The Whispers & The Burning Girl de Lisa Unger

The Whispers: A Whispers Story (The Whispers Series)

Pocket Star (Oct. 27 2014)

66 pages - 1.99 $ (Kindle Edition)

First book of the series (there are three). These are short novels (66 pages, this is actually very short!). I was intrigued by the slightly supernatural side (a psychic helps police) of this novel. And then I thought it would change me some pretty violent novels I've read lately!

The Burning Girl: A Whispers Story (The Whispers Series)Pocket Star (Nov. 25 2014)

75 pages - 1.99 $ (Kindle Edition)

Second book of the series and I read it in stride. It must be said that it is so short that finish first short novel resembles a coitus interruptus: in feel good that there is a sequel, but it ends there. In short, so I read the first two series in one sitting.

The blurb

In the first story short, Eloise Montgomery and daughter survive a tragedy in which she lost her husband and her other daughter. Then they learn to live in their new reality Eloise begins to have visions. She "gets" home people dead or in danger. Not knowing what to do at first, she eventually talk to the police and to assist in an investigation.

In the second book, a few years have passed. Eloise and her daughter are in conflict (his daughter never really liked that his mother had visions). Eloise and the cop she helped in the first volume are now partners and conduct investigations.

What's good about it?

We have all heard of psychic who help the police one time or another. Heard that some police officers do not hesitate to use their service. And then, almost everyone saw The Sixth Sense! So it's a recurring and more or less credible subject (according to your beliefs!) Both books actually read very quickly. I guess you can read the three in an evening (and no, I have not read the third).

The first was more interesting, there is an investigation about a missing girl (and we agree that to the extent that I like thrillers, that counts for a lot in my opinion!) Eloise has "received" this girl at home and was able to help the police. The novel, although very (very) short managed to camp characters, make us feel their emotions, their pain and  Eloise's struggle to forgive the author of her tragedy. This is sufficiently well written and narrated that I started reading the second book immediately, as if the end of the book was a chapter end.

The second book, meanwhile, is weaker. It doesn't happen much, no real investigation or real mystery elucidated. I guess it has to do with the idea of letting go that Eloise struggles with as she remains frozen in time, at the time of her tragedy and she has some difficulty moving forward. So if that was the goal, it's really well done! If not... I felt the same frustration or boredom in reading the second novella I felt by reading the second volume of the Millennium trilogy. This impression that the author fills some gaps between the first and third volume in which all happens. Despite this, the writing is still as enjoyable and easy. We discover a new character, Agatha, a very renowned psychic who helps Eloise and brings some freshness and exoticism.

In a nutshell

I will not speak for the third part of this trilogy, but the first two are nice, they can be read quickly and will delight readers who want to start AND finish a book (or even three), while they have only a few hours before them. 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.

Once for this time...

I won't review a book but show off with my interview!

Marina Sofia, whom you can find on Twitter or on her delicious blog, findingtimetowrite, is featuring interviews with avid readers of crime fiction. And I had the great pleasure to answer her questions this month. 

Marina Sofia is a writer, a poet, who also review crime fiction on the Crime Fiction Lover website. She's a book lover and a crime fiction fan. We almost meet each other at Quais du Polar in France. Well, she saw me as I was a volunteer and didn't allow her to go into a room already too full of people (it was YOU! she told me) (I'm happy to see she's not mad at me!) Now I wish I could remember our first encounter (I guess I just have to go back there and meet her again!)

On the first of december, I was her guest. So if (or more "as" mwahaha) you want to know a little bit more about me or you don't but you'd like to read her posts which go from poetry to pictures, interviews, reviews, etc (everyone of you should find some kind of delight!), you just have to go there.

The Bleiberg Project by David Khara

(Consortium Thriller Book 1)

Le French Book (April 22 2013)

280 pages - 4,48 $ (kindle edition)

One again, it's because of Le French Book that I discover a French author. And I'll say that it's because I love their books that I tried The Bleiberg Projet as spy stories are not what I choose first. But it must be said that the fact that it speaks of history also helped me to choose this novel...

The blurb

Are Hitler’s atrocities really over? For depressive Wall Street trader Jeremy Corbin, absolute truths become undeniable lies overnight. He finds out his long-lost father is dead and boards a plane to Zurich with a Nazi medallion in his pocket, a hot CIA bodyguard next to him, and a clearly dangerous Mossad agent on his tail. What was his father investigating? Why was his mother assassinated? Can the conspiracy be stopped? An instant sensation in France -- Blue Moon Award for Best Thriller -- Over 130,000 copies sold

What's good about it?

The relentless pace of the story. This book is short and intense. From the very beginning, we are drawn into the story. It starts with Jay that we follow throughout and in the first person. I thought that it was cool to live the story with the other two protagonists but when through the eyes of Jay, it brings the kind of dark humour I like. Jay is assisted by a Mossad agent, Eytan, a giant who hides a dark secret (secret that one quickly understands) and a CIA agent, cute enough to give Jay back a certain taste for living. The story is told from different points of view and moves from the third person to first person when it comes to Jay, but this is done very well and helps to make the story lighter when Jay let out some very ironic remarks.

