“The Granite Coast Murders” is the latest installment (number 6) of Jean-Luc Bannalec’s Brittany Mystery series featuring Commissaire Dupin and his girlfriend Claire.

This time our Inspector Dupin is forced to drop his workaholic ways and take a two-week vacation with Claire, under strict orders from his colleagues, his doctor, and his girlfriend to not involve himself with any work. Claire quite easily slips into vacation mode, enjoying long days on her towel on the beach. Dupin, however, is going crazy, and uses every possible excuse to get up and do something, anything. He finds himself slowly being drawn into the local mysteries, from a stolen (worthless) church statue to an (accidental?) attack on a local deputy who is confronting striking farmers. But when a fellow tourist’s wife vanishes from Dupin’s hotel and an unknown body is found murdered in a quarry where another woman was killed seven years ago, the cases become more than just a passing interest. But can Dupin solve the crimes without the local Commissaire (or even worse – Claire) finding out about his involvement?

After the disappointing previous outing, it is great to see Mr. Bannalec get back into his groove. The small and large mysteries all flow nicely, and watching Dupin out on his own in Brittany without his supporting crew is a fun turn. And as usual, the descriptions of the scenery and especially the food really add local color and flavor and get me excited about returning to the days when we can once again travel.

But the real joy of this episode is the slapstick comedy of Dupin trying to keep his investigations from Claire – from going out to the grocery store for hours to getting a ridiculous haircut, Dupin gets wilder and wilder in his schemes to hide his involvement from Claire (and the local Commissaire as well). The villagers and local police are on his side, and work hand-in-hand with Dupin to get the issues resolved. It is nice to see that Dupin is now considered the insider, the one who understands Brittany and represents the locals against the outsiders. A very satisfying and entertaining read.

I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from St. Martin's Press / Minotaur Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

I was so excited to return to this series (and, at least in my imagination, to Brittany France). Bannalec once again makes all things Breton, even their murders, sound so appealing. Commissaire Dupin and his love, Claire, find themselves on a vacation & trying to escape the stress of their careers.

Unfortunately, that means _very_ few mentions of his department but there are local characters to entertain. The Commissaire finds it near impossible to not get involved when a woman goes missing from the same hotel. Soon enough an attack on a local deputy and then the discovery of a dead body immerse Dupin in the local crime while trying to deceive Claire that he's spending his vacation 'relaxing'.

This was a fun read and I love the descriptions of the Breton seaside, cuisine (OMG, the food!!!!), and people.

Every time I read one of Bannalec mysteries, I ready to drop everything and run away to Brittany and this one is no exception. It takes place during a vacation where Georges and Claire have taken along the Granite Coast portion of the province. Instead of relaxing Georges gets involved improperly investigating a string of seemingly unrelated crimes and disappearances.

It's baffling and delightful because it's hard to figure out how they all connect if they do. And Georges needs to solve tje puzzles before the local Commissioner reports his incorrect investigation. But all comes right in the end, the mysteries and crimes are solved and the couple is able to enjoy a week of their beach vacation in happy relaxation.

A good addition to this series. Always enjoy mysteries that give a good sense of locale and this one does.

Crumudgeonly caffeine - addicted Commissaire Dupin has left his comfort zone! He and his girlfriend,Claire, are on a two week vacation on the Pink Granite Coast of Brittany. Vacations don't come naturally to Dupin and endless days of lying on the beach are torture. So when he hears about the theft of a statue from the local church his interest is piqued. This crime is quickly followed by several of a more serious nature and Dupin's dilemma becomes a comedy of errors. Solving the multiple crimes while keeping his activity from Claire takes all his skill. This is the 6th in the series and as in the previous titles, the solution to the crime is enriched by local color and descriptions of mouthwatering meals. This is a worthy addition to the series and I'm grateful to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read it before it's general release.

Being quite a fan of Dupin but a bit stymied by the last installment, I was a bit nervous to return to the series. But this book was a pleasant surprise. I was enamored with the setting, hilariously offset by Dupin's apathy, and was taken in by the crime. Maybe because I was more invested in the setting, the minutiae that is often present in these books I found interested rather than exhausting. Glad that I reinvested in this caffeine-loving, vacation-hating crime solver.
Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC.

At the urging/orders of his lover Claire, his doctor, and his efficient assistant Nolwenn, Commissaire Georges Dupin is on vacation. Claire and he are staying at a lovely old hotel owned by Rosmin Bellet on the Cote de Granit Rose in Tregastel-Plage on the northern coast of Brittany. The rose-colored granite formations are gorgeous, but a beach vacation is torture for Dupin. Then various crimes occur and he has to hide his interest from Claire, but he does become friendly with a local officer, Ines Marchesi and earns the wrath of another local Commissaire. There are other characters who add suspense and humor to the story. I did miss his "team" back home but the author Bannalec, is so excellent at creating a sense of place that the granite becomes a character itself. If you haven't read this series, start at the beginning. I received a digital copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

Inspector Dupin and his girlfriend Claire take a vacation in this one. A murder keeps the workaholics from relaxing though, but it can be argued that is what they enjoyed the most. A lot of sly humor, fun banter, and a lot of geographical details (easy to skim). I have read several in this series, and like having the two of them together for a change. A lot of detective work, interfering with the locals, etc. make for a great read. Highly recommend this book and series.

