The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler

McClelland & Stewart; 1st Edition edition (June 12 2012)

512 pages - 17.99 $

Scandinavians are still a hit on the sales charts. Lars Kepler is a Swedish couple writing together. I must say that I didn't seeing it. I do not know about you but  I like less than others books written by two hands. Anyway, Scandinavian authors are often very good, the story was very promising and a friend gave me this book, so I said to myself I could give it a shot!

The blurb

Tumba, Sweden. A triple homicide, all of the victims from the same family, captivates Detective Inspector Joona Linna, who demands to investigate the grisly murders - against the wishes of the national police. The killer is at large, and it appears that the elder sister of the family escaped the carnage; it seems only a matter of time until she, too, is murdered. But where can Linna begin? The only surviving witness is an intended victim - the boy whose mother, father, and little sister were killed before his eyes. Whoever committed the crimes intended for this boy to die: he has suffered more than one hundred knife wounds and Lapsed into a state of shock. He's in no condition to be questioned. Desperate for information, Linna sees one mode of recourse: hypnotism. He enlists Dr. Erik Maria Bark to mesmerize the boy, hoping to discover the killer through his eyes. It's the sort of work that Bark had sworn he would never do again - ethically dubious and psychically scarring. When he breaks his promise and hypnotizes the victim, a long and terrifying chain of events begins to unfurl.

What I think of it

The story is original, I must admit it. I was intrigued to see how the author would deal with hypnosis, knowing that this kind of method is not always well seen. This is pretty well written, even if the description of the sensations during hypnosis is a bit too metaphysical for me. It reminds me of the book Eat, Pray, Love, when the author tells about the blue reflections that invade her during a transcendent moment of meditation... it was not my favorite part of the book. 

For the rest, one word comes to mind: long. This book is far too long! One example among many other,: when Joona wants to ask a colleague to look for information, it may take a whole page. (Yes Sir!) Because he must take the time to talk about his years of swimming with her, all that... Everything is detailed - and whether in Frédérique Molay's book it was well done and quite useful - here it is often unnecessary. Reading this book that aims to be a thriller (thus normally a breathless thing), is a bit like running in slow motion. There is always something happening, it must be said, but multiple hyper detailed unnecessary actions that revolve around the main plot breaks the flow. As I said recently, too much detail kills the plot. This is the major concern of this novel.

Small bonus point for the tip of humor at the end of the book when Joona called Erik and can not prevent his quirks to step through. 

In a nutshell

This is good, but too long. A 2.5 / 5 for me.

The 7th women by Frédérique Molay

(Paris Homicide Book 1)
Le French Book
254 pages - 9.95 $ (kindle)

Once becomes habit one might say... here I am, reading French thrillers in English! It's great to see that French authors are translated into English, it proves that the French thriller is doing well and it can appeal readers from everywhere. So I read this book in English, with the editor The French Book that mean to translates French books they loved.

The blurb

There’s no rest for Paris’s top criminal investigation division, La Crim’. Who is preying on women in the French capital? How can he kill again and again without leaving any clues? A serial killer is taking pleasure in a macabre ritual that leaves the police on tenterhooks. Chief of Police Nico Sirsky—a super cop with a modern-day real life, including an ex-wife, a teenage son and a budding love story—races against the clock to solve the murders as they get closer and closer to his inner circle. Will he resist the pressure? The story grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go until the last page, leading you behind the scenes with the French police and into the coroner’s office. It has the suspense of Seven, with CSI-like details, giving a whole new dimension to Paris.

What I think of it

I liked the build up of the novel. Initially a simple investigation for a particularly gruesome murder. Then the search for a serial killer and eventually a race against time to save the seventh victim. The book reads quickly and the reading is fluid. The beginning is very technical and we're involved in the initial autopsy as if we were there (which is not necessarily appreciated by everyone). All procedures are clearly explained, whether forensic or police procedures. We feel here a keen eye for detail and the desire / need for accuracy of the author. This will delight fans of the genre who will find a wealth of information. 