The story is well done, the indices are given throughout the story, even if we discover things by ourselves and before the protagonists (which I always find a bit of a shame) (but which can be flattering: yeah ! I found the answer before him!) (in the same time, him being a character, it's pretty silly to be best) (but one finds his delight where one can, right?) The three accomplices find themselves chasing the missing elements to allow them to save the world and their lives. With that, if I tell you that there's some CIA, Mossad and other hidden but global organizations involved... it gives you a good idea of the tension in this book. For fans of global conspiracy, genetic mutation and other experiment, you'll love The Bleiberg Project! (anti-GMO will also find compelling arguments)

We meet a bunch of characters, from the protagonists - Jay the trader-moron who proves intelligent, funny and humble enough eventually, Eytan the enigmatic character that you would like to know more, especially given his past and Jackie the CIA secret weapon: small but mighty! - to the historical figures (Himmler, Hitler and other Nazis eager for scientific experiments and to create the perfect creature). Because yes, we go from one era to another, from one gang of merry men to another, it sprays with bullets, it bursts and it's breathtaking.

And kudos for the translator, Simon John! I don't know what the book is like in French but the tone of the English version was excellent!

In a nutshell

An excellent book that reads quickly, a fast-paced story and a devastating humor. The Bleiberg Project was a great success and it's well deserved. It is a 4.5 / 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.

Hush by Anne Frasier

Belfry Press (Sept. 24 2010)

Kindle Edition

394 pages - 3.99 $

I have to say that once again, the cover attracted me, because it is quite disturbing. Then this book is the new edition of a book that has already been successful in the past. So I thought that I did not risk much by reading Hush!

The blurb

What's your greatest fear? 

It's criminal profiler Ivy Dunlap's job to unravel the psyches of the most dangerous men alive. None haunts her dreams more than the killer who took her son's life sixteen years ago, then silently disappeared into the dark. Now an urgent request for help from the Chicago police has reawakened Ivy's greatest nightmare. The Madonna Murderer has returned to fulfill his calling. This time Ivy understands the killer and will face her greatest fear to stop him from killing again. 

What's good about it?

I liked the combination of cop and criminal psychologist whose true identity is hidden (even if the identity is mostly hidden from the cops, since we understand very quickly who she is). The characters are well written and complement each other well. The writing is fluid, it's an easy and quick reading. There's nothing complicated, we are dealing with a psychopath that we discover very early in the book. Yet Hush has a few surprises here and there. The possibility that Max's son is Ivy's is very well done, the mystery lingers (well, I won't give you the answer, you need to read the book!)

Hush follows the traditional structure of the thriller, all the ingredients are there and well used. It's a race against time against the madness of a killer with a lousy and weird sense of empathy. Hush, it's also the traditional story of a love/hate relationship between mother and son, repeatedly used in thrillers, but still effective. So nothing very surprising, but still a good book because of Anne Frasier's     quality of writing.

In a nutshell

A good novel, a race against time and well-written characters. It is 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.

Irène by Pierre Lemaitre

(T. Frank Wynne)

MacLehose Press; UK airports ed edition (March 6, 2014)

Shortlisted fort the CWA Daggers International 2014

Thanks to Marina Sofia, on Twitter, I've read Alex by Pierre Lemaître. What a discovery! A true literary shock for the quality of the writing and the story! I looove twists you don't expect, being led around by the nose with a story that come to a bluffing conclusion and  Pierre Lemaitre gives me all that. I would even say that he gave me faith in the French writing thrillers. Yes, it's a strong statement but true nonetheless. And how that and why? you might say. After reading many, many English writers, I'm used to reading novels which writing matches a thriller - in my opinion (for the best writers at least...) A nervous writing with a bit of dark humor, cynical, ironic, whatever as long as it's there (the humor) as well as to lighten the story as to give it more depth. I like writing that allows me to get into the story, to feel nervousness, anxiety, stress, that takes me on the edge of my seat turning the pages faster than my eyes allow it because I want to know WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN? But, too often, French authors writing seems too academic, too "I-put-all-the-strings-of-a-good-thriller" very appropriate for a literary novel, but less so for a thriller. Lemaitre, for once, is very aptly name: he mastered the genre. In short, you'll understand that this is again a favourite of mine!

The blurb

In this first book of Lemaître’s ‘Verhoeven’ trilogy, the weight of horror-filled noir from both the US and Europe motivates a serial killer whose murders seem to enact violence taken from both obscure writers, to such notables as Ellroy, Ellis, and the Swedish duo Sjöwall and Wahlöö. Lemaître’s own characteristic horrors ask us to reflect on the influence of crime writing, in a clever, complex, meta-fiction about books and butchers.

Why you should read it?

In case my praise was not enough, dear reader, this book is a gem. I won't talk much more on the quality of Pierre Lemaitre writing, except to say that his short chapters are addictive, that you'll have trouble closing the book after reading a chapter (they're short, why not read a small final chapter before sleep? and bam, it's 3 am!) I like the mix between very good and french slang, it creates a contrast that makes realistic dialogues, it keeps us on our toes. I just hope the traduction is as good as Lemaitre's writing for you folk! (I've read it in French)

Ideally, you should read this book first, since it explains a lot of Camille's character in view of what he experiences in Irène. In absolute terms, if like me you read Alex before, it's not more serious than that, it even makes Camille more human, backwards. Camille is an atypical Commissioner as it's always good to have an atypical cop in a thriller but this time it's not his love of booze, gambling and women that makes him human, but his size. He's very small and has an aura inversely proportional to his size. His colleagues all have a trait that differentiates and humanizes them and the way Lemaitre presents them is excellent. All in finesse, humor, mockery, I love when an author portraits his characters in another way, not just physically. 

