Lady
Mba is worried. The owner of ‘Dakar Fairyland'
has not heard from Louis, her shampoo assistant, for some time and
she senses that something is seriously wrong. She confides in Maxime
Duchamp, the owner of the restaurant next-door, ‘Belles de jour comme
de nuit'. Maxime then turns to two of her customers and friends, Lola
Jost and Ingrid Diesel.
The former is a retired police superintendent, while the latter,
an American, massages by day and undulates by night in a highly artistic
strip-tease act. Although very different, these two women are bound
by strong ties and together they lead investigations to resolve their
friends' concerns.
But it's summer and it's hot! Lola's age and weight begrudge working
in Paris during a heat wave, while Ingrid sees the heat as an opportunity
to nurture her disgruntled side. The duo push open the door to Lady
Mba's hairdressing salon and find themselves immersed in a multicoloured
and sweet-smelling universe frequented by a clientele of assorted
regulars. Lady herself is really something. She is the only woman
in the neighbourhood capable of rivalling Lola Jost in stature and
strength of character. Literary quotations are exchanged for African
proverbs and the two women soon forge a relationship of mutual respect.
But all that does not tell us where Louis has gone, or what led the
young man to disappear into thin air.
By patiently piecing together the puzzle
of Louis's past, Ingrid and Lola end up discovering the existence
of a diving club on the other side of the world, which has had
its reputation tarnished by an accident…
This third volume in the investigations
of Ingrid Diesel and Lola Jost is a real treat. Everything that
is appealing about the series as a whole can be found in this book:
the colourful characters that develop within a supportive and reassuring
neighbourhood, a polished narrative, well-crafted dialogue, and
lots of humour. Dominique Sylvain celebrates her tenth novel in
style.