The characters are very realistic, it really feels like we're in in the 36 quai des orfèvres and a part of the team, which is always nice when you read a book. As we stay with the team all steps through the investigation, it easy to feel a sense of belonging with those officers. A small problem in my case, the sudden and a bit too fiery love story with the boss of the Crim'. It seems to me that a guy who managed to climb all levels and is found at that young age (38 years old) chief of this famous police division has a little more lead in the head or at least better control of his emotions and will not smooch the woman of his heart at the office... 

I have also a little less liked the fact that from the first murder, the criminal psychologist of the group defines the murderer as a serial killer who has a big problem with his mother. He resent women, surely, seeing what he does them but why not his former teacher, ex wife, neighbor-who-frustrates-him, etc.. This is somewhat simple or cliche like in movies and series dedicated to the genre. Sure, for those who read thrillers from time to time, it is very well done. For those who read thrillers regularly, it might feel like déjà vu.

And a good point for the author who portrays the cops as sensitive persons who care for the others, which is not always like that. Sirsky is particularly kind for the other, always making sure everyone is ok but he's the hero so it's for the better, but the other cops too are. Often, cops are seen like tough or cold people, not here. I find that refreshing and maybe more realist, right?

In a nutshell 

A good first novel for this author, a promising start to the series, a quick and captivating read, this 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.

The Black House by Peter May - out the 5th of august 2014

Quercus (Dec 3 2013) - Sortie US en 2014

432 pages - 9.99 $ Kindle édition

Another one of those times when the cover attracted my eye... and it's not that bad since the publisher did not provide any description on the NetGalley site. It was not until I try to find what it was that I trully was happy to have chosen it. And I discovered that this was in Scotland, on an island and it talks of Edinburgh of which I have an indelible memory after a week scouring its pubs, its castle, its streets... in short, a city that I love.

The blurb

The Isle of Lewis is the most remote, harshly beautiful place in Scotland, where the difficulty of existence seems outweighed only by people's fear of God. But older, pagan values lurk beneath the veneer of faith, the primal yearning for blood and revenge. When a brutal murder on the island bears the hallmarks of a similar slaying in Edinburgh, police detective Fin Macleod is dispatched north to investigate. But since he himself was raised on Lewis, the investigation also represents a journey home and into his past. Each year the island's men perform the hunting of the gugas, a savage custom no longer necessary for survival, but which they cling to even more fiercely in the face of the demands of modern morality. For Fin the hunt recalls a horrific tragedy, which after all this time may have begun to demand another sacrifice. The Blackhouse is a crime novel of rare power and vision. Peter May has crafted a page-turning murder mystery that explores the darkness in our souls, and just how difficult it is to escape the past.

What's good about it

Scotland! But not just Scotland, of course. 

The 50 shades of... grey atmosphere! But that is because of the weather, cold and wet, the rain, the austerity of the island, its people, hard-working, hard in their moral, hard in their faith. As much as it was nice being on an island, I was not able to warm up throughout the book! For those who have seen the series, a plunge into the atmosphere of the book will give you the impression of having fallen straight into the Hinterland series. 

The book follows Fin the detective and Fin the boy who grew up on the island. The passages of the past are written in the first person, whereas the present is written in the third. At the first paragraph of the young Fin, I found the transition to the first person pretty weird but ultimately, it is very well thought out, since it makes it easy to distinguish between the two periods. The return in the past are also very useful to better understand the issues, the discomfort and the more or less difficult relationships in the present. In the end, it gives two stories within one story with one that makes us understand the other. 

The relationships between the characters are typical of small villages - the unspoken secrets, the gossips - particularly under the yoke of the church. It is about bullies who make the law at school and that one continues to fear in adulthood. The village microcosm - and worse of an island - is a real breeding ground for bullies, drunks and sinners (I had a good pun with that one in French but it's lost in English... a shame!) and I must say that this book paints a rather dark portrait of human nature. There are still some good figures - I'm thinking of Gigs, gannets hunter or Gunn, the young cop - and Fin, a character that we see grow up and that we learn to appreciate. The Black House is the first book of a trilogy and Fin is a character I'll have pleasure to meet again. 