As for the story, at first you thing that this is a good story, nervous, fast-paced and then, bam!, a twist you won't see coming! For that alone, this book should be read. I really enjoyed being had that way. The surprise is really good. Lovers of Victorian novels and psychological thrillers may pass their way... Irène is sometimes gruesome. 

In a nutshell 

What do you mean you did not already read it or went out to buy it? It's a 5/5 for me.

Train d'enfer pour ange rouge and Deuils de miel by Franck Thilliez

Pocket (Nov. 4 2013)

832 pages - 17.95 $

A little extra for this book which has two books inside, bought at the Quais du Polar festival in Lyon this year and signed by Franck... Brilliant! This book is the first in the series with Franck Sharko and explains Eugenie's presence, which had me a little disoriented reading Syndrome E. Ideally, one should therefore start with this book to discover Sharko, in absolute terms, it is not that bad because the discovery of his story afterwards do not detract from the pleasure of reading his adventures. I don't think it's already translated in English thoughj (a shame indeed) but let's hope they'll be!

The back cover announces that: 

Launched at a breakneck or approaching silently, death walks on the bloody track. Lille, Paris suburb... Terminus. One way for criminal insanity. Commissioner Sharko does not travel light. At each stop: death. Slow. Brutal. Barbarian. Gathered here for the first time, his first two investigation in the heart of darkness, where honey and tears have the bitterness of spilled blood. 

But what are the stories? (It's my own translation, so it might not be like that in the English version)

Hell Train for Red Angel 

A corpse is found by the police near Paris. The victim was decapitated, her eyes gouged out and placed in their orbit, members suspended by hooks... Commissioner Franck Sharko is responsible for the investigation. This murder interests him especially as his wife, Suzanne, disappeared 6 months ago and she could be, right now, in the hands of the same kind of madman. Soon indices are sent directly by the murderer to Sharko, by email and on his laptop... The killer is close. He knows that Frank is helped by a profiler and a pro IT with his investigation. Another body of a woman who died of her wounds is found in a disused slaughterhouses, horribly tortured and whose agony was filmed for months. From the SM Parisian clubs to the very closed environment of French porn king, Sharko traces the killer who is always one step ahead... 

Mourning of honey

One year after the tragic death of his wife and daughter, the Commissioner Sharko is back in service for a strange case: in the Church of Issy les Moulineaux, a woman fully shaved is found dead, butterflies on the skull. A cryptic message carved in a stone guide Sharko to other atrocities and murders increasingly wild. Despite his open wound and visible addiction to various substances, Sharko embarks on the trail of what looks more and more like a serial killer. The more he advances in the investigation, the more he realizes he must stem the tide as soon as possible. Completely exhausted, he must also deal with the nocturnal visits of a little girl who seems to have supernatural powers... 

What's good about them?

It has been rightfully said that "with Thilliez, it's safe." And indeed, you'll get your thrill, travel, horror and so on. These books are not really for the faint hearted. It's very far from the Victorian novel! Here, there is blood, bodies torn, cut, rotting: that's hardcore!. The horror of the killings is particularly distressing as Sharko's wife is missing (in the first book) and we can't help, as Sharko, to draw a parallel between the victims and her, fearing that she's living the same thing. Franck faces a particularly diabolical killer who's closed to him. 

I won't spoiled anything by speaking about Sharko's wife's death as it's written in the second book blurb that is even more tortured. Frank loses it and not a little. We follow him as he goes down (literally) into hell, always with the most atrocious crimes and the arrival of characters as endearing  as strange. 

One thing is certain, you will be taken by these two books which suspense won't stop till the end, with an super endearing cop - that we learn to like with his strengths and especially his weaknesses - with two very well-crafted and fast-paced stories and, as always, Thilliez's attention to detail, well explained, his extensive research on various topics he serves us on a silver platter because it must be said, he's the champion of popularisation! His novels are based on a subject slightly more complicated or unknown and he makes it all very easy to understand. I especially like learning new things while reading and with him, it's coming up! 

Two small problems have hampered my reading though which surprised me even more as I had not had that feeling with his other books, but this slight annoyance disappeared along my reading (or I got used to it... go figure!) Almost all descriptions are metaphors and other figures of speech, which I think is perfectly suited to the literary novel, but a little less in a thriller, where I expect a little more nervous writing in connection with the story. But then again, it might just be a cause of "too much is like too less". And I find the ellipsis in dialogue series so-so. Just tell me the character is out of breath, exhausted, hesitating, etc. I... I do not... need to... put the... "..." all the time... to force me to... make a... pause... 

In a nutshell 

Two excellent books to devour, not to put in all hands for a descent into the Parisian underworld, a sprinkling of religion and voodoo à la arachnid sauce, it's a 4/5 for me.

A Penny for the Hangman by Tom Savage

Random House Publishing Group - Alibi - (Oct. 7 2014)
259 pages - 2.99 $ (epub)

The catchy title and the publisher: Alibi made ​​me ask this title on NetGalley. Although I must say that the blurb in which the female journalist is in a bikini made ​​me fear that it was a kind of book à la San Antonio (not my cup of tea), it is not absolutely not that kind of book.

The blurb

In Tom Savage’s chilling novel of suspense, an ambitious reporter is beckoned to an island paradise for the story of a lifetime. But this scoop might just be the death of her.

