Nico Sirsky, chief of police in Paris, knows from the moment he turns on the television that a complicated case is headed his way. Thirty years earlier, famous artist Samuel Cassian buried the remainders of a huge banquet in the La Villette park. Now, what is billed as "the first archeological dig of modern art" is underway, to see what the intervening years have done to the leftovers. But the archeologists and reporters present are shocked when, amidst the goblets and plates, a skeleton is found. Within days of the discovery, several men are attacked and killed in La Villette, upping the ante for the officers investigating.
Juggling his concern over his mother's poor health, the intense scrutiny that the case's publicity has caused and the dilemma of how to catch a murderer when the statute of limitations is long over, Sirsky must carefully direct his team as they investigate Cassian and his history and try to determine if there is a link between the skeleton and the modern victims.
With frequent asides about the history of La Villette (which formerly housed Paris's abattoirs) and snippets of information on French police procedure, City of Blood from Frédérique Molay (The 7th Woman) is a fascinating tale for an international audience. The case is interesting, Sirsky is a sympathetic character and the Parisian setting is unmatched. Its slim length makes for a quick read, providing a perfect (albeit slightly grisly) escape to Paris for an afternoon. --Jessica Howard, blogger at Quirky Bookworm