This is the second book in the Commissaire Dupin series, and I found it fascinating as well as intriguing. The mystery plot is complex with plenty of red herrings. The setting on the Brittany shores is breathtaking and the characters are real and identifiable from the beginning. I love Dupin and his cantankerous nature as well as his spectrum behaviour. He loves routine, does not want anyone at all to interrupt him when he’s on a case, and abhors confrontation. He is also a caffeine addict and won’t look at anyone until he’s had his morning, afternoon and evening coffee. In this book the bodies of three dead men are found on a deserted beach after a storm in the night. The book takes place almost entirely on the Glenan islands just off the coast of Brittany. I love the mix of fables, ancient stories, sea lore and lost villages. As Dupin and his team dig they uncover a lot of old secrets, crimes and double-dealing. I have already have put the next book on order. I can’t get enough of fussy, crabby Dupin.