Fifty years ago, on the Caribbean island of St. Thomas, two teenagers born to privilege were convicted of slaughtering their parents in cold blood. Today the men are free and a Hollywood movie has been made about the murders. For Karen Tyler, an eager New York journalist, the case is irresistible. She has been invited to the Virgin Islands for an interview that’s too good to pass up . . . and sounds too good to be true.

Karen packs her bikini and her digital recorder and follows an ingeniously designed trail that leads her to a wealthy, mysterious figure. The man claims to be one of the notorious boys, but Karen soon learns that all is not as it seems. On this isolated utopia of sun and surf, a young reporter far from home fights for the truth—and for her life. Because the shocking secret behind the infamous atrocities has remained hidden all these years. And the killing isn’t over yet.

What's good in that book?

This book was a blast! The pace does not fail, there is always something intriguing or disturbing. The stressful informations are revealed along the story. The narrative is interspersed with extracts from the diary of one of the teen killers, excerpts from police reports, minutes of the trial, testimony... and a disturbing correspondence from Karen. From the start, we know that another tragedy occurred on the island and she is in danger. From the start, we follow her story by being afraid of the end. Stress increases bit by bit because of the dialogues and the trap that closes on her. 

The characters are well written with shady guys, rogues (and I'm not talking about the bad guy...), naive or clever ones, there's something for everyone. There are still some cliché (both affluent teens are necessarily exceptionally beautiful and intelligent) but this does not hinder the story, it is not what stands out most about this book. What stands out most is the countdown to an end that we know/sense/guess horrible. 

Extracts or inserting text into a story - whether to give information or returns in the past - are not always easy to write in a book because they cut too abruptly the story or that they're hard to understand what they bring up to the final moment. But Tom Savage pass the exercice in style with brio. The extracts are timely writen to provide an explanation when the story needs it or sow a little anxiety and stress because the revelation brought only confirms us in our fears. 

In a nutshell

A good and stressful book that reads in one go, Tom Savage plays with our nerves and we ask for more! It is a 4/5 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 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.

Crossing the Line by Frédérique Molay

Paris Homicide Book 2
Le French Book (23 septembre 2014)
224 pages - 17,95 $

Crossing the Line is the sequel of the book The 7th Women. We meet back (and with pleasure) Chief of Police Nico Sirsky and his family, although less present in this novel. I feel lucky as I have the chance to receive the books from Le French Book. Their principle of editing is simple: if they love a book they translate and print it. Surprising as it may seem, it's thanks to them - and in English - that I discovered the best-known or the newest authors of France! 

The blurb

It’s Christmas in Paris. Chief of Police Nico Sirsky returns to work after recovering from a gunshot wound. He’s in love and rearing to go. His first day back has him overseeing a jewel heist sting and taking on an odd investigation. Dental students discovered a message in the tooth of a severed head. Is it a sick joke? Sirsky and his team of crack homicide detectives follow the clues from an apparent suicide, to an apparent accident, to an all-out murder as an intricate machination starts breaking down. Just how far can despair push a man? How clear is the line between good and evil? More suspense and mystery with the Paris Homicide team from the prizewinning author Frédérique Molay, the "French Michael Connelly." This is the second in the prize-winning Paris Homicide series.

Why read this book 

Firstly, I have to say that I preferred this book that I find better than the first one. And how is it better you may ask? I thought it was better mastered. The plot that I found a little too easy in The 7th Woman, is more complicated here. The story is more original. Admittedly, the message "I was murdered" in the tooth of a severed head is pretty original, thank you! 

I also appreciated that the mystery of Sirsky's ex-wife disappearance is elucidated. She disappeared at the end of The 7th Woman and I was wondering what happened to her (even though her ​​character quickly becomes secondary and that her disappearance allows Nico to delve into his relationship with Caroline). This speaks for the attention to detail of the author that I really appreciate. 

Let's talk details, Crossing the Line is full of it and it's Frédérique Molay's strength who knows how to provide us with a maximum of details without weighting down the story. We follow and understand the investigation and the different procedures either if they relate to autopsies or to the relationship between the different branches of justice. This attention to detail allows me to understand the French system, much more complex than I thought. For those who have seen the excellent series Engrenages (or Spiral in Canada), we can find the same atmosphere, the same conviviality, the same quality of detail. I also enjoyed getting to know the landscape of Paris and the (open) secret passages in the buildings. 

The team is as friendly as before, the characters always as well written and vivid. We follow their evolution, as if we were part of the team. One is a new dad, the other seeks his Christmas presents. It's nice, as when we have some news about friends we haven't seen for some time. Nico's family is less present (even if we meet them back over a nice dinner) and the story focuses more on Nico's son and his girlfriend Caroline but do not mind, it's the next step, after the presentation of the characters in the first book. 

In a nutshell 

A story that reads very quickly, a quality of detail that gives us the impression of being in the heart of the investigation, a staff as friendly as before whom we enjoy to spend some time with, it's a 4/5 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.

Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes

Mulholland Books (Sept. 16 2014)

448 pages - 29 $

Lauren Beukes has created quite a phenomenon on the web after the release of her book The Shining Girls. So I decided to read this author who seems very appreciated. Seeing that her new book Broken Monsters was available on Netgalley, I did not hesitate!

Before reading this book, it's good to know that part of the novel lies in the horror category, I didn't know it, since it was categorized as mystery & thriller. Sure, The Shining Girls, her first book, is the story of a serial killer plaguing in different time periods (time travel, all that), which suggests a penchant for the supernatural. But even after reading the summary of the book, I had not predict that the horror side would come quite late in the book. This has baffled me and it didn't appeal to me, I must say, but knowing it, my opinion would probably have been even more positive, so... an informed reader is forearmed!

