Written in the Blood by Stephen Lloyd Jones

Mulholland Books (May 26 2015)

488 pages

Just to make a change from all these bloody and violent thrillers... I let myself be tempted by Written in the Blood, a fantasy story in a "vampire", hemoglobin and horror fashion (well, that's a real change !)

Good to know, this book is the sequel of another book - The String Diaries (not read yet). So yes, there are references to what happened before, but the explanations are enough to understand the context and allow us to read the story without feeling too much lost.


So, I'm not used to this kind of story but I found it to be a pleasant reading. The characters are well written, they are very well thought and one takes a liking for Leah who tries to save her world and her mother who's trying to protect her as well. Small note for moms who'll read this book: moms have the spotlight in this novel between Hannah, the mother, who cares for her daughter who takes risks to help her people and mothers who sacrifice themselves for their children.

The world imagined by Stephen Lloyd is very well done and change from usual vampires stories. In fact, there is relatively little interaction with the "human" and Lloyd never mentions a constant need to drink blood to stay alive. We're not talking about immortal beings, since they can die but beings with longevity and exceptional life, not really vampires in the traditional sense. Lloyd created a hierarchy among the "eternal", a past, a "police", the eternal hunter, a disappearance of their kind... One has the impression of being on the other side of the mirror, the side that allows us to understand the way eternals live.

Written in the Blood isn't just a story of a chase but also a story of struggle against the inexorable, struggle for power, love-hate, revenge, consequence of past histories. All that told with some talent. So, admittedly, the terms were not always easy to understand and the fact that I had not read the first book hadn't help neither but if you start this book by seeking something different, you won't be disappointed! Written in the Blood makes Twilight look like a story from the Care Bears world! Here, no schoolgirl love story but a girl who wants to save her clan from extinction, no schoolyard quarrels but politicized groups fighting against each other and mortal enemies.

The blurb

See the girl. Leah Wilde is twenty-four, a runaway on a black motorbike, hunting for answers while changing her identity with each new Central European town.

See the man, having come of age in extraordinary suffering and tragedy in nineteenth-century Budapest; witness to horror, to love, to death, and the wrath of a true monster. Izsák still lives in the present day, impossibly middle-aged. He’s driven not only to hunt this immortal evil but to find his daughter, stolen from an Arctic cabin and grown into the thing Izsák has sworn to kill.

See the monster, a beautiful, seemingly young woman who stalks the American West, seeking the young and the strong to feed upon, desperate to return to Europe where her coven calls.

In a nutshell

A really different vampire novel, a well-conducted plot, 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 Promise by Linwood Barclay

Publisher: Doubleday Canada (July 28 2015)

Sold by: Random House Canada, Incorp.

Linwood! A great author of our country (but where's your country, would you ask, you who love to read!) (Well in Canada of course!) And yeah, one can be a "New York Times Bestselling Author" and Canadian...

I had already read Never Saw it Coming, which I had found very good. And Linwood has an unblemished reputation in crime fiction, so the risk was not great to read his latest novel Broken Promise.

What I like about Linwood is that he knows quickly and perfectly how to plant an atmosphere, characters and a context. Here, the story is about David, a widower, who returns to his hometown after a series of bad luck and who will end up in the heart of a investigation that touches his own family.

I liked David and his family, good people. His parents are a lovely couple and they take good care of their grand-son. I liked Marla, his cousin, who suffered the unthinkable and remained marked.

I liked the family secrets, revealed bit by bit. We can see how secrets poison a family and that their consequences are often devastating. In Never Saw it Coming, Linwood already made us think and led us to ask the question of what we should have done instead of Keisha. Here he leads us to think about the weight of secrets... or family lies. Is parents' love always benevolent? Does they always do the best for their children? There's a lot of stuff to think about in this novel!

As for the plot, or rather the intrigues, they take place in a logical and progressive way, with some dramatic turns and one begins to devour the pages with ease, for it's Linwood's power: his writing is really flowing with well placed touches of humour.

The blurb

After his wife’s death and the collapse of his newspaper, David Harwood has no choice but to uproot his nine-year-old son and move back into his childhood home in Promise Falls, New York. David believes his life is in free fall, and he can’t find a way to stop his descent.

Then he comes across a family secret of epic proportions. A year after a devastating miscarriage, David’s cousin Marla has continued to struggle. But when David’s mother asks him to check on her, he’s horrified to discover that she’s been secretly raising a child who is not her own—a baby she claims was a gift from an “angel” left on her porch.

When the baby’s real mother is found murdered, David can’t help wanting to piece together what happened—even if it means proving his own cousin’s guilt. But as he uncovers each piece of evidence, David realizes that Marla’s mysterious child is just the tip of the iceberg.

Other strange things are happening. Animals are found ritually slaughtered. An ominous abandoned Ferris wheel seems to stand as a warning that something dark has infected Promise Falls. And someone has decided that the entire town must pay for the sins of its past…in blood.

In a nutshell

One is never wrong with a book by Linwood. The characters are very well written and engaging, the story is well put together, well brought outcome. 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 Hanging Girl by Jussi-Adler Olsen

PENGUIN GROUP Dutton


I read Jussi Adler-Olsen's first novel, The Keeper of the Lost Causes, in French, I loved it and read it in one sitting between Québec and New York. What I like about this book, was that even if I quickly guessed the culprit, Morck / Assad dynamic duo gave a lot of plus in that book.

The Hanging Girl, the sixth book in the Department Q series is now released, in English. So I was really happy to read this book, even though I have not read all the books between the first and last one.

The first point is, clearly, a lot happened between the first and the sixth volume. Two people have joined the team and I don't have a clue why or how but there's a lot going on between them. So it is certainly not a big deal and it doesn't unhinge the reading but it adds to the fact that I enjoyed this book less than the other.

I do not know if it's the English translation but I struggled to immerse myself in the story. Among others, I haven't found the funny, ironic or cynical tone that made Morck laziness enjoyable. Same way as in the first book, you'll very too quickly know who did it and even why, except that if in the first book the two "partner in crime", the ambiance and the unwinding stress added much to the story, this time no. They just trample, Morck is annoying what with his spinelessness and not wanting to do anything, the culprit keep killing in piece and quiet while Morck and Assad are investigating an old murder. In short, because I know the author, I was expecting for the plot to become more and more stressful, a bit of exciting stuff, some fun exchanges between the two but it happened too late in the book.

For the plus part of the book, the story is set in a sect but Adler avoids clichés and gives us a culprit whose motives are very human. And that, I admit I enjoyed. People in this sect do not seem all illuminated and they are free of their movement. In the end, it's all about good old motives of love, hatred and jealousy. Adler also shows very well that people who want to believe - in something or someone - know how not to see the truth in front of them, leaving the field open for a malicious person.

