The Devil's Point

In the tranquil town of Lissac-sur-Tarn, nestled by the confluence of the Tarn and Garonne rivers and shadowed by an ancient 12th-century abbey, a brutal murder shatters the peace. Emmanuel Malraux, a flamboyant Parisian scholar, is found dead, his throat cruelly slashed, setting off a chain of events that will unearth secrets buried for decades.

Carpenter Jacques Lecoubarry and former police capitaine Celestine Courbet, journeying the Canal des Deux Mers on their barge, the Incognito, find themselves drawn into a deadly puzzle that intertwines history, family betrayal, and dark intrigue. At the heart lies a coded message left by Malraux’s great-grandfather amidst the stone carvings of the abbey’s cloisters, a secret tied to a disputed estate, a shadowy family legacy, and two devastating murders.

As they navigate a web of lies, cultural tensions, and betrayal involving a powerful local family, a fleeing curator, a tormented nun, and an elusive community of immigrants, Jacques and Celestine race against time to decipher a cryptic legacy that could shatter reputations and lives.

“The Devil’s Point” is a gripping tale of mystery, history, and passion set against the spellbinding backdrop of South West France. A story where the past’s unresolved shadows cast a long, deadly reach into the present.

Author's Note  -  The title of the story was taken from the ancient French game of tric-trac, a game played on a similar board to backgammon but with many differences and more variables. The devil's point is the second most difficult position to achieve but does not mean that the game is won. What inspired the story was the drama of the ancient abbey and the more recent history of a town situated near the confluence of the great rivers Tarn and Garonne, which is also connected through South West France by the Canal des Deux Mers. The wonderful, 12th-century Abbaye de Saint Pierre and its cloisters seemed to emanate mystery and permanence and suggest a continuity of stories told through the generations.   Equally important, was the uplifting and humbling chronicle of the actions of the people of the town and surrounds, who, during the occupation, saved the lives of nearly five hundred Jewish children, by concealing them from the Nazis in their own families.

In the book, Celestine Courbet is portrayed as a brilliant but restless former police detective. She is a Mensa member and her mind needs constant stimulation, which she finds while attempting to break the coded message. Her partner Jacques Lecoubarry is solid and supportive, a somewhat larger-than-life character full of warmth and good humour. Jacques is highly intuitive, a carpenter and a restorer of fine antique furniture by trade. Celestine feels that he sails a little too close to the wind sometimes. It is clear very early on, that they are running away from some trauma in their former lives in the city of Bordeaux, only to be thrust into mystery and danger in what should have been a haven in a quiet country town.

                                                                                                              Locations that inspired the story

The statue of the Virgin Mary stands on top of the hill called Calvary and overlooks the town of Moissac.

The peaceful Canal des Deux Mers, (Canal of the two seas) stretches from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean Sea. and includes the Canal de Garonne and the Canal du Midi,

The cloisters of the Abbaye de Saint-Pierre in Moissac are a Unesco World Heritage site. The exquisite carving on the 76 capitals was an inspiration for a secret code.

The tympanum at the southern portal of the abbey church.

The vineyards - a picturesque source of culture and prosperity in the region.