A renowned scientist is found dead beneath the glass roof of his greenhouse.
Before long, suspicion falls upon the inhabitants of Montigny-le-Tilleul: a cash-strapped veterinarian, a ruthless property developer, a shameless antiques dealer, a pharmacist deprived of her country lane, a nurse without lovers, a whisky merchant without Scotland, and a widow without a villa.
Each becomes entangled in a judicial investigation as improbable as it is captivating, unfolding against a backdrop of international affairs, the formation of a Belgian government, natural disasters, and the arrival of a long-awaited shopping centre.
With wit, irreverence, and a keen eye for human folly, the novel explores the power of money and the excesses of consumer culture. What begins as a murder enquiry soon becomes a biting and darkly humorous portrait of contemporary society.
Why do Inspectors Delbart and Ndongo struggle so desperately to bring the case to a close? Does the true mystery lie in the victim’s singular character, or in the murderer’s motive—so unusual that it defies every convention? A sharp, original and wickedly entertaining crime novel that unsettles as much as it amuses, keeping readers guessing until the very last page.
