Coincidentally, Samuel Cassian's son had disappeared shortly after the banquet never to be heard of again. The investigative officer, Chief of Paris police Nico Sirsky, suspects the deceased might be Cassian's son but there are time limitations of 10 years on murder cases and Nico doesn't know if, even if he finds the murderer, prosecution will be possible. But to complicate matters, grizzly murders occur around the same site: the Parc de la Villette, where a century ago slaughterhouses were located; it was commonly called The City of Blood, and those murders might tie in with the Samuel Cassan's son.

THE CITY OF BLOOD is the latest in the Paris Homicide series, and it can easily be read as a standalone. Ms. Molay provides stunning descriptions of Paris' various landmarks, a lot of historical facts, as well as the inside workings of French police; all those details are essential in setting up the story and defining the pace. It might seem like a strange thing to say, but THE CITY OF BLOOD is a very intimate police procedural: I did not feel like a bystander, but rather as if I was along for the ride, and that is mostly due to the author's portrayal of the characters. They are authentic, competent but not superhumans, and we care about what happens to them.

THE CITY OF BLOOD is a superbly crafted novel, Ms. Molay is a stylish and elegant writer; her prose is subdued yet very efficient, and also very French. On that note, I must mention the exceptional contribution of Jeffrey Zuckerman. Mr. Zuckerman's translation is absolutely transparent: the luminosity, the rhythm, the cadence, the "Frenchness" of the original work of the author of THE CITY OF BLOOD is entirely preserved, so that it feels like the original language. Ms. Molay was a new author to me, and I will definitely be looking for more of her murders à la française!

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