The Hanged Mans Tale by Gerald Jay

320 Pages
Publisher: Doubleday Books, Nan A Telese
Release Date: December 7, 2021

Fiction, Crime, French

Max, a man is arrested for an assassination attempt on the French president. Later a canal boat captain finds a man hanging upside down in a tunnel. The dead man is a well-known private detective. A Gypsy is arrested for the murder but claims he is innocent. Paul Mazarelle is assigned the case back in his old police department. His supervisor believed he would receive assistance from his former associates but that is not the case. Someone is interfering with the investigation.

The story has a steady pace, the characters are somewhat developed, and it is written in the third person point of view. I thought this book would be about the tarot, but the only reference is the appearance of the card on the murder victims. Solid murder mystery.

Engaging and entertaining. A recommended purchase for collections where crime and thrillers are popular.

I have tried reading this book no less than three times but can’t make it through to the end. I love police procedurals, especially those abroad, this one however had me very confused and I couldn’t keep the characters straight. I haven’t read the first book of the series, maybe if I had I would have been able to follow them better in my head.

I will keep trying because I don’t like to not finish a book but it goes on the back burner, again for now. When I finish, I will update my review.

I have not read the first book in this series but I don't think I needed to in order to read this one. This is a police procedural set in Paris, and we seem to have a serial killer on our hands that is leaving the hanging man tarot card behind with their victims. Inspector Mazarelle is tasked with finding out who did it but he finds someone is hindering his investigation and then others close to him start turning up dead, complicating things further.

I enjoyed this one, especially the Paris setting and the humor that was injected in here throughout. It did seem a bit long at times and drug a bit for me in spots but overall this was well written and an entertaining mystery that kept my attention throughout.

Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for the digital copy to review.

Commandant Paul Mazarelle is coming off a huge professional triumph (The Paris Directive) when his new boss assigns him to Bastille Day parade duty. Bastille Day, celebrated on July 14th, is a major holiday and never more so than in 2002 when the theme was Franco-American friendship. The destruction of New York’s Twin Towers is top of mind for participants and observers alike.

In spite of all the frills, parade duty was no one’s idea of a good time. For Mazarelle, it was a not-so-subtle hint. He might be a commandant in the elite Brigade Criminelle, but his new boss was reminding him that, whatever famous success he’d had in the Dordogne, he wasn’t above crowd control in Paris. Four decades after Maigret, no one liked a celebrity detective.

A dead body is discovered in a Parisian canal and the corpse is positioned in a unique way. Coudert, Mazarelle’s boss, fills him in, eschewing chit chat although he does praise the team’s efforts at the Bastille Parade where the president was targeted.

“Thanks.” He wasn’t expecting that. “Anything else?”



“Yes. A new case. A hanger . . . A body found one hour ago in one of the tunnels on the Canal Saint-Martin.”



“A suicide?” asked Mazarelle.



“On no, this is murder. He was hanging upside down.”



He took in Mazarelle’s expression, and nodded.



“Mais oui, it’s strange. And the press is on it already. The mayor has been calling. It’s upsetting tourists. First the attack on the president, then this. It looks political. It’s bad for the city, and bad for everyone.”

Coudert needs Mazarelle’s special ability to solve aberrant cases. If only Mazarelle would turn his focus on the case at hand. Coudert does not want Mazarelle distracted by a rumored Internal Affairs investigation into a few of Paris’s commissariats. Red flags and bulls come to mind.

Mazarelle is unhappy to discover that the hanged man’s body was cut down before he and his colleague Maurice arrived on the scene. Fabriani, head of station, gave the go ahead. Mazarelle blocks out everything to focus on learning as much as possible from the body. The dead man is the private investigator Alain Berthaud. His wallet was stuffed with cash so robbery was not the motive. Mazarelle didn’t acquire the sobriquet the “Swiss Army knife of detectives” by letting the Police Scientifique technicians do all the examining. He’s a hands-on cop.

