When I started reading Grandville Bete Noir, I thought it was too strange, too over-the-top to be likable. By the midway point, I was totally sold on both the concept and the execution. By the end I wanted more. Fortunately, there are more; this is (I think) the third in a series of Grandville books.

Grandville imagines an alternate history in which Britain lost the Napoleonic Wars and, until recently, was part of the French Empire. Not long after Britain achieved independence, the Emperor died, leading to France's governance by a revolutionary council. Grandville is an alternate Paris. Ah, there's one other small difference between this history and the one we know: the individuals in power are all critters: dogs and frogs, birds and pandas, newts and gazelles. Humans ("doughfaces") are relegated to the role of servants, although they are beginning to stage protests against inequality of rights.

With that background established, Grandville Bete Noir turns into a detective story combined with a political thriller. French critters ask British critters, including Inspector LeBrock (a badger), for help in solving the murder of a famous artist in Grandville. The murder presents itself as a classic locked room mystery (classic but for the critters). More significant to the story is the wave of unemployment experienced by French artists, who have become passé since a "new wave" movement (abstract art) has swept the nation, funded by a wealthy industrialist and arts patron named Krapaud (a toad, of course). Eventually we learn the true nature of Krapaud's evil scheme (foreshadowed in the story's opening scene). It's up to LeBrock to save Grandville.

The story presents a perceptive and amusing take on the excesses of capitalism in an unregulated economy, but it's far from a polemic. There's also a message (grounded in American history) about the influence of money on art. Well-timed action scenes enliven the story, as does LeBrock's desire for a French prostitute (another badger). There's a nifty steampunk atmosphere to the story: pneumatic trains, automatons, a flying autogyro, an exploding pipe (the smoking kind). There are also some clever side jokes, references to the world of cartoon animals, and puns (my favorite is a prostitute who calls her client an old goat ... a literal description of the client).

Initially, the story is a bit text heavy, giving a cramped feeling to the artwork. Characters too often seem to be ducking to avoid colliding with dialog balloons. As the story progresses, the text and art begin to even out. The art is fanciful while conveying the illusion of realism. That's a pretty good trick, and one of many reasons Grandville Bete Noir captured my imagination.