In the interests of full disclosure David Barrie's publisher sent me an ARC of this book.

The events of 'Night-Scented' occur some months after the events of 'Wasp-Waisted'. Franck Guerin is still working for the Brigade Criminelle in Paris during his suspension from the DST. Out of the blue Guerin receives a call from one of the characters from 'Wasp-Waisted' - she has discovered a 'murdered guy in the corner of the room who stinks of chlorine' and once again Guerin is dragged into investigating a series of murders connected to the Parisian fashion houses. Once again Paris features as a major character, with the beauty and elegance of its streets and architecture juxtaposed with the world of the homeless and dispossessed who inhabit its streets and parks and sleep precariously perched between the girders of the Alexandre III bridge . The plot is well placed and, crucially for later books, we learn a little more about the Corsican Incident, the reason for Guerin's suspension, and its ramifications but not too much .

I enjoyed 'Wasp-Waisted', Barrie's debut novel which introduced us to Guerin but ,as I suspect that writing a second novel in a series is extremely difficult, I approached 'Night-Scented' with some caution and am pleased to report that Barrie has produced a fantastic follow up to his debut. I am very much looking forward to meeting Franck Guerin in his next outing. ( )

Review from Badelynge
David Barrie's second Franck Guerin detective novel Night-Scented picks up several months after the first book Wasp-waisted left off. Guerin is still on temporary assignment at the Brigade Criminelle, a Major Crimes Unit in Paris. He's settled in a little more but still fairly desperate to get back to his former employment in the DST, chasing eco-terrorists. It's not essential to read these two books in order by the way. There are no crucial spoilers. You will get a better introduction to some of the characters in Wasp-waisted though.
There's a picture of the Alexandre III bridge on the cover of Night-Scented. It's an elegant looking bridge, pretty in the lamplight and underneath run the dark waters of the Seine. Less pretty but also an important location in the book is the Mirabeau bridge. They do provide a very potent image of a place where two worlds cross each other.
Franck's current case involves the murder of several prominent business leaders that have some connection, through investment, to the development of a new perfume called Night-Scented. Also linked are a colony of homeless vagabonds who inhabit the underside of the Alexandre III bridge. I don't know how much of the bridge symbolism I picked up on is deliberate or just coincidence, though I tend to treat coincidences with the same caution as our detective. "I don't like coincidences," says Franck. "They make me uneasy."
Barrie continues to impress with his descriptions of various locations in Paris, often off the beaten tourist path. His portrayal of the sometimes confusing world of big business is also very assured and authentic. We at last learn a little more about the infamous Corsican operation that was introduced in the first book as the reason for Franck's enforced secondment, though Franck remains, as far as his history goes, still a man of mystery. The narrative style, I suppose, doesn't really lend itself to flashbacks. I don't think we even make it back to his apartment this time round. Perhaps giving Franck too much history would add unnecessary baggage to the plot, which is a complex one. The characters are well drawn and their motives and psychology are well thought out. I like how with a line, a statement or detail the ground can shift under our feet and our line of inquiry has to turn to a new or previously discarded suspect. It all makes for a very pleasing and stylish detective/thriller experience. ( )

Night-Scented is my second novel. Although not strictly speaking a sequel to the previous one (Wasp-Waisted), it picks up a number of its characters and concerns. It takes us back to Paris and back to Franck Guerin, a somewhat unwilling recruit to the city’s Major Crimes Unit.

Richer, perhaps, in past history than in present glory, Paris nonetheless remains the world capital of fashion and luxury goods. If you spend a lot of time wandering about it on foot (as I do), it’s difficult to avoid the impression that Fashion Week is permanently either just around the corner or frenetically underway. Fashion shows and shoots pop up all over the city, create havoc in their immediate vicinity, and then fade away. That’s what gave me the idea for the opening of the novel, which involves a shooting at a fashion show which has taken over one of the city’s less-known parks.

It would have been unfair to pit Franck Guerin (not the most stylish of policemen, it has to be said) all alone against the elegant creatures of "l’industrie du luxe", so he gets a helping hand from the opposite end of the city’s social spectrum, in the shape of its homeless. Other, shadier, figures get involved too, until it becomes hard to distinguish the suspects from those who are just helping with enquiries.

That said, I’m a great believer in “cards on the table” plotting. This is a murder mystery with the clues in situ. You just have to sniff them out.

Night-Scented will be published in the UK on the 1st of June 2010. More information about it (including hints on how and where to buy it) can be found at www.nightscented.com.

Hope you like it.