The Chalk Circle Man is a French Noir mystery. It is the first in the Commissaire Adamsburg Series. Adamsburg is an unconventional officer with an admirable solve rate for murders. He is relocated to an office in Paris when a series of strange chalk circles begin appearing throughout the city. At first they are the subject of humor and much speculation by the population, but Adamsburg, who relies on his ability to sense cruelty and evil intent, believes that the perpetrator will escalate to murder. A dark and in many places cheerless police procedural. The plot was definitely engaging although I found the resolution somewhat of a stretch. Well written and fast paced, a very enjoyable read.

The Hidden Things is an art heist based mystery. The sale of painting went very wrong with people ending up dead and one historian maimed and on the run. Now several years later, a different crime occurs and home security camera footage goes viral offering a glimpse that appears to show the painting in question. The surviving original players are once again drawn together for a confrontation. There were interesting moments and some strongly drawn characters here along with plenty of twists and turns to make for an entertaining story line.