The Phenomenological Detective series will be a set of nine books set in France and/or Europe in general starring the Complex Crimes Team of the Police Judiciare (Judicial Police), based in Paris. The stories are mostly contemporary, with just one volume as a prequel and alternative entry point to the series. Planned volumes are as follows:
- The Only True Remedy
- The Heights of Abraham
- The Arc of Blood
- Jacqueline’s Tears
- A Rent in the Order of Being
- The Ultraviolet Catastrophe
- A Memory of Water
- The End of the Land
- Common Sense Dancing
Latest – Launching 31st October 2025
Book 4 – Jacqueline’s Tears
Poirot has his little grey cells; Morse has his classical education. Patrice Lanier has only ‘the things themselves’.
When Colette Lanier takes up ballet, little does she know that her detective husband will be investigating a case involving a nasty blackmail threat that on the surface makes no sense. A chance discovery of human bones with bite marks, and Monsieur Robert’s capricious interpretation, sends Pucelle into the French vodou community. Is this ritual cannibalism or something else?
Deception and betrayal play their part, producing shocking cataclysmic results in both investigations. The team must work their cases with more than 9,000 police confined with Covid, amid draconian French regulations. How can they maintain civil peace while solving extraordinary complex crime?
As always, there are lots of good things packed into the story, whose overall theme is around betrayal: of individuals, of country, of the community. All played out against the background of Offenbach’s exquisite cello piece ‘Jacqueline’s Tears’.
Early review (pre-publication) 5 stars from Amazon, Canada
“It was so wonderful to get back to Paris and spend time with Commissaire Patrice Lanier, his family and his officers. I wasn’t aware of the work done to clean up the Seine River before the Olympics, Composer Jacques Offenbach, nor his ballet ‘Jacqueline’s Tears’, so I was excited to learn as I read.
Setting this novel to include the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing lockdown allows readers more insight into how our beloved phenomenologist operates. I thoroughly enjoyed a peek into the observations, reductions, reflections, and synthesis of Commissaire Lanier.
Elizabeth Mostyn writes fantastic detective fiction. I can always count on her to craft a complex narrative highlighting intelligent characters and weave in the perfect amount of suspense and mystery.
I believe this fourth installment in her Phenomenological Detective series is the most captivating because:
- Mostyn presented an intriguing and challenging puzzle
- Dredging the Seine River in preparation for the Olympics, femurs and ulnas with gnaw markings were found
- Mostyn’s subplots were just as compelling
- Blackmail resulting from a controversial ballet, murder/assault of young South Asian men, jewel robbery, sexual assaults, vodou, zombies, cannibalism, and sorcerers
- Mostyn’s characters were interesting
- Transwoman forensic anthropologist
- Blue Bedlington terrier
- Lanier family with challenges caring for elderly parents
- Bulgarian ballerina
- Paris river police
If you love intellectually satisfying reads, written by an author who is adept at tapping into our natural curiosity and engaging our critical thinking skills, you won’t want to miss this fantastic mystery. “
Book 3 – The Arc of Blood – available now in ebook & paperback
Poirot has his little grey cells; Morse has his classical education. Patrice Lanier has only ‘the things themselves’.
On secondment to Interpol’s Art Investigation Unit, Patrice must solve an intriguing puzzle. A painting, found on a Finnish rubbish dump, may be by Artemisia Gentileschi, contemporary of Caravaggio, and friend of Galileo. With the help of art historian, Chloë Valéry, the Finnish Police, and a gaggle of Italian art experts, Patrice must establish the truth.
If the picture is genuinely by the Renaissance artist, it could be worth more than $5 million, if it’s a forgery it must be destroyed by fire.
Will Patrice be responsible for the destruction of an extraordinary work of art, based only on an uncertain provenance … or will he discover it’s an unknown masterpiece?
Appealing to people with well-furnished minds, this international story takes place in Paris, Helsinki, Rome, Naples, Florence, and London. Its theme is value: of art and how it is determined, perverted, and exploited, and of human beings, contemporary and mediaeval.
