Sometimes I wonder how closely Big Brother is watching. Is my Netflix queue, so full of crime shows, the true reason why it’s taking so long for my Green Card to be renewed this time? Has my viewing history made me a “person of interest”? (I’ve been blaming the Trump administration, but maybe he is actually innocent of this offense.) But, I really do like mysteries, police procedurals, and a good psychological thriller just can’t be topped. And if the mystery is in French? C’est magnifique.
Netflix came through again with Criminal: France. The French series is very brief, just three episodes of about forty minutes each. Each one happens almost exclusively in a police interrogation room. As skilled as the interrogators are, there has clearly been a lot of water under the bridge that has led to friction and distrust among the police officers, although the details are really just hinted at, with typical Gallic reserve. As the stories unfold, they aren’t usually what the officers were expecting to hear, in the best tradition of a good mystery.
I recognized a few of the actors from other shows or movies, but the only big name among them was Nathalie Baye, accused of causing the death of a labor agitator on a construction site. I realized afterward that it’s no surprise that I liked the series, as the director, Frédéric Mermoud, is also responsible for some of my other favorite French shows, such as Engrenages (Spiral) and part of Les Revenants (The Returned). I watched it in French with French subtitles, but English and many other languages are available, both for audio and subtitles. The scenarios for each episode are intriguing, well-written, and presented with intelligence. If you like a crime show as much as I do, I highly recommend this one. I hope that there will be a second season. I have seen that there is a version for the United Kingdom, Spain, and Germany, but I haven’t checked them out. Do any of you have some insights to share about them?
I have long loved the covered passages of Paris, those boutique-lined, glass-roofed vestiges of another era of shopping. Years ago, I saw a photo exhibit about them at Les Antiquaires du Louvre (now such a sad, abandoned shell) and bought the accompanying book. I slipped it on my bookshelf, and there it sat for a decade. I’ve been reading all that back stock before allowing myself new books and finally turned to this one. I’m kind of sorry that I did.
I knew that the Palais Royale, opposite the Louvre, had been a precursor to the covered passages, and I also knew that it had been a “pleasure garden” at night, but I hadn’t known much about the women who worked there and in the passages around it. The book revealed that the “romance” of these shopping arcades often had a lot to do with taking advantage of poor women.
Less “fortunate” women worked in the covered passages nearby. They were known as hirondelles (swallows) or rossignols (nightingales). Then there were the grisettes (warblers) and lorettes, shop-girls, who augmented their meager salaries by becoming prostitutes after hours. Often, those who owned the shops made the arrangements with this other sort of client, for a cut of the fee. There was the account of the arrest record of a widow who had met clients in the public toilets of one of the passages for forty years. I felt ill reading that.
And if that isn’t sad enough, then there were the wives and daughters of factory workers who, after their own day in the factory, were expected to work “l’heure du travail supplémentaire,” or overtime, as prostitutes in one of the passages. Karl Marx wrote all about this when he lived in France from 1843-45.
I felt so sad for all of those women who had no options, and so grateful to live in a time when I have an education and a very different kind of job. I’ll certainly look at the covered passages through different eyes from now on.
I love a good mystery and I’m always looking for good resources to keep my French up to snuff, so I happily added 
It’s a classic Agatha Christie-type scenario, but I jumped out of my skin half-a-dozen times, so it certainly kept me guessing. My least favorite episode was the final one, however, as I found the wrap-up to be a bit weak. Still, I’ve recommended it my students, using the child singing the creepy opening song to lure them in, just as each victim was lured to his or her demise.
I’ve wanted to check out Martha’s Vineyard since we moved to Massachusetts five years ago, but it just didn’t happen. During the school year, I often have to work on Saturdays and in the summer, I’m in France. In addition, I had no idea of the best way to get there, where to stay, or what we would do once we were there. Finally, everything aligned over Columbus Day weekend. We had such a lovely time, that I wanted to share my discoveries with you in case you, too, have been planning a visit.
Comment y aller? (How to get there?)
Où rester? (Where to stay?)
Que faire? (What to do?)
Où manger? (Where to eat?)
For years, I had a subscription to an app that allowed me acces to hundreds of magazines. I had about half a dozen favorites that I could download and read offline, which was great for car trips. Then the app went the way of rotary phones. I really missed it and didn’t think much of the alternative that Big Brother suggested. So, I started looking for alternatives. 
The bi-monthly magazine comes in both print and online versions. The print version costs US$59.99, which is pretty steep for a magazine, but it also comes with online access, plus two additional digital subscriptions to give to others. That could be a lovely way to share France with like-minded friends or family members. I went for the digital only subscription at US$36.99. 
I just finished an excellent book, 
If you like police thrillers, you should check out 