And sure enough, tucked inside the breast pocket of his jacket, Mazarelle found a small card they’d overlooked. A card bearing the inverted imagine of a dead man—the Hanged Man from a tarot deck. Strange, Mazarelle thought. Fumbling a glassine envelope out of his back pocket, he picked the card up by the edges, and placed it inside.

After the discovery, he visits Luc Fournel, Berthaud’s business partner, to give him the sad news and find out his whereabouts the night before. Did the agency have any unhappy clients? Fournel mentions a wife with a connected husband, Babo, who is part of a “Gypsy mob.” The Roma and fortune tellers come to mind when one thinks of tarot cards. Mazarelle’s acupuncturist Angelique Vasseure is a terrific resource and she directs him to the fortune teller Madame Mireille. Mazarelle asks her the significance of the Hanged Man card.

“This card”—she tapped it again—“is a key to the Major Arcana. Card twelve. One of the most mysterious in the entire tarot deck. It’s simple, though subtly complex. It attracts, but simultaneously repels. And in countless ways, yes, it contradicts itself.”

It’s a paradox. Mazarelle goes deeper—is the card an omen? What does it portend for a person’s future? She says the card spells danger: “The danger, monsieur le commandant, is for you. Grave danger.”

He asks her where he might find a Gypsy named Babo and she suggests the Petite Ceinture. Mazarelle finds and arrests Babo which pleases his superiors. As far as they’re concerned, it’s done and dusted. It seems all too convenient to Mazarelle, smacking of round up the usual suspects. The Roma had always been singled out and blamed for the misdoings of others and Babo protests his arrest mightily.

So Mazarelle keeps on digging. He meets Claire Girard, an intelligent, incredibly stylish journalist whose stories straddle the grey zone between hard news and tabloid exposés. They make an immediate personal connection.

Mazarelle is fixated on the tarot card and when he discovers there’s more than one interpretation, he presents his theory to Coudert.

Mazarelle told the patron that some experts had suggested more than one meaning to the card. Others believed that the grim image of a body dangling upside down was clearly meant as a warning: “You rat us out, fink, and you’re next.”



Coudert, suddenly and without warning, seemed to become very unhappy. “Look Mazarelle, where the hell are you going with this warning of yours? Who’s being warned? About what? Is this something political?”

Mazarelle’s patron is sorely mistaken if he thinks his disapproval will shut down the investigation. There’s more: white supremacists on steroids who hate immigrants and the Roma. Evidence that points to well-buried corrupt cops who are on the take. The Hangman’s Tale is complicated and twisted, like Mazarelle. The commandant embraces life with all guns blazing: he’s a gourmand with a zest for life. For all his appreciation of delicious meals and delightful women, he’s totally focused on unearthing the truth. Nothing stands in his way, not even an attempt to make him take the fall for the increasing body count. Enjoy this cinematic tour de force!

This was an interesting, fast paced police procedural with plenty of action. Well written!
Many thanks to Doubleday and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion

Intrigue and suspense in Paris, the city of light. The Hanged Man's Tale, Gerald Jay.. Thank you netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for a review.

Though I won't typically start a series from anywhere but the very beginning, mysteries are sometimes more forgiving of latecomers than some other genres, so I decided to chance starting here. Set in 2002 Paris, the book opens with a country in a state of unrest, with turbulent politics full of fear in the wake of September 11th and xenophobia in response to refugees. Recently promoted, Mazarelle quickly receives even more acclaim for his quick thinking in foiling an assassination attempt at a public event. But when he is assigned to the grotesque murder of a private investigator - the titular hanged man - the tenacious inspector is soon led across the city and countryside to chase down the truth. This police procedural offers a very French flair, as in addition to the mystery, readers experience the sights and tastes of France. The plot weaves together a complex story full of intrigue and a dash of romance.

The main character is the most developed, but his second from the Cote d'Ivoire shines here as well - though the casual racism rampant at this time will certainly raise eyebrows amongst modern readers. All in all, this is an engaging read and certainly shows a less romantic side of the country known for romance. It's solidly entertaining and I appreciated the French phrases scattered throughout at as a refresher from my high school French. I will definitely be keeping my eye out to catch the first book in the series - as well as the the third because I so enjoyed the setting and the plotting!

