Called to a Provencal film set to vouch for the gastronomic authenticity of director Von Strudel's latest Biblical advertising extravaganza (what was on the menu at the Last Supper?) restaurant inspector Monsieur Pamplemousse is surprised to find his sleuthing skills, acquired during a stint at the Surete, considerably more in demand. Exploding strawberries, adulterated cast food and sundry other mysterious occurrences all point to a saboteur or, at best, an infuriating prankster on the set. But when the star of the sequence of perfume adverts, Brother Angelo, a heavy-metal heart-throb who has been cast against type as Jesus Christ, seemingly vanishes into thin air, it is clear matters have gone beyond a joke.

Michael Bond was born in Newbury in 1926. In 1958, his first children's book,A Bear Called Paddington was published. In 1983 he started writing adult fiction, with his first tale featuring Monsieur Pamplemousse and his faithful bloodhound, Pommes Frites. He sadly passed away in June 2017.