I love learning about how other country's criminal system works! This was a good read and I love that Juge Lombard is beginning to move on from his wife's death and back in the land of the living! Hope there are more books in this series coming in the future!

#TheManWhoDidntBurn
#NetGalley

A different type of murder mystery with the French system of investigation leading the story. A Juge who doesn’t fit the normal style of sitting behind a desk allowing the police to investigate and report is the lead character whose previous history is referred to often but as this is the first in a series that’s a mystery in itself as few details are given. Still as an entertaining yarn it delivers with moments of humour as well as some gruesome details of the murders. The villain of the piece is revealed in a surprising denouement and hopefully there will be another episode explaining his seemingly dodgy history.

A French murder mystery involving the death/murder of an Englishman Graham Singleterry set amongst a small ex pat community. Most of the story takes place in this small village in the Loire valley. Very well described and atmospheric. There is also a kind of fete/celebration to Joan of Arc which was really unusual.

I have to say i am used to English detectives (and some American) but here the author introduces us to an Investigating Magistrate Matthieu Lombard and his partner Guy Aubret.. All of which was also unusual but the book rolls along well although I thought it was slow at the start.

Lots of satisfactory twists and excellent ending.

Thanks to Net Galley and Duckworth Books for the chance to read and review.

This was a very entertaining story. The background was quite serious with several murders. The characters were something else. Various members of the police force with axes to grind and personal likes and dislikes. The one who was the target o the disagreements was the one who solved the murders, quietly and expertly.

The first in a new series by Ian Moore. An intriguing murder mystery set in France with the victim a British ex-pat suffering an horrific death. The French justice system and investigation methods are different to those in the UK. A cracking cast of characters. A promising start to a new series.

A great thriller set in beautiful surroundings.
A man is found crucified on a cross in the guise of a scarecrow and Matthieu Lombard is the man trying to find the perpetrator of this heinous crime.
The story moves at a fair pace and the writing makes it easy to read.
The main character is complex and has issues but he’s likeable .
An enjoyable and different police procedural read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Duckworth Books.

There were some nice twiddly bits in this tale of a St Joan murder or several. However, for me, it did not quite hang together which was a pity as the plot and the location were enticing. A souffle that failed to rise to the occasion, one might say. Sad really as otherwise I would happily have sought out the rest of this series; when published.

Unfortunately due to personal reasons I have not been able to read much recently and picked up this book to read the day after it was published. However it seems to have vanished from my kindle so I am unable to read and give feedback.

I found the writing a little jerky at times and I wasn't always sure who was speaking. Perhaps this is because the Kindle version I read seemed to squash everything together.

Despite this, The Man Who Didn't Burn is an intriguing murder mystery. I enjoyed the snippets of information about Joan of Arc and the all other historical details Lombard came up with.

With some false trails and plenty of suspects, it did keep me guessing until the end.

I have read this author before & thought I knew what I was getting with this new series. How wrong I was. This Juge Lombard Mystery was right up my street - an intriguing opening, some cracking characters (vile & otherwise), an alternative judicial system & a crime drawing on centuries old history.

A British expat is brutally murdered. He had ingratiated himself in to his local town in the Loire Valley to such an extent that everyone appeared to have a reason to be thankful to him. Or want to kill him. Including his much younger wife. Juge Matthieu Lombard, on his first case since the death of his wife, & Commissaire Guy Aubret are like chalk & cheese; they almost work together well partly due to Lombard’s dual heritage & his insight in to ‘the British’ but also because Aubret is a bit of a stickler.

A solid mystery &, once I’d got to grips with the French job titles etc, it was a well paced read. Looking forward to the next one.

Once I’d read the gruesome first chapter, I thought I would at least try to continue with the book, and I’m glad I did, because it turned out to be a good read, one that (after several more chapters) I couldn’t put down. It is not as light-hearted as the previous books that I have read by this author, but I shall be looking out for the further adventures of the Juge.

