of what he’s discovered when a hitman shatters his windshield with a spray of bullets.

Karen Dawson gets swept up with helping Dulac find the killers. Now neither of them is safe . . .

Genres: Mystery, Fiction

309 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 13, 2012

About the author

André K. Baby is a Montreal-born lawyer and author. He’s mined the wealth of his rich legal experience as a Crown prosecutor and international business lawyer to help forge the plot and characters of his thriller, “Dead Bishops Don’t Lie”. Its stand-alone sequel, “The Jewish Pope”, will be launched in 2013.

Reviews

[Karen]

I must admit that thrillers with a religious scenario are not the sorts of books that I seek out, so DEAD BISHOPS DON'T LIE by André K. Baby would not be a book that I'd normally give a second glance. When offered by the author for review purposes, I did stop and think about it, and there was something about the blurb of the book that appealed. Probably the "caustic investigator" idea - being a declared fan of the less than perfect central protagonist.

Set in the European environments of Switzerland, Italy and Russia, with a touch of the exotic in the Caribbean, the gruesome murders of two archbishops seem to be related by the hidden meaning in the way that the killings were done, as well as the messages left by the murderers. Investigator Thierry Dulac, dry, acerbic, controlled and measured, is put in charge of the international investigation, and in turn he looks to an expert in mythology and symbolism for help in decoding the killer's cryptic messages.

Of course in this sort of thriller, you expect a big conspiracy, and in religious thrillers I doubt there's any more obvious source of that threat than the Vatican, the Code of Silence, and lurking Cardinal's influence. Toss in a bit of Russian past and present menace, a British Marchioness with some out there sexual habits and something that she seems to be hiding, and you're well into the realms of the money, the influence and the power.

Rule number 1 with these sorts of thrillers is that there must be a good sense of pace and action. It's a bonus if you can get some good, believable, realistic characters built into that. It's a bigger bonus if there's a good sense of place and the occasional bit of exotic as well. In the main, Baby's settings and characters are really good, the reader really gets a feel for each of the locations in this book, and a chance to connect with all of the major characters. The baddies were nicely lurking and threatening, without stepping that narrow line into cartoonish. There are a few problems with some the pacing at points in the book, and a couple of extraneous scenes that perhaps could have been dumped to get the action and pace of the book moving forward quickly, but really, once the scene is set, the story is very engaging.

If, like me, you're a bit wary of this sort of thriller, it would be worth swallowing the reticence and giving DEAD BISHOPS DON'T LIE a go.

http://www.austcrimefiction.org/revie...

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saas-Fee - Archbishop Salvador MURDERED, and hung from ski lift.
Contract killers: Vasilieva and Salvador from Russia.
Hired by Oleyev, Nicola, the daughter to go to Canada to finish her medical degree.
The Lion is Dead, the Dragon is wounded.
Interpol: Inspectors Thierry Dulac and Daniel Lescop. Harris, their boss.
Karen Dawson: Instructor at La Sorbonne; mythologist;
Chief Inspector Francois Besse of Sion's Cantonal Police Force;
Alberto Conti, Archbishop of Milan also found MURDERED, along with his bodyguard.
The Ox has fallen, the Dragon is wounded.
Dessault, the illuminator is alos MURDERED.
Pistis Sophia - Gnostic beliefs.
Lady Sarah Litman Marchioness of Dorset, rich, tea fortune, Caribbean island.
Cardinals Volpe and Fiore involved in the cover up.
Cardinal Legnano has questions.
Smuggling money from South American....a drug cartel, ends up in the Vatican accounts. Using Lady Sarah's boat.
de Segur, the Miranda company;
"Chimera Protocl"
The results: Cardinal Eugenio Volpe died of a "heart attack"; Marchioness of Dorset - 6 month sentence in London; Stephanopoulos - 3 year sentence in Naples; no legal action against the Miranda Group - Hughes de Segur warrant for murders is in Belize (no extradition treaty available); Archbishop Paolo Fiore found guilty of accessory to murder of Salvador and Conti; Victor Oleyev - 20 year sentence and Newly elected France's president plans to investigate Chimera.

[Viragored · Rating 3 out of 5]

When starting into this book I thought it was going really well - engaging, complicated, enough clues to start off a good police procedural story with international connections. But as it went on I became less impressed because of the implausible nature of the lead character's investigations. And the way the sex scenes are presented is disappointing - they could have been enticing but the author seems to have gone for detail over mystery.
I did wonder if the book had actually been written long before its first publication in 2012. By then GPS and other hand-held technology was well established, but missing from this story.
All in all, a good effort but could have been better.

[Keith Withers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intrigue and international murder

A most intriguing story of international collusion in mafia associated money laundering, used to fund murder. When two prominent Vatican bishops are found murdered, even more devastatingly, crucified it leads to a multi national manhunt for the true perpetrators of this mysterious and mysterious outrageous action. Thi leads to the joint co operation of French, Italian, Russian police, with the addition of Interpol and even the Vatican itself, to bring the villains to justice.

[Margaret Barbour · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dead Bishops Don't Lie.

An interesting read, though for me, it was almost like reading a documentary on the Vatican and the different European Government underhanded policies. Certainly not my usual type of book or one that I really enjoyed reading.

[Peter Neilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this one. Plenty of pace and intrigue. Dulac can be too arrogant sometimes but he was a lot more measured this time around and a lot more human. The ending could do with a sequel. I will consider others now.

[Chaplain Stanley Chapin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Complex and intriguing

I do believe it could have been written a bit shorter. It is a convoluted mystery that covers the Vatican and several European countries. It did require a good amount of time to read.

[Mark Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good mystery

It is an intriguing mystery with lots of people to keep track of. My only complaint is that the main male character is more of a robot than a person with some personality to care about.

[Margaret Swanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent mystery

The intensity of this story is suspenseful and intriguing. It is an awesome mystery, fast moving and full of exciting moments leading to a surprising conclusion.

[Dan A. Foster · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dead Bishops

Profaning the sacred and f-bombs does not make for a good story. There are better stories to read than this drivel.

[Jan Stier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

But you will have to love to read. This plot has several subplots and a host of interesting characters. You may need a scorecard!

[Mel · Rating 1 out of 5]

1⭐️
Unfortunately not for me. Stereotypical characters, with some derogatory views on women. A completely random lesbian sex scene in the middle was bizarre and didn’t have any relevance.

[Anne Mae Gold · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dead Bishops

What fun! The characters draw you in. The bad guys are so bad, in so many ways! The inspector is greay.

[dianne]

A really good intriguing mystery. On a scale with the Da Vinci Code. It kept me interested and guessing on who was behind the murders until the end. A fast paced thriller.

[Sonia Santos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting

This book was engaging and intriguing. The plot thickened with its twists and turns. It was a mystery that unraveled at the end.

[Laurel White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detective Dulac , is he your new hero?

Detective Dulac is challenged by the murders, the rich, the pious, and the corrupt. How to prove his theories in this international mystery!