The Corpse with the Amber Neck is the 15th book in Cathy Ace’s globetrotting cosy mystery series featuring Cait Morgan, and this time our favourite Welsh Canadian crime solver is in Paris. Some people go there for the culture, history, cuisine and couture. Others go there to achieve their dreams and make a fresh start. In this novel, we find that it’s not always easy to leave the past behind.
Cait is a university professor and a criminal psychologist. She has been in Paris teaching a course at the Sorbonne. Her area of expertise is in victim profiling to better understand any areas of vulnerability the victim may have had, which might give the police leads in their investigations. Years ago, Cait was a consultant to homicide teams back home in British Columbia headed by her husband, Bud Anderson. Now that he’s retired, he’s free to travel with her, each bringing their skills to the table when there’s a mystery to solve and a little frisson of humour between them.
Cait and Bud are in tourist mode as her teaching contract is complete, but they’re soon drawn into something when, from the top deck of a tour bus, Cait sees a woman being strangled inside a building. She has a clear view of the victim, but not the killer. So they jump off the bus and hurry to the building in question, which happens to be Maison Églantine, a famous fashion house.
The doorman welcomes them in but when they share their concerns about what Cait witnessed, his demeanor changes. He tells them they must be mistaken and makes it clear that they have overstayed their welcome. Neither Cait nor Bud will walk away from a serious situation. They head to the nearest police station where they run into Pierre Bertrand. He’s an old acquaintance of Cait’s from her time in Nice. He takes her concerns seriously and introduces her to Francine de Gaulle, a senior officer. They are surprised to learn that Madame Églantine George has been reported missing.
There is an aura of mystery around the missing woman and little is known of her past. She came to Paris as a young woman and started a very successful fashion house from nothing. Églantine conceived the nouveau inspired designs and experimented with chemicals to produce the devoré velvet that became a trademark of her creations. Having designed her dream interior in the top floor flat at her fashion house, she has rarely left the space in recent years.
When her body is discovered the next day, a murder investigation is opened. The fashion house becomes a closed-circle space, centred around a core group of people connected to Maison Églantine. In addition to the doorman, Lucienne, there are Monica and Monique Martin, two somewhat quirky sisters. They are seamstresses who have run the atelier for decades and are dedicated to their jobs. These days they are overseeing the production of designs created by Jacques Novello, the head of design. Jacques would love to introduce a ready-to-wear line, however, not everyone agrees with him.
Avril Tambour is a former model and a muse for Églantine. She credits herself with the success of the fashion house. Her ex-husband, Gustav Sutter, is a business manager at Maison Églantine. His relationship with Avril is icy. Joanne, their adult daughter is a chemist working in textile development. All of these people are all members of the board who had gathered for a meeting on the day that Églantine disappeared.
Officer de Gaulle decides to take advantage of Cait and Bud’s skill sets and allows them access to support the investigation. Cait is similar to Agatha Christie’s Poirot. They are both highly observant individuals who can process large amounts of information quickly. As the author of two successful mystery series, Ace has established a winning whodunnit formula that is a modern homage to Christie.
There is no doubt that the author’s own love for travel comes through in her crime fiction and you’ll recognise her descriptions of Paris if you’ve been there. When Cait makes casual comments about the city, your memories will be triggered. Don’t worry if you’ve never ben there, though, as the author does a great job in creating the setting. You will get a strong feel for the city.
Travel, fashionistas and cosy mystery fans will enjoy the Corpse with the Amber Neck. Ace has created an interesting mix characters along with an engaging plot. She’ll keep you guessing the identity of the murderer through her use of red herrings. As the book concludes in classic fashion, the suspects must gather in a room so Cait can share her observations and deductions with everyone. Ace always keeps a few surprises up her sleeve for the grand reveal.
For more crime fiction set in Paris, see Murder in Pigalle by Cara Black, All the Devils Are Here by Louise Penny and Murder Takes a Vacation by Laura Lippman.
Four Tails Publishing
Print/Kindle
£3.66
CFL Rating: 4 Stars
