Knock 'em Dead: A Captain Darac Mystery

by Peter Morfoot

It's high summer in Nice and life has never felt so full of promise for Captain Paul Darac of the Brigade Criminelle. But as his team is called to a suspicious fatality at nearby Saint-Laurent railway station, unforeseen problems arise and the picture changes completely. As Darac's newfound troubles intensify, the Saint-Laurent case becomes international news and, drawing on every resource at his disposal, he uncovers the knot of chicanery, corruption and murder at its heart. He will need all his ingenuity to apprehend the killer. To survive the life and death struggle that follows will take something more...

256 pages, Paperback

Published May 20, 2020

About the author

Peter Morfoot has written a number of plays and sketch shows for BBC radio and TV and is the author of the acclaimed satirical novel, Burksey. He has lectured in film, holds a PhD in Art History, and has spent thirty years exploring the life, art and restaurant tables of the French Riviera, the setting for his series of crime novels featuring Captain Paul Darac of Nice’s Brigade Criminelle. He lives in Cambridge.

Reviews

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Darac novels have always harmonised dissonance in blending jazz with detection. This continues in book 4, but there more “notes” added, namely the nature of humour and violence. Comedy is often black, but it’s rarely as refined as it is here. This feels like a steak tartare, so it’s both black and ‘bleu’.
If you haven’t already read the first three books (and it isn’t entirely necessary to do so), then I recommend starting with Book 1: Impure Blood. Tu ne regretteras rien.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this series about Captain Darac. The cops are memorable, the mysteries good enough, and the glimpses of Nice and surroundings delicious.

[Peter Franklin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story good atmospherics

Intriguing mystery with quite an unusual plot. Usual cast of characters who are well developed and it all falls into place at the end.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable, but you really need to read the earlier books to fully understand the dynamics of the Nice police team.