The blurb

In the middle of his usual hard-won morning nap in the basement of police headquarters, Carl Mørck, head of Department Q, receives a call from a colleague working on the Danish island of Bornholm. Carl is dismissive when he realizes that a new case is being foisted on him, but a few hours later, he receives some shocking news that leaves his headstrong assistant Rose more furious than usual. Carl has no choice but to lead Department Q into the tragic cold case of a vivacious seventeen-year-old girl who vanished from school, only to be found dead hanging high up in a tree. The investigation will take them from the remote island of Bornholm to a strange sun worshipping cult, where Carl, Assad, Rose, and newcomer Gordon attempt to stop a string of new murders and a skilled manipulator who refuses to let anything—or anyone—get in the way.

In a nutshell

The end of the story is better and it gets more interesting but I'm overall a little disappointed by this book. It is 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.

Enzan : The Far Moutain by John Donohue

A Connor Burke Martial Arts Thriller
Published July 7th 2014 by YMAA Publication Center
296 pages




By choosing this book, I told myself that it was not a big risk, as this is the fifth book in the series... As... if the first 4 had not been good, the series would not have been so far! I also liked the cover that goes very well with the Japanese martial arts theme.

So, inevitably, when you begin a series in the 5th volume, there is always the concern of whether you'll feel like you've missed some important things to better understand the book. About that book, I can tell: yes, but not... Because yes, there are some allusions to past adventures, some understanding that regular readers will appreciate, but for novices like me, it goes very well anyway!

I enjoyed learning more about martial arts, you'll understand very quickly that the author really knows them and knows how to explain the concepts and context of his art while making it interesting. I never felt like reading an essay on Japanese martial art but rather found that the explanations about the "way of the warrior" brought a very zen touch to a very violent history. It's a contrast that makes a special note to this book.

The characters, mostly Burke and his Sensei, are very well written, we can feel the respect of the student to the master and the amused tenderness of Yamashita for his pupil. I appreciated that there are in this book no superheroes or nor villains able to get up after eating a hail of bullets, it's more realistic.

And the story? Burke is investigating alone, with no means at hand and sometimes with a few sleazy accomplices, which does not always bring happy results but have the merit of making a well-paced story. We follow him from adventure to misadventure in a sometimes Zen atmosphere and sometimes rock n'roll one.

The blurb

Chie Miyazaki is wild and spoiled—the pampered child of a cadet line of the imperial House of Japan. When she disappears in the United States accompanied by a slick Korean boyfriend, it sets off alarm bells among people in Japan’s security apparatus.

The Japanese want the problem solved quietly. They seek out Connor Burke, pupil of the master swordsman Yamashita. But the rescue operation soon turns deadly. Burke suspects that he's being used, but he accepts the assignment out of honor for his revered sensei.

A covert search and rescue operation turns into a confrontation with a North Korean sleeper cell. Burke finally discovers the secret that drove Yamashita from Japan so many years ago and now pulls them both into deadly danger.

In a nutshell

A good book, well written, a well-paced story, a sometimes troubled zen. In a nutshell, a book that reads quickly, entertaining and that'll make you want to go treading along a tatami. 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.

Tom Savage's interview!

Today I'm hosting Tom Savage who's book Mrs John Doe came out on the 6th of October ! I'll just say that I've read his book and it's really great! There's spying, humour, a great female character, a sense of family and lots of adventure!

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Hi Vanessa. Thanks for having me on your blog.

Tom
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The culprit

Tom Savage is the author of six suspense novels: Precipice, Valentine, The Inheritance, Scavenger, A Penny for the Hangman, and Mrs. John Doe. He wrote two detective novels under the name T. J. Phillips, Dance of the Mongoose and Woman in the Dark. His short stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, and anthologies edited by Lawrence Block, Harlan Coben, and Michael Connelly. His short story, “The Method In Her Madness,” was nominated for the Barry Award. His bestselling novel, Valentine, was made into a Warner Bros. film. In his younger days he was a professional actor, and he also wrote a Broadway show, Musical Chairs.

Tom was born in New York and raised in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. He attended Point Park College and Hofstra University, majoring in drama and minoring in English. After acting and writing plays, he worked for many years at Murder Ink®, the world’s first mystery bookstore. He’s a member of Actors Equity Association, ASCAP, the Authors Guild, Mystery Writers of America, the International Association of Crime Writers, and International Thriller Writers. He has served as a director on the national board of MWA, and he’s served several times on the Best Novel committees for MWA (Edgar® Awards) and IACW (Hammett Prize). He is a founding member of MWA’s Mentor Program, assessing and encouraging new mystery writers. He lives in New York City.

He spills the beans…

Will you tell us a little bit about your book Mrs. John Doe?
An American actress in Europe stumbles on a deadly plot, and now she's running for her life. This is my eighth published novel, but it's my first spy novel. I love stories about espionage and international chases. I grew up reading Helen MacInnes, John le Carré, and Robert Ludlum, among others, and Alfred Hitchcock is my favorite filmmaker--particularly The 39 Steps, The Man Who Knew Too Much, and my all-time favorite movie, North By Northwest. I decided to try my hand at writing a story like that. I made my protagonist, Nora Baron, and actor because I was a professional actor before I began writing. I used my own theatrical knowledge to give Nora an edge, a defense against her enemies. She's up against some very dangerous people who will stop at nothing to get what they want, and she's an American on the run in two foreign countries--England and France--so she can use all the help she can get. I loved writing about Nora Baron because she's so resourceful, and I modeled my plot on my favorite classic spy thrillers. I hope readers have as much fun reading Mrs. John Doe as I had writing it!

Do you still need to work? If yes, how do you manage to combine work and writing (and mentoring and blogging...)
I still need to work, but unfortunately, I can’t. I was an actor and theatrical composer, and for twenty years I was a bookseller at Murder Ink®. I have no other marketable skills! I’m too old to get back in the theater, and there aren’t many bookstores left. I wouldn’t be able to find a job anywhere at this point, so I’m hoping people buy my books. They’re my only source of income now. Mentoring and blogging are my hobbies, so I make time for them. I love talking about mystery books, and now that I’m no longer in a bookstore every day, blogging is the next best thing. And the Mystery Writers of America’s Mentor Program is a wonderful way to meet and encourage the new generation of mystery writers.

As a man, you write clever and powerful female characters (I’m thinking about Nora Baron in Mrs. John Doe or Karen Tyler in A Penny for the Hangman). Is it thanks to your aunt, Lesley, who seems to have been such a strong and exceptional woman? 

I never called her Aunt Lesley--she was just Mom. Mom was an actor, director, and producer in the theater, and later she owned a shopping center and a real estate company in the Virgin Islands. She was a protofeminist, demanding equality for women long before the movement officially started. Nora Baron is partially based on her. All the female characters in my stories are strong because all the women I know are strong. I’m not interested in reading about weak people, male or female, so I don’t write about them.

Which events will you attend in the next months?
I have no plans to attend anything for a while. I’m writing two new stories, so no events.

What are you reading now?
THE ASSASSINS by Gayle Lynds. It’s a terrific international thriller.