The blurb

A criminal mastermind creates violent tableaus in abandoned Detroit warehouses in Lauren Beukes's new genre-bending novel of suspense.

Detective Gabriella Versado has seen a lot of bodies. But this one is unique even by Detroit's standards: half boy, half deer, somehow fused together. As stranger and more disturbing bodies are discovered, how can the city hold on to a reality that is already tearing at its seams?

If you're Detective Versado's geeky teenage daughter, Layla, you commence a dangerous flirtation with a potential predator online. If you're desperate freelance journalist Jonno, you do whatever it takes to get the exclusive on a horrific story. If you're Thomas Keen, known on the street as TK, you'll do what you can to keep your homeless family safe--and find the monster who is possessed by the dream of violently remaking the world.

If Lauren Beukes's internationally bestselling The Shining Girls was a time-jumping thrill ride through the past, her Broken Monsters is a genre-redefining thriller about broken cities, broken dreams, and broken people trying to put themselves back together again.

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.

What's good about it

What I like in a good book is for the writing to be fluid, for the story to flow and that it has a tone, humor, a little cynicism and good dialogues. Lauren Beukes gives all that. I liked her writing style and I've never been bored, even in descriptions! 

Lauren is really good in the writing of her characters, we are able to know which character is at the forefront in two seconds. The story is told from several points of view and without transition (you know, sometimes we change chapter, there are small ***,etc.) but at no time do we wonder "but who is talking now? "And oh my, it's a pleasure to read. 

The characters are numerous and Detroit is one of them. So I'm quite sure that the tourist office in Detroit may not love the book... because Detroit is pretty creepy, thank you! I do not know if you've seen pictures of deserted buildings of this former splendor? Well, that is quite like that but worse! 

The story is well done and the different stories lived by the characters all end up overlapping or if this is not really the case (I'm thinking of Layla hunting pedophiles), they help to bring a little more of seedy narrative to add to the prevailing malaise. The end of the book has a little bit disappointed me in the sense that I did not expect that kind of end and it completely changed from the rest of the book. This is the only negative point in my case, because until that time, I found the book excellent. 

In a nutshell 

A good pace, very well written and differentiated characters, smooth and nice writing, but an ending that leaves me wanting more, it's a 3.5/5 for me. (an end that did not stop me to buy The Shining Girls!)

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.

Interview: Lee Battersby, author of The Corpse Rat King

Lee Battersby is a really funny guy. I had read and review his book The Corpse Rat King and found it really funny, so I was quite optimist about him. Then, I went to his blog and couldn't stop laughing. He's witty and has a really scary and weird omen for our world. So please, welcome Lee Battersby!

Will you tell us a little bit about yourself? 

I’m a fat Australian guy in his mid-40s. Former stand-up comic, cartoonist, tennis coach, public servant and widower. Currently an arts administrator married to a fellow author, with 2 insane children and three equally insane bonus children. I’m in love with the Goon Show, Lego, Daleks, Nottingham Forest football club, and British comedy panel shows. Favourite music includes Madness, They Might be Giants, the White Stripes, Butthole Surfers, David Bowie, Alice Cooper and just about anything ska (I knew he's a great guy!). I’ve had just shy of 80 short stories published, won a handful of awards, have a children’s novel coming out in early 2015 and would kill all of your grandmothers for a chance to write full-time for a living. 

- I found The Corpse Rat King to be a book about initiatory trips (for both Marius and Gerd), was I right? Did you want to convey a message? 

“The Corpse-Rat King” arose from a conversation I had with a fellow author about our mutual distaste for those vaguely Arthurian soft-focus medieval fantasies where everything is nice and clean, and everyone looks like they discovered shampoo five hundred years early and nobody ever really seems to get dysentery or scabies or rickets, and heroes are always square jawed and noble and blah blah puke. Starting out, I really just wanted to poke fun at those novels by making everything rather scrofulous and having a hero who was a weaselly, greedy coward, which is what I imagine most people are, when it comes to a choice between self-preservation and making some cash or sacrificing it all for some nebulous, unknowable “greater good”. 

Once you get started writing, of course, narrative rules take over: you can’t have a novel solely about running away and not engaging with the plot, so sooner or later Marius would have to face up to the requirements of the story. And much as I wanted Gerd to be a focus of well-earned derision and contempt, I ended up rather liking him, so couldn’t bring myself to really grind his face in the dirt for 250 pages. That is, of course, after killing him right at the start… 

As far as overt messages go, no. I didn’t set out to teach my readers any grand moral lesson, so much as I lined up a series of occurrences and my natural inclinations as a storyteller led me through them. If there is any message in the books it’s a result of my personal inclinations coming out in the writing rather than any attempt to set out a grand theme. 

- You've written a sequel "Marching Dead" already. Can you tell us a bit about it? 

“The Marching Dead’ was released by Angry Robot Books in October 2013. It takes place a couple of years after the events of “The Corpse-Rat King”. Marius has made good his promise to settle down with Keth and leave behind his life of petty crime, and they’re living together in a little cottage in a country village. Then the dead abduct Keth, Gerd and Granny show up on a quest of their own, and Marius is drawn into a journey to recover Keth, save the world, and solve the mystery of why the dead have stopped dying. It’s profane, scatological, angry and, hopefully, downright funny as hell. 

