Adrian Magson is one of those great thriller writers that not enough people have heard of. His Harry Tate series was superb as is the Marc Portman series, both of the highest order.
I’m working my way through his other books and am yet to be disappointed. This was the first I have read in the Inspector Rocco series and it is as good as I would have expected.
It’s a crime thriller set in 1964 so the historical aspect has minimal technology and a population not too far removed from the two World Wars. Rocco has two new problems, three Moroccan nationals assassinated on a quiet road and an influential lawyer with reach and resource to hide something in his background. Eventually the two cases start to merge and Rocco and his colleagues need to resolve things before “The Ministry” close their investigation down.
This has everything you could want, interesting historical context (not many of us would have thought about the history of France and Morocco), a feel of the time and place, and some good characters. Rocco is no superstar or gun toting athlete, he’s a smart ordinary guy who follows leads.
Enjoyed this a lot and have been downloading other books in the series. Adrian Magson doesn’t seem to do anything that isn’t rather special.

As usual in my reviews I will not rehash the plot (there are other reviews like that out there already if that's what you are looking for!)

I did not realise that this was the 7th book in a series! Not having read any of the previous novels, I read this as a standalone, and it worked perfectly well as such.

This was an enjoyable read, a page turner that kept my interest (I read it in a single day!) throughout. I liked the setting in provincial France (with occasional forays into bigger cities to add to the atmosphere!), and also that it is set during the 1960s. I was reminded (not in a plagiaristic way) of the wonderful Maigret novels, and could picture the various settings so clearly described.

The characterisations and locations all had a very authentic feel - I now understand that the author spent part of his life in France, which explains that!

The plot had several layers - corruption, murder, a budding romance - and the pace was expertly timed.

I look forward to reading more in this series (I have some catching up to do!)

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

Thanks for the ARC. After I read The Locker this summer, I was excited about another novel by Adrian Magson. I liked the set up in France in the 60s. I enjoy reading about another time and another way of life.
This book never got me excited. The last chapters I read only to see the solution. I have to say that I'm a little disappointed.

Who said nothing ever happens in the French countryside?
Picardie, France 1964. On a deserted country road, three Moroccan nationals are shot dead with precision, a cold-blooded execution, one bullet each. To Inspector Lucas Rocco, it's a mystery. Why them and why here?
A short time later, he happens upon two police officers who have been assaulted by an enraged motorist, one of them seriously. The unapologetic assailant, found to have an unregistered gun in his possession, claims to be the secretary of a high-profile and influential Parisian lawyer, Guy De Lancourt.

The two cases seemingly have nothing in common. But on closer examination Rocco feels something isn't quite right. Just what lies beneath De Lancourt's carefully-cultivated public persona? And what secrets are hidden at Les Cyprès, the heavily-guarded former mental asylum De Lancourt has made his home?

The previous year 1963, as part of a police nationwide initiative Inspector Lucas Rocco was transferred from his comfortable Clichy, Paris base to the village of Poissons-Les-Marais, Picardie. Here he is answerable to his former army commanding officer, now Police Commissaire, Francois Massin, last seen by Rocco cowering in a foxhole in Indochina. Rocco initially felt completely out of his depth in this village, which mainly consists of farms and is very sparsely populated, whereas of course Paris is full of people. He feels dressed for a Paris office whereas he needs to wear gum boots a lot in the village.

This is a very gritty, down to earth detective, unusually based in a French provincial town. He brings the extensive training and large city contacts he had in Paris to add to the small town viewpoint with great success. It is a sort of rebirth of a Maigret type detective for the 21st century but based in the 20th with a battered Citroen and other artefacts of that time. There is a real sense of action and melodramatic page-turning suspense until almost the last sentence. Fast moving and great entertainment - I look forward to reading more adventures of Lucas Rocco.

The landscape and well researched period detail is very familiar to Adrian from his own childhood in rural France. He said in an interview in 2012, that his family moved to France in 1958 and he attended school there although now he lives and works in England, but he says little seems to have changed in rural France from the 1960’s up until the present day.

This very exciting and hard to put down thriller rushes on to its final dramatic conclusion. I have had the great privilege of reading for review purposes many of the previous books of this very exciting author.

Adrian Magson is a very gifted author with a very large number of books published under his name with various publishers. When you open one of his books you know that you can count on a really interesting plot and well rounded characters, that has been thoroughly and painstakingly researched. That there is a real sense of action and a very dramatic page turning suspense almost to the last sentence.

Bearing this in mind, I found this a very gripping police procedural, very evocative of the enticing French way of life - you could almost taste the hot buttered croissants and smell the Gitane cigarettes on every page - which makes this English author work particularly original. I will certainly look out for more books by Adrian Magson in the future. Most strongly recommended.
(Advance review e-book provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for fair review)

Seeped In Atmosphere…
The seventh in the Inspector Lucas Rocco series and another top notch historical thriller. Engaging and intriguing from first to last page, seeped in atmosphere and wholly engrossing. A fitting addition to this long running, excellent series and whilst can be read as a standalone much enjoyment will be had in reading from the start of the series.

Lucas Rocco is back and Death at the Old Asylum by Adrian Magson is a wonderfully well written story about murder and politics in France during the early sixties. We find ourselves once again in the rural settings in Picardie. Three dead persons in a car on a deserted country road leads to a complicated case which the ministry of the interior wants to cover up. It involves the recent troubles in north africa and they don't want what happened to be public. Rocco however doesn't care, a murder has happened and soon more things will stir up the region and he will uncover the truth no matter what pressure Paris will bring down on him. Rocco doesn't care who or what is behind a crime, he is a policeman and he is tasked with solving crimes. This is by far the best book out in October and I hope there is a new one in the making. The setting and characters created by Magson is his best ever. I recommend this series to all I can. I must of course than @canelo_co and @netgalley for letting me read this wonderful book by one of my favorite authors @adrianmagson

So good to get back to a Rocco crime thriller. Set in France in 1964 this book oozes Gallic charm and character while revealing the undercurrent of menace that recent National conflict brought.
The writing is bright and engaging with established and well developed characters in a basically rural setting. Lucas Rocco isn’t a country bumpkin, having down his military service and earlier police work in Paris. His manner is an inclusive one and he encourages hard work and diligent service.
Into this rural setting, imported crime and violence shatter the more gentle occupations as a professional killing is enacted.
This is a police procedural. Based on an interesting location which the author overlays with well researched political tension and historical perspective.
I eat up the pages; savouring the mystery and intrigue he builds.
The fruit bats might not get a mention but you know they are still there like the essential ingredients of French cuisine making a well rounded novel. Bright , interesting and carrying a real threat like the aroma of garlic and strong cheese.
While part of a series this book can be read as a standalone but buyer beware you will be hooked and hunting out the earlier episodes without doubt.
A real winner by a great writer and an imaginative story teller. A natural descendent of Maigret’s brooding times and capturing those thrilling moments of le Carré’s Jackel.

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4 stars

Three men of North African descent were shot to death on an isolated road in Picardie, France in 1964. All of the men were armed, but weren’t able to get a shot off.

Inspector Lucas Rocco is assigned to the case. It is a real puzzle. What Rocco and his team uncover is a vast conspiracy to cover up the past of a high society Parisian attorney.

This is a relatively fast moving reading experience. It has murders, secrets, betrayal and a host of other evil doings. I liked the book a great deal. The writing is good; not a lot of wasted words. This is my first book by Adrian Magson and I immediately went to Amazon to look at his other books. Looks like a lot of good reading coming my way in the future!

I want to thank NetGalley and Canelo for forwarding to me a copy of this very good book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed here are solely my own.