The Hanged Man's Tale is the second in a series about Police Inspector Paul Mazarelle. I was not familiar with the series, but I always jump at opportunities to read stories that take place in Paris. I'm happy to say that not reading the first book in the series in no way detracts from enjoying this second entry. I didn't feel like I was missing a lot of background, which is a testament to the author's abilities.

The Hanged Man's Tale is a police procedural that takes place shortly after 9/11 when Jacques Chirac is President of France. The story begins with an attempted assassination of Chirac, which is instantly solved by the lead character, Paul Mazarelle, as he catches the assassin in the act. Quickly thereafter, Mazarelle is assigned to a much more complicated case where a private investigator is discovered dead, hanging upside by his ankles in a tunnel of a Paris canal. All of his money is intact, so clearly was not the motive, but there is one odd clue left at the scene, a tarot card of The Hanged Man.

This is a complex mystery where the attempted assassination and the Hanged Man cases will eventually intertwine. It is also a dive into the racism that exists as much in France as it does here in the US. In investigating the murder, Mazarelle takes us into a world where the Roma (previously referred to as gypsies) are often the first group investigated when a crime takes place. I also learned a lot more about the French Foreign Legion in reading this novel, which I found very interesting.

I very much enjoyed the character of Mazarelle, as well as his two deputies, one of whom is of African descent and has very personally experienced extreme racism. Further, Paris is my favorite city on earth, so I loved the smattering of French slang and the familiar streets and districts where the book takes place. This is a mystery that will require your full attention in order to enjoy, but there is a payoff if you give it its due.

My thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was my introduction to Inspector Mazarelle. He is up there with Poirot, Brunetti, and Leduc in my estimation. Gerald Jay has crafted a fast paced who-done-it that had the Francophile in me longing to roam the streets of Paris with him; it had the armchair detective in me looking around corners with him; and it had the sceptic in me knowing that the corruption in the police force was behind this dastardly murder. So, move over Agatha, Donna and Cara. You have a new guy on the block with Gerald Jay.

I dip in and out of French police procedurals and thought it was time to check out this author. I’ve heard good things about his work, and was not disappointed. Readers will find a cleverly plotted, well-written story that will keep their interest. The tarot element adds a mysterious creepiness to hunt for the serial killer.

Parisian police are eager to pin the murder of a private investigator on a small-time Romany crook, but Paul Mazarelle calls out the knee-jerk xenophobic response. Indeed, his investigations reveal ties to white supremacist organizations rooted deeply in Parisian power brokers. As he himself is not only severely injured but also becomes a suspect, Mazarelle must go undercover to find the true culprit.

His attraction to the beautiful but married editor, Claire, is also destined to end badly.

This is a clever whodunit, but was a little slow, with too many characters. I nonetheless recommend it for fans of mysteries. #TheHangedMansTale #NetGalley

Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday books for the arc ebook of The Hanged Man’s Tale by Gerald Jay!

At the beginning of quarantine, I had to postpone a trip to France so, when I read the premise of this novel I thought: what a nice little escape to Paris!

Not one to shy away from a mystery, I dove right in. I was a bit slow at the beginning due to limited time to read, but once I gained my stride, it was very quick to get to the end.

This is the second book of a series of inspector Paul Mazarelle solving crimes, but my first to be read. Although I did not read the first book to be introduced to Mazarelle, I was not lost and everything still felt like a whole story. I will most likely look into other parts in the future.

Would you rather play it safe or get to the root of the evil? This seems to be the question at the heart of the investigation, but Mazarelle is one for justice and not letting any stone go unturned. He is a hardworking (perhaps obsessively so) police inspector, determined to let no one (and no injury) get in his way from coming to a conclusion. He is willing to play a little dirty to get information as well.

Until the big reveal, you are trying to connect all the dots to get this case closed up as the reader, only having as much insight into the mind of Mazarelle as you’re given. Around the case, you are fully immersed into the environment (whether the office or a dimly lit bar), scents (of his pipe tobacco or a cognac) and emotions (with slight facial expressions).