Crucifixion is an unusual way to kill a man – do you put the cross up first or attach the victim first? Does it require more than one murderer? The cross is on a small hill in rural France, and these questions are asked early on by Juge d’Instruction, Mattieu Lombard, to Commissaire Guy Aubret. The French criminal investigation system is quite complicated, but for the purpose of this review (and the story) there are three main positions: the Procureur, in overall charge of an area (in this case the Loire area centered on Tours), the Juge d’Instruction, his deputy so in day-to-day charge of the case, and the Commissaire, the local Head of the Police Judiciaire. Usually the first two are not involved in the actual investigation, but Lombard is not a ‘usually’ kind of chap. Both of the others have concerns about him, partly because of his tendency to get ‘hands on’ and partly because of a possible case of tampering with evidence. The Procureur in particular would like an excuse to fire him. Lombard has been on compassionate leave for the last year following his wife’s death, but is called back for this case because he is part English and the victim is an English ex-pat living, and now dying, in the environs of the village of Saint Genèse sur Loire, a few kilometres from Tours. The corpse has various features which provoke thoughts about Joan of Arc, which may or may not be clues, or motivational links, or obfuscations. As it happens, the village fête the previous evening centered around a putative historical visit by St Joan, and the dead man was on the committee. The other members of the committee are clearly suspects, as are his wife, the girls who found the body, a local tour guide, and a local History professor who happens to be an expert on St Joan. However, none of these has an obvious motive. And then one of them is also killed.
This is basically a police procedural, albeit a French one, with a troubled investigator (Lombard) with a past that affects his ability to focus on the crime. It is well constructed overall, but is very slow to begin with as it fills in Lombard’s past, links between the suspects and the victim, the necessary details about the judicial system, and brief details about Joan of Arc. Lombard’s progress is logical based on the clues presented, and the reader hits the same conclusions as he does up to the final sequence where he makes a jump which is not, I think, quite so soundly based on evidence. Not a major issue. This is the first of a new series, which I hope will be less cluttered by Lombard’s personal life.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

The first in a series about Juge Matthieu Lombard, and it is a novel full of Gallic charm and the obstinacy that the French are famous for.
The prologue is terrible, so overly complicated, too many characters were introduced so quickly, it was really hard to concentrate upon them all. I found this greatly disturbed the narrative, but perseverance brought forth a really satisfying and intriguing murder mystery.
The scenery in that area of France, the region of Tours, is stunning, with quaint villages, and the magnificent chateau of Amboise.
Judge Lombard has decided to leave Tours and start afresh following the death of his wife. Before he can get away, he is asked to lead the investigation into the death of an Englishman, on the basis that he himself, holds both English and French nationality.
The legal system is very different in France. The Judge is also the investigating detective and generally decides which direction the case will go, and which witnesses to question.
There are numerous suspects regarding the murder, and there is a strong theme of Joan of Arc running through this story. The Judge also has to contend with unsympathetic colleagues who believe he is not honest, his mother, who is frequently arrested for supporting various causes, and a nagging suspicion that his late wife was unfaithful. So far, so French!
I adore this area of France and loved this story, I certainly hope that more stories in the same vein will follow. I became really immersed in the location and the mannerisms of these villagers, this brought back happy memories.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers Farrago Books for my advance digital copy, freely given in return for my honest review.
I will leave a copy of this to Goodreads and Amazon UK on publication day. A five star read.

This is a hard book to discuss because although I very much liked Juge d’Instruction Matthieu Lombard as a character and I enjoyed learning about French crime investigative structures, I am dismayed by the improbability of the plot and by the resolution of the murder. And, while this is an ARC and I am aware they might be corrected in the final edit, there are some amazingly poor word choices and phrases here.

Read this book to meet Juge Lombard. Don't wince too much.

I found this book slow going at the beginning, but I soon began to warm to the investigation team. There were lots of twists accompanying more attacks/ deaths so it was hard to pin down a suspect. The main character was also working through personal issues. Despite the slow start, I found this book to be an enjoyable read.

