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The Last Smile is a late-period Pete Sawyer novel and the kind of book that the series' longtime readers will recognize on its merits. The case involves an aging American expatriate who has died under suspicious circumstances, and the Marseille connection to the local Niçois investigation pulls in characters from earlier books in the series.
Marvin Albert is by this point comfortable enough in the form that the prose moves quickly. The familiar regulars (Sawyer's Niçois friend Pierrot, the Inspector Reju who has been adjacent for several books) get screen time. The case resolves cleanly.
Three stars. A pleasant return to the form. Best for series readers; new readers should start with Stone Angel or Back in the Real World.
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