I liked the threading in of the Tarot card element in this story and how appropriate an image it is for the story, given the villain's mode of killing. It is an exciting tale of a convolunted conspiracy of sorts with many levels of disreputable characters. The killer is an especially evil piece of work. The reader may not understand all the backstory references from the first Inspector Mazarelle mystery, but that in no way detracts from the ability to read and enjoy this book as a stand-alone story. The story opens with the discovery of a body hanging upside down in one of the Paris tunnels and leads the Inspector into a slowly-developing story of deception and evil. Refusing to believe the quickly-arrested Gypsy suspect is the killer, Mazarelle becomes involved in a convoluted tale as more murders follow. An exciting tale with a satisfyingly dramatic climax.