You can feel the love of the author for Scotland, for Lewis, for the tough persons of these countries, for hunting gannets. The descriptions are very too realistic but for all that, the defender of animal rights who struggles against the annual hunt is not a sympathetic character. Peter May has a real talent for describing - the landscapes are all described and it is perhaps the least pleasant side for me (as a reminder, this is really not my cup of tea!) I admit I jumped several descriptive passages because I think that sometimes too much details kills the detail! (or rather the story) 

In a nutshell 

A very good book, hard and tough, a human plot, characters we feel we know from childhood. 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 Whisperer by Donato Carrisi

Mulholland Books; Reprint edition (Jan. 15 2013)

432 pages - 16.50 $

I bought the book The Lost Girls of Rome by Donato Carrisi because he's Italian and I wanted to read something other than Scandinavian or Anglophone thrillers for a change and the French cover was intriguing, as well as the blurb... I haven't yet had the opportunity to read it. End of March, I went to Lyon, in the festival Quai du Polar and Donato Carrisi was there. I didn't bring my book, so I bought another one: The Whisperer to have it signed. I attended a conference on disappearances in which he participated and I found his interventions to be very intelligent and relevant. It could only be promising!

The blurb

A gripping literary thriller and smash bestseller that has taken Italy, France, Germany and the UK by storm.

Six severed arms are discovered, arranged in a mysterious circle and buried in a clearing in the woods. Five of them appear to belong to missing girls between the ages of eight and eighteen. The sixth is yet to be identified. Worse still, the girls' bodies, alive or dead, are nowhere to be found.

Obsessed with a case that becomes more tangled and intense as they unravel the layers of evil, lead investigators Mila Vasquez, a celebrated profiler, and Goran Gavila, an eerily prescient criminologist, find that their lives are increasingly in each other's hands. As sensational a bestseller in Europe as the Stieg Larsson novels, THE WHISPERER is that rare creation: a thought-provoking, intelligent thriller that is also unputdownable.

What's good about it

The very well crafted story and the twists (and what twists!) Carrisi leads us by the nose and we don't realize it until the end. This is really good! It's been a while since I had interrupted my reading to shout  out "Crap! I didn't see it coming!" 

From the beginning, we know that there are six little girls missing (well anyway, it's written on the blurb, so it's not a discovery). Mila, specialist in disappearance is asked to help to find out who is the sixth victim. But whoever did this is very, very strong. He is the one who calls the shots and the police can only run after him and try to understand the messages he leaves them. Then the girls reappear each one after the other and as they find new horrors, it become increasingly urgent to discover the identity of the sixth girl. The story was well constructed, the discovery that goes with every little girl was quite intriguing for the book but Donato Carrisi do not stop there. He hasn't just written a good book based on real facts, no, actually it's a must read book that packs a punch. 

The characters are well written, each with its secrets, which is the underlying theme of the book: we all have a dark side in us. What matters is whether we will lose ourselves in the dark side or if we'll stay in the light. Gavila the ephemeral criminologist and Mila whose past has made her an expert in disappearance are the two main characters and if one is never quite consisting thus endearing, the other is a more complex character one begins to appreciate. 

Good to know, throughout the novel the story is told from the perspectives of Mila and Gavila, some missives of a warden about one of its residents and the thoughts of a captive little girl. It may sound confusing but all is clear in the end and you won't see coming the explanation! 

In a nutshell

This is the first novel by Donato Carrisi and it's excellent! Well-written characters, well-crafted plot and  incredible twists, it's a 5/5 for me.

The Buried Life by Carrie Patel - an early review

North American Print

Date: 29th July 2014

ISBN: 9780857665218

Format: Mass Market Paperback

R.R.P.: US$7.99 CAN$9.99

I mostly read thrillers that happen in today's reality, but that doesn't stop me from enjoying a change of scenery from time to time. The crime fiction world is vast and we can read historical, scientific, medical, and so on thrillers as well as SF crim fiction. When I saw this novel published by Angry Robot, which I must say, publishes excellent writers, I said "bingo". Although science fiction is not what I read, why not try it? I also had the chance to have Carrie Patel, the author, in an interview on my blog, here it is!

