La Faute de l'Abbe Richaud

The amicable, witty duo, Signoret-Baruteau, created by Jean Contrucci is back with a new, captivating mystery of Marseille ! Something is radically wrong in Mazargues, a small village right outside Marseille. While the separation of church and state is in full swing, a disquieting ' miracle ' takes place: the parish's portrait of Jesus being taken down from the cross begins to bleed ! Perfect timing for Abbot Richaud, a religious extremist who decides to take advantage of the miracle to get his more tolerant Vicar Joseph Barral off his back... Raoul Signoret, sprightly judiciary reporter for the Petit provençal immediately suspects there is more to the affair than meets the eye. A political and moral scandal is about to break open where we discover that the Church's representatives have their own morals that don't exactly coincide with those of the Church. And that power is not in the hands of those who would have us believe. When Barral abruptly disappears, Eugène Baruteau, in charge of the investigation, aided by Gaudissart and the intrepid Cecile, will have his hands full with this multi-tiered enigma. Jean Contrucci, book columnist of La Provence is the author of several essays and historical novels. The first investigation starring Signoret-Baruteau, l'Enigme de la Blancarde, was published with Lattès in 2002 to great critical acclaim.

Pages: 339, Paperback, Jean-Claude Lattès