- Do you plan other books with Marius and Gerd? 

My contract with Angry Robot was for two books. They’ve been delivered and there’s no talk of a third, so yes, I’d say that’s all for Marius and Gerd for now. The second book reaches a good ending for all concerned, so I’m okay with it. 

- Which subjects are more difficult to write about? 

Any subject which has great emotional resonance to the writer can be immensely difficult to portray effectively, because it can be difficult to maintain the necessary objective distance from the narrative. If you get caught up in the right and wrong of it, or try to hard to push the emotional consequences onto your reader, you run the risk of taking the narrative away from the story, and every time you do that you invite the reader out of the story as well. As soon as the reader stops believing in the story you’re telling, you’ve lost them. 

- Which events will you attend in the next months? 

I’m rather secluded, living not so much in the most isolated capital city in the world but 80 kilometres away from the most isolated capital city in the world, so I don’t see many events. I am attending CrimeScene WA, a Western Australian crime writing convention, in October, and I try to get to a day or two of the Perth Writers Festival each year, but that’s about it. Finances do not permit wider travelling: Worldcons and Eastern States events are simply off the agenda, and travelling overseas is not an option on my income. I’ve had a few forays over the years, but right now we’re on a single income, so it’s not likely for some time. 

- What are you reading now? 

I’m currently reading a ridiculously large pile of graphic novels from the new library that’s opened up recently in our region. (Reaches over to top of the pile) Next up: Sandman Mystery Theatre: The Face & The Brute. Generally I enjoy historical true crime books, hidden histories and biographies of obscure weirdoes, and when it comes to fiction I lean towards cross-genre authors like Jonathan Lethem and China Meiville. I’ve been enjoying a lot of crime fiction recently as well. 

- What do you look for in a good book? Is there anything that will make you put a book down, unfinished? 

I like a plot. I like characters in action. Endless reverie or deep meditations on the fragile nature of interior expression are not really my thing. I like the feeling that all the characters, antagonists included, are working towards a goal they believe in: nobody is evil just for the sake of being evil, or good just because their armour is shiny. Joe Abercrombie is a master at this: every character is a combination of self-belief and self-interest, and as a consequence, they’re believable as hell. 

If the story-telling snaps my credulity; if the characters begin to act stupidly simply because the plot demands it; if the laws of physics and consequence are dispensed with; if the people within the pages are cardboard, or cut-out superheroes, or transparent mouthpieces for the author’s personal beliefs; if the book is just plain damned boring, then yeah, you’ll lose me. 

- If you could experience one book again for the first time, which one would it be? 

“Lord of the Rings”, I think. I first read it when I was ten, and was so blown away by it that I read it annually until I was in my twenties. I’d never encountered anything on such a scale, with characters that lived so vibrantly on the page and a story of such consequence and import. I’ve read very little since that matches it for scope and sheer majesty. 

- What's next for you? 

I have a children’s novel called “Magit and Bugrat” coming out from Walker Books in early 2015. It’s about a young girl who lives in a cemetery with no exits or entries, and how she copes when the stork drops a baby into her life. It’s easily the saddest and, I hope, most beautiful thing I’ve written. And I’m just completing the first draft of a supernatural story about a personality aspect of the Devil that was sloughed off during the Fall and has achieved a level of humanity that enables him to live amongst humans, and what happens when the Devil starts to reabsorb his missing aspects in an attempt to ascend to Heaven. An interesting topic for a lifelong atheist to tackle because, for me, I’m using somebody else’s fictional characters to tell my story but I feel no pressure to respect that original author’s creation, so I’m rewriting some very key religious icons in my own image. 

Why so serious questions 

- What would be your desert island read? 

Apart from a book on how to build boats? If I could be indulged with one non-fiction book and one fiction book it’d have to be “Necropolis: London and its Dead” by Catharine Arnold, a look at the funerary and mortuary history of the world’ greatest city that is simply overflowing with facts and narrative possibilities that set my imagination ticking, and “The Scar” by China Meiville, my first Meiville read and still a favourite book: so rich in imagery and imagination and sheer *voice* that it’s a constant benchmark I’m trying to attain. 

- Your favorite villain? 

I don’t really have one. I think people are their own villains, and any antagonist that doesn’t have the reader eliciting at least a moment of sympathy at some point is just a two-dimensional punching bag. Take a character like Black Dow, from Joe Abercrombie’s First Law series and “The Heroes”. He *should* be a vile, hateful creature, but he’s placed against alternatives so much worse that, as reprehensible as he is, you can see why he’s playing the game he does, and what it means for his culture if he falls. That’s the essence of a great character, one who transcends simple good/bad dichotomies. 

- Whose hero do you wish you had created? 

Oh, God. I’m still trying to create my own. I don’t know that I’d ever wish to have created someone else’s creation, but there are a few I’d like to work *with* along the way. There are a bunch of comic book characters I’d love to write for: Hellboy, Daredevil, Wonder Woman, Hellcat, Strontium Dog…. a great big long list that would look ludicrous if I put them all down at once. I’ve written Doctor Who, which was mostly fun. 

- Seeing on your blog that you have a BattBio, a BattBiblio... do you have a Battmobile too? 

No, but I do have a Battersblog and a Batthaim! It’s just one of those quirky little things that make being lumbered with a surname like Battersby worthwhile: that first syllable can be attached to any number of concepts and be claimed for my own. It’s a silly little thing to do with my web presence, to help tie my pages together. 

