Salamander

"Gritty . . . captivating . . . An exceedingly clever novel that should appeal to World War II buffs as well as mystery readers" (Booklist).

In a packed movie theater, an usher notices two women enter and leave just before the show begins. Moments later, the theater goes up in flames, and 183 people perish in the stampede to escape. By the time investigators Jean-Louis St-Cyr and Hermann Kohler arrive from Paris, the charred bodies are frozen solid.

It is two days before Christmas, 194...