I enjoyed reading through this book while trying to see if I could solve the case before it came to its final conclusion, but does it? There’s a slight cliffhanger to see what kind of bow wraps up the present that Mazarelle has wrapped his findings up in. Until next time…

This is a murder mystery set in Paris. Commandant Mazarelle is a homicide policeman on a case of a murdered investigator and ends up involving the fabled French Legions and the French police.
The character development was great in keeping with the plot of the book. This was an interesting read and enjoyed the book a lot. The loyalty between the fellow officers and in determination in cracking the case with the evidence to convict was compelling to keep reading.
Thank you NetGalley and Nan A. Tales for a preview copy of this book.
#Netgalley #NanATalese

Overall I enjoyed this book and give it a 3.5 stars rounded up for star selection. I did not read the first book, but did not feel lost at any point because of that. I felt that the writing was good and the story flowed pretty well. I was intrigued when I read the description for this book and I did enjoy a book set in a different culture. I liked the main detective at the start, but I did lost respect during the book. Maybe there are some cultural differences, but I felt he crossed some progressional boundaries beyond what I was comfortable with. Other than that detour the mystery was interesting enough and I felt like the book addressed some significant issues which was also interesting. I liked the bits of French that was were tossed in. The other characters were good and interesting and this is a series I would read more of if the opportunity arose.

Although I found myself more easily distracted while reading this second Mazarelle mystery than I was for the first (The Paris Directive), I still enjoyed it. Sometimes living in a country as big as the United States can give people a false sense of importance-- almost as if the rest of the world doesn't matter. Do you think the United States is the only country with right-wing extremists who hate immigrants? Think again. The Hanged Man's Tale, which takes place shortly after 9/11, makes it very clear that right-wing extremists and the plight of immigrants are problems around the world.

The two major "ingredients" of Mazarelle's team are Maurice Kalou, a Black man who is no stranger to bigotry and who has learned that doing everything by the book is the safest way to proceed, and young Jean Villepin, who's not only impulsive, but he also worships Mazarelle as only a young man who feels he's ten feet tall and bullet-proof can. Pit Mazarelle and these two against the crooked cops and right-wing extremists, and readers are treated to an often volatile mix.

Their investigation leads readers into the plight of the Roma (formerly known as gypsies) as well as into a camp for immigrants. Readers learn about ripoux (crooked cops) and les boeuf-carottes (what Americans refer to as Internal Affairs), and the fabled French Foreign Legion has a role in the proceedings, too.

As I said previously, I did find myself more easily distracted from the story in The Hanged Man's Tale, but the characters and the investigation are good, in particular the wily Mazarelle. I certainly wouldn't mind visiting him in Paris again. À bientôt, Paul!

The Hanged Man's Tale is book 2 in the Inspector Marzarelle Mysteries by Gerald Jay.

"A murdered man is found hanging in the tunnel of a Paris canal with a tarot card in his pocket. A suspect is arrested quickly but Inspector Marzarelle knows he's not the real killer. Marzarelle and his team follow leads all over Paris. More people are killed and when Marzarelle is suspended he wonders if he can find the killer."

This is the first French crime fiction story I've read. I wanted to like this book more. Marzarelle has the potential to be a great character. He has a big personality and reminds you of many other fictional detectives.

The biggest issue is the constant French phrases - always having to look up the meaning. It really slows the reading down and hurts the flow of the story. There are some big jumps in logic that are iffy. And lots of cliches (one of my pet peeves)

If you're looking for a different kind of crime fiction give this a try. Keep your French-English dictionary handy.

November 26, 2021
Book Review

The Hanged Man’s Tale
Gerald Jay
reviewed by Lou Jacobs



readersremains.com | Goodreads


An atmospheric police procedural that catapults into an action thriller as clues are chased down in the shadowy streets and haunts of Paris filled with dastardly villains and femme fatales.

