Jean Poiret returns as the remarkably urbane detective from Cop Au Vin. This time he arrives at a cozy, seaside village to investigate the bizarre murder of a eminent Catholic author. A "pillar" of society, the writer is found dead by the shore, the word 'pig' scrawled across his naked body with lipstick and a huge stab wound in his back. The usually cool sleuth is shaken when he discovers that the victim's window is none other than his old flame.

Stylish and charming, with lighthearted jabs at bourgeois conventions, Inspecteur Lavardin is a first-rate thriller from master film-maker Claude Chabrol.