The blurb

The gaslight and shadows of the underground city of Recoletta hide secrets and lies. When Inspector Liesl Malone investigates the murder of a renowned historian, she finds herself stonewalled by the all-powerful Directorate of Preservation – Recoletta’s top-secret historical research facility.

When a second high-profile murder threatens the very fabric of city society, Malone and her rookie partner Rafe Sundar must tread carefully, lest they fall victim to not only the criminals they seek, but the government which purports to protect them. Knowledge is power, and power must be preserved at all costs…

What's good about that book

I like to discover new worlds, worlds that could be real, a little post-apocalyptic but interesting and that's what offers Carrie Patel who has imagined an underground world in a dystopian universe. The construction of her world is well done: we easily imagine ourselves underground, we picture the many different factions (the rich, the workers, the middle class) more pronounced than in reality, as they are more physically separated. The grip on all the knowledge by the government and the way people are manage are very typical of a dictatorship. I enjoyed the rivalry between the two law enforcement agencies (much like the animosity between FBI and police). Who will do the investigation, who has the right to ask certain questions, who will ensure the safety of potential victims, are questions that Malone will face.  

Talking characters. Malone seems to be the main character if one sticks to the blurb and actually, in the first chapter, we discover her in pursuit of a thug. She is strong, brave, intelligent and a tad strong-headed. In short, a well presented character one wants to follow. But Malone is not the only main character. Jane Lin, a laundress, is at the heart of the investigation and it's her we follow the most. Gradually, in the novel, Malone is less present and Jane takes things in her hand and thanks to her, the investigation is really progressing. 

As for the plot, Malone and Rafe try to investigate despite various resistances they face and must continue in secret when the Commission withdraws the case. The political side of the investigation is well conducted, it's very realistic and we follow with pleasure the law blows and other tricks necessary to continue the investigation. A little drawback at the end of the book: everything happens quickly, the explanations are too easily given by the guilty party and there's a fast change of sides that I did not really understood nor appreciated. 

In a nutshell

Overall a good book, fun to read, a well-imagined world and whose strongest character, Jane Lin, is pleasant to discover. This is a 3.5 / 5 for me.

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

The Butcher by Jennifer Hillier - The publication of the day!

Gallery Books (July 15 2014)

352 pages - 14.99 $ (Kindle Edition)

In this 15th of July, The Butcher by Jennifer Hillier, a young author who has already made ​​a it with her two books Creep and Freak, is out. I confess that I didn't know her but after reading some reviews that said she had a talent for creating monsters, I've been tempted.

Description

From the author of the acclaimed suspense novels Creep and Freak and whom Jeffery Deaver has praised as a “top of the line thriller writer,” The Butcher is a high-octane novel about lethal secrets that refuse to die—until they kill again.

A rash of grisly serial murders plagued Seattle until the infamous “Beacon Hill Butcher” was finally hunted down and killed by police chief Edward Shank in 1985. Now, some thirty years later, Shank, retired and widowed, is giving up his large rambling Victorian house to his grandson Matt, whom he helped raise.

Settling back into his childhood home and doing some renovations in the backyard to make the house feel like his own, Matt, a young up-and-coming chef and restaurateur, stumbles upon a locked crate he’s never seen before. Curious, he picks the padlock and makes a discovery so gruesome it will forever haunt him… Faced with this deep dark family secret, Matt must decide whether to keep what he knows buried in the past, go to the police, or take matters into his own hands.

Meanwhile Matt’s girlfriend, Sam, has always suspected that her mother was murdered by the Beacon Hill Butcher—two years after the supposed Butcher was gunned down. As she pursues leads that will prove her right, Sam heads right into the path of Matt’s terrible secret.

A thriller with taut, fast-paced suspense, and twists around every corner, The Butcher will keep you guessing until the bitter, bloody end.

What's good about that book

The monster that Jennifer Hillier successfuly created. Even if you know quickly who the real butcher is, he nevertheless is very present in the story and he gives you shivers up and down your spine! Sam, who we want to warn to stop snooping so naively and to drop this selfish Matt. For Matt, the person whose ambition is paramount until the day his life changed (serves you right Matt!)

