Meurtres pour rédemption by Karine Giébel

Pocket (23 avril 2012)
992 pages - 16,95 $

I met Karine Giebel at the Quais du polar festival. I had already read and loved her book Juste une ombre, so I was really happy to talk to her (invite her at the QuébeCrime festival) and ask her to choose my next book! She asked if very noir stories don't scare me, I told her that I loved them, she replied that with Meurtres pour rédemption (or: Murder for redemption), I was going to be spoiled and autographed me: Vanessa, This dive into the bowels of French prisons... Regards.

Honestly, it took me some time to bring myself to read it, because, precisely, it's set in prison and I was afraid it'll annoy me (haha, but what a mistake on my part!) and also because Marianne's pastime is to listen to the trains (which is still super annoying right?) And then I threw myself in this doorstop (992 pages is no mean feat...)

But what a dive! But what a shock! Gérard Collard (a French well-know reviewer) said about this book "a shock as I have never had!" and I'm thinking: do tell Gerard, I think you've been a bit sutble on that, right? Because it felt more like it came as a bombshell! It's dark, very dark, there is not much room for hope, but it's taking, you on the edge of the chair, you can't, you doesn't want to leave Marianne - but what if something's going on in my absence? Ha, well it can't, it's a book! - You'll want more of it and you'll stress.

Marianne, one should hate her: she killed a senior for his money, it's ugly. Marianne, she is super guilty, no doubt, and in addition she's done it again. Marianne is also the damaged girl who mastered neither her strength nor her feelings or impulses. Yet Marianne, herself, doesn't want to be that bad and she's capable of great kindness, she's extreme like that. Marianne is a character complex, moving, captivating and well highlighted by the other characters, as well written as her.

The story is set in a lot of prisons, yes with an s, because she goes in many of them, this is what happens when you're a rebel like Marianne. And dammit! There's a lot going on in jail! Never a time out between the low blows, the fighting, friendship, love and hate, it's a microcosm that Karine Giebel details for us with a writing so powerful it prevents us from releasing the book. Result: 992 pages that pass surprisingly quickly in a mass of feelings we feel in turns. It's poignant, sad, desperate, but ends on a great philosophy touch and a heartbreaking fullness. Because Giebel doesn't content herself with writing a great book, she gives us a message, a reflection on freedom. The freedom to love, to travel, to live, but is one ever free even without prison bar? Marianne will eventually find her freedom and gives us a good lesson of life.

The blurb

Marianne twenty years. Bars as the only horizon. Life for the killer.

Indomitable, uncontrollable Marianne stands against hatred, brutality and daily humiliations.

No hope to escape this hell, or only in a dream, thanks to drugs, to books, to roll train that carries the spirit beyond the gates. Thanks to the friendship and the passion that carry light in the heart of darkness.

However, one day, a door opens. A chance of freedom.

But the price is terrifying for Marianne who only aspires of redemption...

In a nutshell

You already know it: go read that hell of a book. It's dark, hard, nervous, not relaxing, but if we wanted to sleep we would read a Goncourt, right? This is a 5/5 for me!

Good to know : Her books are translated in Italian, Dutch, Russian et Spanish

The Chimera Vector by Nathan M. Farrugia

(Fifth Column #1)
362 pages - 24.17
Momentum (1 mai 2012)

Once is not custom, it is the author who suggested I read his book! And it fell really well, because I had put his book in my TBR on Goodreads (hehe). And besides, Nathan M. Farrugia is Australian and I must say, I'm partial to the authors of this country, as for now, I have loved everything I've read by them.

Oh! And do not miss Nathan's interview, soon to be published on my blog!

The blurb

The Fifth Column: the world’s most powerful and secretive organization. They run our militaries. They run our governments. They run our terrorist cells.

Recruited as a child, Sophia is a deniable operative for the Fifth Column. Like all operatives, Sophia’s DNA has been altered to augment her senses and her mind is splintered into programmed subsets.

On a routine mission in Iran something goes catastrophically wrong. Bugs are beginning to appear in Sophia’s programming and the mission spins out of control.

High-speed chases, gun fights, helicopter battles, immortal psychopaths, super soldiers and mutant abilities are all in the mix in this edge-of-your-seat action-packed techno-thriller.

