Cumberland, Marten -- Postscript to a Death (1963)

Another outing for Saturnin Dax, the French detective, and his various off-siders including the good-looking Felix Norman. A steward from a passenger liner is shot dead in the street, and the investigation reveals two sides to his character: was he the devoted fiance of Amelie Saintfol, only daughter of a decayed but noble family, or a drug-smuggling ganglord? Routine investigations into both sides turn up some interesting secrets, but there is relatively little deduction and the main excitement comes when Felix is bailed up by the gang. Well-written and entertaining, but overly 'psychological' and disappointing from a detective point of view; the murderer in particular seems to have been selected more or less at random.

Jon.