This is the second book in the series I have read, and the author creates a very believable world in the coastal area of Brittany. The story is a procedural of three identical murders with no obvious suspect, but the author also weaves the food and wine culture of the area, as well as Breton folklore including sea witches and ghost ships into the story. Dupin is such a likable character, you just hang out with him, eat seafood, and watch the sunset on the beach.

I love this next adventure with Inspector Dupin as he adjust to life in Brittany France after his move from Paris. The author's descriptions of the food and culture make this such a fun series to read. Here the intrepid inspector is trying to solve the murder of three separate people . He is also trying to balance family time with his Mum in Paris that is a series of events that keep him from his family. He is also facing some of his own personal fears in this book. His trusty assistance Riwal is back and every so helpful. These are enjoyable books with a French flair and fun to read. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the ARC. My review opinion is my own.

These Brittany-based mysteries are some of my favorites. The books are so well-written and so deeply infused with the sense of place. The characters are engaging and each mystery has as its bases something iconic in the culture. Here it's the fishing industry.

Bannalec creates tricky mysteries and when he talks about the landscape and weather of Brittany, he becomes absolutely lyriical.

More so than his other books, this mystery was easy to figure out, but that did not detract one iota from the book's wonderfulness.

Jean-Luc Bannalec intrigues with another Brittany mystery in the Killing Tide. Well constructed French sea coast cozy. Commissaire Dupin has to solve three linked murders of environmentalists while keeping bureaucracy at bay. Dip into French cuisine and romantic fishing towns with a sliver of murder. Interesting characters and gourmet meals. Enjoy.

In the latest Brittany Mystery Commissaire Dupin must face his biggest challenge a finding a murderer who is leaving a trail of bodies on small islands and coastal areas. How to investigate when he suffers greatly from seasickness and hates going out in a boat.
Dupin has moved from Paris to Brittany five years ago. He is still learning the language, legends and superstitions of the locals. Brittany is a character in this series a strong and beautiful place full of personality and mystique. Bretons are Bretons and are not French. Dupin is having to earn their trust and learn new tricks. Thankfully he has three wonderful assistants in Riwal, Kadeg, and Nolwenn.
When a call comes in the early hours of morning Dupin heads to a fish auction house. The body of a female fisherwoman has been found with her throat cut. In the busy place anyone could have done it. All fishermen carry knives capable of the crime. As Dupin begins his questioning, alibi checks and gathering background, a call comes in of a dolphin researcher found on an island also with her throat cut. So begins the tangled web of secrets and lies, when a third body is found it throws the teams hypothesis for a loop. Now they have a retired professor of virology that somehow connects to the case. What could be the possible reason for wanting these three people.

Whenever a new Brittany Mystery is released I drop everything to read it first. Readers of Ann Cleese’s will love this series.

Bannalec gives very good descriptions of the sea and its surroundings. Dupin is not a lover of boats, but he must overcome this problem in the current book.

Inspector is called in the wee hours to the discovery on a murdered woman, with her throat cut in a barrel of fish guts at the Fish Auction Hall in Doriannenez. The woman is recognized by the chief of the Barbour as Celine Kerkrom, fisher woman from Ile de Sein. Another woman volunteered that Celine was “a rebel and fighter” and had arguments with Morin, a fisherman with many boats using grad nets and probably smuggling cigarettes. Celine. Was also involved with Parc Iroise, a maritime nature park. She had also set up an iniative to replace oil with tidal generators, making enemies of oil providers.

Then, Rival informs Dupin that another woman has had her throat cut on the Ile de Sein. They have to take a boat over rough seas to get to the Ile. This woman turns out to be a friend of Celine. When a retired professor is found dead on the mainland, the case really becomes complicated. Finally Dupin talks with a young boy on Ile de Sein, and realizes the case may be about a valuable relic and not fishing methods that things get very exciting.

3.5 stars

I like this series set in Brittany France and have enjoyed the adventures of Inspector Dupin as he settles into Brittany after his move from Paris. He loves food and Brittany has much to offer. In earlier books we learned about salt and the joy of oysters. This one is about the joys and tribulations of commercial fishing. There is nothing like eating fish that has been caught that day.

In this one there is the murder of three separate people that he has to solve quickly to make to make it to his mother's birthday party in Paris. Dupin conquers his fear of boats and travels to the islands where the murders occurred. He is joined by his assistant Riwal who keeps providing information on all the myths and legends of the islands.

This book bogged down for me. For one thing it is basically one long chapter (there is a short second one). I like chapters. How do you know when stop reading for the night? I am joking but I do like chapters and found this irritating. There was also problems with names in this for me. Normally I am fine with the names but there are so many suspects that keeping them separate with names I am not familiar with was a real chore for me. On top of that, there were tons of names for boats and other items that were completely unfamiliar to me. I was drowning in the language. And Riwal was darn right annoying. He just spit out information and stories like a darned computer and went on forever. I felt like I was in the middle of a college lecture.