Perfect for fans of Matthew Reilly, THE CHIMERA VECTOR melds sci-fi with sizzling espionage action.

What's good in that book?

Its action! This book is full of adrenaline, fight scenes and twists. I was super surprised by the quality of the descriptions of battle scenes, until I learned a bit more about the author. I discovered that Nathan M. Farrugia pushes the writing care to go live very strong adrenaline situations. He participates in survival camps, climbs over the rooftops of Russia, struggle to stay free in hyper realistic situation. In short, when he describes the action, he does it from memory, because he lived these situations. This gives you an idea of ​​what is the big highlight of this author.

I also appreciated seeing a male author giving a great part of his book to the women: his heroine is surrounded by a cohort of women all brighter and stronger than each other. So no worries for you gentlemen, this is not a book about a band of vengeful and castrating Amazons: there are also men (phew, I thought for a moment that I would lose you there guys!) The truth is that Sophia teams up with two guys, she finds herself isolated from her group, she must form another one and she teams herself with other women (and others guys) . Still, for us girls, it's nice to see an author take the gamble to choose a women's team - it's almost avant-garde and when reading his book, I think that producers of video games could be inspired by him to create strong female characters.

Regarding the story, some will enjoy the hyper-techno side, others the scientific side (and here I confess I have not understand everything), so the geeks will be delighted. For the non-geeks, there is still that now famous action that will appeal to lovers of adrenaline, weapons, helicopters and other military gadgets (top secret of course the gadgets!) The only thing that slightly disturbed me is the many changes of tactics from the characters that change their tune more quickly than we have time to read it. So, admittedly, this brings punch to the story, but there could have been a little less and still make a great book.

In a nutshell

A book one reads in one sitting, super well written action scenes and interesting characters, it's a 4/5 for me.

The Burning by Jane Casey

Maeve Kerrigan Novels

Minotaur Books; Reprint edition (May 8 2012)

368 pages - 13.86 $

It's been a while since I have this book in my To Be Read pile (TBR) on Netgalley and I finally decided to start it... and I finished it in a few days! I admit that the romantic side in a detective series bothers me, it's not my kind of reading but ultimately I do not regret it. 

The blurb

In this first in Casey’s thrilling, romantic mystery series for adults, meet Detective Constables Maeve Kerrigan and Rob Langton 

The Burning Man. It’s the name the media has given a brutal murderer who has beaten four young women to death before setting their bodies ablaze in secluded areas of London’s parks. And now there’s a fifth.

Maeve Kerrigan is an ambitious detective constable, keen to make her mark on the murder task force. Her male colleagues believe Maeve’s empathy makes her weak, but the more she learns about the latest victim, Rebecca Haworth, from her grieving friends and family, the more determined Maeve becomes to bring her murderer to justice. But how do you catch a killer no one has seen when so much of the evidence has gone up in smoke?

Maeve’s frenetic hunt for a killer in Jane Casey’s gripping series debut will entrance even the most jaded suspense readers.

What's good in that book

I should say at once that once again, the blurb provided by the publisher does not really stick to the story! (I wonder if the person who writes the blurb actually reads the books...) 

Maeve investigate the fifth victim because 1) her boss asked her to and 2) because they have found evidences that differ from the other murders. Point. If her male colleagues make fun of her, it's not because she has empathy for the victim but because she is a woman in a man's world. Point (bis). This topic is rather well treated in fact, Maeve having learned to defend herself and to respond to attacks from her colleagues which changes from some of the other novels. Here, the author does not dwell on machismo, gender relations and sexual harassment at work with long speeches. She treats the subject as a fact and shows the difficulties faced by Maeve through sometimes rough dialogues! 

Maeve investigate the latest victim, whose body we discovered early in the book. In view of certain elements, the detectives want to know if the victim is one of the Burning Man or not. Throughout the story, we thus learn more about Rebecca, her friends, her family, her past. The other four victims, meanwhile, are only vaguely described. I must say that I knew before the end who killed Rebecca (and yet, I never try to know in advance, because I like to be surprised) (for those who like to rack their brain to find the culprit, it can be frustrating). The story is well done, the results of the investigation are revealed as you go. There is a bit of luck in the discovery of the culprit, a little action, some wounded, in short, you do not get bored. 