What do you look for in a good book? Is there anything that will make you put a book down, unfinished?
I look for good writing, of course. That’s first and foremost on my list of ingredients. I look to be transported, to not think about the mechanics of the piece while enjoying the ride. It’s often difficult for writers to read other writers, especially mystery and suspense writers, because we all know the same tricks. My favorite mystery writers are the ones who can consistently make me forget I’m a writer while I’m reading. What makes me put a book down, unfinished? Predictability, preaching, pornography--let’s call them the Three Ps, shall we? Anything that demeans or diminishes the human spirit--I will never understand this whole SHADES OF GREY thing. What woman in her right mind would tune in to the disgusting idea that women secretly want to be dominated by any man, let alone a dull rich one? And dystopian stories: We’ve been inundated with dreary end-of-the-world scenarios lately, and they’re all the same scenario. It’s enough to send sensible readers back to BRAVE NEW WORLD and ON THE BEACH (which wouldn’t be a bad thing). I hope those trends are soon over.

If you could experience one book again for the first time, which one would it be?
That’s a dead tie, the two books I read back-to-back when I was fifteen that made me want to become a writer: GREAT EXPECTATIONS and REBECCA.

What's next for you?
Those two stories I mentioned. One is about American con artists in Europe, and the other involves a deadly impersonation. And I already have ideas for several more novels, so I should be busy for quite a while.

Why so serious questions
If you weren’t a writer, what would you be?
An actor. My other talent, and my other great love.

Worst writer’s habit?
Procrastination. Well, unless the writer in question is a drunk or drug addict, something like that--then I’d say controlled substances. For me it’s procrastination.

If you were a fictional hero?
Oh gosh, I’d love to be Frodo Baggins. Or James Bond. One or the other, depending on my mood. Frodo is brave and capable and loyal, the best friend you could ever have. James Bond is all that, plus everybody wants to have sex with him.

Favourite swear word while writing?
Darn. (I’m not a big swearer.)

Any question you want to ask your hero?
If you mean Nora Baron, I’d ask how those designer boots are working out for her. I had to dress her for a lot of running and action in various types of weather, and she wouldn’t have many opportunities to change clothes. At the same time, she’s a fiftyish university teacher who’s ostensibly in mourning, so I figured sweatsuits and Nikes were out. What do women wear when they want to look good and move freely at the same time? I’m a guy, so I had no idea, right? I consulted some physically active professional women I know, and they recommended pantsuits, an all-purpose trench coat, and boots. I’m sure they were right, but I worried about her in those boots.

Most ridiculous way to die in a book?
I read a mystery once where the vic was knocked unconscious while seated at a dinner table, and his face fell into a cup of coffee. Or maybe it was a bowl of soup. I forget. But imagine drowning like that! And the poor perp--he only meant to knock the guy out, and now he’s a murderer! That’s what I call bad karma.

Your main character’s favourite meal?
Considering her plight, I’d say anything she can grab quickly and wolf down while running in designer boots (see above). Sandwiches would be a good idea.

About the Book
Title: Mrs. John Doe
Author: Tom Savage
Genre: Thriller

In the adrenaline-laced new novel of suspense from Tom Savage—hailed by Michael Connelly as “a master of the high-speed thriller”—an American actress in Europe races to find the truth behind her husband’s mysterious accident. What she uncovers makes her the target of a shocking conspiracy.

Nora Baron’s life is perfect. She lives on Long Island Sound, teaches acting at a local university, and has a loving family. Then one phone call changes everything. She’s informed that her husband, Jeff, has died in a car crash while on a business trip in England. Nora flies to London to identify the body, which the police have listed as a “John Doe.” When she leaves the morgue, a man tries to steal her purse containing Jeff’s personal effects. Clearly, all is not as it seems.

At her hotel, Nora receives a cryptic message that leaves her with more questions than answers. She follows the message’s instructions to France, where a fatal encounter transforms her into a fugitive. Wanted for murder, on the run in a shadowy landscape of lies, secrets, and sudden violence, Mrs. “John Doe” must play the role of a lifetime to stay one step ahead of a ruthless enemy with deadly plans for her—and for the world.

You can follow Tom here: His Website or On Facebook

You'll find his book on Goodreads too!

And you can (should) buy the Book here:
Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Books-a-Million

Google Play

iBooks

Penguin Random House

Mrs John Doe by Tom Savage

Random House Publishing Group - Alibi
Pub Date Oct 6, 2015


I had read and enjoyed Tom previous book, A Penny for the Hangman, some time ago. Tom is an author who knows how to use the art of narrative and writing sympathetic characters.

He manages once again to make us have a good time in the company of Nora, an intelligent woman full of resources (in here you'll find Tom's interview who explains, among others things, where does his inspiration for his female characters come from).

This book is a mix of espionage, suspense, chase with well written characters, rogues to perfection, liars or conversely straightforward and friendly. But as you should never trust appearances, Nora will understand that in this spy game, you should be wary of all...

One leaves the United States, arrives in England, ends up in France... and each time the country is well represented and it makes you want to go there. The author also knows to sprinkle its plot with culture and good food, avoiding a too dark novel. Result ? We spend a very pleasant time with a story that does not weaken, a plot that fire a few well-chosen twists away.

The blurb

Nora Baron's life is perfect. She lives on Long Island Sound, teaches acting at a local university, and has a loving family. Then one phone call changes everything. She's informed that her husband, Jeff, has died in a car crash while on a business trip in England. Nora flies to London to identify the body, which the police have listed as a “John Doe.” When she leaves the morgue, a man tries to steal her purse containing Jeff's personal effects. Clearly, all is not as it seems.

At her hotel, Nora receives a cryptic message that leaves her with more questions than answers. She follows the message's instructions to France, where a fatal encounter transforms her into a fugitive. Wanted for murder, on the run in a shadowy landscape of lies, secrets, and sudden violence, Mrs. “John Doe” must play the role of a lifetime to stay one step ahead of a ruthless enemy with deadly plans for her—and for the world.

In a nutshell

Great time spent at the speed of a chase, 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.

The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair by Joël Dicker

Paperback: 656 pages
Publisher: Penguin Books; First Edition edition (May 27, 2014)


The main concern when one reads pocketbooks is that one misses the action and a trove like this book. (At the same time, the bright side is that one avoids buying the latest fashionable novel, because it is fashionable and having to put up with a lame platitude which only advantage is a successful marketing...)

In the end, it took me some time to buy this book because:
- The Goncourt mention was only saved by the fact that this is the students prize (I hoped that they really were looking to reward quality) (mouahaha)
- This book is labeled novel. Well, I have a very slight tendency to only read thrillers

In the end, it took that some friends were surprised that I hadn't already read the book "it's great, really, you'll see" and I must say they were right and I do not regret at all having bet a part of my vacation in Cuba with this book (which I finally read midway throught during our journey there).

It's been awhile since I had been so pleasantly surprised by the construction of a novel. What originality! One has the impression that it goes in all directions (and this is somewhat the case with multiple changes of perspective) but this creates a dynamic and rhythm that entertains us. You'll find

boxing, writing advices, exchanges of letters, stories, action. In short, nice pieces that give a nicer whole.