Editorial reviews:
“You know what, I’m starting to think that the curse of the three—yes, I grabbed another third volume of a series—has a silver lining. For some reason, third books tend to be real good. The Arc of Blood took me for a wild and enjoyable ride. The rhythm is so pleasant! Mostyn knows how important a good pacing is—not too fast, since it could disorient readers, and not too slow, as it could make them drop a story. I also have to say it’s been edited well. Kudos!” Reedsy Discovery – Tissie Lilaclicquorice
“I highly recommend this book if you are an art lover, if you love mysteries and love how slowly the whole story unravels, if you love thrillers and crime novels that do not follow the established rhythm and themes, then this novel is for you. If you love characters that are smart but also have their flaws, then you should read this book. I would like to mention a small caution: some female protagonists suffer violence at the hands of men. If you are sensitive, please read the book under your criteria. Online Book Club – Bertha Serrano
What readers say:
“Elizabeth Mostyn’s latest novel in her crime series is intelligently written and full of intrigue. The mystery of whether the painting is real or fake takes you through a lesson in the history of art, while unravelling the complexities of trying to find the provenance. Running in parallel is a second totally unrelated crime to be solved, yet Elizabeth has mastered the art of telling 2 stories in one book, that seamlessly run together. Despite the violent nature of the second crime, there is no need for graphic details, as you see in so many books, leaving the reader with their imagination. A thoroughly well-written, well-researched, enjoyable read. I would most definitely recommend it.” 5 star review on Amazon UK
“I loved the country hopping as much as I loved the art insight! I’ll be honest with you, I’m one of THOSE people who can’t read further if I can’t picture something, so I was referencing the author’s website each time a painting was mentioned. Mostyn has thoughtfully compiled a list of all the paintings mentioned, where to find them and links to view them!” 4 star review on Amazon, Canada, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads
“An unusual take on the maze of investigations of an apparent murder of an American preacher in Paris complete with a very frightened girl confined to a dirty basement, plus the deep dive into the provenance of a painting found in a Finnish rubbish dump to determine if is authentic or a variety of fraud. The Paris policeman is seconded to Interpol to establish if the painting is genuine as he is the very best at digging out whatever he puts his mind to find. I couldn’t help learning a lot about this aspect of the art world. Very intriguing story.” Kobo Canada review
Book 2 – The Heights of Abraham – available now in ebook & paperback
Poirot has his little grey cells; Morse has his classical education. Patrice Lanier has only ‘the things themselves’.
Four grisly murders with overtones of the past are troubling the Romanian authorities. Invited to assist, Patrice’s team examines why real monsters are not yet conquered, and old corruption is not yet forgotten.
Colette Lanier and daughter Amelie, accompany the team to the old Roman city of Alba Iulia, discovering icons, escape rooms, and artificial spiders.
Against the background of folk memory, real fear, and the tendrils of what happened in the past, they have limited time to solve the murders – and it’s running out!
With the main part of the story set in Romania, as Patrice and the team investigate the murders, discovering the depths of superstition still in place, and the reasons why that is so, Colette studies Bram Stoker and analyses ‘Dracula’, for insights into the legends. A synthesis of seriousness and light for readers of literary crime fiction.
What readers say:
“There is so much to relish. It’s the story of the dynamic between outsider and insider, who counts and who doesn’t, whose truth prevails, whom and what we can trust.
These questions sit just under the surface of the narratives, but it is quintessentially a tale of great imagination, compellingly told, ideal reading on dark autumn nights.” 5 star review on Amazon, UK
“Patrice Lanier is not your typical sleuth, and that’s what makes this series such a refreshing ride. Without the crutches of traditional forensic tropes or flashy technology, he relies instead on a deeply philosophical and observant approach—“the things themselves.” The result is a mystery that’s both clever and quietly profound.” 5 star review on Amazon UK
Book 1 – The Only True Remedy – available now in ebook & paperback
Poirot has his little grey cells; Morse has his classical education. Patrice Lanier has only ‘the things themselves’.
His thigh is in plaster, his mother-in-law is losing her memory, his wife is obsessed with that. His children text more than they speak, and even his dog isn’t speaking to him.
His assistant, ex-nun Pucelle, has gone undercover in the underbelly of Parisian drug culture. He needs to be in Avignon to support his wife, in Paris to support Pucelle, and in Pont-St-Esprit to pursue his own investigation.
Returning to his office, Patrice must lockdown Paris: there are 250 terrorists in the city, ready to blow it to kingdom come. How is Patrice going to find them in time? And where the hell is Pucelle?
Tapping into the contemporary themes of terrorism and drug use, the story is set in France, Paris and Languedoc-Roussillon and, as Patrice recovers from being shot, he takes it upon himself to investigate the cold case of ‘The Bread that Kills’, which happened in Pont-St-Esprit in 1951 and was never satisfactorily explained. Explanations are complicated and scientific and he needs his super-smart wife, Colette (a scientist) to help with expert input. She is, however, extremely worried about something entirely other…
What readers say:
“This was an interesting read! Firstly, I loved the word “phenomenological”! I enjoyed the characters and their individual journeys.” 5 star Early review on Amazon US
“On looking around her flat Colette, a professional pharmacologist and wife of the detective Patrice, asks herself: ‘Who is it said the greatest good is to live in Paris and read?’. At the conclusion of this absorbing novel, the first in a promised series, I found myself wanting to reply that reading such an intelligent book set partly in Paris and full of references to contemporary French life comes very close.” 5 star Review on Amazon UK
“This was such a wild read. I loved each and every character and their individual journeys. I’ve read a lot of detective/true crime/cop books before but this is my first time encountering a phenomenological detective book and was certainly interesting.” 5 star Goodreads review from USA