![]() In the meantime, I’ve gone back and read the first of the Dupin mysteries, Death in Brittany, followed by Murder on Brittany Shores. The descriptions of the esoteric fleur-de-sel business were so palpable that I promptly ordered some of the handcrafted Guerande product online. Besides the displaced Parisian Dupin, there are a number of quirky characters and considerable attention paid to food and wine. In any case, these novels are redolent of the mini-Mediterranean climate in Finistère - the end of the earth, as the region is known. His books are translated not from French, but from German. Jean-Luc’s real name is Jörg Bong (no kidding), and he works at a German publishing house when he’s not visiting his beloved Brittany. A friend pointed out that “Bannalec” is a quintessential Breton name, and indeed it should be because it was handpicked by the German author who hides behind this pseudonym. It began for me with The Fleur de Sel Murders by Jean-Luc Bannalec, featuring the curmudgeonly Commissaire Georges Dupin, but most of all featuring the balmy environs of Brittany’s southwestern coast. There is a personal element of homesickness for me since I lived in that country for 11 years, but I think anyone confined to quarters and unable to visit one of the most-visited nations on the planet can benefit from these armchair sojourns. ![]() ![]() My own solution is binge-reading mystery series set in France. Many of the book lists are worthy - perhaps too worthy for the distracted state we find ourselves in. The coronavirus lockdown has brought a cornucopia of lists for binge-watching on TV and a fair number of lists for books to read.
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