Book Review: Body on the Rocks, Madame Renard Investigates Book 1, Rachel Green
Mystery: Body on the Rocks, Madame Renard Investigates Book 1, Rachel Green
Blog Tour, May 26, 2021
Margot Renard is grieving the loss of her husband, Hugo, a Parisian policeman killed in the line of duty. Deciding to make a complete change in her life, she leaves Paris and moves to the south of France, in a home on the coast that was meant for their retirement.
Renard spends her days swimming in the ocean, wandering the village streets and enjoying the shops and cafes, reading her books and listening to her late husband’s record collection, and quickly getting more and more bored and restless.
When a young boy’s body is found washed up in a small cove near her home, she is upset to learn that the police have quickly written it off as a tragic accident of an illegal immigrant falling from a smuggler’s ship. Another body found nearby seems to be the boy’s father. Determined to learn more, Renard explores the area and finds the boy’s shirt and backpack. He was indeed an illegal immigrant, but he clearly received local help–and possibly local betrayal.
This is a strong opening to what I hope is a long series. Madame Renard is smart, haughty, determined, and brave to the point of recklessness. She has little use for the racism and laziness she sees in the local police. She also has a very poorly developed sense of self preservation. Perhaps her grief has blinded her to a reason to stay safe, perhaps her sense of justice overwhelms her better judgment, but whatever the reason she is constantly putting herself into dangerous situations which threaten her life and exasperate the police.
It would be tempting to limit Madame Renard to being a “French” detective, but the reality is that she is a strong and captivating character whose haughtiness is probably less of a Gallic stereotype and more of a protective coping mechanism as she deals with grief and loneliness. None of this keeps her from being absolutely committed to finding the truth at any cost. Gangsters, smugglers, police captains, and even handsome world travelers cross her at their peril.
Our thanks to Rachel Gilbey of Rachel’s Random Resources Blog Tours for our copy of Body on the Rocks given in exchange for our honest review. The opinions here are those of Scintilla. For other perspectives, check out the other bloggers on this tour.
Book Review: Body on the Rocks, Madame Renard Investigates Book 1, Rachel Green