London barrister Charles Holcombe finds himself in an unusual situation. He’s between cases; no courtroom, no one to defend, no thinly disguised anti-Semitism to ignore.
He’s on vacation.
Charles and his wife Sally take their young daughter Leia for a holiday to Paris and southern France. They’re offered free lodging in southern France; a house in a small village. They’re enjoying their stay so much that Charles begins to think he might want to buy a second residence in this beautiful part of the country.
That is, until he gets knocked out one night and finds himself imprisoned in a cellar. And he finds himself in a different kind of trail where his own life is at stake.
Simon Michael
And it’s all tied to what happened during World War II, when the area was a center of resistance activity to the Germans and the Vichy government. What happened during a crackdown after an attack by the resistance was believed to be understood, and the villagers had a long memory. Charles will have to find out what really happened; his life and the lives of others are at stake.
The French Vendetta is the eleventh novel in the Charles Holborne legal thriller series by British author Simon Michael. I don’t know how he doesn’t, but Michael produces one engrossing novel after another, somehow topping each previous story with one that’s even better. The French Vendetta is not only a good mystery; it’s also one of the best novels I’ve read this year.
Michael studied law at Kings College, London University and was called to the Bar in 1978. He worked primarily in the field of criminal law until the late 1990s, when he focused his practice on clinical negligence. He began writing in the 1980s and resumed it when he retired from legal practice.
The Charles Holborne novels have become one of favorite crime / mystery series.
Related:
My review of The Brief by Simon Michael.
My review of An Honest Man by Simon Michael.
My review of The Lighterman by Simon Michael.
My review of Corrupted by Simon Michael.
My review of The Waxwork Corpse by Simon Michael.
My review of Force of Evil by Simon Michel.
My review of The Final Shot by Simon Michael.
My review of Nothing But the Truth by Simon Michael.
My review of Death, Adjourned by Simon Michael.
My review of The Fall Guy by Simon Michael.
Some Monday Readings
Why I’m Not Interested in Aliens – Adam Smith at Plough.
Spiritual Yearning in an Age of Secularization – David McPherson at Public Discourse.
Free Speech Will Survive – Matt Taibbi at Racket News.
Jacob’s Island, Bermondsey – A London Inheritance.
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