- Do you have more info about the upcoming invasion of the world by dinosaurs in Lego Dalek armour? 

I, for one, welcome our new plastic Dalekosaurus overlords. 

*****************

If you want to have some fun, go read some poste from his blog or follow him on Twitter or Facebook!

Interview: Emma Newman, author of the Split World!

I am delighted to welcome to my blog Emma Newman. I'vre read the first book in the series, Between Two Thorns, (the second is my Pal!). Emma has plenty of projects, a blog, a podcast ... and stories to give! (and you'll notice how the blue writing for her answers is too, too perfect a match with her jacket! mwahaha! Nice picture by the way, Emma!)

Hi Emma,

I've read and reviewed your book "Between Two Thorns" and find it great. I'm happy to have you on my blog!

Thank you!

Will you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Ahhh, the hardest question for a writer, almost as hard as "describe your book in one sentence"! Well, you already know I write (novels and short stories) but I'm also an audiobook narrator, a gamer and a dressmaker.

I've seen you launched a podcast, can you tell us a bit about it?

Yes, Tea and Jeopardy is just over a year old now and is a rather silly combination of interview and audio theatre. Each episode is set in a different tea lair and each guest comes and has tea and cake and then inevitably faces some mild peril in order to leave the tea lair. There's a butler too. And singing chickens! We were thrilled to be nominated for a Hugo award for it this year too.

On your blog, people can (should) sign up to receive free stories, one per week! Can you give us a teaser for your stories?

When people sign up they get a story per week for a year and a day, all set in the Split Worlds. Some of them contain characters from the books, some explore other families and parts of the Split Worlds and some seed future plot lines.

Which subjects are more difficult to write about?

That's a big question! There are several topics in the Split Worlds which are difficult to write about because I want to get them right. Take Cathy, for example. I wanted her to not only feel like a real person but I also wanted her to serve as an exploration of feminism, something that is very important to me. Funnily enough, writing about completely imaginary things like the awful things that the Fae think and do in the Split Worlds is much easier than writing characters who show the horrors of patriarchy from both and male and female perspective – horrors that are real and experienced by people every day.

Which events will you attend in the next months?

I will be at Fantasycon in York in early September and then I will be Guest of Honour at Bristolcon in October. Bristolcon is a gorgeous one-day convention in Bristol that I've been to several years in a row now. Highly recommended! I've just been to Nine Worlds (which is amazing!) and also the latest Worldcon held in London which was a fantastic event for me.

What are you reading now?

I'm actually reading a book that hasn't been published yet! It's one written by my husband who signed with Harper Voyager at the beginning of this year. I'm one of his beta readers, so I'm reading the second novel in his series before he sends it on to his agent.

What do you look for in a good book? Is there anything that will make you put a book down, unfinished?

Reading is part of my job as a writer and so it's really, really hard for me to switch of a constant analysis of what I'm reading. Because of that I look for books that make that part of my brain silent, that carry me away with great characters and immersive worlds. If a book is poorly written I won't persevere, there are just too many fantastic novels out there. And by poorly written I mean lots of errors, clunky dialogue, too many adjectives etc, you know, craft level. Also, if a book has a main character that I simply cannot stand, I find it hard to carry on.

If you could experience one book/short story again for the first time, which one would it be?

Short story: A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury. That's my all time favourite short story. As for a book, oh, that's a tough one! Perhaps 'The Sparrow' by Mary Doria Russell, or the Predator Cities series by Philip Reeve (I can have four books if it's a series, right?). Seriously, that series is one of the best things I've ever read. Both that and The Sparrow made me sob for the last ten pages. Amazing stuff. Oh! There's Shogun too. I'm rubbish at this sort of question!

What's next for you?

I have a science fiction novel out on submission at the moment that I hope will find a home soon and I'm developing a new science fiction series too. But the thing I am really gearing up for next is the launch of a Kickstarter for the fourth Split Worlds novel which I'm desperately excited about. That's going to launch in mid-September. Nerve wracking and exciting in equal measure!

Why so serious questions

What would be your desert island read?

The Predator Cities series as mentioned before or Shogun by James Clavell.

Your favorite villain?

I can't decide whether it's Loki or Francis Urquhart from the original adaptation of House of Cards. I love both of them (but I only fancy Loki)!

Whose hero do you wish you had created?

Ellen Ripley from the Alien films. She is simply wonderful.

What it is with your mistrust of fried mushrooms?

I hate the smell and texture of mushrooms in all forms but fried mushrooms really turn my stomach! They remind me of slugs far, far too much for something that's supposed to be edible. (shudders)

To know more about Emma, you can go on her blog (that's where you'll have free stories!), you can follow her on Twitter or Facebook !

The Frozen Dead by Bernard Minier

St. Martin's Press

Minotaur Books; Reprint edition (Aug. 12 2014)

482 pages - 29.41 $

Frozen is the first novel by a former worker in the French customs administration. His book was widely praised by the press when released in France in 2011 and he released a second book Le Cercle in 2012 in which me meet back with the same character, Servaz a literate and sensitive cop.