I also enjoyed the portrayal of the nursing home where Edward goes and the various relationships that are forged. Funnily enough, while appearing realistic. Assuming that this is a residence for wealthy and healthy, the fact that this is akin to a college brings a little levity in the book while making some murders even more cold and cruel. 

It's true that the identity of the butcher is so unthinkable for the characters (because we know who he is quickly and without any doubt), that it's difficult to believe for them and that the conclusion can only take time to establish. However, the end may be a bit faster compared to the ramp-up. Even so, Hillier managed very well to make us feel some dread, whereas one can only witness murders perpetrated by a monster as cold and cynical as Hannibal Lecter can be. 

The Butcher is a novel we read in one sitting, not to find the culprit but because we wonder where he will strike next time. We suspect some of the victims but we do not know when or how he will murder them. At the victims that can be guessed, adds other girls whose misfortune makes them meet the butcher (and ok, I prefer to tell because I know that some people don't want to read about it: there is some rapes). This is a stressful book where the dead accumulate and where the monster continues to become even more horrible by his coldness, his cynicism and his obvious lack of emotions. 

In a nutshell

An Hannibal Lecter-like character, a series of murders to which we feel powerless, a good ramp-up, it's a 4/5 for me.

Warning: An e- galley of this title was provided to me by the publisher. No review has been promised and chronic 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.

Hangtown - The Second Detective Janelle Watkins Mystery

by Karen Sandler

ANGRY ROBOT Ltd - Exhibit A - 24 juin 2014

416 pages - 6.99 $ (kindle edition)

Hangtown is the second book with Janelle, ex-cop now private detective, who fight against the consequences of an injury and her demons. Demons that change radically from what we usually see in a private detective! When I read Clean Burn, the first book in the series, I already enjoyed the characters and humor distilled in the book which made ​​me want to read the second installment to follow Janelle and Ken in their investigations.

The blurb

Marooned in her despised hometown of Greenville, California, private investigator Janelle Watkins wants nothing more than to keep her head down and make enough money to move back to the City. But even in the sleepy town of Greenville, the edgy, smart-mouthed private investigator seems to attract mayhem.

It starts with the apparent suicide of a nineteen year-old off a highway bridge. Then another young man goes missing and Janelle begins to suspect that there might be a connection between the incidents. With the help of her former SFPD partner and occasional lover, Sheriff Ken Heinz, Janelle begins to follow the convoluted trail, not realizing that the darkness of her past might finally be catching up.

What's good in that book

The first advantage is that it's not necessary to have read the first book to read this one. Although the two volumes relate to the same city and the same characters, it's two independent stories. I also liked to know more about Janelle's past. In Clean Burn we learned more about Janelle's childhood and in Hangtown, her most recent past is revealed. This book talks about the secrets that can hide in a small town, the silences and unspoken. Although the plot is not the strength of this novel it's precisely the unspoken history of Greenville that allows to make it plausible. 

Again, several investigations which seem separated eventually become one, adding more victims and suspects to the list of characters involved. Janelle and Ken, who team from the begin, are investigating a suspicious death and a suspicious disappearance, Janelle also receives mysterious and aggressive texting from a person from her past that she does not recognize, add to this an accident that should not have taken place and another corpse... we really don't get bored reading this book! 

Janelle is THE central character of the book. She's complex and has more depth than the others. Even Ken seems fairly bland beside her, although he's the town sheriff. I love the way the author portrays Janelle and how she approaches her demons. Janelle, because of her past, sometimes needs to burn herself to calm her emotions but Ken managed - more often now - to make the need go. There's no misery in the way this issue is addressed and this is what I like. This makes the character less typical than usual ("Hello, I'm PI so I drink / play / hit on pretty girls / have problems with my ex / etc.) and more human. 

In a nutshell

Another good book from Karen Sandler, whose strength lies in her characters - mostly Janelle Watkins, a very endearing character. A book where the action never stops and where humor is always present. It's a 4/5 for me.

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