So, admittedly, some criticize the love story between Nola and Harry, finding it too cutesy, others criticize the writing, finding it too simple for an Academy Award. And yes, it's true that the love story is mushy and the words of love between the two lovebirds are more reminiscent of a love story in Jane Austen than a relationship between a teenager and a thirty years old guy in 1975 but it's nice like that. Yes, the language is not that realistic but it's romantic and it brings a little old world charm to a crime fiction like no other.

As for me, I liked to know the people of this town, I would have loved going on vacation in this beach house and go out to the dinner sitting next to Harry's table. The words are simple but one thing is certain, they integrate us into the story. One is part of the inhabitants, we know them, they are our neighbors, with their faults and qualities.

And the plot is twisted at will. I thought I had discovered the culprit but it was too easy and I got fooled, then I found another culprit, less obvious, but I was still wrong and in the end I said "well then, I did not see that coming! " And in each chapter a new fact appears, a revelation is unveiled, a mystery is cleared and every time, what I thought of Nola and Harry changed and in the end, I was completely mistaken. That too is nice in a novel: to be taken for a ride!

This novel it's the language of Jane Austen that meets a police investigation Agatha Christie-like that receives writing tips from Mohamed Ali. Brilliant cocktail, huh? This novel is a gem that should appeal to many.

The blurb

August 30, 1975: the day fifteen-year-old Nola Kellergan is glimpsed fleeing through the woods, never to be heard from again; the day Somerset, New Hampshire, lost its innocence.

Thirty-three years later, Marcus Goldman, a successful young novelist, visits Somerset to see his mentor, Harry Quebert, one of the country’s most respected writers, and to find a cure for his writer’s block as his publisher’s deadline looms. But Marcus’s plans are violently upended when Harry is suddenly and sensationally implicated in the cold-case murder of Nola Kellergan—whom, he admits, he had an affair with. As the national media convicts Harry, Marcus launches his own investigation, following a trail of clues through his mentor’s books, the backwoods and isolated beaches of New Hampshire, and the hidden history of Somerset’s citizens and the man they hold most dear. To save Harry, his own writing career, and eventually even himself, Marcus must answer three questions, all of which are mysteriously connected: Who killed Nola Kellergan? What happened one misty morning in Somerset in the summer of 1975? And how do you write a book to save someone’s life?

In a nutshell

A real gem this book! It deserves the prize and the rave reviews. I loved the writing style, the twists, the relationships between the various characters. It is a 5/5 for me!

The Killing Kind by Chris Holm

Publisher: Mulholland Books (Sept. 15 2015)

Sold by: Hachette Book Group Digital, Inc.

Format: Kindle Edition

Print Length: 320 pages

Again, this excellent author offers us a novel that you will not let go!

The plus with Holm: his books covers are always beautiful, whether in a retro style like in his trilogy The Collector (Dead Harvest, The Wrong Goodbye and The Big Reap) or this one, very James Bond-esque. Personally, it's silly I know but a nice cover weights a lot in my reading choices.

And with Holm the story is always as good as the cover. Fourth book read by this author and I am never disappointed. Holm is right in line with authors of noir fiction with, always, this humor of his he perfectly gauged at the right time.

Chris Holm also has the knack to make completely hateful character in every respect, super friendly. Because let's be honest, a hitman who becomes the target of another hitman, one would have a slight urge to tell him, "serves you right mate, you just had to choose another career" But ultimately, well, we tend to find Hendricks qualities that make him the guy we would like to have as buddy.

The author draws up in few words the portraits of quite all the characters involved, both good and bad, and makes a very realistic picture of the protagonists. And in The Killing Kind, there is no shortage of protagonists! In the pure style "the hunted hunter", Hendricks tracks different hitmen themselves hunted by a hitman to flush Hendricks... that's a lot of hunters! It would be enough to lose tracks of the story (pun intended!) but the quality of writing, the rhythm that does not fail and the sharp wit make this book a delight.

And at one point, I shouted "NOOO" then "Phew !!" and ending with "Oh no...." Because Holm's like that, he plays with your nerves. And the best? We want more!

The blurb

A hitman who only kills other hitmen winds up a target himself.

Michael Hendricks kills people for money. That aside, he's not so bad a guy.
Once a covert operative for a false-flag unit of the US military, Hendricks was presumed dead after a mission in Afghanistan went sideways. He left behind his old life - and beloved fiancée - and set out on a path of redemption... or perhaps one of willful self-destruction.

Now Hendricks makes his living as a hitman entrepreneur of sorts - he only hits other hitmen. For ten times the price on your head, he'll make sure whoever's coming to kill you winds up in the ground instead. Not a bad way for a guy with his skill - set to make a living - but a great way to make himself a target.

In a nutshell

I'm sold, I love the writing of this author that never let you down. 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.

Entanglement by Zygmunt Miłoszewski

(Polish State Prosecutor Szacki Investigates)

Antonia Lloyd-Jones (Translator)
254 pages
Bitter Lemon Press (Aug. 1 2010)



I regularly try to discover new authors, from different geographical corners... and I regularly fail one objective, namely the geographical corners. I realize that even if I read not known authors or at least never read authors, they quite all come from the same (comfort?) zone: France, USA, Canada, Great Britain and that's all... So I was very proud of me when I chose this book by Zygmunt Miloszewski, a Polish author (although I must admit that it is less his geographical origin that his book cover that prompted me to read it).

One thing is certain, I do not regret at all choosing that cover book! Some will find with pleasure some references to Agatha Christie: a murder behind closed doors, characters interviewed one by one and an unveiling in front of the group, some will feel like being in a giant Clue (because this time the crime does occur in the kitchen!) Others will be delighted by the characters, sometimes shifted, sometimes tortured, but always well written. Speaking characters, we closely follow the prosecutor Teodore Szacki who's doing a lot of thinking about both the ongoing investigations and his personal life.

I enjoyed discovering the Polish judicial system that looks a bit like the French one. A prosecutor conducting an investigation, aided by the police. Teodore will struggle to investigate because he sets foot in a plot to prevent him to delve into the past of the victim. So, certainly, the story mixes many different fields but each has the merit of lifting the veil on different subjects, be it dark and political history of Poland or therapies to the fashion of the day.

I enjoyed the behing the scenes of the judiciary system: here no resolution with great fanfare for each case but offices that are drowning in cases, prosecutors who spend more time filling out paperwork than investigating, investigations botched by lack of resources or disillusionment on the justice rendered.

I found original the newspapers extracts before each chapter which gives an idea of ​​the news of the day. This makes us revisit History from the Polish perspective. We discover as much the temperature of the day than the political shenanigans of the elections in progress. It gives a context to the story and gives us the impression of being part of this country, at this time.

I had a bit of difficulty in reading the sometimes unpronounceable names for non Polish people, so difficult to remember and easy to mix. You initially have to concentrate not to confuse the characters and understand the course of the plot. Another small problem for some people perhaps: this is not a breathless thriller, the investigation takes time. As for me, I found it perfectly served to emphasize the heaviness of the judicial system, the difficulties due to the historical and societal context of Poland in 2005.

