Captain Roger Blanc is changing his life, but not of his own accord. His last post in France's Gendarmerie brought him a certain amount of attention for his work in the anti-corruption unit. Unfortunately for him, it was the wrong kind of attention, and he got shipped from his comfortable Paris life to a small town in Provence. And if that's not bad enough, his wife chose to stay in the city with her lover, leaving Blanc to start this new chapter of his life alone.

He does have a place to live in his new city, as he had inherited a rundown house from his uncle ten years before. And while he loves the scent of the wild thyme growing in his new neighborhood, some of the new neighbors are not so happy to have a stranger moving in. And if Blanc thought the neighbors would be challenging, he had no idea what was waiting for him at his new post in the Gendarmerie.

On his first day in his new department, Blanc is sent with his new partner to investigate a body that was on fire at the garbage dump. While it originally seems like it's just a matter of filling out the paperwork and handing off the body, it turns out that Blanc's partner figures out who was killed--a local thief and thug who made a lot of enemies. Suddenly, they have a genuine mystery on their hands, and Blanc needs to figure out how to find the killer without stepping on any more toes.

Murderous Mistral was originally published in Germany and has been translated into English. Cay Rademacher brings Provence to life through the vivid and sensuous descriptions. But if you're looking for a cozy mystery with some warmth and humor, then this is not the book for you. Closer to a police procedural, Murderous Mistral is just a good police story told well, in a beautiful and moving location.

Galleys for Murderous Mistral were provided by St. Martin's Press through NetGalley.com, with many thanks.