The King Arthur Case: A Brittany Mystery

At the start of Bannalec’s sluggish seventh Brittany mystery featuring Commissaire Georges Dupin (after 2021’s The Granite Coast Murders), Dupin’s indefatigable assistant, Nolwenn, aims to immerse her irascible, coffee-swilling boss in the lure and lore of a local forest famed for its connection to King Arthur. But the departmental outing tumbles off course before it can begin, as Dupin, responding to a Parisian colleague’s request for some off-the-books help on a case, attempts to interview Fabien Cadiou, a professor attending an Arthurian conference in the area, and instead discovers his corpse. Immediately afterward, another Arthurian expert is stabbed to death, and Dupin begins grilling a circle of academics with intertwined volatile personal and professional histories. The subsequent investigation plods, even as the bodies pile up. At the end, Dupin is offered a chance to return to Paris, a goal he’s always wanted since being exiled to Brittany after riling his big-city superiors. This prospect offers more excitement than the mystery that preceded it. Bannalec has done better. Agent: Iris Brandt, Verlag Kiepenheuer & Witsch (Germany). (Apr.)