A crime novel in the Simenon mold from when Oran was “France’s fifth city.”

Chief Ferrandis and Inspector Bensoussan are investigating the murders of a series of girls in the Oran, Algeria in 1954, at a time when it was still considered “France’s fifth city.” Chief Ferrandis, a bon vivant from Valencia, doesn’t bother keeping his private life separate from his investigations, and this provokes conflicts with the police force and with his wife, Arlette, who is tired of his sentimental entanglements. The presumptive murderer is leaving behind notes for the chief that contain clues rife with sick humor about his actions to come. When the investigation goes cold, reenforcements arrive from Paris, but nothing’s easy in a city like Oran.