The blurb

The morning oafter a gruelling group therapy session, Henry Talek is found dead, a roasting spit stuck in his eye. The case lands on the desk of Warsaw prosecutor Teodor Szacki. World-weary and suffering from bureaucratic exhaustion and marital ennui, Szacki feels that life has passed him by. But things are about to change, as his search for the killer unearths another murder that took place 20 years ago - before the fall of Communism. And why is the Secret Police taking such an intense interest in this particular case?

In a nutshell

A good first polar for this Polish writer that must be followed, because it seems that the second volume of the series is even better! It is a 4/5 for me.

Day Shift by Charlaine Harris

(A Novel of Midnight, Texas Book 2)

308 pages

Ace (May 5 2015)

Sci-fy et fantasy

Just to have a little change after several thrillers, I decided to try the new series by Charlaine Harris, who is well know for her  hit series starring Sookie Stackhouse (True Blood for fans of the TV series). Day Shift is the second book in the series that began with Midnight Crossroads.

Again, Charlaine Harris has managed to create a world of her, whose characters have in common a love of secrecy and discretion. They all have something to hide, whether a particular gift or a shady past. Now, in the small town of Midnight, nothing should happen but external events will soon disturb its residents.

I appreciated the fact that the author makes a nod to her hit series citing Sookie and certain events that occurred in the series and including some of the characters in that series (but even if you haven't read the Stackouse books, it won't bother you). I also liked to rediscover Harris' style of writing as she has a gift for making sympathetic or sinister characters all while remaining in the context of her own. The atmosphere is never very dark, even when events are horrible. There is always a magical background, a very pleasant je ne sais quoi. With Harris, one skins someone alive, one risks one's life, one is faced with a killer, a vampire, an angel, a Bengal tiger but on condition of good southern education.

Some questions remain unanswered at the end of the book, which does not please me but which points to the rest of the series. Everything is whether you are ready to dive into a new series that can potentially last very long. Personally, I like it when a book, even in a series, answers its questions.

But what's the story?
In Midnight Crossroad, Charlaine Harris “capture[d] the same magic as the world of Bon Temps, Louisiana, and [took] it to another level" (Houston Press). Now the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Sookie Stackhouse novels returns to the one-traffic-light town you see only when you’re on the way to someplace else…

There is no such thing as bad publicity, except in Midnight, Texas, where the residents like to keep to themselves. Even in a town full of secretive people, Olivia Charity is an enigma. She lives with the vampire Lemuel, but no one knows what she does; they only know that she’s beautiful and dangerous.

Psychic Manfred Bernardo finds out just how dangerous when he goes on a working weekend to Dallas and sees Olivia there with a couple who are both found dead the next day. To make matters worse, one of Manfred’s regular—and very wealthy—clients dies during a reading.

Manfred returns from Dallas embroiled in scandal and hounded by the press. He turns to Olivia for help; somehow he knows that the mysterious Olivia can get things back to normal. As normal as things get in Midnight…

In a nutshell

A good book to pass the time which reads very quickly. A very friendly atmosphere and quite a few unanswered questions for a series to come, 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 Doll Maker by Richard Montanari

(Byrne and Balzano)
487 pages
Mulholland Books (April 28 2015)



Richard Montanari is a discovery for me, although it's not his first novel (far from it, as this is the eighth book in the series!)

I admit I loved the book cover, intriguing and disturbing at will and the story really attracted me. The good news is, although I never read the first books in the series, it never felt like I missed an episode. This makes it easy to discover this fine team with this book (and then read the others). Byrne and Balzano are two different and yet very similar character, one Irish and one Italian, they are nonetheless as stubborn as a mule and very close to their family. I don't know if it's because the characters are already anchored in the series, but it brings out an air of familiarity with Byrne and Balzano, even if I just discovered them. These are two very nice people and I was going to say "normal" to the point that one soon feels as if they're family.

Initially - and especially because of the cover (don't juge a book by its cover...) - I was afraid that the children are turned into dolls, but fortunately it's not the case. There is a certain tension in the narrative, an insidious side to the murders that mixes the horrible (killing is bad) to the very sophisticated, a very disturbing part due to a certain delicacy in the murders. It's a bit like eating with Hannibal Lecter (in the series of the same name), where you eat very elaborate things, very classy, ​​but frankly disturbing (I am eating veal or the pig from upstairs?) Montanari managed the same atmosphere, with a mixture of French elegance and quite disturbing suspects. The suspects (with an s so as not to tell if it's a or some people, mwahaha)(talk about taking great lenght not to spoil the story!) are very different from what I used to read! I can't say anything so as not to spoil the surprise (horror?) of the discovery, but it is very troubling.

What's the story?

Detectives Byrne and Balzano return to the streets of Philadelphia to put an end to a macabre succession of murdered children.
A quiet Philadelphia suburb. A woman cycles past a train depot with her young daughter. There she finds a murdered girl posed on a newly painted bench. Beside her is a formal invitation to a tea dance in a week's time.
Seven days later, two more young victims are discovered in an abandoned house, posed on painted swings. At the scene is an identical invitation. This time, though, there is something extra waiting for Detectives Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano: a delicate porcelain doll.
It's a message. And a threat. With the killers at large, Detectives Byrne and Balzano have just seven more days to find the link between the murders before another innocent child is snatched from the streets.

In a nutshell

An excellent novel, a disturbing, sophisticated atmosphere, engaging characters and very troubling suspects. 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.

The Morgenstern Project by David S. Khara

Le French Book (April 9 2015)
265 pages

David S. Khara writes here the third and final part of his trilogy about projects (The Bleiberg Project - which I really liked The Shiro Project - not read yet - and The Morgenstern Project).

We meet back Eytan with pleasure, the Mossad giant, who this time doesn't come alone but with two accomplices who are part of his family... sort of... but I leave you the pleasure of discovering how and why. This is one of the parts that I liked the most in this third installment: discovering Eytan story. Having not read the second book, I don't know if we learned more about him and his story but here! it's really interesting and it makes him even more human (proof that GMO can be good for humans. Mouhaha!) The book is divided into two parts, like in the first book but if the discovery of History let us understand the plot in The Bleiberg Project, this time it helps us to understand Eytan and his rage to remain free. Because this time, Eytan is the project.

Once again, the author captivates us with a Historical thread- always well documented - that not only will interest all the history of the war and particularly its lesser known parts (Polish resistance, manhunt, medical tests on Jews, etc.) lovers , but also helps us to better understand the present. I'm thinking that this is a topic of interest for the author who brilliantly highlights the saying that one cannot know his future without knowing one's past. Khara proves this through his stories full of adventure and that, in itself, is already great.

Along with the knowledge of History, we discover Eytan's story: where he comes from and how he became who he is, and we also experience an incredible story, always at a steady and flawless pace. We don't read this book, we watch it like we would watch an amazing action movie. (Probably why the Hollywood studios are interested...) Eytan, accompanied by his two accomplices Eli and Avi meet back with Jeremy and Jacqueline, and finds himself hunted and hunter. Well certainly, the outcome is a little easy but there is no shortage of nervousness, suspense and humor, which is always nice in a thriller.

