The Dark Edge of Night: A Henri Lefort Mystery

by Mark Pryor

Winter 1940: With soldiers parading down the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, Nazi flags dangling from the Arc de Triomphe, and the Eiffel Tower defaced with German propaganda, Parisians have little to celebrate as Christmas approaches. Police Inspector Henri Lefort’s wishes for a quiet holiday season are dashed when the Gestapo orders him to investigate the disappearance of Dr. Viktor Brandt, a neurologist involved in a secret project at one of Paris’s hospitals.

Being forced onto a missing persons case for the enemy doesn’t deter Henri from conducting his real job. A Frenchman has been beaten to death in what appears to be a botched burglary, and catching a killer is more important than locating a wayward scientist. But when Henri learns that the victim’s brother is a doctor who worked at the same hospital as the missing German, his investigation takes a disturbing turn.

Uncovering a relationship between the two men - one that would not be tolerated by the Third Reich - Henri must tread carefully. And when he discovers that Dr. Brandt’s experimental work is connected to groups of children being taken from orphanages, Henri risks bringing the wrath of both the SS and the Gestapo upon himself and everyone he loves.

• ISBN10: 1250825040
• ISBN13: 9781250825049
• Publish Date: 18 September 2023 (first published 15 August 2023)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 6 August 2024
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Minotaur Books,US
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 352
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

The Dark Edge of Night is the second procedural historical mystery featuring Detective Henri Laforte by Mark Pryor. Released 15th Aug 2023 by Macmillan on their Minotaur imprint, it's 352 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. Paperback format due out from the same publisher in Aug 2024. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. 

This is a deeply researched, wonderfully immersive police procedural mystery set in WW2 occupied Paris. The story is written around a framework of actual historical events so skillfully that it's not always possible to tell where fact shades into fiction. The characters (even secondary characters) are very well rendered and believable.

There's a fair amount of casual brutality and a sense of creeping dread throughout the story. It's quite sad in a lot of places. For all that, it's beautifully well written and the mystery is satisfyingly complex. 

It's not remotely derivative, but readers who enjoyed Kerr's Bernie Gunther and Foyle's War will find a lot to enjoy in this series. 

There are currently two books extant, with a third due out in third quarter 2024 from Macmillan Minotaur. 

Four stars. It would be an excellent choice for library acquisition, for lovers of procedural mysteries, mystery book club selection, and would make a good binge/buddy read. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.