Morel is called to a macabre crime scene. An elderly woman has been murdered to the soundtrack of Faure's Requiem, the choral-orchestral setting of the Roman Catholic Mass for the dead.
The woman's body is carefully arranged and she appears asleep. Except that she has on heavy, ugly make-up and a bright red wig.
Morel not only has problems with an increasing body count and no real clues. He also has problems with his father who is beginning to succumb to senility, the reappearance of his former lover, Mathilde, and a long-term relationship with a married woman.
To escape his problems, quiet-thinking Morel relaxes and focuses his thoughts by creating origami sculptures.
The story is not all blood and thunder, but rather it explores both the human condition and what drives us. I look forward to reading future volumes in the series.
- Ted Fox is a Dunedin online marketing consultant.