The blurb

A suspenseful and chilling murder mystery set in a high-security asylum for the criminally insane and the snowy mountains of the French Pyrenees

The first victim is a horse: its headless, flayed body hangs suspended from the edge of a frozen cliff. On the same day as the gruesome discovery takes place, Diane Berg, a young psychiatrist starts her first job at a high security asylum for the criminally insane, just a few miles away. She is baffled by the slightly unorthodox methods the asylums's director uses, and then greatly alarmed when she realizes that drugs are disappearing from within the fortified institution while someone seems to be slipping out at night. 

Commandant Martin Servaz, a charismatic, Toulouse city cop fond of quoting Latin, can’t believe he has been called out over the death of an animal. But there is something disturbing about this crime that he cannot ignore. Then DNA from one of the most notorious inmates of the asylum, a highly intelligent former prosecutor who is accused of killing and raping several women, is found on the corpse... and a few days later the first human murder takes place. 

Servaz and his colleague, the mysterious Irene Ziegler, must use all their skill to solve the terrifying mystery, in The Frozen Dead by Bernard Minier.

What's good about it ?

The atmosphere is really oppressive. Everything is cold, white (because of the snow) or gray or ugly. The suspects include prisoners locked up in an asylum for the most horrific killers. There are a lot of strange people. This creates a rather morbid and creepy feel it must be said. In my case, it was too much. Each time a character takes the road to the asylum or the place of the first crime we're entitled to the overwhelming feelings of that character - sinister course - about the surrounding nature, the road and his feeling of discomfort or fear. So, admittedly, it helps to feel the sensation of discomfort. Yet to live in Quebec (which is not a country but a winter!), I mostly meet people who love their country and think that winter are beautiful with its snowy landscapes. I think it would have been more realistic to include some positive people, right? 

The story is well put together. There's even a twist towards the end that blew me away. The investigation is realistically resolved, the explanations stand and even the escape of a character suggests a possible sequel without a frustrating cliffhanger. The only concern is that the book is a bit long. That's a lot of pages for a thriller and it's very difficult to keep a steady pace as long. So to fill the pages, it is easier to write description (of feelings, landscapes, mundane acts...) This is where - in my case - the author loses me and I start skipping parts to find the dialogue or the action. Now I know that some readers enjoy taking their time in a story, they like to take the full measure of the atmosphere and decor. So, dear reader, if that's your case, this is the book for you. 

And what about the characters? Servaz the literate and sensitive cop is a little too sensitive for my liking, he is afraid of so many things that it's a miracle he's a cop! As for his way of reciting Latin sentences at all costs, I must say it's déjà vu and a little too cliche for my taste. It must be said that there are still several cliche in the characters but that doesn't spoil the story. Still, Servaz is a smart cop who leads good deductions and his team of geek cop is quite endearing. So it's a character that we'll like to follow.

In a nutshell

A well-crafted first novel, a story and an atmosphere murky at will but a story a tad longish, it's a 3/5 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 Second Deadly Sin by Åsa Larsson - out 12th of August 2014

Quercus Books (US) - MacLehose Press

352 pages - 26.99 $

Another Scandinavian author (Swedish to be precise). This is definitely trendy, but I did not want to stay on an aftertaste of disappointment with my reading of The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler. So here I am, trying agin a new Swedish author whose name appears regularly on networks.

The blurb

Oprah.com raved that Åsa Larsson’s Rebecka Martinsson is a crime fighter who has all the needed gut insticts," and listed the series as "Mysteries Every Thinking Woman Should Read." In The Second Deadly Sin, dawn breaks in a forest in northern Sweden. Villagers gather to dispatch a rampaging bear. When the beast is brought to ground they are horrified to find the remains of a human hand inside its stomach. In nearby Kiruna, a woman is found murdered in her bed, her body a patchwork of vicious wounds, the word WHORE scrawled across the wall. Her grandson Marcus, already an orphan, is nowhere to be seen. Grasping for clues, Rebecka Martinsson begins to delve into the victim’s tragic family history. But with doubts over her mental health still lingering, she is ousted from the case by an arrogant and ambitious young prosecutor. Before long a chance lead draws Martinsson back into the thick of the action and her legendary courage is put to the test once more. 

What's about that book

Larsson knows how to make us feel what experience her characters... including the dog. And just for that, it blew me away. I think especially of a scene where the Brat, Martinsson's puppy runs around the house in all directions until he can go out, it's a scene you may find useless because it adds nothing to the plot, but it brings a lot to the atmosphere! There is also how Maja portrays von Post, a moment of pure happiness (well, in your teeth von Post!) Or, the day spent with Martisson in her house, drinking moonshine and doing trips to the sauna, while investigating, along with Pohjanen (and we learn a bit more about Swedish culture). It thus makes us feel good in the presence of Martisson, wanting to get to know her. That create a sense of familiarity with the characters and it's very nice. 

The plot follows two stories that, as so often, join in the end, one explaining the other. This has already been done, of course, but when it's well done, as is the case here, it's nice. A story unfolds in the early twentieth century, while the other is in the present. Ultimately, it is the story of a family that we can judge cursed as misfortune rained down on her, a family cursed by greed. 

Aside from the very human and endearing characters, the two-story plot, Larsson sprinkles her story of political shenanigans, low blows and cowardice. Martinsson's success doesn't please everyone and Von Post, the detestable prosecutor, will do anything to counter her. There are few references to the past, especially with regard to Martinsson's psychological past which uses von Post, but not having read the other books did not prevent to understand how this man is a shabby. 

In a nutshell

A clever writing, very endearing characters, a plot well done, a dark atmosphere, cold and sad, but hopeful at the same time. This is a 4.5 / 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.