Again, Khara speaks of modified men and, thanks to his extensive research, mixes reality and almost science fiction. Almost, because one wonders if it's not already a reality somewhere... It's about members and particularly powerful prosthesis that bring the quest for superior man even further.

The blurb

When you kill a legend, it becomes inspiration, and you can't kill inspiration. Jeremy Corbin and Jacqueline Walls lead a calm life in a New Jersey suburb, when one day everything changes. Eytan Morgenstern returns to save them, and this improbably team must take on the Consortium, leading them on an epic journey from London to Tel-Aviv, from the Polish forests to Manhattan high-rises, from the shameful past to the threatening future. After a lifetime of bringing Nazi war criminals to justice, the Mossad operative is once again fighting those who wish to study his superhuman body. The self-sacrificing secret agent must rely on the help of his friends to finally free himself of the physical and emotional scars of his past.

In a nutshell 

Another success for David S. Khara who perfectly completes his trilogy. It's action packed with captivating History details and interesting characters. This is to read and it's 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.

Falling in love by Donna Leon

(Commissario Brunetti #24)

256 pages

Atlantic Monthly Press (April 7, 2015)

Donna Leon is well known - especially thanks to her character Guido Brunetti (and his love of good food) - yet I had not read her books. The fact that her novels take place in Italy has played in favor of the book when I chose my next reading. A little sunshine and Italian warmth could only be beneficial in these months of endless winter!

Donna Leon, is all about good taste in every sense of the word! Good musical taste (especially the opera) but also historical, architectural and gastronomic. Reading Falling in Love is like roaming the streets of Venice, meet great (and a bit posh) people, listen opera, looking at beautiful stuff and enjoy some great food... With all that, it's already quite a trip!

For those of you (and I know there's a LOT of you) who have already read everything written by Leon, you'll have the (great or not great) surprise to meet back Flavia, the opera singer who this time is not a culprit but the victim. So it's a return in the - let's say bloody - milieu of the opera, with a too many great amount of yellow roses, to Flavia's displeasure. Brunetti, skeptical at first, will eventually be convinced of the twisted and dangerous aspect of the world of opera and especially of fans.

This novel will appeal especially to those who love the atmosphere in police novels. Here, no great violence, no hard to read scenes, everything is about good education, good manners, Venice, music and great food. The mystery will be resolved by Brunetti, with the help of his colleagues who are doing a big part of the job and the culprit who leaves big enough clues for the police to found him/her (mwahaha, no you won't know if it's a she or a he!) You should easily - and more quickly than Brunetti and his colleagues - solve some puzzles where they will take a too much time for my taste. I admit to having a preference for characters with vivid intelligence.

The blurb

Donna Leon’s Death at La Fenice, the first novel in her beloved Commissario Guido Brunetti series, introduced readers to the glamorous and cutthroat world of opera and one of Italy’s finest living sopranos, Flavia Petrelli—then a suspect in the poisoning of a renowned German conductor. Years after Brunetti cleared her name, Flavia has returned to Venice and La Fenice to sing the lead in Tosca.

Brunetti and his wife, Paola, attend an early performance, and Flavia receives a standing ovation. Back in her dressing room, she finds bouquets of yellow roses—too many roses. Every surface of the room is covered with them. An anonymous fan has been showering Flavia with these beautiful gifts in London, St. Petersburg, Amsterdam, and now, Venice, but she no longer feels flattered. A few nights later, invited by Brunetti to dine at his in-laws’ palazzo, Flavia confesses her alarm at these excessive displays of adoration. And when a talented young Venetian singer who has caught Flavia’s attention is savagely attacked, Brunetti begins to think that Flavia’s fears are justified in ways neither of them imagined. He must enter in the psyche of an obsessive fan before Flavia, or anyone else, comes to harm.

In a nutshell

A preppy novel for a relatively easy plot without much violence. 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.

The Lost Girls of Rome by Donato Carrisi

Mulholland Books (Nov. 19 2013)

I bought The Lost Girls of Rome in 2013, as much to discover an Italian author (especially as I mostly read French or English authors...) as for the story that seemed promising. In the end, I discovered this author by reading The whisperer, bought and dedicated last year at the Quais du polar festivla. I also really liked Donato Carrisi's full of intelligence interventions.

So at last, I finally read his second novel and I must say that I did recognized his pen. Carrisi seems to enjoy confusing us to better surprise us. The POV alternate between different characters, including a corpse that wakes up every day wondering who he is. Marcus is a strange character, we feel that he has experienced a lot of things, that he is capable of violence and we're all the more surprised when we know what's his "job". Sandra, a young widow, is unable to recover from what she thought was a ridiculous accident until she discovers that the fall was done on purpose. She also hides things and will have to face her own guilt and choose between forgiveness and revenge. We also follow a hunter stalking his prey, all in a series of chapter linked by a date, a time, a character.

Several plots unfold and eventually meet and are explained with always - author's brand - twists that we did not see coming. That is the Carrisi's effect: you think you're reading a linear book and wham! he changes the rules. Talking story: Sandra and Marcus' paths intersect as they track a serial killer, a master of manipulation and old investigation come to a final outcome, all that wrapped up in a reflection - another brand of the author - this time about forgiveness, revenge, and the choice that is up to each person. How would we react if a stranger served us the murderer who destroyed our lives and that justice has missed on a plate?

Again, Carrisi offers us a good thriller, with well-crafted story, grounds for thought and very ambiguous characters. Only drawback in my case, the somewhat too religious angle. As much as I love to learn more about the history of religions (especially the secret things!) And then I have to say that I was served and delighted, as much as a good reflection about good and evil does doesn't bother me, bringing God as an explanation bothers me. The non-religious and non-believer I am is struggling with the church's moral lessons... It is probably what makes The Lost Girl of Rome a tad less good than The whisperer in my case.

The blurb

A grieving young widow, seeking answers to her husband's death, becomes entangled in an investigation steeped in the darkest mysteries of Rome.

Sandra Vega, a forensic analyst with the Roman police department, mourns deeply for a marriage that ended too soon. A few months ago, in the dead of night, her husband, an up-and-coming journalist, plunged to his death at the top of a high-rise construction site. The police ruled it an accident. Sanda is convinced it was anything but.

Launching her own inquiries, Sanda finds herself on a dangerous trail, working the same case that she is convinced led to her husband's murder. An investigation which is deeply entwined with a series of disappearances that has swept the city, and brings Sandra ever closer to a centuries-old secret society that will do anything to stay in the shadows.

In a nutshell

A very good thriller, well written and with twists as we like. This is a 4/5 for me.

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

Camille: The Commandant Camille Verhoeven Trilogy

MacLehose Press; 3 edition (May 5 2015)
26.99 $


Pierre Lemaitre is one of the authors-that-one-should-absolutely-read! I was astonished by Alex (like many people indeed). I really liked Irene for which he was awarded the first novel prize of the Festival de Cognac and a nomination for the CWA Daggers International 2014. And I just finished the trilogy with this book, Camille.


