Le pont du diable

This is an extremely charming French mystery with an abundance of beautiful scenery as a bonus. The story begins rather slowly, with an apparent suicide from an old stone bridge, but it without too much surprise becomes something more. As usual in these stories, an outside detective is thrust into the case with a local one. Again, as is common, the newcomer has some personal connection to the area. As each new piece of the mystery unfoldes, it seems to branch out into multiple unrelated threads, but these are rather skillfully tied back together to form the solution to all the various problems, with all the skill of a Sophoclean drama. Well writen, well acted, and not overly intense or needlessly melodrammatic.

A pleasant evening's entertainment.