Review of "Tug of War" by Barbara Cleverly

The France of 1926 is still recovering from the War when Scotland Yard inspector Joe Sandilands takes his vacation and is sent to France to try to help identify a victim of shell-shock. The situation is complicated because several families claim the man is their relative. He may be French or British and there's little evidence on which Sandilands can base an investigation. In the chaos of that war, hundreds of thousands of men were unaccounted for amid the carnage of trench warfare. Sandiland's interest is piqued by a French woman named Aline Houdart whose husband was declared missing when he learns of a crime that took place long ago in which this woman was implicated.

It's a page-turner and fans of British mysteries will certainly find it enjoyable. Those whose taste in thrillers is more in the American tradition may find it a bit slow. But Barabara Cleverly's thoughtful detective seems to have a bright future ahead of him.