Camille, a small in size but big in personality cop, is driven in a well twisted story and there's mayhem in his life and in the book. The narration is a multiple POV and we pass from Camille to the suspect (and both are sometimes found in the same place at the same time) and the other characters, the story alternates between the 3rd person (almost everyone), and the first person (the suspect) - it makes one giddy! We are caught in a rhythm that does not lessen, in a pitiless trap in which Camille has landed himself, taking us with him. The story is told over 3 days with hours as chapter titles. It's brilliant, because we feel his discomfort, his feeling of always being a step back behind the suspect and we can't do anything to avoid it.

But who hate so much Anne Forester as to try to finish her off, even after the robbery? And is it a simple robbery? Verhoeven, too busy with his desire to protect Anne, doesn't understand what is happening... at least up to a point... He's still Verhoeven! But then he's almost alone, since (oops! I almost said why... But no, I will not spoil the other novels or this one by the way)

And I've said it with Alex and Irene, but as a reminder: Pierre Lemaitre has a different writing style, very literary, very Michel Audiard-esque and so enjoyable that for that alone, his books must be read (and I do hope the translator did a great job for you guys). His character descriptions alone are worth the reading. He also has the art and writing of combining extreme violence with derision / cynicism / utter irony.

The icing on the cake? The story is really good. So yes, some readers do not like the end (I won't spoil anything about that because if you read me it's probable that you have read other review...) But I have to say that the end makes sense, it goes along with the book, it ends well the trilogy and still leaves room for a possible sequel!

What the blurb?

In the highly acclaimed and award-winning novels Alex and Irene Pierre Lemaitre created a memorable character, Police Commandant Camille Verhoeven, who will seek justice at any cost. Now, in Camille, Verhoeven faces his most harrowing case yet, and the ultimate reckoning for the diminutive yet tenacious protagonist.

Anne Forestier finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time when she is trapped in the middle of a bank robbery. Shot three times, she is lucky to survive - and morbidly unlucky to remember the face of her assailant.

Followed home from her hospital bed, Anne is in grave danger. But one thing stands in her favor - a dangerously vengeful partner, carrying the scars of devastating loss, who will break all the rules to protect the woman he loves: Commandant Camille Verhoeven.

Following the horror of Irene and the thrills of Alex, Camille is the heart-stopping final chapter of Lemaitre's multi-award-winning trilogy. Drawn once again into a labyrinthine web with answers ever out of reach, Camille must draw on all his talent to face an enemy who threatens everything he holds dear.

In a nutshell

I really recommend you to discover, read or reread Pierre Lemaitre! A sharp and very effective writing, a very well done plot and a character, Camille, that we hope to read again about one day, it's a 5/5 for me.

La conjuration primitive by Maxime Chattam

Pocket - 12 janvier 2015
537 pages - 15,95 $


Maxime... my favorite French author... the first who caused me to spend my first sleepless night reading (the trilogy of evil is the antithesis of sleeping pills!) And here he do it again, with La conjuration primitive.

Is it that good?

Oh yes! Because as usual, he managed to create super cool characters, lovable, intelligent and different. This time we follow French police officers (he often set his book in USA with private detective ou FBI agent or journalist), divided into several teams because of the scope of the investigation. Especially we follow a team led by Alexis, a fan of the New York Giants. He is intelligent, able to feel things and managed to get on board a famous profiler, Richard Mikelis, who had vowed not to take this kind of investigation anymore. He is accompanied by Ludivine and Segnon which become more present as story unfold. Oddly, the specialist, although important and really committed, is not the most prominent character in the story. It's really a team effort, but with a little extra complicity between Alexis and Ludivine. It seems that Chattam like to put couple in his stories, because it often results in a couple (whether official or not) investigating.

Because as usual, he managed to create a completely insane story, with really really twisted villains with particularly Machiavellian ideas. WATCH OUT! Sensitive hearts should refrain: the descriptions of the scenes are not always easy to read. But for well hung hearts, you will not be disappointed! Chattam is excellent in the twists and this time, he outdid himsef... big time! I was dumbstruck at half the book, then I loooved the nod towards the end of the book (and there, it's better if you read his other books) (but it will not hurt anything if you have not read them... you'll just miss the nod) (but it's still a pity...) One thing is certain, his stories are always different from what you can read and they always question about evil. Is it contagious? Hmm... you'll have to read the book to know the answer!

And what's more, we travel with The conjuration primitive (in addition to France): in Poland, where we visit the St. Kinga chapel that is located in the town of Wieliczka. I did not know that this place existed and despite the circumstances of the book, it really makes me want to visit it (a chapel more than 100 metre below the earth and made of salt!!) Maxime Chattam always does research before writing so as to be as realistic as possible, and he succeeds. I know from having read on Twitter that he even scoured the parking of heavy trucks in Poland to soak up the atmosphere (he had posted pictures of the place) and better transcribe it in this book. We also travel in Quebec, in a city with a ficticious name (too many horrors happen there to place the action in a specific city) (because honestly no city would have liked to be used in this part of book), (but people of Quebec will probably recognize the city of Fairmont (and its windscreen building long of 1.3 km).

But what's the story?
And if only  evil could fight evil?

Investigators call them The Beast and The Phantom... If the murders they commit are not alike, their savagery is incomparable. And what about that mysterious common signature - *e - which negates the isolated track of serial killers? Did he killers know each other?
But soon, The Beast and The Phantom are no longer alone. Atrocious crimes multiply, first in France and then across the whole Europe.
Predation in the rough. Competition in the horror...
In order to combat this epidemic, and try to understand: a brigade not quite like the others, backed by a famous profiler.

In a nutshell

Endearing characters, a very well done plot, a cold and dark atmosphere and incredible twists, it's a 5/5 for me! So just go ask English editors to translate it!

Interview! Nathan M. Farrugia

Nathan M. Farrugia and I share in common the fact that we loved action books. That's why he asked me if I could review his book The Chimera Vector, which was quite cool as I had it in my Want to Read list on Goodreads!

And now, after loving his book (that could be referred as: action-action-action-and-geek-stuff)(really cool stuff in fact) I wanted to ask him a few question as undoubtedly he knows a lot about combat and stunt (the scene were so well described, it could only came firsthand!) He kindly answered my question which I present you right now!

The culprit
Nathan Farrugia is published by Momentum Books (Pan Macmillan).

He served in the Australian Army in infantry and reconnaissance, and studied film, television and professional writing. He worked as a post-production video editor, colorist and copywriter, where he earned the nickname Fagoogoo because no one could pronounce Farrugia.

Nathan lives in Melbourne, Australia. In his spare time he practices lock picking and discovers hidden places around the world with urban explorers. He studies Systema, a little-known martial art and former secret of Russian Special Forces. Nathan has trained under USMC, SEAL team, Spetsnaz and Defence Intelligence instructors, and the wilderness and tracking skills of the Chiricahua Apache scouts and Australian Aboriginals. He also drinks tea.

