Fires have been breaking out all over Chief Inspector Pel's beloved province of Burgundy, from small houses to woodland. Then a local farmer's flock of sheep is poisoned, a tray of valuable rings stolen from a local jewellers, and the body of a woman is found.

Inspector Pel has his work cut out for him in this exhilarating murder mystery.

Moody, sharp-tongued and worrying constantly about his health, Inspector Pel ensures that no case goes unsolved, in these mordantly witty French mysteries.