This book is pure fun! My first book by Jean-Luc Bannalec is such a find and has me addicted. Already. Reading the first five in the series (this is the sixth) is now priority. The synopsis sounded quite interesting but this book is more than that...it's wonderful, a happy escape. It is a light read yet is enveloped in intrigue and contains amazing bonus informative facts, beautiful scenery descriptions and a fabulous plot! I began reading it last evening and couldn't put it down. Before I knew it, midnight had passed...oh, well.

Inspector Dupin and his girlfriend, Claire, a cardiologist, are practically forced to take time off their hectic jobs to go away for two weeks. So, they find themselves booked in a lovely room with a sea view in Brittany. Not only that but they are almost ensconced by fifty shades of pink granite. The backdrop sounds amazing. Dupin doesn't appreciate deliberately lying on a beach as his girlfriend apparently does so finds reasons to poke around town. Local residents regale him with stories of murder and theft and is entranced. Then he becomes entangled. Deliberately. He has difficulty leaving work behind as he is passionate about it. Claire, meanwhile, continues to lie on the beach, in the same spot, on the same towel, day after day, with the occasional foray, separate from Dupin.

What I like most is the humorous avoidance of the elephant in the room. The twists and turns and mouthwatering food details really add, as do the scenic descriptions as mentioned above. The locals are interesting characters, too. Some go to great lengths to "help" Dupin, others less so.

Mystery readers should not miss this adventure. To me one of the telltale signs of a great book is its put down ability. I couldn't. It was enjoyable from the beginning to the end and I did not wish to miss a word. Such a treat lies ahead, knowing there are more by this author for me to discover!

My sincere thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this delightful book in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’ Press for providing me with a free advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.
Ah yes, it is summertime and Commissaire Dupin and his girlfriend Claire are on a two-week vacation to the coast of Brittany. Idyllic? Not for Dupin, to put it mildly. He was forced to go on this vacation against his wishes, he hates sand and there is nothing worse for him than the inactivity of lying on a beach towel, soaking up the sun.
Luckily for Dupin, his arrival at the lovely resort coincides with a spate of crimes. But, he can do nothing officially about this since this is not his jurisdiction, plus he is on vacation. It does not matter to the locals, as he is peppered with information about such things as the disappearance of a cross from a local church, the break-in at a tourist site, a stone thrown through an elected officials window, and the story of a 7-year old death at a local stone quarry. Despite the lovely dinners at the hotel and the outstanding scenery at the resort, Dupin has little time to enjoy either since he is now “unofficially” making inquiries in order to escape the sandy beaches of the area.
The entire book covers a one week period of time, with each day being its own chapter, and as the days go on the chapters get longer as Dupin gets more involved in these cases. As he tries to establish a pattern in these local crimes, a murder occurs. Then the wife of another resort guest disappears, shortly thereafter another murder takes place, and before you know it Dupin seems to spend more time trying to unofficially resolve these crimes than he does relaxing and enjoying the beautiful pink coast and beaches.
This is the 6th book on the series, and Bannalec does a wonderful job describing the unique food, scenery and culture of the Brittany region. Even if this is the first book you have read in the series you are not at a disadvantage since Bannalec skillfully weaves a story that does not rely on any past character development, and is totally separate from any of the previous cases in this series.
Some people love beach vacations, Commissaire Dupin is not one of those people, and luckily for him the residents of the town continue to interrupt his vacation with tips and details about these cases, and Dupin is able to find time to poke around town to see if he can figure out the connection between these perplexing crimes.
A wonderful mystery story that transports you to the coast France and introduces a host of quirky characters, as well as helping Dupin salvage his sanity and his vacation by solving these crimes.

This review was previously published at www.mysteryandsuspense.com

Brittany, beach-resort, law-enforcement, murder, murder-investigation, rivalry, situational-humor, relationships*****

Oh, ho! Do you want to know all about Bretons and the beauty of Brittany and the pink granite? It's all here. Do you like sly situational humor about two workaholics on a forced vacation at the beach in summer? Got that in spades. And then there are the mysteries, murders, and co-conspirators who want Commissaire Dupin to get involved in these local issues while the local law is adamantly against his *interfering*. Dupin can't just shut off his brain, and he really hates the irritation of sand, but Clare is insistent. His superior back home is also adamant that he keep his nose out of a territory not his own. But. The due diligence is exceptional and uncovers a web of deceit and more. I absolutely loved it and had more than a few good snickers (we workaholics do, indeed, understand each other).
I requested and received a free ebook copy from St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books via NetGalley. Many thanks!