"In this, his fifth escapade, Inspector David Bliss goes undercover once again and heads to St-Juan-sur-Mer on the Cote d'Azur. His mission is so secret that even Bliss doesn't know why he is there: he knows only that he is tracking down a man the force wants in custody for an unstated reason.
But the winds of the Mediterranean provide clues that take Bliss off course and lead him to unravel two of the world's best-known unsolved mysteries: the identity of the Man in the Iron Mask and the location of the stolen Nazi gold." - Castle Street Mystery/Dundurn Group jacket notes.
I found this novel less compelling and more annoying than I had hoped. Events seem to happen at random, various stories are only partially resolved or resolved unsatisfactorily, the whole thing is quite improbable. There are many references to recorded music of the Dave Brubeck Quintet (whence the title), which is interesting but gets repetitive. The novel has a meandering, improvised feel to it, now I come to think of it. On the whole, a bit disappointing. I think I liked others in the Inspector Bliss series better than this one, but I haven't read them all. ( )