Pel and the Touch Of Pitch

When Chief Inspector Pel accepts a drinks invitation at the house of a big shot, Deputy Claude Barclay, he doesn’t realise how compromised he will become by his acceptance. Shortly afterwards, Barclay is kidnapped; the partially decomposed body of a retired soldier is discovered in a wood, and a series of art forgeries need investigating. Pel must tie all three together and solve a scandal which has become the talk of France. Moody, sharp-tongued and worrying constantly about his health, Inspector Pel ensures that no case goes unsolved, in these mordantly witty French mysteries. AUTHOR: Mark Hebden, who died in 1991, was one of the pen names of John Harris, author of The Sea Shall Not Have Them and Covenant with Death. He also wrote adventure stories under the name of Max Hennessy. Before becoming a full-time writer, he was a sailor, an airman, a journalist, a travel courier and a history teacher. During World War II he served with two forces and two navies. Hebden is a master of his genre, and his writing is as timeless as it is versatile and entertaining.