An intriguing mystery steeped in Mediterranean atmosphere.

It's the middle of a long hot summer on the French Mediterranean shore and the town is full of tourists. Sebag and Molina, two tired cops who are being slowly devoured by dull routine and family worries, deal with the day's misdemeanors and petty complaints at the Perpignan police headquarters without a trace of enthusiasm. Out of the blue a young Dutch woman is brutally murdered on a beach at Argeles, and another disappears without a trace in the alleys of the city. A serial killer obsessed with Dutch women? Maybe.

The media goes wild. Gilles Sebag finds himself thrust into the middle of a diabolical game. If he intends to salvage something-anything-he will have to put aside his domestic cares, forget his suspicions of his wife's unfaithfulness, ignore his heart murmur, and get over his existential angst. "He waits joylessly, patiently, and lets himself go. The stone house may end up being his grave. Who's doing what, who's chasing who? Who is the mouse, and who's the cat?"