Frenchwoman Sandrine Destombes has broken sales records with her previous thrillers and has already signed her ninth title with this new thriller, but she had until now escaped our radar.

The surprise was therefore all the more unexpected to discover this detective novel successful from all points of view.

In Paris, Captain Martin Vaas, transferred from Lyon, must shed light on a dark affair when seven feet are found in the Seine, with their shoes on and bearing an inscription in the sole.

Surrounded by his small team, made up of a deputy who is never short of retorts, a veteran on the eve of retirement as well as a young police officer with little experience, but a lot of potential, he is forced to collaborate with a commander from another division. Together, they manage to establish links with other cases, the oldest of which dates back 20 years. Without knowing if they are facing one or more killers, the investigators patiently dig into all the leads.

The pace of the plot is exciting, and we are hooked from the start. The characters have a lot to do with it, as does the magnetic writing, which seduces as much by its cadence as by the tone of the exchanges, between humor and cynicism.

We are in France and we feel it – in the dialogues, in the hierarchical relationships, as well as in the police and judicial jargon – which succeeds in providing just enough of this change of scenery much appreciated in thrillers. An author to reread, certainly.