Title: The Prisoner of the Riviera

Series: A Francis Bacon Mystery 02

Author: Janice Law

Genre: Post-war Europe, Mystery

Length: Novel (244pgs)

ISNB: 9781480436008

Publisher: MysteriousPress.com/Open Road Media (10^th December 2013)

Heat Level: Nil

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥3 Hearts

Reviewer: Pixie

Blurb: In postwar France, a gambler finds that surviving his vacation may be a long shot

Peace has come to England and the blackout is over, but the gloom has yet to lift from London. One night, leaving a gambling club where he has run up a considerable tab, the young painter Francis Bacon, accompanied by his lover, sees a man gunned down in the street. They do what they can to stanch the flow of blood, but the Frenchman dies in the hospital. Soon afterward, Bacon receives a strange offer from the club owner: He will erase Bacon’s debts if the painter delivers a package to the dead man’s widow, Madame Renard, on the Riviera. What gambler could resist a trip to Monte Carlo?

After handing over the parcel, Bacon learns that Madame Renard is dead—and the striking young woman who accepted the delivery is an imposter. The Riviera may be lovely, but in 1945, its sun-drenched beaches can be just as dark as the back alleys of London.

Purchase Link: http://www.openroadmedia.com/the-prisoner-of-the-riviera

Review: This story is part of a series but can be read as a standalone. Francis is looking forward to his vacation in France now that the war is over and peace is finally in Europe. Francis is enjoying a night gambling with his lover Arnold and losing big, when a man is gunned down right in front of them as they leave the London club it leads to Francis taking a package to the Frenchman’s widow on the Riviera. But things get complicated when Francis hands over the package and he is drawn into a mystery and murder and he has to help solve both to clear his own name.

Well I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first started reading this book, I will admit that the cover put me off a bit but the blurb intrigued me so I began reading and I was drawn into Francis’ adventure and the murder mystery that he finds himself in the middle of. Francis is a painter who has a wealthy lover, but it isn’t really a committed relationship, as you will soon discover. We hardly see Arnold as the story is all from Francis’ point of view and is focused on the mystery but we do discover that Francis has a certain fondness for the other man, but that doesn’t mean that Francis doesn’t get to have fun when Arnold returns to England.  

We are drawn into a world that edges on the dark side of the war, those that took advantage of the war for their own profit want the proof and some want the secret the package hides. Francis is dragged into his adventure of hiding from the police, dodging thugs and murderers, finding a missing woman, recovering the package and being chased through the streets. The story draws us into post-war Europe with its descriptions and knowledge letting us live Francis adventure with him and meeting the colorful characters who keep throwing out tasks for Francis when all he wants to do is return home.

This isn’t the sort of story to read if you want an in-depth relationship, it’s the type of story to read if you want an enjoyable mystery whose main character is gay. While we know Francis has sex we never see it, and I actually found that it fit in with how the story was written… it’s 1945 and that lingering feeling of time is felt throughout the book making everything seem more exciting and dangerous and some things taboo. This is a wonderfully written story that really brings the past to the present.     

I recommend this to those who love post-war Europe, murder mysteries, car/motorcycle chases, a great storyline and great characters.