Bude's books are some of my favorite from British Library Crime Classics ( )

I liked the plot but he seemed to have changed his writing style which I didn't like. ( )

While Inspector Meredith and Sergeant Strang are on the Riviera to find a suspected currency forger, they don't fail to notice that the Riviera in February is a heck of a lot nicer than London in February. An enjoyable 1952 murder mystery from British Library Crime Classics. ( )

If a book is going to be called “Death on the Riviera”, I expect the death to be front and centre, preferably within the first two chapters. However, in this book, the death doesn’t take place until page 176 (of 242). Instead, it’s mostly about a counterfeiting ring with an English connection that gives Superintendent Meredith and Sergeant Strang an excuse to lap up the delights of the Riviera. I actually quite like Meredith as a character and enjoyed his interactions with Strang and the French police, but this installment in his series was not my favourite.

This rating is a 2 for the story itself and an extra 0.5 for the beautiful cover on the British Library Crime Classics edition. ( )

Recommended reading.

Inspector Meredith lands a plum assignment to go from wintry England in February to the sunny French Riviera in order to track down a forger who is counterfeiting French bank notes. Along with his sergeant and with the co-operation of the French police, he “follows the money” and soon gets a lead to the counterfeiting ring. Along the way he helps the French capture a cigarette smuggling ring. His investigations lead to a group of ex-pats living with a wealthy British widow --- each of them seems to be connected to either the counterfeiting or the cigarette smuggling.

Halfway through the book, when the smuggling and counterfeiting cases are in hand, the story turns to a suspicious death. It turns out that a romantic triangle has developed amongst the expat group. One of the men turns up dead, but it is not immediately clear which man is the victim. The solution to this puzzle is the mystery. Not only is it whodunit, but who got it done to them?

The story is told at a languid pace, which suits the Riviera location. Meredith flits between Menton, Nice, Monaco and Beaulieu having nice lunches. Not a bad life!
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