19 OCTOBER 1956, Page 26

A TELEGRAM FROM LE TOUQUET. By John Bude. (Macdonald, 10s.

6d.) French detective-inspectors are in the fashion, but although Mr. Bude has dreamed up a Maigret of the midi, stationed at Nice, there is an obstinately home-counties air about his latest detective story, which begins in Kent and finishes on the Corniche, is readable and sticks to the rules, but loses interest in its own—admittedly not very interesting—characters about half-way through.