The Murdered House

This disappointing mystery from French author Magnan (The Messengers of Death ) opens in 1896 Provence with the slaughter of Séraphin Monge's family at their house, La Burlière, when he was three weeks old. After WWI, the orphan, ex-soldier and road worker returns home to uncover the reasons behind the murders and avenge them. The confession of a dying prior centers Séraphin's suspicions on three villagers; a secret cache of gold coins and the deaths of two of the suspects raise more questions than they answer. A lack of actual detection, an inconsistent period tone, a too-scrupulous translation, the use of inadvisable footnotes and abrupt shifts in tense and points of view slow and ultimately sink the narrative, which closes with an unconvincing ending. First published in 1984, this book won France's Best Novel of the Year Award. (Nov.)