So overall I was disappointed in this one. It was slow reading. I will read more of the series but this was not one of my favorites. Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

Very disappointed with “The Killing Tide,” the latest Jean-luc Bannalec Commissaire Georges Dupin book. I have to this point very much enjoyed this contemporary mystery series set in Breton. This one, not so much. Not that it can’t be counted on for wonderful stories of Breton mythology – it can; for mesmerizing paragraphs that describe the locale, the sea, the sky – there’s plenty of that, too. But what you won’t get in this story of why two women have been murdered is a consistent plot and a true ending. Readers will instead get Dupin and his detectives wandering all over hither and yon, talking to a confusing number of people without finding out much of anything. Until the end, when we all “think” we know something – and then we, and the Commissaire, really don’t. And it takes an awfully long time to even get to this point.

And I’m not even going to mention the page after page of environmental issues that are discussed, that Dupin isn’t even involved in. As Dupin himself says, “it was all getting very complex.” And he doesn’t even get to sit down to eat very much, something that I’ve come to look forward to. That was another disappointment. Well, maybe next time.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for a copy of this book, in exchange for this review.

4 stars for a well done police procedural. Commissaire Geeorges Dupin and his team of Inspectors are called to the scene of a murdered woman. The book is divided into two long chapters, titled Day One and Two. The case is solved in 2 days, but more people die. I like Georges Dupin and the way he solves the case. The book has some vivid descriptions of Brittany, including its rugged coastline, mouth watering food and ferocious storms.
I have read 2 other books in this series and I plan to read more. This can be read as a standalone.
One quote: "Dupin was famous for his dislike of offices of every kind, in particular his own. He escaped from them as often as possible. He solved his cases from the scene of the crime, not from a desk."
Thanks to St Martin's Press for sending me this eARC through NetGalley.

This mystery, set in Brittany, was incredibly boring and poorly plotted. The most interesting things were the legends and myths about the country related by the supposedly-boring assistant to the main character. An editor could have tightened this up with a heavy developmental edit, but as it is, this book is slow and drags rather interminably.

smuggling, small-town, superstitions, suspense, law-enforcement, Brittany, procedural, historical-research, cultural-exploration, translated

Where to start telling why I loved this book so much? !
The police procedural is exceptionally well done with due diligence above and beyond the call. Plenty of suspense, too. Commissaire Dupin is so very real and human, in the way of Commissario Montalbano and Dr Siri Paiboun although he is not so much into fantastical things. No doubt about the merits of that part. The knife murders of three people in just over a day is monstrous.
For those of us who also geek folklore and history, this is truly a treasure trove of information. For those who live with the sea in any part of the world, there is beautiful descriptions of island life anywhere but especially off the coast of Brittany. And seals! I never knew that this area hosted seals! For those who go out to the sea in boats there's appreciation of the hard work and dangers. For environmentalists there is clear and horrifying descriptives of poaching and waste. And then there's the smuggling of cigarettes!
Don't forget to thank the unnamed translator.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from St Martin's Press / Minotaur Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

This is the fifth book in the series, and having read all of the previous translations this one is a bit disappointing.

Commissaire Dupin is drawn into a murder of a female fisherman, found stuffed into a bin of fish remains. Quickly on the heals of this discovery is a second murder, of a dolphin researcher living on an island not far away. The two women were friends, and (unfortunately for Dupin) mostly kept to themselves, leaving questions as to what the possible motive could be. A third murder adds more confusion, leaving another trail to follow. Did it have to do with buried treasure? Smuggling? Fishermen vs. the national park? Scientific research? All possibilities need to be explored before the (too quick) ending is revealed.

This novel started out rather slow, but managed to pick up speed about halfway through. I enjoyed Dupin's pursuit of all of the different avenues - there were bad people, up to no good, that he really wanted to find guilty, but Dupin was disciplined enough to let the facts speak for themselves. The waterfront and its culture is lovingly described, with the traditions, hardships, and cuisine taking a big place in the story. The meals Dupin shares with his team at the waterfront bistros make me want to jump in a plane and head over to France today...

Dupin's role as an outsider to Brittany is a big part of the story and the charm of this series, but I felt that in this novel the history and folklore of Brittany was too much in the forefront, as Dupin (and the reader) had to listen to long passages of history and legends that had very little to do with the mystery. The setting of the waterfront and the islands added another layer of culture and myths to the story. At times, I found myself sighing as I had to go through another lecture about some obscure myth. And the conclusion, when it came, was rushed and left one wondering if Mr. Bannalec was up against a deadline.

Thank you to Minotaur Books / St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with a free advance electronic copy of this book.