He spills the beans…
Will you tell us a little bit about your series?
Sure, The Fifth Column series (3 novels, 1 short) is about a young girl, Sophia, who is genetically modified and trained by a clandestine government agency, the Fifth Column. She’s abducted by renegade scientists and soon finds herself the spearhead of a resistance movement. Throughout the series, it’s pretty much just her and a small group of friends standing between the Fifth Column and their tightening stranglehold over the world. Sophia’s group are high trained but they’re a ragtag bunch, sort of the opposite of James Bond.

So, Nathan, what’s with all the training you’ve done and what’s next?
Haha, I get a little carried away! No but seriously, I go too far.

I have a background in the army, but your general soldierly knowledge only takes you so far. I found myself being drawn to strange and unconventional training such as urban escape and evasion, lockpicking, wilderness survival and surveillance. I’m still deciding on what’s next, maybe some more navigation by night. Doing more than just one Parkour class would be good too. 

 
Do you still need to work? If yes, how do you manage to combine work and writing (and training and blogging and tweeting...)
I do some video editing part-time, also from home. It’s easy to combine because I basically never blog and I tend to use social media more to make fun of myself than sell books. I think a campaign manager would have a heart attack if they saw how I do things. But I spend most of my time writing or doing writing-related things or pretending to write.

Where do you find all that techno stuff in your books?
Well, I traveled here from the future. Oh and we’ll all be destroyed by artificial intelligence.

I also get some inspiration from DARPA, the Pentagon’s evil science division, and from a wide array of conspiracy theories. And my brain, which is pretty crazy too. Anything that could conceivably happen now or next year is something I’ll look at.

Which events will you attend in the next months?
I’ll be on a panel at Supanova in Melbourne, Australia (April 2015) talking about thrill seeking. There are a bunch of other events on this year and hopefully I can announce them soon! But it should be a pretty fun year.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading some crazy short stories by Patrick Lenton, called A Man Made Entirely of Bats. It’s hilarious and bizarre and I read a story before bed every night. It’s in print and ebook, so I recommend checking it out. Next on my list is The Foundation by Steve P Vincent, which looks to be a very exciting thriller.

What do you look for in a good book? Is there anything that will make you put a book down, unfinished?
The thing that sucks about being a writer is as you improve and refine your own skills, you start to enjoy fewer books. I find it difficult to discover good books in the thriller genre more so than the science fiction genre. I think this is because many thrillers will be mired with clichés, formulaic plots and a whole conga line of tropes that are typical of the genre, such as the James Bond clone, the Middle Eastern terrorist or the sinister Russian KGB agent.

What I look for in a good book is a clever storyteller who will either try something new or work with these tropes and make them interesting, or invert them completely. On the first page, I look for sharp, crisp writing that can tell a story in fewer words without needing to clutter it with adverbs and adjectives, or spend a whole sentence describing a doorknob. Their economy of words allows you to enjoy and connect with the story. These are the excellent writers, and they are excellent because they are precise and fearless.

If you could experience one book again for the first time, which one would it be?
Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton.

What's next for you?
I’m working on a new episodic series at the moment, featuring both new and existing characters. You don’t need to have read my previous books to read these. But existing readers still get to continue their journey with Sophia, Damien, Jay and others.

The great thing about this episodic series, like a television series, is there’s more room for plots to develop, for characters to get to know each other and for us to get to know them, to love them and to hate them. But don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t dare use the extra room to get lazy and long-winded! The same level of efficient, precise storytelling applies in this form and there won’t be a scene in there that doesn’t need to be.

Why so serious questions 

What would be your desert island read? Probably not Jurassic Park. Given that is also set on an island. Maybe a good cyberpunk novel like Richard Morgan’s Altered Carbon.

Your favorite villain? Gary Oldman’s character, Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg, from The Fifth Element. 

Whose hero do you wish you had created? None, really. There are plenty of hero characters out there who I adore, but I don’t wish for a second they were mine. I’d really prefer to create my own. 

If you weren’t a writer, what would you be?
I was almost a stuntperson once, which is good because you at least get paid for endangering your life. Otherwise, I’d become a permanent traveller. It’s simultaneously as lonely and exciting as being a writer and that works for me. 

Any question you want to ask your hero?
I would ask, in the nicest way possible, how have you not given up on the human race yet?
One day, that will be handy to know.
For when the AI comes and kills us all.


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You can follow Nathan on his blog here or Twitter or Facebook

The Owl by Bob Forward

An Owl Thriller
Brash Books (1 juin 2014)
234 pages - 13,51 $




I was attracted by the story of an anti-hero that can not sleep. This book is a new edition and has even been turned into a film. The author is a writer for film and has among others participated in the writing of X-Men, the Fantastic Four, etc. It immediately gives the idea that the book should be pretty good, right? Anyway, I was sure to be blown away by the action!

The blurb

The most daring and original hero in crime fiction… in a debut novel that’s a relentless, pure-adrenaline rush.

It’s the mid-1980s. Crime in Los Angeles is running rampant. When the law can’t help you, there is one man who can: Alexander L’Hiboux, whose ability to sleep was destroyed in the ghastly tragedy that cost him his family. Now he’s justice-for-hire, prowling the streets and solving crimes with deadly finality. A desperate, grief-stricken shipping magnate hires The Owl to find the scum who brutalized his daughter…a quest that uncovers a shocking conspiracy that will rock the city.

What's good in that book?

Its action! Because there's a lot of it. We follow The Owl and as he never sleeps... there is no downtime. We wander in the slums of Los Angeles, we discover a nightlife not always rosy. We learn how to pass the time when you can not sleep, but we can not stay at home either, because some people would love to whack us. We rush headlong into the stronghold of mobsters not so soft and very well armed, we dodge bullets, we fight with our bare hands. In short, this book is no picnic!

Its main character, The Owl, a bit keyes up to the edges (and the middle too). He's always trying to keep up his reputation intact, sometimes to the point of doing unnecessary things, but we don't hold it against him. The Owl is that anti-hero who kills the bad guys as we like it in the movies. In addition, he's funny or cynical, sometimes it's the same thing. I admit I was a little disappointed to read that he washed only once a week, when he managed to go to a hotel... it's kind of a useless and damaging details that the author could have avoid in my opinion. Despite this, I loved to read the story through the view of The Owl when he tells his everyday life and his story, tragic, adds a depth to his situation.

Its story, because what seemed a fairly simple case - avenge the daughter of a tycoon - turns into an Owls-hunt. Someone knows that The Owl has been recruited and is not very happy. The Owls will have to find the culprit behind all the attacks before he can carry out his mission: make said culprit to disappear. Thus the hunter becomes hunted.

In a nutshell

This novel, published in 1984, is a reprint... which already gives an idea of ​​the quality of the book, as it's rare for a publisher to reissued a third-rate. A lot of action, an antihero well written, an atmosphere Los Angeles noir very noir indeed, 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.