President Chirac is standing in his open jeep, waving to the Bastille Parade crowd “like a frigin’ god in his gleaming chariot, smiling and waving to his adoring subjects.” A shot rings out, and before a second follows, Inspector Mazarelle pounces on the shooter and thwarts the assassination attempt. Mazarelle immediately notes the funny low-caliber rifle – all wrong for a serious assassin. The parade theme is a celebration of Franco-American friendship, following shortly after the destruction of the twin towers in New York. Commandant Paul Mazarelle is fresh from a well deserved promotion to the elite Brigade Criminelle – comprised of the one-hundred most celebrated detectives in Paris. Shortly after, a murdered man is discovered dangling by his ankles in a tunnel of a Paris canal. Mazarelle is immediately assigned the case.

His investigation reveals in the victim’s breast pocket, an identity card and a tarot card of the Hanged Man. The victim is Alain Berthaud, a private investigator, who is strung up with a wallet stuffed with cash – robbery was obviously not the motive. The investigation of his last moments of life lead to his police associates and his partner in the L’Agence AB, Luc Fournel, a previous lieutenant who took early retirement to join the more financially lucrative firm of Alain Berthaud. The night before, they were all gathered and having a drink with Guy Danglers, an active member of the police force. Danglers, after the encounter, meets his demise in his Mercedes, garroted from behind by an assailant waiting in the backseat.

Mazarelle’s investigation is a multifaceted dilemma. Is there a linkage to the recently botched assassination attempt by the growing white supremacist movement opposing the ever expanding immigrant community or the ongoing investigation into police corruption? (Those eager to cover up their lucrative side business of information peddling.)

Dropped into the middle of his investigation is the potential involvement of the gorgeous, ambitious and young editor of the flamboyant local Paris-Clash. The tabloid is known for breaking high profile, gossip-worthy stories involving highly placed politicians and celebrities. Unfortunately, Mazarelle allows himself to be infatuated with the femme fatale and allows her insinuation into his investigation. Her imminent death by strangulation in her city apartment, and discovered first by Mazarelle is certainly a major complication. All of the cases seem to collide with probable connections, and a string of clues for Mazarelle to follow.

Gerald Jay crafts a riveting, fast-paced complex atmospheric thriller, that features the deductive skills of the elite Parisian detective, Paul Mazarelle. Vivid and evocative descriptions of Paris locales are easily interwoven into the nuanced narrative. A multitude of clues, culprits and evidence amass as the inspector searches for truth and justice. Although this appears to be the second novel in the Mazarelle mysteries, it can certainly be enjoyed as a standalone. This gem is an obvious homage to the famous Inspector Jules Maigret series, penned by the marvelous Belgian writer, Georges Simenon. Both pipe-smoking investigators are similar in stature, demeanor and deductive abilities, and both operate from the elite Brigade Criminelle of Paris.

Thanks to Netgalley and Doubleday / Talese books for providing an Uncorrected Proof in exchange for an honest review.

A modern police procedural featuring a very dogged detective. Faced with a murderer and corruption in the ranks a Paris detective is determined to bring down every person involved in the crime. It involves political corruption, blackmail and men who will do anything including kill in order to achieve power at the highest level of government.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great police procedural. There are many suspects and many twists and turns. I didn't read nor did I realize that this was the 2nd book in a series. This can definitely be read as a stand alone. Mazarelle is a good cop with great instincts. He is a huge man with a large presence and some underestimate him. This time he stumbles upon a conspiracy that has far reaching consequences that didn't completely resolve at the end so I'm sure it will carry over into another book. The murder however is solved and doesn't leave you hanging, which I hate.

Racism is a big theme running through this book. Mazarelle's co-worker is of African descent and is constantly dealing with racism throughout the book but many different characters. When a "gypsy" is arrested the powers that be are quick to pin the blame on him however Mazarelle doesn't work that way, he only wants the truth and he doesn't believe that man is the culprit. White supremacy doesn't seem to only be an American issue as this book is quick to point out.

I really enjoyed this book and will be definitely adding this series to my reading list.