Investigating Judge Lombard has been on a year long compassionate leave after the death of his wife. There is a cloud over him as some people think he tampered with evidence and that is being used as a stick to keep him in line.
He is called to attend to the murder of an Englishman, who has been killed by crucifixion. The local town seems to be pushing the 'fact' that Joan of Arc stopped there on her way to Blois. The bodies mount up and the suspect pool decreases as Lombard works out the who and they why.
An entertaining read.

First things first, I would compare Moore's writing to that of Allingham's. Initially, you might find the story to be a slow burn and a little difficult to follow through. Before you know, you are halfway through the story and you are hooked.

A slow start but pace intensifies as the story proceeds. We have plenty of red herrings here so if you are used to playing detective, maybe give yourself a break this time and let Juge Lombard solve it.

I was hooked on to the story and couldn't put it down until the end. I loved the denouement. There is this scene where Lombard comes face-to-face with someone who points a gun at him and I was like, Juge Lombard is a goner! Thank god for small mercies and surprising twists! Phew!

I loved this series debut and I am looking forward to reading the next installment. If you are looking for a unique and interesting mystery filled with details of French policing and a dash of French history, I highly recommend The Man Who Didn't Burn by Ian Moore.

This is the first time I have read a book by this author and it was a thoroughly enjoyable book. This is the first book in the Juge Lombard Mystery series and it is set in France. Lombard is called back to oversee a crime and it is the first case he is attending since the death of his wife.

The French Police system is different to ours in the UK, and this made for interesting reading in itself. It is interesting to see how other countries' departments work. Lombard is not like others, rather than sit behind a desk he likes to be out investigating, much to the annoyance of police officers and others. Lombard is sarcastic, often found to be mulling and keeping his thoughts to himself, being vague and going off on a different tangent. I liked him.

When a body is discovered disguised as a scarecrow, but crucified, then Lombard has his work cut out. There is little in the way of clues, but there is a link, this is one that becomes longer and longer as the case continues and another body is found. What starts as a coincidence, now becomes something that is almost a hindrance. Too much is fitting too well together, but does that mean the team are being sidetracked, set up or being led too well?

I really liked the pacing of this story, the mystery and investigation are not too fast-paced and there are some interesting locations and some history mixed into the storyline. Having mentions of bureaucracy, ways of doing things, councils, mayors and other positions of office makes for interesting reading. There is also the murder and the accompanying investigation, as I said a different style compared to UK or US styles and this is what I have read most so it was great to see.

This is a murder mystery and also crime and police procedural, there are some wonderful twists and I do like Lombard, he is a little bit like Poirot and Morse, or at least he reminded me of them! Not a brutal and bloodthirsty thriller, but more than a cosy mystery. Very enjoyable story and I am looking forward to picking up more by this author. I would happily recommend this one.

Set in France 🇫🇷 this book draws you in straight from the the opening line “He knew he was dying.”
Set in the small town of Saint Genèse sir Loire, Juge d’instruction Matthieu Lombard is called in to investigate the brutal murder of an English expat.
The case brings clues that lead to Joan of Arc, and a whole bunch of secrets and mystery.
A great selection of characters that leave you wanting to know more at every encounter.
Very cleverly done and loved the pace it seemed relaxed but also with pace.
Will definitely be looking out for more of this series.

Thanks to NetGalley for this book

When English expat Graham Singleterry is brutally murdered, his charred corpse left on a Loire Valley hillside, the police turn to juge d’instruction Matthieu Lombard to find the perpetrator.
Instead, Lombard discovers a wealth of secrets, grudges and feuds in the idyllic town of Saint-Genèse-sur-Loire. He begins to suspect that the remaining members of the Comité des Fêtes know more about Singleterry’s death than they are letting on.

This is a beautifully written story. The description is superb and the characters are so believable. It makes you feel you are in rural France. I raced through the book and found it difficult to put down. The twists and turns continue throughout resulting in a great and unexpected ending.