Détectives #4

From the Delcourt anthology series Détectives comes this moody 2015 volume spotlighting Martin Bec in La Cour Silencieuse — a sharp-dressed, pipe-smoking investigator rendered with atmospheric elegance by Hanna, Labourot, and Lou. The cover places Bec front and center in a weathered overcoat, a curl of smoke drifting upward while a swirl of dark birds — or scattered shadows — hovers ominously at his side, setting a tone somewhere between noir cool and creeping unease. If you enjoy character-driven detective fiction with a distinctly French sensibility, this one has real style to spare.