Pel and the Sepulchre Job

November 29, 1993
Sadly, this is likely to be the final outing for crafty Burgundian curmudgeon, police inspector Evariste Pel, since Hebden ( Pel and the Promised Land ; Pel Under Pressure ) died in 1991. Here the acerbic, dogged chief inspector, who is passionately chauvinistic in regard to his beloved Burgundy, moves from a quiet summer into a fall season marked by a proliferation of crime. First, the body of a man killed by gunshot is pulled from the Canal de Bourgogne and a drawing with the date 3 December is found in his pocket. On that date a few days later, a bank robbery turns into a hostage situation and the lines of the drawing correspond to the escape route taken by robbers. Meanwhile, across town, a beautiful art student finishes copying two famous paintings in a quiet gallery. She leaves, smiling sweetly, with her paintings--or what look like her paintings--under her arm. Suddenly Pel is busy, trying to break in a new female member of his team and coming to terms with rampant crime when he should, by rights, be taking it easy. Like the fruits of a local vineyard, Pel's form of breezy, witty and laconic crime-solving offers multifaceted pleasures. He and his creator will be much missed.