The boring rubbish continues in the type of an “open novel”, as if we were not “nourished enough” with the “historical” rubbish! (Morris Leblanc, LE MEURTRE de L’Abbé S’Nière, Éditions Arqa Polar, Marseilles, 2023).

Whoever hides behind the pseudonym of Morris Leblanc must have had a lot of fun writing *The Murder of Abbé S’Nière* (Arqa 2023), and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The authors of the preface (Christian Doumergue and Tony Baillargeat) suggest it's a work with keys (“roman à clef”), concealing heavy esoteric secrets on which the shadows hang of Parvulesco. Perhaps. But for me (a certain person heavily addicted to H. P. Lovecraft and his horrible and hilarious squids), it's an excellent thriller that I devoured, grinning with a smile on my face thanks to the multitude of clever allusions this hefty book offers us. Never mind chronological plausibility, forget the terribly transparent pseudonyms, and let's dive into this mind-blowing adventure.

Abbé S'Aunière is tasked by his bishop (Billiard), a member of the Compagnie de Pie, with retrieving a scandalous file, the Polypus file, and to do so disappear in the dark Vatican Archives. This will cost the life of one of his colleagues (Gélis), who owned part of it. It will also claim the life of a young American, Lovecraft, investigating the Jack the Ripper murders in London. This promising writer had, in fact, also been commissioned by the Episcopalians to get hold of the file. This he will accomplish thanks to his gift of “records transmission via dry route.” Alas, several pages will be lost during the transfer, and the Abbé will try to locate them with the help of his mistress, the Diva of the Century, who was also an excellent clairvoyant. A scholarly tour of France will then ensue, with the researcher pursued by the Jesuit William of Baskerville, also searching for the documents on behalf of the Aa (they are clearly at each other's throats within the Catholic Church!). The Jesuit is all the more formidable because he enjoys the complicit friendship of Jean Orth. As the parchments are reconstructed, it will become clear that this is the story of the true life of Christ. He had a twin brother who was crucified in his place. The help of Abbé Debout, the learned priest of Rennes-les-Grenouilles, will be indispensable in deciphering the ancient languages used to write the documents. Abbé S'Nière will make a final stop at his farm near Sougraigne, run by Claire and Antoine, where the subsoil is mined, revealing priceless historical treasures smelted on site (ah, the Pech d'En Couty!). The finale will take the form of a duel with the Jesuit at the summit of Bugarach, where our Abbé will lose his life. But is that the end? I won't spoil the surprising twist that allows us to witness an astonishing NDE!

The characters are all more outlandish than the last. We learn that the priest's housekeeper's last name was Denarnaud-Cthulhu. The Abbé also had a handyman, a dwarf with the same name of Asmodeus, who ate nothing but blue apples, supplied by a discreet merchant at the Saint-Germain market, near the Abbé's home on Rue Léoncourt. The Abbé, for his part, was one who lived well, fond of beautiful women and fine dining. His tour of France will not only be a historical and touristic journey, but also a gastronomic one, as he discovers the local specialties.

Finally, it should be noted that the saga is full of references to numerous secret societies with their “good guys” and “bad guys”: in addition to the Aa, the Company of Pie and the Episcopalians already mentioned, we encounter La Sapinière, La fila Etheria de Moldavie, Le Grand Lunaire, the Hiéron du Val d’Or, the Eye of Horus within the Society of Men of Letters, L’Officium Dei, Les Frères de Lumière, Le Prieuré de Sion, Le Cercle de Narbonne....