If you worry about the romantic part of the book, it's very light, so this is not a problem for those who do not like affectations. The author puts a lot of humor in the relationships, which makes the story less romantic but more real. Good to know also, the book is mainly narrated throught the point of view of Maeve and Louise, Rebecca's best friend. The chapters are identified, so there is no possibility of confusing the characters which is fine because the author has not quite managed to create different voices for the two women (but I may be biased after reading Lauren Beukes, champion of the characterization).

In a nutshell

Some likable characters, a story well done, realistic dialogues and a bit of humor, it's a 3.5 / 5 for me.

Disclaimer: An e-galley of this title was provided to me by the publisher. No review was promised and the above is an unbiased review of the novel.

The Keeper of Lost Causes (Department Q #1) by Jussi Adler-Olson

Plume; Reprint edition (July 31 2012)

416 pages - 17 $

Well, there it is, I got into: Jussi Adler-Olsen's book, the not so new Danish pertussis. After Jo Nesbo (Norway) (I looove his books), Camilla Läckberg (Sweden)(very good), Arnaldur Indriðason (Iceland)(too depressing for my taste), Karin Fossum (Norway)(not bad) and others... I tried agin a Scandinavian author. I admit that the plethora of price he has won largely influenced my choice (but at least this time it is not the cover, mwahaha).

The first book in New York Times bestseller Jussi Adler-Olsen's electrifying Department Q series.

The #1 international bestseller from Jussi Adler-Olsen, author of The Absent One—perfect for fans of Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Oh, and by golly! Can editors stop bringing any new author as The new Stieg Larsson? Some of them were writing long before him! (Jo Nesbo, Camilla...)(and Millenium is not THAT good!)

Carl Mørck used to be one of Copenhagen’s best homicide detectives. Then a hail of bullets destroyed the lives of two fellow cops, and Carl—who didn’t draw his weapon—blames himself. So a promotion is the last thing he expects. But Department Q is a department of one, and Carl’s got only a stack of Copenhagen’s coldest cases for company. His colleagues snicker, but Carl may have the last laugh, because one file keeps nagging at him: a liberal politician vanished five years earlier and is presumed dead. But she isn’t dead … yet.

Darkly humorous, propulsive, and atmospheric, The Keeper of Lost Causes introduces American readers to the mega-bestselling series fast becoming an international sensation.

What's good about that book

Well, it just took the drive from Quebec to New York to read it in one sitting! The book in writen from Merete and Carl's perspective and I confess that Merete's part reminded me of Alex by Pierre Lemaître (for the prisoner side of course, the rest differs greatly). Merete uses all sorts of techniques to avoid sinking into madness as a long isolation can bring. This part, which may be difficult to read for some, is very well done and clearly highlights her intelligence and fighter side. Carl is just as intelligent (except when it comes to his wife) and his qualities as an investigator do not need to be demonstrated. It's ultimately his morose and cynical character that made ​​him lose the support of his colleagues and his superiors. However, this is a character that one begins to appreciate, probably due to the interaction he has with Hafez. Hafez, the Syrian struggling to find some words in Danish but who can easily find the smallest clues and details. One wonders what was his past, why he came to seek refuge in Denmark and I can't wait to read the other books in the series to learn more about him. 

Early in the book, I knew by whom and why Merete is sequestered, but it did not remove the charm of the book that is greatly due to the duo Carl-Hafez. This unlikely duo is very endearing. The characters are cleverly constructed, which is always nice in a book, one can feel their emotions, their hatred and delusion, even for the secondary characters. As for the story, I don't know if the author purposely leave us guessing so easily, but it speeds up from the moment you know who did it. Everything goes logically according to what's discovered by Carl-Hafez and to Merete's story, which unveiled gradually as the book goes, gives us indices. In the end, it's a race against the clock that plays to free Merete (is she still alive?) 

Throughout the story, we pass from present - in the investigation to find Merete and other ongoing investigations in which mingles Carl - to the past - from when Merete is abducted to the conclusion. The epilogue is perhaps a bit pointless and easy, but doesn't spoil the overall impression left by this breathless novel. 

In a nutshell

A very nice discovery for me. Another author who has rallied me in Scandinavian writing! The excellent tandem Carl-Hafez, the plot well done, a breathless end, it's a 5/5 for me.