Impure Blood: A Captain Darac Mystery

This engrossing first in a French police series from Morfoot (Burksey) introduces jazz-loving Capt. Paul Darac. As Nice prepares for the Tour de France, a Muslim lies dead on a street outside a prayer room. Did an elderly lady, Corinne Delage, administer a lethal injection and cause the man’s death? Is there a connection to the Sons and Daughters of Just Cause who are threatening the Tour de France? And what about the suspicious rent boy/bodybuilder, Imanol Esquebel, who’s connected to the deceased and possibly involved in a pedophile ring? As Darac and his team interrogate and track suspects as well as search for clues, his boss, Agnès Dantier, and her father, Vincent, a former top cop, are kidnapped. Morfoot neatly juggles all the various plot strands. Some marital troubles serve to flesh out Darac’s character. This breezy, entertaining crime novel features more fascinating police work than thrills, but it’s an auspicious debut for Darac. [em]Agent: Ian Drury, Sheil Land Associates (U.K.). (Apr.) [/em]